• "Effects Filters" dives into the filters that come with Color Efex Pro 4. Keep in mind that there are two editions of the program – "Complete" which contains all 55 filters, and "Select" which contains 25. While he covers all of the filters, the author designates the ones that are only in the complete with an asterisk. In this section he organizes the filters into functional groups – Core Color and Contrast, Special Color & Contrast Filters, Graduated Filters, Detail Filters, Softening Filters, Lighting Effect Filters, Darkroom Effects Filters, Film Emulation Filters, and Finishing Effects Filters.
Each of these is further broken down into sub categories. At the start of each section, the author describes the reason they fell into the particular category, what kind of images that they work well with, and how he uses them in his own work. Included with each filter is a photo with a before and after image so you can see clearly what the filter does.
• "Example Images & Recipes" takes the filters that you learned about in the prior chapter and really puts them to work on real-life images. In this chapter, the author has put together a set of custom recipes that will enhance common photographic situations. These recipes are included with the download so that you can import them in to your copy of Color Efex Pro 4 and use them on your own images.
The recipes are broken down into a number of categories. These include portraits, landscapes, wildlife and nature, and creative effects. Again, within each grouping are several subgroupings that provide specific treatments. For example, within the portraits you have a standard treatment, soft treatment, film treatment, high-key treatment, and much more. Each one describes the focus of what is trying to be accomplished, the filters that were used, the name of the custom recipe file within Color Efex Pro 4, as well as a before and after image.
I found that The Photographer's Guide to Color Efex Pro 4 was very well written, logical in flow, and easy to follow. I also found a few things that I didn't know, and I have been working with Color Efex Pro since the first version came out. I like the full color nature of the images and in the recipes section.
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