Customer Reviews

iPhoto 6: The Missing Manual

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Part one of the book is dedicated to working with a digital camera and the basics of digital photography. There is good advise here regardless of whether you are using iPhoto 6 or not. Photographing action, theatre performances, underwater photography, weddings and events, as well as nighttime photography are all covered thoroughly.
Next, the author digs into using iPhoto itself. While iPhoto 5 focused on editing features such as the Adjustment Panel and RAW file support, version 6 focuses on output and organization. The library can now hold up to 250,000 images. Also, iPhoto 6 sports some new buttons. Alongside the old Info and Keyword buttons you'll now find an "Enter Full Screen" button. Click on it, and iPhoto's interface-along with your desktop and any other windows-will completely disappear, replaced by a solid black field in which your image will be displayed as large as possible. In full-screen editing mode, which is covered well in this book, you can edit your photo without the distraction of other interface elements or colors.
Also there is the new Effects palette, which is iPhoto's only editing addition, and Pogue does a good job of covering it along with old familiar interfaces. With the Effects panel, you gain single-click access to black-and-white conversion, sepia-toning effects, simple saturation changes, and edge effects such as vignettes and blurs. These tools won't help images with serious problems, but the Effects panel is handy for quickly applying simple adjustments to most images, and there is good advise here on appropriate uses of these tools.
For years, iPhoto has allowed users to share their photo libraries with other iPhoto users on the same local area network. With version 6, you can now easily share your photos with other users anywhere on the Web, whether they use iPhoto or not. The instructions on how to do this are covered in detail. Also covered is the feature of photocasting, for which you must have a .Mac account. Once set up, iPhoto will use your .Mac storage to host the photos you choose to share.
Complementing the improved book-making feature of iPhoto are two new output options that let you design and order custom cards and calendars. The Calendar feature is particularly impressive, thanks to its ability to automatically import iCal calendars and Address Book birthday entries. Again, there are new entries in this updated edition that cover these features.
For Web-gallery creation, Apple has replaced iPhoto's HomePage integration with automatic export to iWeb, iLife's new Web-building application. Simply select an album and click on the iWeb button, and your photos will automatically be poured into one of iWeb's page designs. Other output improvements include options for borderless printing on printers that support it, the ability to export 16-bit TIFF files, and the option to tag images with a ColorSync profile while importing. Again, this is all covered in the new edition, along with the little tricks you have come to expect from the missing manual series. There is also supposed to be a "Missing CD" along with this new edition, but it is not yet up and running at the book's website at O'Reilly and Associates.
I think this book does a good job of updating veteran users of iPhoto on the new features of version 6 plus introducing first-time users to iPhoto. I highly recommend it.
Amazon does not show the table of contents so I do that here:
PART 1: DIGITAL CAMERAS: THE MISSING MANUAL
1. Composing Brilliant Photos
2. Beyond the Simple Snapshot
PART 2: IPHOTO BASICS
3. Camera Meets Mac
4. The Digital Shoebox
5. Editing Your Shots
PART 3: MEET YOUR PUBLIC
6. The iPhoto SlideShow
7. Making Prints
8. iWeb, Photocasting, and Network Sharing
9. Books, Calendars, and Cards
10. iPhoto Goes to the Movies
11. iDVD Slideshows
PART 4: IPHOTO STUNTS
12. Screen Savers, AppleScript, and Automator
13. iPhoto File Management
PART 5: APPENDIXES
A. Troubleshooting
B. iPhoto 6, Menu by Menu
C. Where to Go From Here

I have showered so much praise on these 'Missing Manual' books it may seem like I am getting paid by David Pogue himself to write these reviews, but I guarantee you that is not the case!!

Full of crisp, clear, color photos that jump off the page, a writing style that is fun and easy to follow, and a layout that is second to none, there simply is no line of books for learning applications on the market that is better than the 'Missing Manual' series.

If you use an application (whatever it is) and you want to learn to use the tool in question, forget going online or taking a class. Either it will be a waste of time, money or both!!! Just look at the name of the app you are interested in, see if there is a Missing Manual book for it and BUY IT.

These books are that good, that impressive, that well written, and that well published. I put the highest stamp of approval on this line by O'Reilly.

***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

iPhoto 6 - The Missing Manual
By: David Pogue and Derrick Story
Published by: Pogue Press/O'Reilly

Reviewed by: Robert W. Humphreys

iPhoto 6 - The Missing Manual is much more than just a book on the use of iPhoto. It is also a comprehensive introduction to digital cameras and good photography in general.

The book is divided into 5 parts, each on a major subject and with individual chapters providing detailed information on a portion of the main subject.

Part One consists of three chapters about how to purchase a digital camera, the various features to look for and what they will do. Included are chapters on the basics of good photographic composition and how to set up and obtain that special shot.

Part Two introduces the basics of iPhoto and includes three chapters on downloading photos from the camera, organizing them into albums and using keywords to locate a specific photo at a later date. The final chapter explains how to edit, repair, retouch, color correct and crop photos to correct any problems that may have occurred during the actual taking of the picture.

Part Three moves on to the publishing of photos for viewing by others. It explains how to create slide shows, make prints, publish to the web, and make cards, books and calendars - all from within iPhoto. It then moves on to making QuickTime movies and creating iDVD slide shows.

Part Four consists of a number of "iPhoto stunts." It explains how to convert photos to screen savers, saving and exporting photos in several different formats, the use of Apple Scripts and Automator to back up libraries and files and how to burn CD and DVD discs.

Part Five provides appendixes on troubleshooting, a complete list of iPhoto menus and a list of additional resources for expanding one's knowledge of photography and iPhoto.

The book has a complete index to help find a particular subject. Throughout the book, there are tips on the subject being discussed. There are numerous full-color figures with screen-shots explaining the various topics and showing what to look for in order to accomplish a desired action. Each page is marked near the top edge with the subject of the section in order to make it easier to find by just leafing through.

I whole-heartedly agree with the statement on the cover - "The book that should have been in the box." I believe on-line help files to be too restrictive and difficult for readily finding the information I need. I much prefer a written document, which permits me to look through and jump from section to section in order to find an answer to my question. I can also frequently discover new tidbits by just stopping and looking at an interesting page that I happen to notice as I skim past. While reviewing iPhoto 6 - The Missing Manual, I discovered numerous capabilities of iPhoto that I hadn't realized were included in the program.

I found iPhoto 6 - The Missing Manual to be a valuable addition to any library on digital photography and a comprehensive text on the use of the iPhoto program itself. I recommend the book for all iPhoto users. The book is easy to read, either by starting at the beginning and reading it from cover to cover, or by just opening to a section and reading an item of interest. The book is priced a little high at $29.99 (US), especially for a subject that will most likely have a major update or even be replaced within a year. However, for all the good information on the use of iPhoto and digital photography in general, the book iPhoto 6 - The Missing Manual is well worth the cost.

Some say lightening can never strike the same place twice. The Missing Manual series proves that wrong. David Pogue and the O'Reilly gang constantly hit the mark and spark creativity and knowledge in a variety of programs.

IPhoto 6 covers absolutely every aspect of digital photography on your Mac, leaving few stones unturned. In order to make sure you get the great photos you need and minimized the editing needed in iPhoto, Derrick Story and David Pogue make sure you buy the right digital camera for your needs and tells you the basics of lighting and composition. After reading that chapter, I looked at my own iPhoto library and understand why I liked certain shots and why others ended up on the digital darkroom floor.

After explaining how to buy a camera and create great photos, the authors take you through the steps of using iPhoto in logical order: importing, managing, outputting and of course backing up. More technical manuals need to do this. Instead of taking you through the features, they take you through the workflow.

The writing was typical of the series: clear, understandable with plenty of screen shots to explain the concepts. While I consider myself an expert on iPhoto, the book was full of subtle tips and tricks to shave hours off my digital photo management.

The strength of the book was definitely the extensive chapters on what to with your photos after they are in iPhoto. Photos are meant to be shared, not locked up in your hard drive. He went over not just the specifics of all the printing options such as photo books and calendars, but also using iMovie, iWeb, and iDVD to share the photos with the world.

The final chapters covered some more advanced options such as AppleScript and Automator. Unlike other Missing Manual books that simply point you to the website to download utilities, Pogue and Story explained some of these programs and how they can help you expand your iPhoto capabilities. The Appendix was definitely the icing on the cake handling practically every iPhoto error and it's solution, as well as walking you through the basics of every iPhoto menu command and its implications.

My only complaint was somewhat weak coverage on desktop printing of photos. I always get confused about the way to feed the photo paper and how to configure settings to get the proper output. iPhoto, the printer's software, the printer, and Mac OS X must all be in alignment to print properly. These days, I simply upload it to the drugstore website and print it there. Printing to services other than Apple's wasn't really covered either.

While iPhoto basics are simple and quick to learn, "iPhoto 6 the Missing Manual" helps you become the hands down master of digital photos on your Mac. Others will tremble in fear of your massive knowledge after reading this book cover to cover.

Pros: Covers every aspect of digital photography and makes everyone an iPhoto wiz.
Cons: Needed more coverage of desktop and third party printing of photos.

David Pogue has done it again producing a book which clearly sets out how to make the most of the software to store and edit digital images. But it does more.

Part 1 is produced for the less experienced photographer (aren't we all) but is a useful reminder of digital photographic tecniques. One comment I would make is that apparently memory cards are never supposed to fail. When they do the result can be utter despair for the photographer. At least an acknowledgement of the existence of retrieval software, for what we hope never happens, would have been useful.

Part 2 in the first two chapters describes the basics of iPhoto and then in the third describes how to edit images once they have been imported..

Part 3 suggests how ones great store of images may be brought out to see the light of day as a slideshow (of various types), as prints, on the web, or as Books, calendars and cards providing you wish to use the Apple Book Publishing Empire. It would have been useful to know what the options are for users outside of the US.

Part 4 then goes on to give more information about using the images both inside and outside iPhoto. The final chapter covers file management.

The book is well illustrated, the explanations are simple and easy to follow and the results speak for themselves when you manipulate the images.

Do you need help with your photography skills? If you do, then this book is for you. Authors David Pogue and Derrick Story, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that is designed to serve as the iPhoto manual.

Pogue and Story, begin by covering buying, using, and exploiting your digital camera. Then, the authors cover the fundamentals of getting your photos into iPhoto. Organizing and filing them, searching them, and editing them to compensate for weak lighting. Next, they cover the many ways iPhoto can present those photos to other people. Finally, the authors cover a miscellaneous potpourri of additional iPhoto features, including: turning photos into screen savers or desktop pictures on your Mac; exporting the photos in various formats; using iPhoto plug-ins and accessory programs; managing Photo Libraries; backing up your photos using iPhoto's Burn to CD command; and, even getting photos to and from camera phones and Palm organizers.

This most excellent book provides an invaluable grounding in professional photography. Perhaps more importantly, this book gives you all you need to know about digital photography!

Even iPhoto veterans will appreciate the excellent coverage of new features offered in iPhoto 6 over previous versions of iPhoto.

The first part of this book goes outside the iPhoto application itself and presents the basics of digital photography with brief discussions of camera selection, terminology and image capture techniques (in roughly 60 pages). Nice for a digital photography newbie, but fluff for those who already own any one of a multitude of books on digital camera photography.

Parts 2 and 3 cover the majority of iPhoto's features in enough depth and detail to represent the missing manual moniker perfectly. This is great for relative newcomers to iPhoto, but some chapters will seem like a re-hash of the basics to an iPhoto veteran. Part 3's chapters cover the sweet spot of iPhoto 6's new features and their integration within the iLife '06 suite of products. It also makes a compelling case for purchase of iLife '06 if you don't already have it.

Some of the most valuable information for the beginner and experienced user alike, can be found in the sidebar topics that cover gotcha's, FAQ's and power user tips. These are sprinkled throughout the book, and keep the reader's interest.

Part 4 covers more advanced topics like using iPhoto to generate desktop backgrounds correctly, automation & scripting, and file management. I was hoping for much more depth on creative ways of using Automator and AppleScript with iPhoto 6, but then again this isn't a book on AppleScript or Automator.

The last chapter on iPhoto file management skips talking about one of the biggest mistakes that many iPhoto users make. That is; mucking around with the iPhoto library files by renaming, relocating, and deleting files and folders directly in the Finder. Thus breaking the iPhoto database. From a troubleshooter's standpoint, I'd like to see the authors advise readers to resist the temptation to do this. It'd make a nice sidebar to their core discussion of managing iPhoto libraries and archiving. The appendix covers techniques to recover and/or rebuild the iPhoto database once broken and misbehaving.

This book is a great reference to have at your side when working in iPhoto, especially when using it as part of an iLife '06 workflow. Highly recommended!

Might not have much for experienced power users - but for me as a Mac newcomer it did the trick. iPhoto is easy to use and most things you can figure out by yourself, but this book is a big timer saver in doing so and has also some tips that you otherwise might not have figured out

iPhoto 6 is a spectacular program, and David Pogue has written a manual that makes it even more valuable! From extensive tips on how to take better digital photographs to using iPhoto 6 and all of its bells and whistles, Pogue's breezy and informative style provides the perfect maual to accompany the software.

ANY question you might have, any project you might conjure up.....this book has all the answsers in the most easy format. A must have if you have an iMac and a digital camera!