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)
Lynda.com Photoshop CS3 Sharpening Images (Deke McClelland 2008?)
Masking/Selections/Channels
Photoshop CS3 Channels & Masks: Advanced Techniques (Deke McClelland 2007?)
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?
Photoshop in general/retouching/techincal information:
BinariFX's site
<http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/>
Greg Apodaca
<http://homepage.mac.com/gapodaca/digital/digital.html>
Retouching (Skin in LAB)
SWPP
<http://www.swpp.co.uk/professional_imagemaker/accurate_reproduction_skin_tones.htm>
Creative/illustrative tutorials
PSDTuts.com (one of the very few high quality tutorial sites)
<http://psdtuts.com/>
Neil
Dan Margulis at <http://www.kelbytraining.com/instructors/dan-margulis.html>
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 teachings—as 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.
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 Print裕he Art of Fine Printing (Jeff
Schewe and Michael Reichmann)
was listed under LAB, not under CM
What part of the following statement of mine in post #9 didn't you understand T.?
ůthe very first book referenced in the original post is properly mentioned
only under the heading of LAB (i.e. L*a*b)ů [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.
"LAB has the advantage that if we don’t like what it has to offer, we
can ignore it and stick with the old reliables [sic]."
Yup, Margulis, in chapter two (page 25) of his Photoshop LAB Color—The Canyon Conundrum book.
Yes, he doesn't claim that LAB solves every problem in the universe, quite a reasonable man.
Noise (and people) removal via Smart Objects
Video by Russel Brown:
<http://www.webdesign.org/web/photoshop/photoshop-basics/smart-objects-and-stack-mode-settings-in-photoshop.16818.html>
Website:
<http://www.creativetechs.com/iq/photoshop_cs3s_automatic_people_remover.html>
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.
How this text <http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Restoration-Start-Finish-photographs/dp/0240808142/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233087794&sr=8-1> might compare to Eismann? Cool website either way...
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. :/
How this text might compare to Eismann? Cool website either way... >>
What on earth does this post mean?
What on earth does this post mean?
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.
Can you can even get the materials to make a dye transfer print anymore?
Neil
For those who aren't familiar with the process and want to see some great examples, check out the work of Eliot Porter.
Jim
Neil
Video on Martin Henson's editing technique:
"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."
Find it here:
<http://www.digital-monochrome.co.uk/news9955.html>
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.
Brice Fraser
That's Bruce Fraser, Typing i for u is one of the most common typos, as the i and u keys are right next to each other on the keyboard.
I don't agree that Margulis is going to damage beginners.
Some folks claim the same about weed, booze and other toxic substances. ;)
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.
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.
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. :/
Neil
Read, marked and inwardly digested?
:)
J
;o)
Mike, I'm waiting for your book!
There are more than 10 channels,
Did anybody here say there weren't? Must have missed that. :/
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?
Highly recommended.
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.
Heico Neumeyer's Photoshop Kompendium
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.
And what is this stupid question about forum migration after every post? I don't understand what it wants me to do.
And what is this stupid question about forum migration after every post?
I don't understand what it wants me to do.
For more about that situation see the threads in this section:
Color Constancy, by Ebner
$150 new from Amazon.com, $112.42 used. $108 from Amazon "merchants".
:|
Color Constancy is an ideal reference for practising engineers, computer
scientists and researchers working in the area of digital color image
processing. It may also be useful for biologists or scientists in general
who are interested in computational theories of the visual brain and bio-inspired
engineering systems.
Not sure it's for us here. :-)
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?
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?
Well said Ramón.
It sure is not for everybody, I should say.
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.
pbc
Information design to debunk the tragedy called Powerpoint.
What a wonderful remark!
:)
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".
pbc
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.
What do the experts recommend?
TIA
Karl
Check out the tutorials at Lynda.com.
I think that they might be exactly what you need.
You could start with a one-month subscription for $25 and see how you get on.
I'm new here and found the layout of the forums confusing at first.
I will post in the other thread only. Please accept my apologies.
Karl