What books/videos would you recommend that cover a specific Ps topic in detail or a specific unusual method to achieve something? No beginner books unless they cover something that hasn’t been so far. Of course websites, single blog entries or articles are welcome too.
Some are a little dated (no Smart Objects etc.) so if you got a more up-to-date one, let me know. Feel free to add new topics and to recommend a product over another one but don’t get into distracting fights please.
LAB
Photoshop LAB Color: The Canyon Conundrum and Other Adventures in the Most Powerful Colorspace (2005 Dan Margulis)
Lynda.com Photoshop CS3 Mastering Lab Color (Deke McClelland 2007?)
Color Management
Real World Color Management 2nd Edition (2004 Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy, and Fred Bunting
Sharpening
Real World Color Management 2nd Edition (2004 Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy, and Fred Bunting (2006 Bruce Fraser)
Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.
Photoshop Masking & Compositing (2004, Katrin Eismann)
Retouching:
Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (3rd Edition)(2006, Katrin Eismann)
Photoshop, Camera Raw:
Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS4 (2008, Fraser, Schewe) (I do have an earlier version, but heard nothing but good about this version)
Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers: A Professional Image Editor’s Guide to the Creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC (2008, Evening) (same comment)
I’m awaiting this: Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers: The Ultimate Workshop (Paperback) 2009 by Evening and Schewe
Real World Adobe Photoshop is also a must have.
How is the McClelland Channels book compared to the Eismann one?
Yes, it’s Marc. The book is a comprehensive treatment of vision and the title subject and how digital cameras form images and do white balance. Spend the money. The Homann is 2008 fully updated.
BTW, I paid 108 plus tax for the Ebner at B&N with my member discount and 25% off coupon, free shipping. I corresponded with Prof Ebner several times about the book. I mentioned that I had seen reports that Viagra users report that everything is blue and he referred me to some Indian researcher in England. I emailed him but never got a response, so if you’re seeing blue you’re out of luck.
Though the very first book referenced in the original post is properly mentioned only under the heading of LAB (i.e. L*a*b), I’m repurposing a post I had occasion to make in the Adobe Color Management forum today in relation to its author and his teachingsas a courtesy warning to beginners in this field.
By now it’s clear that Mr. Margulis is fossilized in the stone ages.
There is no doubt that he can be a magician when it comes to color correcting images for press printing, but his stand on color management has no place in today’s technology.
Unfortunately, my first attempt to get serious in the use of Photoshop years ago was through his Professional Photoshop book. I can now say in good conscience that my unfortunate and uninformed decision to read his book at that point set me back several years, or at least it delayed my understanding of color management by several years.
DeMargulisation (Entmargulisierung) is an essential step in understanding color management.
In stark contrast to the above reference to Margulis, I heartily second the recommendations of the original poster in regard to Color Management/Printing.
Color Management/Printing
Real World Color Management (Bruce Fraser, Chris Murphy, and Fred Bunting)
Color Management for Photographers (Andrew Rodney)
luminous-landscape.com From Camera To PrintThe Art of Fine Printing (Jeff Schewe and Michael Reichmann)
What part of the following statement of mine in post #9 didn’t you understand T.?
the very first book referenced in the original post is properly mentioned only under the heading of LAB (i.e. L*a*b) [emphasis added]
I’d be happy to explain it.
Since you started your book with that particular author, that could very well lend unwarranted overall credibility to Margulis in the eye of rank beginner. That’s why I fewlt compelled to comment.
Thanks for clearing that up. Indeed a recommendation of a certain product doesn’t automatically qualify an author or his/her product of all other issues.
Yes, he doesn’t claim that LAB solves every problem in the universe, quite a reasonable man.
Photoshop LAB Color by Margulis (Fascinating – yes, Useful – without a doubt,) WARNING: skip the unbearable foreword.
‘Skin’ by Lee Varis particularly interesting is the hue/saturation technique for quickly repairing blochy skin p197 -p201
‘Restoration & Retouching’ by Katrin Eismann, maybe a bit pedestrian but good facts and well written and edited. Ditto ‘Masking & Composition’ by Katrin Eismann
Welcome to OZ, by Vincent Versace. a different kind of book, pondering over the thought processes and ideas which initiate your choice of technique/method.
Photoshop Color Correction by Michael Kieran, a complicated subject explained well and clearly.
With the miserable performance of the Amazon.com web site lately ) I’ve had correspondence with Amazon that confirms it), it might be a good idea for us to warn fellow users when a link we post leads to amazon.com.
The darned site freezes the entire browsing application (not just one tab) while it’s waiting for images from a diverse servers to load.
I imagine it’s hurting their business badly. I know I haven’t been able to buy a thing from them since this started earlier this month. :/
There’s a link in that post that leads to an amazon web page featuring a book on Digital Photo Restoration by a an author who goes by Ctein. Goggle Ctein for the author’s own home page.
Years ago, we bought dye transfer prints when we needed the very highest quality color for print reproduction. It was excellent, long-lasting color created in four layers using dies embedded in a gel and exposed by contact printing through special separation negatives. Due to the nature of the process, it was always very expensive.
I took dye transfer in school. Actually investigated how much it would cost to do it myself but even then in the 70’s it was prohibitive. There is a group on Yahoo for dye transfer. Kodak stopped making the materials a while ago. It is a really fascinating process.
For those who aren’t familiar with the process and want to see some great examples, check out the work of Eliot Porter.
Today’s cheaper printing technologies just shoved the dye transfer process (and other, earlier color processes — some of which are quite fascinating; no, make that extraordinary) to languish on the sidelines.
"Martin’s work is exhibited and sold around the world. Exhibitions in the UK will show that, once mastered, Contrast Grading works. The proof can be viewed in his finished prints.
The videos on this disc will show you how to process a colour raw file from capture to the finished monochrome image using plugins that have close similarities to the chemical darkroom.
The process is easy to follow for beginners, advanced workers will find the workflow of interest. Easy to read text boxes as the video is running with the ability to pause the frames so text can be copied or studied in greater depth."
Yes, there a LOT more bad books been written than good ones. For example professionals should ignore anything written by Scott Kelby, and most written by Lee Varis. Generally avoiding authors who are professional authors/entertainers and not really professional Photoshop users. Remember all you need to publish a book is some skill in the craft of writing and an ill-educated publisher who says "Ok then".
I think Eismann has some good stuff (along with one or two ill-understood techniques here and there). I don’t agree that Margulis is going to damage beginners. He is still worth a study although not as gospel, because he is not a technician, and far from the expert his publishers think. The late Brice Fraser still knew color and had a broad understanding of technique better than most.
In defence of Margulis, I think that he wrote the clearest explanation of the inter-relationship between the RGB and CMYK spaces that I have ever read; and also the importance of the role played by the Black plate in Press reproduction.
I would classify his "Professional Photoshop" as required reading (pity about the appalling binding which simply fell apart in my hands!) but I haven’t read any of his more recent works.
There’s little doubt in my mind that if I had any need for CMYK, I’d be consulting some of Margulis’s books often, especially "Professional Photoshop", which I bought and read when it came out as "Professional Photoshop 6". In my case the binding is still in decent shape, indicating less use. Margulis is held in high regard in press printing circles.
There was a problem with the first run of the last version of Professional Photoshop and also the Lab book. The publisher is more than willing to replace your copy if you contact them. As with so many projects, the publisher picks the printer based on many factors including price and they were initially burned by this.
Those who think Dan is just CMYK centric are missing out on a world of opportunity in making images come alive quickly and efficiently. The theories apply to every type of image. Most importantly you learn to identify what techniques are best for each type of image. One of the best chapters is the one where he talks about the fact that each image has ten channels of possibilities for exploitation – RGBCMYKLab. When you start thinking in those terms, your horizons expand immediately.
Peter has picked-up on exactly the same part of the book that I was referring to when I said I thought that it was "Required Reading" once you understand the ten-channel issue, all the complications of color theory suddenly becomes crystal clear!
I hadn’t thought of complaining to the publisher about the binding I just growled furiously and suffered.
It was an expensive book, and one that I refer to often, so I will definitely follow your advice and contact Wiley.
Thank you for reminding me that’s where I learned about the ten RGB·CMYK·L*a*b channels. To my embarrassment and shame, I had forgotten where I had first become aware of that relationship. :/
It also pays to take a look at the results of good photography, photographic techniques, and their commercial application in respected graphic design publications such as "Communication Arts" and "Print".
Someday maybe someone will write about the actual world instead of this real world theory from all these posturing authors, but that would just be to honest of a challenge.
Mike, when you write a book I know I won’t be first in line, but I’ll be in that line, man. I particularly enjoyed your case study in Andrew Rodney’s CM book and am hungry for more. However much I also enjoy the posturors.
There are more than 10 channels, I used in the pas the HSL/HSB plug-in…That would make, what, 14 channels? If, IIRC, the L from Lab is not the same as the L from HSL…
I noticed someone didn’t like Scott Kelbys books, and said that professionals didn”t need to read them. I can’t say if that is true or not, but as a non-professional I have read, enjoyed and learned stuff from his books. (The Photoshop CS2 for photographers I often return to, also his seven step method book).
I waited a long long time for "The photoshop CS/CS2 WOW! book" by Linnea Dayton and Cristen Gillespie. It was well worth it! Wonder how long it will take them to get the next WOW-book ready…:-)
I also bought "Creative Photoshop, Digital illustration and art techniques" by Derek Lea. It is very inspirational and looks good (lots of illustrations and steps) but I haven’t really followed his recipies so I can’t say how educational it is.
(Deke McClellands Photoshop Bible 6 I almost read from one end to another, but that was in the old days…I learned a lot of course, and had great fun with Deke also…)
I am wondering what PSCS4-book to buy, any suggestions?
Just took a loot at Color Constancy at the library and my personal conclusion is that it’s not helpful unless you are a scientist who enjoys pages of nothing but formulas.
Derek Lea is an amazing illustrator, got some of his books but wouldn’t call them Must Haves for Ps professionals. Illustrators should consider them. I always enjoy his tutorials in Computer Arts Magazine.
German readers should also get the latest version of Heico Neumeyer’s Photoshop Kompendium. This is a true Must Have as it covers almost everything except for scripting and is very well written and organized. I recommend the hard cover version.
The new edition, which covers Photoshop CS4, is to be released in Germany at the end of next month. Amazon.com (USA) has the old version (2206) for a whopping $180.55, used.
Maybe you also think it is necessary for a race car driver to understand the laws of thermodynamics involved in the internal combustion engine he drives?
Books about design: Man and His Symbols – Carl Jung Grid Systems – Kimberly Elam (simple) or Josef Muller-Brockmann (more difficult) Envisioning Information – Edward Tufte The Elements of Typographic Style – Robert Bringhurst The Chicago Manual of Style – University of Chicago Press Staff
Jung to begin understanding iconography. Grid systems to add to your innate sense of spacing. Information design to debunk the tragedy called Powerpoint. Typographic style since what we do (some of us) is not just image-based. The Chicago Manual of Style is a great reference book.
There are many more.
These really aren’t PS centric, but are elemental to designers.
"Ramón G Castañeda – 4:57pm Mar 4, 09 PST (#54 of 57) Lundberg02,
Maybe you also think it is necessary for a race car driver to understand the laws of thermodynamics involved in the internal combustion engine he drives?"
Mark Brown, an Indy Champion of the 60s was a graduate mechanical engineer and he was better than his peers because he understood everything about his race car including its thermo.
I saw him one night at a downtown news stand looking at some books, He picked one out, paid for it and left. I asked the clerk, "what did he buy?" The clerk replied, "he got "What It’s Like Out There" by Mario Andretti".
Ok so let me put it this way. Eventhough reading and understanding it would probably be helpful for understanding how Ps works, you will most likely not understand a thing and be quickly fatigued by the large sections of pure foruma, unless that’s the type of thing you’re into. I’m not saying it’s a bad book, I’m saying 99% of you will not be happy with it.
Grid Systems by Müller-Brockmann is a book one should have read (got it) but it only deals with grids that are inside a type area. Today lot’s of designers prefer to spread the grid throughout the entire page. So one should also look at something newer in my opinion, just to see what other methods for grids there are. And of course it should be noted that some of the best type designers (including GGL) insisted that grids are crap.
I’m new on these forums. I’ve read through some of the posts here but am unsure as to what would be right for me.
I have no photoshop CS4 experience and it looks daunting! I am looking for video tutorial (preferable) or a book that will take me through all the basics and some more practical examples too.
Learn how to rescue details, remove flyaways, add volume, and enhance the definition of hair in any photo. We break down every tool and technique in Photoshop to get picture-perfect hair, every time.
Related Discussion Topics
Nice and short text about related topics in discussion sections
