Take Your Best Shot: Tim Grey Tackles Your Digital Darkroom Questions (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For six years, digital photography expert Tim Grey has answered readers' questions on his website and daily mailing list, "DDQ (Digital Darkroom Questions)." As a member of the Photoshop World Dream Team of instructors, Grey knows his stuff -- and after answering hoards of questions from photographers, he knows the most persistent and burning issues. In his new book, Take Your Best Shot, Tim Grey answers the most-often asked questions about the digital darkroom and more in an easy-to-read format, organized by subject, and illustrated with beautiful photographs and instructive screenshots. The book includes several new topics not covered on Grey's website Tim Grey. The topic list includes:

Digital Fundamentals -- resolution, bit-depth, and imaging sensors Digital Cameras & Tools -- SLR vs. point-and-shoot, megapixels, field storage, sensor cleaning, CompactFlash card speed, and digital lenses Digital Photography -- JPEG vs. RAW, ISO settings, white balance Digital Darkroom -- Windows vs. Mac, LCD vs. CRT, Lightroom vs. Photoshop, storage, backup, image downloading, and film and print scanning Color Management -- Monitor calibration and color temperature, printer profiling, when the printer doesn't match the monitor, and when prints lack shadow detail Image Optimization -- RAW conversion, tonal adjustments, curves, color balance, hue/saturation, clone stamp, spot healing brush, and healing brush Creative Effects -- Dodge and burn, black and white conversion, sepia tone, and artistic edge Image Problem-Solving -- Noise, washed-out sky, color cast, and color contamination Printing -- Printer choice, print resolution, raster image processors, paper choice, and print services DigitalSharing -- Preventing image theft, slideshow solutions, Web galleries, and sharing websites

You may know him from the series of popular "Tim Grey Guides" (Sybex), or from the hundreds of articles he's written for publications such as Outdoor Photographer, Digital Photo Pro and PC Photo. In Take Your Best Shot, Grey answers questions in the same clear and accessible style. If you want to know the "why" along with the "how," this book is the one you want -- the straight scoop from an expert who knows his business.

About the Author

Tim Grey is an instructor at the Lepp Institute of Digital Imaging and editor of The Digital Image. He regularly contributes articles to Outdoor Photographer, PC Photo, Digital PHOTO PRO, MSN Photos, and many more print and online publications. He publishes a daily e-mail list, Digital Darkroom Questions (DDQ) in which he answers questions from enthusiasts and pros about the digital darkroom.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media (August 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596518250
• ISBN-13: 978-0596518257
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #356,367 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For The Newbie, August 11, 2008

By	Gordon Schultz (Chapel Hill, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I generally like the Q & A format in books and this volume uses this style to the fullest extent. It is absolutely chock-full of great ideas, tips and tidbits that are essential knowledge for the beginner digital photographer as well as those who are more experienced. Tim Grey expertly answers questions that I had and many questions that I hadn't even thought of beforehand. I was especially pleased with his inside info and candid responses to queries about brand name cameras, types of printers and the best lenses. I especially appreciated his honest answer as to which photographers would most benefit from owning Adobe Lightroom and other expensive software. This book has already paid for itself many times over by preventing me from making some ill-advised purchases.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kudos to Tim Grey, August 15, 2008

By	C. E. Nichols (Central Kentucky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I can't really add anything to Gordon Schultz's review except to say that I agree with it 100%. Tim Grey has written an excellent book in a very user-friendly format which is chock full of information on every aspect of digital photography. If you're into RAW conversions, Photoshop editing, and home printing then unless you're an experienced pro, you need this book. I simply can't recommend it highly enough.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent survey of digital imaging principles, June 24, 2009

By	Charles I. Maas (Anchorage, AK USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Digital photography is a subject both wide and deep, encompassing a lot more than just knowing how to turn on that convenient compact camera. Frustrating to many entry-level image makers is the realization not long after starting to shoot away that there are certain fundamentals that need to be mastered in order to avoid confusion and chaos as the number of image files grows exponentially. Making high quality images to start with, preserving the quality of image files while preparing for multiple uses, and creating a storage methodology that allows you to actually find the images you want when you want them are all dependent on learning a core set of underlying digital imaging principles.
This is a technical field with its own language -- if you don't understand digital imaging terms, it will be next to impossible to learn those underlying principles, and learning anything in these attention-challenged times is hard enough. Tim Grey has made it his business for nearly a decade to help explain digital imaging terms and processes in a precise but colloquial and highly readable style that has made him a standout among the host of educators who have flocked to the field. Tim started his free Digital Darkroom Questions e-mail bulletin in the fall of 2001 and has continued it ever since, answering questions from readers in a manner that illuminates the subject with unusual clarity for all subscribers. In this book he as compiled the most salient questions and answers into a highly readable and informative work both for beginners and seasoned veterans as well. The beauty of this collection is that it addresses a great many of the scattered but important fundamental digital imaging principles, which, though not very exciting on the surface are vitally important to developing a better understanding of what's really going on.

Do recognize that Take Your Best Shot covers a lot of territory; it's not intended as a tutorial for any one program, even though many questions are about Adobe Photoshop. What emerges is a well-thought-out philosophy of how to go about the digital darkroom process, one that is tried and true and has been adopted by a great many serious digital photographers over the last several years. Tim also addresses that fact that technology continues to grow (for example with wider use of parametric editing, used extensively in Lightroom, Aperture, and the current version of Adobe Camera Raw), and that these advances simply add to the creative arsenal without diminishing the importance of a sound grasp of digital fundamentals.

Tim has developed an easy, lucid, direct communication style that exhibits a clarity not often found in this geeky, jargon-filled technical writing business, and his explanations address many levels of understanding, making the book a worthy reference for a broad audience. If you take digital imaging seriously, this book deserves a thorough read and a permanent place on your reference shelf.