Professional Photoshop 5: The Classic Guide to Color Correction [Paperback]

Dan Margulis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047132308X | ISBN-13: 978-0471323082 | Publication Date: September 22, 1998 | Edition: 1

"This book is the last word on CMYK color in Photoshop...This guy is a bona fide CMYK genius."-David Biedny, world's leading Photoshop RGB expert and creator of "Photoshop Inside & Out" video training series, and Bert Monroy and Nathan Moody Photoshop Channel Chops

"A definitive book for anyone concerned with using Photoshop to produce great-looking photographs."-Michael Kieran, author of The Color Scanning Success Handbook and Understanding Desktop Color

All the filters, selection techniques, and other bells and whistles won't matter if you can't make the image look good in print. When the first edition of Professional Photoshop published, it not only changed the workflow of professional photographers and retouchers, but also attracted non-experts with its intuitive, interactive approach.

This fully revised edition continues emphasizing by-the-numbers correction, and teaches:
* Use of CMYK curves to boost detail where it's needed most
* Precision control of unsharp masking
* Channel blending to build contrast
* The pivotal role of the black plate
* Control of every facet of the separation process
* How to cope with the new color settings of Photoshop 5
* The unwanted color and how to exploit it
* The power of correction in the LAB colorspace
* How to handle prescreened originals
* Converting color originals into snappy black and whites
* Restoration of older, damaged artwork
* Duotones and other uses of spot colors

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

All the filters, selection techniques, and other bells and whistles won't matter if you can't make the image look good in print. When the first edition of Professional Photoshop published, it not only changed the workflow of professional photographers and retouchers, but also attracted non-experts with its intuitive, interactive approach. This fully revised edition continues emphasizing by-the-numbers correction, and teaches:
* Precision control of unsharp masking
* Channel blending to build contrast
* The pivotal role of the black plate
* Control of every facet of the separation process
* How to cope with the new color settings of Photoshop 5
* The unwanted color and how to exploit it
* The power of correction in the LAB colorspace
* How to handle prescreened originals
* Restoration of older, damaged artwork
* Duotones and other uses of fifth color

From the Back Cover

"This book is the last word on CMYK color in Photoshop...This guy is a bona fide CMYK genius."-David Biedny, world's leading Photoshop RGB expert and creator of "Photoshop Inside & Out" video training series, and Bert Monroy and Nathan Moody Photoshop Channel Chops

"A definitive book for anyone concerned with using Photoshop to produce great-looking photographs."-Michael Kieran, author of The Color Scanning Success Handbook and Understanding Desktop Color

All the filters, selection techniques, and other bells and whistles won't matter if you can't make the image look good in print. When the first edition of Professional Photoshop published, it not only changed the workflow of professional photographers and retouchers, but also attracted non-experts with its intuitive, interactive approach.

This fully revised edition continues emphasizing by-the-numbers correction, and teaches:
* Use of CMYK curves to boost detail where it's needed most
* Precision control of unsharp masking
* Channel blending to build contrast
* The pivotal role of the black plate
* Control of every facet of the separation process
* How to cope with the new color settings of Photoshop 5
* The unwanted color and how to exploit it
* The power of correction in the LAB colorspace
* How to handle prescreened originals
* Converting color originals into snappy black and whites
* Restoration of older, damaged artwork
* Duotones and other uses of spot colors

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (September 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047132308X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471323082
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,614,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Margulis Earns The Last Word on Color Correction, February 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Professional Photoshop 5: The Classic Guide to Color Correction (Paperback)

This book is not for those Photoshop users who are looking for the latest and trendiest plug-in's and/or filters to customize Photoshop. Nope, for that, you'll have to go to one of those WOW books. If, however, you have occasion to make the images that you work with print better on a printing press, this book is incredible. Margulis takes you step by step into the powerful world of Photoshop curves. He demonstrates dramatically how, in many many cases, you don't have to waste time making elaborate selection masks to correct color. All you need is curves. After reading just three chapters, I was able to get dramatically better-balanced and vibrant images. (And I've been using Photoshop since version 1.5!) For variety, he also takes on the correct usage of unsharp masking and how to use different colorspaces to enhance separations. Margulis eschews most, if not all, of the new color management tools adopted by Adobe in version 5, and version 4 users will feel right at home. Although his writing style may seem a bit strained at times, the data presented in the numerous examples is well-rendered and quite clear. Not for Web graphic artists, if you want better color, contrast and sharpness from your images before they go off to press, you must have this book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, practical, applicable technical imagery advice, October 31, 1999

By 

Connie ([e-mail]) (Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Photoshop 5: The Classic Guide to Color Correction (Paperback)

For those of us who truly care about sharpening imagery to "best possible quality," this book provides specific, workable paradigms to use. Clear explanations, and powerful visual examples, make it possible for a designer, like myself, to create crisper and more impacting imagery. From the first chapter, I was able to apply the techniques suggested by Mr. Margulis...and they worked. My printer is now using my recent work to promote their work, as the color is punchy, and the imagery very sharp. If you are honestly attempting to "push the limit" of your design ability in print, understanding this book is important to you. Especially clear were the new technical terms to describe dpi, lpi and other vagaries of graphic language. Finally, I understand the differences. This book is sitting next to my computer. Actually, it's my favorite reference when working in color.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best PS book ever. You can make money with Photo$hop., October 12, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (L.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Professional Photoshop 5: The Classic Guide to Color Correction (Paperback)

For starters, Dan Margulis is the Plato of Photoshop. Truth and simplicity is the philosophy he preaches, and the shocking thing is, it works. But Plato ain't no simple read, nor is this. His '95 book, "Professional Photoshop," completely changed how I use Photoshop, and put me on the path to professional retouch, which I now do (not for full face cosmetic ads in Vogue, but for almost every less-demanding project). Did I mention that Dan Marglis will save you that $1,200 you were thinking of spending on a monitor calibrator? You don't need it; you'll learn his own (free of charge) technique. The book is crammed with before & after photos in color. Professional Photoshop 5 is probably the best written book in the graphics field, and certainly the funniest. It ranges from easy to quite difficult, and shows you every step on every photo. But, please, Mr. Margulis, we need to work on the same pictures that you did, so if you'd put together a CD-ROM of them, we'd GLADLY buy them. Just so I could experience transforming that humdrum beer glass in chapter 16 into a sweating, foaming masterpiece like you did.