Digital Photography For Dummies (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In the 1840s, William Henry Fox Talbot combined light, paper, a few chemicals, and a wooden box to produce a photographic print, laying the foundation..." (more)
Key Phrases: blown highlights, snapshot printers, check your camera manual, Photoshop Elements, Tricks of the Digital Trade, Camera Raw (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you're comfortable with the concept of photography but find the digital part a stumbling block, Digital Photography for Dummies will get you over the hump.

Author Julie Adair King, a photographer and graphics-software specialist, deftly explains such concepts as resolution, f-stop, and compression. She is also refreshingly upfront about the differences between film-based and digital photography, spelling out the latter's shortcomings early on. Her advice on all aspects of the field is well thought out and simple without being condescending. She informs readers, for example, that you needn't use high-pixel resolutions simply for placing images on a Web page. Such tips will come as a relief to fledgling photographers on a budget, or novices who may have thought they had to use the highest-quality settings at all times.

Aside from the technical concerns of working with the camera and computer, King also gives sound tips on composition and lighting. And since retouching is one of the principal benefits of digital photography, she spends a fair amount of time discussing photo-editing software. And while most of the examples are in black and white, the most important examples, gratefully, are included in a 16-page color plate section in the middle of the book.

For those of you considering jumping into the world of digital photography, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better guide to getting started than Digital Photography for Dummies. --John Frederick Moore --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"Clarifies mysteries and offers useful help!" — "U.S. News & World Report" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 5 edition (October 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764598023
• ISBN-13: 978-0764598029
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #466,213 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A helpful primer, May 19, 2000

By	Scott Sherman (Richmond, Vermont United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Digital Photography for Dummies (Paperback)

I'm pretty computer savvy, but knew little about digital cameras or photo manipulation software until I read this book. It's a very good primer and especially strong on the uses of graphics software. It's extremely readable for a computer tome, but yet has enough detail to use as a reference. I also found the programs on the enclosed disc to be a good sample of what's out there.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Digital Photography For Dummies 5th Edition, November 9, 2005

By	Darren "Daz" (USA) - See all my reviews

Digital Photography for Dummies is the first Dummies book I have read. It is fully updated and revised now in FULL COLOR.
I can't imagine understanding all about RGB, CYMK and other colorful acronyms in chapter 2 if the diagrams were in black and white, color speaks volumes.
Digital Photography for Dummies shows you anything and everything you need to know about Digital Photography.
There are 16 chapters divided into 5 parts.
Covers understanding the differences between digital cameras and film cameras, also the pros and cons of digital photography.
It also gets involved with color, resolution and image size, some nice diagrams of RGB Channels, nice section of pixels and print quality, what's the difference in 300ppi, 150ppi, 72ppi, if you didn't know you do now.
Take a look at the shutter and aperture in a traditional film camera, worth a look.
Comparing SLR's and point-and-shoot cameras, also covers digital cameras removable media types.
A great tip on using non digital lenses with a digital body (Not all cameras do this) a great tip.
It also takes a look at transferring images to your computer, imaging software.
Making initial set up decisions, involves files, format understanding quality and picture size settings, this book really gets to grips with digital characteristics of your camera, resolution, white balance options, using flash, tweaking exposure.
Do I use flash or not? Here is the answer.
A blurry image is it poor focusing, or an unsteady hand? How you hold the camera is very important.
Covers capturing action shots, panoramas, zooming and camera noise, also camera raw, transferring files via camera to computer.
A good section on digital photography, choosing a printer, inkjet or laser. Choosing paper, the paper you choose can make your images have a completely different effect.
Using your photo's on the web, preparing your pictures for the screen. Making changes to part of a picture, why and when.
A good glossary in the back explains all those technical words.
I liked the use of the icons throughout the book, bringing important information to your attention.

Conclusion:
This is a very good book for readers who are new to digital photography. Advanced users may know most of the information but again the book is for Dummies.
Full of great information may be some information you will never need, but the information is better in than left out.
Diagrams are clear and clean, it's also nice to see screen shots from windows machines.
You don't get a CD with the book, bet you don't need one.

I give this book five (5) out of five (5).

[...]

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on digital photography for beginners., May 11, 2001

By	A. C. Minor (Hamilton, OH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Digital Photography for Dummies, Third Edition (Paperback)

As a newbie to the field of digital photography, I found Julie's book to be extremely helpful. If you are new to this field like I am, disgregard the prior negative review. She does a very good job in explaining digital cameras and how they work. The included softward is outstanding and worth the price of the book alone. I read the book from cover to cover and can recommend it wholeheartedly.