Rating: 
Summary: Get Much Better Images
Review: As an experienced Photoshop user, I thought that I knew a lot about how to improve the appearance of color images. After reading 'Photoshop Color Correction' however, I now know lots of even better techniques, and my images look significantly clearer and sharper. The chapter devoted to Contrast is worth the price of the entire book, and I use Photoshop more efficiently now, especially thanks to learning about color correction with layers and adjustment layers. Overall, an excellent book for anyone with scanned or digital camera images that they want to improve!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book on color management and correction
Review: From beginner to advanced, this book will interest and educate. Very well written with many images to illustrate the points made in the text.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent primer on how to get better color from your comput
Review: I have spent many years doing electronic prepress, color correction, and design, and one question I get repeatedly asked is "how do I get better color from my computer?". Now, I can point them in the direction of this excellent book.Mr. Kieran provides a solid foundation of what color correction is, and why it is necessary. His first section on "Color Fundamentals" reminds me of the old "Pocket Pal" book every designer lived by, except better written. This introduction gives you a solid and understandable overview of color correction, its terms, and its purpose. Building on this foundation (don't skip it!), the book then goes on to a thorough explanation of how to use Photoshop to improve the color, tone, and quality of your digital photos. The book is framed by what the author calls the "essentials of color correction" -- highlights and shadows, netral tones, contrast, and sharpening. I was very happy to see this organization because it mimics the process I use every time I professionally work on a photo. Mr. Kieran goes into a great amount of detail for each of these "essential" steps. He begins each section with a thorough description of the "why", then step-by-step explains the "how". The book is crammed with color photographs, clearly illustrating both technical issues like how histograms relate to changes in the image, as well as demonstrating each step of the correction process. Two very practical sections stand out: Mr Kieran gives a great overview of all of the ways you can convert a color photo to black and white, and all of the ways you can sharpen a photo (two things I am constantly asked!). There as so many ways to do these basic tasks, it's great to have a solid description, complete with illustrations, and explanations of when to use one method over the others. In conclusion, a good solid practical book - one that anyone serious about good photos should give a read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent primer on how to get better color from your comput
Review: I have spent many years doing electronic prepress, color correction, and design, and one question I get repeatedly asked is "how do I get better color from my computer?". Now, I can point them in the direction of this excellent book. Mr. Kieran provides a solid foundation of what color correction is, and why it is necessary. His first section on "Color Fundamentals" reminds me of the old "Pocket Pal" book every designer lived by, except better written. This introduction gives you a solid and understandable overview of color correction, its terms, and its purpose. Building on this foundation (don't skip it!), the book then goes on to a thorough explanation of how to use Photoshop to improve the color, tone, and quality of your digital photos. The book is framed by what the author calls the "essentials of color correction" -- highlights and shadows, netral tones, contrast, and sharpening. I was very happy to see this organization because it mimics the process I use every time I professionally work on a photo. Mr. Kieran goes into a great amount of detail for each of these "essential" steps. He begins each section with a thorough description of the "why", then step-by-step explains the "how". The book is crammed with color photographs, clearly illustrating both technical issues like how histograms relate to changes in the image, as well as demonstrating each step of the correction process. Two very practical sections stand out: Mr Kieran gives a great overview of all of the ways you can convert a color photo to black and white, and all of the ways you can sharpen a photo (two things I am constantly asked!). There as so many ways to do these basic tasks, it's great to have a solid description, complete with illustrations, and explanations of when to use one method over the others. In conclusion, a good solid practical book - one that anyone serious about good photos should give a read.
Rating:
Summary: Just what I need
Review: I've read a few photoshop books, and this one is the easiest to understand. The arthur wasted no time to throw in jokes, unrelated examples or what not to confuse you. Every info is right to the point. Unlike some other books I read which only shows you how to do things in one mode, this book actually shows you photo retouching in 3 different modes (CMYK, RGB, LAB) and the reader decides what's best for them. The book contents are very well organized so you know right from the start exactly on what you're learning in a chapter. However, the CD included in the book was a joke. They are only before and after pictures shown within the book. And when I opened up those pictures, they looked nothing like the ones in the book. I assume it's because of the ICC profile differences. Somehow I feel they included this CD so that they could jacked up the price to $50. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about making your digital pictures look their best. That's the primary focus of this book. The price is a little too high to include such a junk CD. Note: Amazingly, I did not buy this book just because it has a 4 or 5 stars, I picked it out from a local book store. The other 4 books I bought and returned were all recommended by internet users on here and have 5 stars. I think if at all possible, it's best to read a little bit of the book you were going to buy before actually buying it. Don't buy it just because it has a 5 stars on here.
Rating:
Summary: If you buy only 1 photopshop book
Review: If you buy only 1 photopshop book, buy this one. I am not a photographer, not in the biz, I'm just a guy who loves his pictures.
Kieran's experience is beautifully communicated and he makes complex theories and industry standards sound simple. It is like having a seasoned Pro standing next to you. (I wish I could find a book on computer networks that's this good.) I'm only a few chapters into it, but already I look at color in a competely different way. My mind is racing as I recall pictures that I never got the most out of, and now I can!
I warn you; though some software and books make it seem like your computer can magically fix color, contrast, and produce beautiful prints on it's own; this book will challenge you to learn. Kieran explains the difficulties associated with color reproduction, what the industry has done, and what you can do with what you have. Stop wondering and start knowing.
Rating:
Summary: If you buy only 1 photopshop book
Review: If you buy only 1 photopshop book, buy this one. I am not a photographer, not in the biz, I'm just a guy who loves his pictures.
Kieran's experience is beautifully communicated and he makes complex theories and industry standards sound simple. It is like having a seasoned Pro standing next to you. (I wish I could find a book on computer networks that's this good.) I'm only a few chapters into it, but already I look at color in a competely different way. My mind is racing as I recall pictures that I never got the most out of, and now I can!
I warn you; though some software and books make it seem like your computer can magically fix color, contrast, and produce beautiful prints on it's own; this book will challenge you to learn. Kieran explains the difficulties associated with color reproduction, what the industry has done, and what you can do with what you have. Stop wondering and start knowing.
Rating: 
Summary: Wasted Money
Review: Just finished this book and must say it was a total waste of money. I forced myself to read the entire book hoping to get something out of it but was really disappointed. I have been using photoshop for about eight years and like to brush up on things once in awhile but this book is so poorly written that a lot of it just does not make sense or will not work as explained
For example on page 327 the technique he explains does not work the way it is layed out if you use Multiply mode as instructed in the book, nor does it come close to matching his sample on the CD regardless of what blending mode you use. This person might know their stuff but certainly does not know how to explain it to someone else or is not paying attention to details. Don't waste your money buy Photoshop Artistry instead which is 1000 times better.
Rating: 
Summary: A Flawed Gem
Review: Photoshop Color Correction contains a wealth of valuable information on Photoshop-based color correction and related image improvement techniques. Its author clearly knows his subject in considerable depth and presents both theory and practice in a clear, easy to follow way. Even if you only absorb and apply the techniques covered in its central chapters, the book will have been worth your while. Yet Photoshop Color Correction is far from perfect. It suffers from numerous small editorial errors that could easily trip up the unwary. For example on page 192 the shadow point of an RGB image is given as 9C 8M 10Y. Clearly 9R 8G 10B was meant. Or on page 230 cyan ink is said to absorb green and blue light and reflect red, When in reality it absorbs red light and reflects green and blue. The book is also quite repetitious, hammering home its main points many, many times. After the third or fourth time we are told just how important it is to correctly set the shadow and highlight points, even the dimmest of readers will get the point. Another several repetitions is not likely to help those who still don't catch on. Finally, the included CD is of very, very limited value. The pictures are tiny -- far too small to be of much use in doing the exercises in the book. The "flat" picture of the trees on the back cover of the book, for example, is 191 x 288 pixels. With such small images the book would have been better with a lower price and no CD.
Rating:
Summary: DEFINITIVE!
Review: Really beautiful, I'd pay 200$ for a book lik this!
Definitive, every art should read it.
I'm buying a digital reflex so this book will really help me retouching levels, curves, color managements, sharpeness ecc...
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