Photo Retouching & Restoration for Dummies (Paperback)

by Julie Adair King (Author) "In many ways, fixing a problem photograph is like tackling a household repair..." (more)
Key Phrases: original eye color, brush dynamics options, original image layer, Photoshop Elements, Magic Wand, Free Transform (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"contains a handy glossary of terms, colour plates and all the information is presented in a friendly and humorous way" (Digital Photography Buyer and User, December 2002)

"an ideal companionshould feature highly on your shopping list" (PC Utilities, December 2002)

Product Description
Think back to the last time you browsed through your photo collection. You probably didn’t get very far before you thought to yourself, “This picture would have been great if only. . . .” If only the exposure had been better. I only that big plant, sign, or other distracting object wasn’t cluttering up background. If only the print hadn’t been sitting for 30 years in the basement being attacked by mildew, dirt, and paper-munching bugs. In years past, you either had to live with the damaged photos or pay big bucks to have them professionally repaired. Today, thanks to the development of consumer-friendly photo-editing software, you can use your computer to do the job yourself.

Whether you want to fix a 100-year-old family photo or a business shot you took yesterday, Photo Retouching & Restoration For Dummies shows you how. You’ll discover how to:

• Scan and prep photos for editing
• Work with photo-editing software
• Fix the five most common photo flaws
• Get creative with collages and backgrounds
• Print photos or share them on the Internet

Here are just some of the things you can do by following the simple, easy-to-understand instructions provided by the book:

• Bring new life to old, faded photographs
• Adjust colors throughout the picture or in a certain object
• Improve exposure and contrast
• Sharpen focus
• Cover up flaws such as negative scratches, scanner dust, and dirt
• Remove unwanted elements from the scene
• Get rid of red-eye, soften wrinkles, and do other facial retouching
• Replace a busy background with one that compliments the subject

The techniques in the book use screen shots from Photoshop Elements as illustrations, but you can get the same results using Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, PhotoImpact, or most other intermediate or professional-level photo-editing software. To help you get started, the book comes with a CD-ROM featuring tryout versions of all the programs mentioned above, as well as other useful photography software. And to help you get the hang of color correction and other photo restoration techniques, the book includes 16 pages of full-color before-and-after examples. In short, you get just what you need to jump right in and start turning your flawed photos into frame-worthy masterworks!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (July 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764516620
• ISBN-13: 978-0764516627
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #159,656 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful to me..., September 5, 2002

By A Customer

When I pointed to this site to recommend this book to a friend, I was stunned to see a review of 1 star. Even though I definitely consider myself a novice as well, especially in regard to digital photography, I had no problem learning from this book and following the examples.

This book was very helpful in doing what it set out to do - teach photo retouching and restoration. I was very confident in recommending it. Kudos!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars User from Arkansas, September 16, 2002

By A Customer

I just finished my first photo restoring project and am really impressed with the final result. I just followed the directions step by step and felt that if a klutz like me could do it, anyone should be able to.

I'm anxiously looking forward to doing some more pictures when time allows. As a matter of fact, others have asked me to do some of their personal family photos.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in photo restoring.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good information, July 13, 2009

By	Mamacat "Mamacat" (Texas) - See all my reviews

Has a lot of good information for restoring photos. I've used it in my restoring of a few photos so far and it has helped with some good tips.
If you are into doing photo restoration, this is a good book