As the popularity of digital photography continues to soar, more and more people are delving into the complex world of Photoshop to take their art to the next level. As a cartoonist, I'm fairly comfortable using Photoshop, but for very specific purposes relating directly to my work. When I venture outside of my comfort zone, however, I am soon reminded that I've barely scratched the surface of its capabilities.
User Manual: A series of Ancient Aramaic riddles translated into Medieval English by a Swahili bus driver, using a Latin/ Gaelic dictionary.
Let's face it, we love having all the bells and whistles at our disposal, but how many of us actually end up using them? If you're like me, one look at the user manual and my traitorous enthusiasm slithers out the back door.
Recently, I received the Photoshop Digital Studio Cookbook Series from O'Reilly, and within minutes I was like a kid candy shop! The series offers concise, step-by-step, and easy to understand instructions, all of which are supported by full color images. The format is as engaging and entertaining, as it is user-friendly. Without hesitation, I would be as comfortable recommending these books to a novice as I would an intermediate Photoshop user.
The real beauty of this series is that as the books walk you through each individual effect, you are simultaneously being introduced to the endless possibilities Photoshop has to offer. Using beautifully rendered photographs, each "recipe" is illustrated step-by-step, culminating in the finished image. I've spent hours leafing through their pages shopping for ideas. Finally, cookbooks I enjoy!
Photoshop Retouching Cookbook for Digital Photographers by Barry Huggins.
Dig out those old family treasures, and bring them back to life! Learn how to adjust, correct, retouch, and manipulate photos:
-Fix exposure, focus, and color problems
-Add special effects such as motion blur, lens effects, and surface texture
-Improve portraits: remove red eye, wrinkles, and blemishes
-Add and remove objects, use lighting effects, restore faded and damaged photos
-Give new shots a vintage, old-fashioned look
-Create posterized and hand-tinted images
Photoshop Photo Effects Cookbook by Tim Shelbourne.
Readers can simulate classic camera and darkroom techniques without having to learn Photoshop inside and out. Hundreds of full color examples cover:
-Create graphic art effects: posterization, watercolor, pen and ink, woodcut
-Lighting effects: neon glows, lens flares, fire, and flame effects
-Simulate nature: rain, clouds, rainbows, lightning, and snow
-Adapt traditional techniques: film grain, contrast masks, hand-tinting
-Simulate textures like stone, metal, glass, and plastic
-Make mattes, vignettes, frames, borders, signatures
-Assemble multi-layered images and photomontages
Photoshop Filter Effects Encyclopedia Cookbook by Roger Pring.
A comprehensive practical reference that provides step-by-step instructions for using filters that produce stunning effects including:
-Creating selective focus and simulating motion blur
-Adding special lens and filter effects
-Working with artificial lighting and modifying day for night
-Simulating textures and making flat objects three-dimensional
-Creating multi-layered images and photomontages
Photoshop Blending Modes Cookbook,by John Beardsworth.
The only recipe format book to cover blending modes specifically for digital photographers. The book covers:
-Changing hue, saturation, luminosity, and color
-Correcting basic color shifts and repairing highlights
-Sharpening or softening focus, adjusting lighting, and controlling contrast
-Creating surface effects and textures
-Adding interest to landscapes and urban scenes
-Enhancing portraits of children and adults
All cookbooks are approximately 176 pages and retail for $29.95. Check Amazon for Discounts up to 35%.
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