The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

ARE YOU READY FOR AN AMAZING NEW VERSION OF THE PHOTOSHOP BOOK THAT BREAKS ALL THE RULES?
Scott Kelby, the best-selling Photoshop author in the world today, once again takes this book to a whole new level as he uncovers the latest, most important, and most exciting new Adobe Photoshop CS4 techniques for digital photographers. This major update to his award-winning, record-breaking book does something for digital photographers that’s never been done before—it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure it out on your own. Instead, Scott shows you step-by-step the exact techniques used by today’s cutting-edge digital photographers, and best of all, he shows you flat-out exactly which settings to use, when to use them, and why. That’s why the previous editions of this book are widely used as the official study guide in photography courses at colleges and universities around the world.

LEARN HOW THE PROS DO IT
Each year Scott trains thousands of professional photographers how to use Photoshop, and almost without exception they have the same questions, the same problems, and the same challenges—and that’s exactly what he covers in this book. You’ll learn:

• The sharpening techniques the pros really use.
• The pros’ tricks for fixing the most common digital photo problems fast!
• The step-by-step setup for getting what comes out of your printer to match exactly what you see onscreen.
• A whole chapter on how to process HDR (High Dynamic Range) images.
• How to master new CS4 interface and workflow features.
• How to color correct any photo without breaking a sweat.
• How to process RAW digital camera images (plus how to take advantage of all the new Camera Raw features in CS4!).
• How to add real automation to your work.
• How to show your work like a pro!
• A host of shortcuts, workarounds, and slick “insider” tricks to send your productivity through the roof!

Plus, Scott included a special bonus chapter with his own CS4 workflow, from start to finish. If you’re a digital photographer, and you’re ready to learn the “tricks of the trade”—the same ones that today’s leading pros use to correct, edit, sharpen, retouch, and present their work—then you’re holding the book that will do just that.

About the Author

Scott Kelby is Editor and Publisher of Photoshop User magazine, President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Training Director for the Adobe Photoshop Seminar Tour, and one of the leading seminar instructors in the country today. Scott is an award-winning author of more than 50 books on Photoshop, digital imaging, and technology, and for four years straight he has been the world’s #1 best-selling author of all computer and technology books. His other titles include Photoshop Down & Dirty Tricks, The Photoshop Channels Book, Photoshop Classic Effects, and The Digital Photography Book, vols. 1 & 2. His easygoing, plain-English, step-by-step style of teaching makes learning Photoshop easy and fun.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: New Riders Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321580095
• ISBN-13: 978-0321580092
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,297 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I needed, January 16, 2009

By	Julie Neal "The Complete Walt Disney World" (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you're like me, when you sit down to process photos you don't really have the time to explore options and try out new techniques. You just have time to do the work. Though my byline above IDs me as a book author, I also do color correction for the photos in my books, and have done commercial photo retouching since those dark days in darkrooms. I learned Photoshop on version 1.0 (we upgraded from Digital Darkroom, anyone else remember that?), and since that time haven't kept up much with all the new improvements. I just get photos in and need to get them out. Quickly.

Anyway, I haven't bought a Photoshop book in years. I saw the other good reviews this book is getting and thought I'd give it a try.

And boy am I glad I did!

There are four chapters here I'm going to use a lot:

CHAPTER 6 is filled with shortcuts, tips and tricks. Many other books are too, yes, but this one has a straightforward presentation filled with doses of humor. (Whereas many software guides are about as interesting as a dead fish, this one is filled with a lively, witty writing style that nevertheless gets its points across cleanly.)

CHAPTER 7 is all about color correction, which is my main concern. A section called "The trick pros use to make color correction simple" is nice to know. It suggests using black, gray and white cards in your photo, and the Curves adjustment in Photoshop to almost automatically correct the color.

CHAPTER 10 focuses (sorry, bad pun) on problematic photos. Included are:
a. Fixing color in indoor shots
b. When your subject is in the shadows
c. 15-second fix for under- or overexposed photos
d. Dodging and burning in CS4
e. Instant red-eye removal
f. Fixing reflections in glasses
g. The CS4 secret to fixing group shots
h. Having Photoshop extend your depth of field
i. The fastest way to resize brushes ever (plus you can change their hardness, too)

CHAPTER 13 finally explained the configuration of color space to me in a way I, after all these years, now understand. There is also both the lame way and the correct way to calibrate your monitor.

Also covered thoroughly: Bridge, Camera Raw, black and white photography, HDR, special effects and sharpening.

With crisp text, clear descriptions, a pleasing layout and great organization, this is a book I'll be using every day. What a resource!

The author has written two other books, both of which our company uses often:
The Digital Photography Book
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Step-by-Step Guide, January 13, 2009

By	Joseph Boone (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Scott Kelby has never tried to make his guide the biggest or most comprehensive book on Photoshop. His focus is to identify those tasks most useful to digital photographers and give step-by-step explanations to get them done. Most of the information is presented in a very task-oriented approach. The emphasis is squarely placed on giving you the tools to get things done quickly and efficiently. As such, I consistently find it a useful reference book as I edit photos.

The topics covered are varied and generally right in the sweet spot of what will be most useful. There is quite a lot of material on how to use the Raw File conversion utility because in many ways this is the foundation of everything that you will do with an image (assuming you shoot in Raw). Other topics that every photographer should be interested in that are well covered include color management and sharpening. Of course, there are many other chapters covering material almost as essential as what I've already mentioned.

For those who own the prior version for CS3, this is no mere reprint of old material with a few new pages to cover the CS4 features. Mr. Kelby is diligent enough to make each guide better than the last and offers new photos and examples with each new edition. I applaud this effort, because it certainly isn't duplicated by all of his competitors in the field.

In the past, my biggest criticism of Scott Kelby's books has always been his use of humor that takes over certain segments of the book. But I finally realized that he limits the would-be stand up comedy act to his chapter introductions and explicitly tells readers in the introduction to skip this material if they want to, because it has no relevance to the process of learning Photoshop. While I would prefer chapter introductions that give a quick context and introduction for the material, it's probably not the end of the world for those of us who don't find him funny to just skip these sections and let him have his fun.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. Mr. Kelby has done an excellent job organizing and presenting a useful guide to Photoshop CS4 and I commend him for that. While I'd still prefer he soften the comedic approach, this is an excellent text that will prove its value again and again to CS4 users.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Updated to CS4 but missing crucial info., March 16, 2009

By	Pablo Reyes "CleverXP" (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I liked the new updated pictures and some of the details, specifically the ones on the new CS4 features. But Scott made a big mistake when he dropped some of the chapters and lessons on the editing. He dropped the Faces chapter, and with it, all the techniques photographers use frequently to edit portraits. The book concentrated more on Bridge and Camera Raw, even when this is important, it's not really Photoshop CS4 (you can use ACDSee or any camera brand software to import and review keepers and bad pics and to perform the initial corrections, but the name of the book is PHOTOSHOP CS4 BOOK ...). And the book still lacks valuable and simple info on printing and color management on CS4. So i got a bit dissapointed with this version, because now we have to use both books at the same time and sometimes even figuring out how to do thins from CS3 here in CS4. I'd recommend the book, but you'll have to buy the CS3 one too.