I own both of those. With the tools and techniques in Hidden Powers of Photoshop Elements you can also access techniques in full photoshop books such as Katrin Eisemann’s Restoration and Retouching – which is I think my favorite PS book by a mile. Scott Kelby’s Elements Book for Digital Photographers has similar material, but less of it spread over more pages – perhaps with rather clearer step by step instructions for beginners, and it’s aimed right at the Elements tool set. But his writing style grates on me. I’m sure it would be great fun in a live seminar situation but in print, ugh!… I’ve read numerous others. It depends want you want to do a bit. Those references are mainly aimed at photographers. (my current focus)
Susan S
Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements is very detailed and may be more technical than you want or need to know about…Really used Kelby’s book when I was first learning…easy, good tips.
It really depends what you want to do.
My current favourite is "How to Cheat in Photoshop" by Steve Caplin… that covers making montages out of several images. For photograph restoration Katrin Eisemans’s book is brilliant and for a detailed insight into the inner working of Elements it has to be Richard’s book … the add ons are great as well.
All depends on what you want to do and how much experience you have working with Elements.
Wendy
Wendy – I went out and bought that one too on Thursday- it not only has very good stuff on special effects and montage tricks but also a lot of good stuff on the most efficient way to use various tools -particulalry selection techniques- some of which I knew but a lot of which was new to me. For Elements users there is quite a lot of emphasis on using the pen tool which might be a little off putting, but there are other ways of making a selection that can be used instead. (it’s one of the few tools that there isn’t an add-in or a work arond in Elements). The advantages of quick mask selection and transforming masks (both of which need one of the Elements extra tools addins to use) were especially cool.
I spent far too much money on Thursday in fact… (about the only thing I didn’t come home with was a new camera! ) I had to console my husband with the fact that I’m not one of these women who go out and spend all their money on clothes!
Susan S.
Susan,
I first saw the book in our local library and borrowed it … but within a couple of days I knew I wanted to buy it. I found so many new ideas and love the way the book is laid out, its so easy to follow. I agree with you about the way he shows the best use of selection tools and have learned so much new stuff.
Just when you think you know most of it along comes another great book.Have you visited his website yet? … the home page is totally amazing and any queries you have he is happy to deal with.
Funny you should mention new cameras as I’m going out looking at them again today (looking at cameras is now my new hobby) … watch this space 🙂
Wendy
Wendy – I spent a very happy Thursday afternoon in my local camera store where the salesman was trying to persuade me that a 300D was not that much of an upgrade to my G3 (unless I bought very expensive lenses) and that I should wait until later in the year and see what Canon does with the 10D replacement, which must be due soon. As I can’t afford either at the moment (to be more accurate I can’t afford the lenses I would want!) it was an interesting but hypothetical discussion. The more I play with the 300D the more I realise that I really want the 10D’s feature set but with the weight of the 300D!
I escaped only slightly lighter in pocket (new CF card and an omnibounce). Borders on the other hand was a different matter!
Susan S
I spent far too much money on Thursday in fact… (about the only thing I didn’t come home with was a new camera! ) I had to console my husband with the fact that I’m not one of these women who go out and spend all their money on clothes!
Susan S.
My friend Marie made another shopping trip on Monday. In fact, Visa called her to make sure the transactions weren’t fraudulent because she spent a fair amount of money in five different stores, buying only… shoes… !!
So, you might tell to your husband that if you had spent too much, Visa would have called, and if they didn’t, it must have been ok then 🙂
Speaking of books, I bought Photoshop CS Creative Studio. It’s expensive a bit, but I believe it’s worth it. It’s goal oriented and there is stuff for everyone in that book, from digital painting to creating spheres, to framing images and simulating film grain. It’s a wonderful book!
Ray
Susan, I’m curious as to what features the 300D didn’t have that you liked in the 10D. Not to start an argument (I have a 10D myself), but many times I get answers from people about the differences, and your input could help me better answer them.
Thanks,
Ray
Ray
Fair warning with the Photoshop Creative Studio series of books. As you read them you have this uncontrollable urge to sit in front of a computer and try out the ideas. It is a great book and while a tad expensive you will get a great return on your money.
Grant
Ray – the number one missing feature is lack of in camera flash exposure compensation (my 380EX doesn’t have it on the flash) – it’s a feature I use all the time on my G3 and I’d be lost without it. Also the lack of flexibility to pick different exposure modes and focus modes in all the settings I’m likely to use on the camera – particularly on Av, where I switch between spot metering (really I think it’s partial like the 10D or the 300D in manual mode) and evaluative and centre weighted all the time on the G3. I’m not sure how important the lack of choice in AF modes is as I have never used a camera with a decent auto focus-my SLR experience is limited to manual focus. My experience with the focusing system on the G3 leads me to suspect that I might prefer one shot AF to AI servo, as I’m concerned about focus wandering off after I’ve locked onto something – but without a long test under field conditions I can’t be sure about that as the SLRs use such a different system – but I remain naturally suspicious of a camera trying to do my thinking for me in regards to where it should be focussing!
Susan S.
Grant… Too late, I’m addicted! I have Ben Wilmore’s Photoshop 7 Studio Technique and it’s equally addictive.
Ray
Thanks a lot Susan, I’ve taken good notes of your comments!
On the 10D, I’ve always leave it to AI focus mode. Never had a bad shot using it. But then, I don’t take that many pictures, so perhaps, with usage, I would too choose AF one shot.
Ray
Ray – it’s really hard to know just how important these things are until you have really tried the camera out for a while – it may well be that it wouldn’t be such a big deal in practice. But as the DSLRs are so expensive still, i’d hate to buy one and then find it doesn’t do quite what I want. So I’m still in the wait and see what happens mode – maybe the camera with the feature set that I want will intersect the price point which I can afford at some point in the next year or so! I’m pretty happy with the camera I’ve got in many ways, so it’s not like I’m missing that many shots. If I didn’t already have my G3, then I would probably have picked the 300D as my first serious digital (you can tell I’ve had a good stern talk to myself to persuade me out of this purchse!)
Susan S
(you can tell I’ve had a good stern talk to myself to persuade me out of this purchse!)
Susan S
Do you sell your services as a private counselor ? My wallet needs some help controling my spendings… (books, did anyone mention books? Hahaha!)
Ray
Susan
"but I remain naturally suspicious of a camera trying to do my thinking for me "
Ah a woman after my own heart! One of the problems I have encountered with autofocus is not that the focus drifts but I drift. Often when I am in the field I do not use a tripod (Hearing Leen’s stomach do flip flops from here). Some time the focus is critical as I am moving in very close to the subject. I half depress the shutter release and this locks both the focus and the exposure. Being older and more prone to teetering I may slightly shift my position and end up with a fuzzy, an sixteenth of an inch can be so critical at times. Of course the fault is mine not the cameras.
At my age autofocusing is the only new fandangle camera feature I have embraced. For the vast majority of subject it is much faster and as accurate as my eyes are. I still over ride it when there is a need and I always select the area I want in focus. While pixel fairy can come down and take any of my auto this or auto that without a struggle let her try to touch my autofocus and the expression over my dead body comes to mind.
g.
Susan, Grant & Ray,
It was an expensive afternoon !!!!!
Wendy
Wendy
My next question reminds me of two girlfriends talking, one has just come back from her first date with a heart throb and the other girlfriend says "Tell me everything and don’t leave out the good bits."
Grant
Now available through a Russian Firmware hack that has proven to be 100% reliable. The firmware unlocked several other features that were disabled as well.
—
Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview http://www.myeyesviewstudio.com/ wrote in message
Ray – the number one missing feature is lack of in camera flash
exposure compensation (my 380EX doesn’t have it on the flash) – it’s a feature I use all the time
I don’t know if I’d trust a piece of software made to "hack" a camera worth over 1000$, though… At the very least, I’d wait after the warranty period is over, and possibly I’d make sure I have enough cash to buy a new one moments after I install the hack, just in case the hack isn’t performing as advertised…
Ray
I have no intentions of installing the hack as I really dislike flash photography. Dozens upon dozens have been using it for over a month now and nobody has had problems. Some have even been sent back to Canon for unrelated warranty work and Canon has honored the warranty but sent them back with the original firmware.
—
Have A Nice Day, 🙂
James Hutchinson
http://www.pbase.com/myeyesview http://www.myeyesviewstudio.com/ "Ray" wrote in message
I don’t know if I’d trust a piece of software made to "hack" a camera
worth
over 1000$, though… At the very least, I’d wait after the warranty
period
is over, and possibly I’d make sure I have enough cash to buy a new
one
moments after I install the hack, just in case the hack isn’t
performing as
advertised…
Ray
Grant,
I will do a separate topic with all the details …… (good bits included) … see today I bought another copy of Elements 🙂
Wendy
Wendy, hmm – did they throw in a camera perchance with your purchase of Elements??
🙂
Gosh Chuck,
How did you guess that … see new topic 🙂 🙂
Wendy
My understanding of the firmware hack for the 300D is that you need to have a Windows box available to install it…. Which rules me out! And like Ray I’d be worried about the possible adverse affects on the camera.
I always used to hate flash photography too until I bought a decent flash. Now I think about 25 to thirty per cent of my shots have a flash attached to the camera. But I prefer available light when I can. (when I get my first DSLR one if the first purchase I will get to go with it will be a fast standard lens.)
Susan S