World-renowned French artists share their exciting and innovative digital creations in Illustrations with Photoshop: A Designer's Notebook, a first-time English translation of the cutting-edge French work. The images in this book will energize image professionals, graphic artists, photographers, computer graphics designers--all creators of images, whether still or animated--and will forever change the way you see and perform your design work.
Photoshop is best known among photographers as a photographic image manipulation tool; it is used largely for retouching and photomontage. But Photoshop is also a powerful and highly sophisticated tool for creating quality digital drawings and artwork. Artists, like the ones showcased within, use it to realize their unique vision through illustration.
In this lavish, full-color collection, nine French graphic artists--well-known professionals from a vibrant culture with a reputation for taking creative risks and producing incomparable graphics and art--are turned loose with Photoshop. Ranging from advertising to children's book illustration, science fiction to settings for graphic novels and role-playing games, their groundbreaking creations will inspire you to see your industry anew, appreciate graphic design from a changed perspective, and revitalize your work.
Representing the very finest of French creation in the world of graphic design and digital imaging, this notebook leads you into the heart of each author's artistic approach, guiding you through the inception and making of nine unparalleled works of art that spring from widely varying sources of inspiration. But you'll come away with more than ideas and inspiration--you'll find detailed, step-by-step information on making Photoshop do anything and everything you want to accomplish your ideal digital illustration.
Unlike any other available, this visually stunning book will give you the creative license and technical know-how you need to create one-of-a-kind digital illustrations with Photoshop that are limited only by your imagination.
William Rodarmor is an award-winning French literary translator and a former editor at PC World magazine. For the O'Reilly Designer Notebook series he translated Assembling Panoramic Photos, Creating Photomontages with Photoshop, and Illustrations with Photoshop. He lives in Berkeley, California.
WILLIAM RODARMOR is a veteran French literary translator, writer, and editor. His translation of Tamata and the Alliance, by Bernard Moitessier, won the 1996 Lewis Galantiere Award from the American Translators Association. His recent translations include The Book of Time trilogy, by Guillaume Prevost, Diasporas, by Stephane Dufoix (Univ. of Calif. Press, 2008), and Julien Parme, by Florian Zeller (Other Press, 2008). He lives in Berkeley, California.
FRENCH BOOK TRANSLATIONS (AS OF JUNE 2009)
FICTION A Fighting Heart, by Francois Place (David Godine, fall 2009) France: A Traveler's Literary Companion (Whereabouts Press, 2008) Julien Parme, by Florian Zeller (Other Press, 2008) The Old Man Mad About Drawing, by Francois Place (David Godine, 2003) Nominee, 2004 Northern California Book Awards Mayhem in Saint-Malo, by Jean Failler (Editions du Palemon, 2003) Catherine Certitude, by P. Modiano and J.-J. Sempe (David Godine, 2001) The Last Giants, by Francois Place (David Godine, 1993) Savage Nights, by Cyril Collard (Quartet Books/Overlook Press, 1993) Slow Death in Paris, by Denis Belloc (Quartet Books, 1992) Neons, by Denis Belloc (David Godine/Quartet Books, 1991) The Carnivorous Lamb, by Agustin Gomez-Arcos (David Godine 1984, Arsenal 2008)
YOUNG ADULT The Circle of Gold, by Guillaume Prevost (Scholastic, fall 2009) The Gate of Days, by Guillaume Prevost (Scholastic, 2008) The Book of Time, by Guillaume Prevost (Scholastic, 2007) A New York Public Library 2007 Book for the Teen Age Ultimate Game, by Christian Lehmann (David Godine, 2000) Winner, 2001 Batchelder Honor Award
NONFICTION La Romance, by Stephane Ribeiro (Sourcebooks, 2008) Diasporas, by Stephane Dufoix (Univ. of Calif. Press, 2008) Assembling Panoramic Photos, by Bodin et al. (O'Reilly Media, 2005) Creative Photomontages with Photoshop, by Collandre et al. (O'Reilly Media, 2005) Illustrations with Photoshop, by Bengal et al. (O'Reilly Media, 2004) The Fate of the Mammoth, by Claudine Cohen (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2002) A Sea Vagabond's World, by Bernard Moitessier (Sheridan House, 1998) Tamata and the Alliance, by Bernard Moitessier (Sheridan House, 1995) Winner, 1996 Lewis Galantiere Award, American Translators Association Fishes of Polynesia, by Raymond Bagnis et al. (Edipac-Hachette, 1973) The Long Way, by Bernard Moitessier (Wm. Morrow 1973, Sheridan House 1995)
This review is from: Illustrations with Photoshop: A Designer's Notebook (Paperback)
Well written, this book provides insight into the tricks used by several artists used in Photoshop. The book is laid out in a quasi magazine format which make it easy to read. The book contains lots of visual examples including examples of the toolbars and menu items. This book does require you to know a certain amount about how Photoshop works and I would not reccommend it for a beginning Photoshop user unless they had a good Photoshop basics book to refer to. Most people that have used Photoshop and that are famillar with the most of the tools, how to use layers and masks, can get a lot out of this book.
There are many different styles used in this book from scanned sketches, digital tablet works of art, to modified digital photos. Some problems can be solved in different ways and the each individual artists each bring different ideas and methods that many graphic artists will appreciate.
I would reccommend this book for anyone who is looking to expand their knowledge of how to use Photoshop in an artistic manner. People looking for a "learning to use Photoshop" book, should look elsewhere, and pick this book up after they have had some experience.
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This review is from: Illustrations with Photoshop: A Designer's Notebook (Paperback)
Another book in O'Reilly's series on Photoshop, by a group of French artists. Directed at a user already proficient with Photoshop basics. The emphasis is on serious artwork. In this sense, it differs from standard Photoshop texts which tend to describe Photoshop usage in very mechanistic terms. Quite understandable, as it's the obvious way to explain a computer program's use.
But what this book aspires to is to suggest that you can rise above merely using Photoshop as a craftsman. Instead, it elevates Photostop to the tool of an artist. As an example, there is a chapter, Voyage to Porto. The author describes making traditional pencil sketches of Porto. Complemented by digital photos of the town. Then the bulk of the chapter goes into how these two media are integrated with Photoshop into something that is far more than just a digital photo. Something that expresses the artist's creativity.
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This review is from: Illustrations with Photoshop: A Designer's Notebook (Paperback)
Take nine world class French digital artists, add Photoshop, a dash of good writing and a heady helping of creativity and you have "Illustrations with Photoshop". As a digital artist, I was intrigued by the title though suspicious. I was an Illustrator devotee but found limitations when it came to colorization. Photoshop is the means to unbelievable eye-poppin' illustrations. I've found most how-to design books to be bland, dry, deserts of left brain techno-babble. I was surprised to discover a full-color right brain revival of design and effect. The book itself is well designed and flows well over the glossy pages with artist notes and lots of pleasing images devoid of stark techno-structure. There is enough variety of art styles represented that it will appeal to most creatively inclined readers.
The contributors span the horizon of artistic endeavors. Video game designers, graphic novel artists, illustrators and a bona fide painter reveal artistic, inspirational photoshop insights elevating 2D illustrations to stunning art. Each artist selected one of their works and walked through their project from concept to completion. Included in the commentaries were not only the technical methods but the artistic motivation for each enhancement. The instructions are clear and very clever. They unveiled many of the mysterious and dubious filters and pallets that were once drop down menu baggage. The other bonus was the eye candy images and layout that illuminated each process and why they chose that direction. This was obviously a book by artists for artists that will fire the imagination and creative possibilities for our own art. It has some fantastic pointers but is not likely to be worth the price for the family photo retoucher who just wants to take the stain out of Aunt Mary's blouse. For the zealots of digital design and effects, it is an appetizing oasis and a must have for your library. Bravo to O'Reilly Books for an impressive winner.
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