Photoshop Elements Drop Dead Lighting techniques

Advantages: Concise yet easy to follow, some impressive looking projects, well presented
Disadvantages: Special effects section, a little light (sic) on explanations

...One thing that often separates an average photo from a great one is the quality of light. Real life rarely serves up the sort of light we'd like (especially in the UK) and so we have to fall back on post processing and editing to tweak things. To the inexperienced user, this can be a bit of a hit and miss affair so I was very pleased to spot a copy of Photoshop Elements Drop Dead Lighting Techniques in the bookshop. The author Barry Huggins runs a multimedia and training consultancy at www.matrixtraining.com and has had his images used around the world so he ought to know a thing or two. The first thing that strikes you is the gorgeous presentation of the book. Ilex Press titles we have seen have always been impressive in this respect with superb quality brilliant white paper, excellent layout and flaps on the thick glossy cover...

ilaskey 10.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Photoshop Elements Drop Dead Lighting Techniques - Barry Huggins

The Digital Photography Book by Scott kelby

Advantages: Superb nugget sized tips, fits the camera bag nicely
Disadvantages: None

...for Scott's Adobe Photoshop TV weekly podcast. Most of these should be considered inspiration for further research by the reader though as they don't contain much real meat. I thought this was a great little book. The content is pure gold for the beginner to middle ground photographer and there are nuggets here which will make even fairly experiences readers think 'Ah ha!' It's small, it's easy to read, has great content and is reasonably priced. As such I can't recommend it highly enough. To prove the point, three people have now borrowed my copy and all three have bought it....

ilaskey 20.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Digital Photography Book - Scott Kelby

Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography

Advantages: Inspiring clear text, sample images, background stories
Disadvantages: Some sections could have been bigger

...There are a great many books on Digital Photography you can choose from. Some tell you how to use your camera. Others show you how to work with Photoshop and it's ilk. Others concentrate on specifics such as portraiture. This book is rather different. Stephen Johnson is a highly regarded photographer who has pictures in some of the top museums and galleries around the world. He has also acted as technical consultant to such names as Apple, Epson and Adobe. It's fair to say that when Johnson has something to write about digital photography, it's going to be worth reading. Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography is difficult to classify. The coverage includes a discussion on the history and evolution of digital imaging, colour theory, correction and management, fine-art printing, ethics and a whole lot on the creative process. In many...

ilaskey 12.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Stephen Johnson: On Digital Photography - Stephen Johnson

Does exactly what it says on the cover.

Advantages: Collection of the sickest jokes submitted by the public
Disadvantages: Definitely not for the easily offended.

...Founded by Rob Manuel, Cal Henderson and Denise Wilton the online community b3ta.com (pronounced beta to rhyme with Peter) is home to 10,000+ members who regularly post pictures they have made using tools such as Photoshop or Flash, funny stories or links to the funniest or wierdest sites on the internet. Indeed b3ta states in it's FAQ that it is dedicated to celebrating the best stuff on the internet. The site is relatively uncensored humour driven by the members. In fact the only real censorship is anything that may be seen as pornographic which could get you fired from work, anything else is pretty much fair game. Think of an email you may have received with a funny photoshopped picture (footballers holding handbags in a penalty line up, for instance) and nine times out of ten it originated on b3ta. Each week Rob himself...

morgandr 13.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Bumper b3ta Book of Sick Jokes - Rob Manuel

Digital Photography: The Missing Manual

Advantages: All you need to know to get going in this field
Disadvantages: More on photography tips would be nice!

...balance, contrast and sharpness on photos taken under difficult conditions. Some of the before/after screenshots suffered a little here due to their size and lack of resolution making it not always clear what had changed. Other adjustments you may want to make include cutting no longer favoured people out of family shots or cropping for a more balanced image. The editing examples tend to favour the excellent Adobe Photoshop Elements but this is no bad thing. There are also examples for Picasso and Kodak EasyShare so everyone should find this section useful. The section on panoramas is well worth checking out as the results can be surprisingly good using the various automated tools available. Part 4 covers sharing your pictures whether via email, online photo service or printing. The latter covers both home printing or via the various...

ilaskey 13.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Digital Photography: The Missing Manual - Chris Grover, Barbara Brundage

Schott's Original Miscellany

Advantages: For the optimist...amazingly useless information!!!
Disadvantages: For the pessimist...amazingly useless information!!!

...and I! And to finish off the book?? The history of the font used in the book! Just for future reference...it's Adobe Garamond, predominantly size 8.5pt... With books like these, you can flick through it once, and notice, for example, how egg sizes are defined or different cloud formations...but on a second outing you'll pick up a list of every single Carry On film or the Shipping Forecast areas around the UK...that's why it's essential to read it again, and again...and quite easily again. There seems to be no method in the way Schott has listed the information, one point rarely seems to have a baring on a previous point, so if you're looking for something specific, your best bet is to use the rather large index...you can almost be guaranteed it'll be in there! At ten pounds, and with it being in hardback, I'd certainly say it was...

carl.mcqueen 20.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Schott's Original Miscellany - Ben Schott

A Fat Fairytale.

Advantages: Ummm...It's a book...books are good to read..aren't they?
Disadvantages: It's not a very good book.

...away, there are some good authors writing under this genre. Jane Austen was one of the first. So to the plot: Jemima is fat. That is really all we need to know about Jemima, that and the vague mention of glossy hair (obviously a staple requirement for a heroine) and the fact she works as a journalist for a local paper and is passed up for promotion by her more glamourous and prettier colleagues. She has a crush on a gorgeous colleague called Ben, who thinks of her just as a friend and has one other female friend at work (naturally glam also), and a couple of uber-bitchy and shallow flat mates. Did I mention Jemima was fat? Don’t worry if you happen to forget during the course of the book, you will be reminded often. Jemima experiments with internet chat rooms and sends a photo-shopped picture of herself to a guy called Brad she...

Essexgirl2006 24.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Jemima J - Jane Green

Personal Photo Coach - maybe not.

Advantages: Wide range of topics, photographer's anecdotes
Disadvantages: Layout, errors, folksy style

...it does make you wonder about the accuracy of the rest of the text. After the first 20 pages or so I was starting to get a knot in my stomach as I turned the page in case one of the deeply irritating but supposedly amusing illustrations of a photographer grinning maniacally with one or more thumbs held aloft awaited me. Paul McCartney would have been well at home here. Equally, headings like 'IPTC, EXIF and Bears, Oh My!' did little to impress. On the plus side, it does mention online services such as Shutterfly and Ofoto as ways to share your images. It also uses Paint Shop Pro and PhotoShop Elements for some of the examples which are far more likely to be the tool of choice for amateur photographers who can't stretch to things like the full PhotoShop program. Some of the tips such as keeping copies (on CD) of important photos...

ilaskey 13.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of Blue Pixel Personal Photo Coach: Digital Photography Tips from the Trenches - David Schloss

■ Why did you do this to us, Jane?■

Advantages: Easy to read
Disadvantages: Bad message

...and love begins to arise. The problem arrives when Brad requests a photo of her. Jemima takes a photo of a fashion magazine of a blonde and thin girl, takes a photo of herself and, with the aid of Geraldine (a workmate) she alters it with Photoshop until becoming an authentic top model. Brad falls in love with her and proposes her to go to L.A so that they know each other and they speak face to face. Jemima, unconsciously, accepts. Which will be her mission from now on? Lose weight, dye her hair, and become the incarnation of the perfect woman that has stolen Brad's heart on the Internet. Jemima does her best to reach her goal: goes to the gymnasium every day, she goes on a cruel diet, and she barely eats anything. In 3 months, when she must go to the L.A, Jemima is a blonde skinny girl, all dressed in expensive clothes, that makes all heads...

Delta85 08.08.2006 · Read review
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Review of Jemima J - Jane Green

  Every Wound Bleeds A Story

Advantages: An outstanding, often heartbreaking empathy that can shake you up terribly, and reopen your humanity.
Disadvantages: There are only 200 copies in existence!

...Wolf book is a strange cross between having a book, and having a DVD. They remain, to my knowledge, the only electronic publishing company putting out not only fine fiction, but also fine products, in packages that exploit rather than ignore the capacity of a PC to enhance the book. You need a computer and a current version of Adobe Acrobat to use the disk - most computers have this programme already but, just in case, it's included free on the disk itself. As for this book, it's a true must have. The sheer quantity of fiction here, at so consistently high a quality, is a rare thing and precious thing. It costs $13.95, and if you want one I'd hurry along, as it's limited to 200 copies. Pay for it by Paypal or cheque at http://www.lonewolfpubs.com, or by credit card at http...

RichardW 03.05.2001 (23.05.2001) · Read review
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Review of Flesh Wounds - Brian A. Hopkins