JustGottaRead

5 Responses to “The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing”

1. B. Frønsdal says:

   May 9, 2010 at 8:14 pm

   Hello,

   I absolutely love this book! It has given me so much useful information about post-processing, and my photos really has improved a great deal after I started to follow the steps in this book.

   The book is packed with beautiful photos, and I absolutely love the layout and design! Along with the usual step-by-step direction the authors has decided to ad – sort of – handwritten comments here and there, and I think it works really really well. It makes the book a great joy to read!

   The topics – no matter how complex – are explained brilliantly in visual steps making them easy to understand. The authors tells you not only HOW, but also WHY – and I think that is essential when you want to try the techniques later on your own photos. I have tried the multi-raw processing and black & white conversion with great success! Next one out is the HDR-process. I can’t wait!

   Conclusion: If you are buying only one book about post-processing, and are serious about your work, this book should be the one you buy! Plain and simple! This one is a MUST HAVE!
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. Sacramento Book Review says:

   May 9, 2010 at 8:32 pm

   This resource of step-by-step directions for the imaginative use of Photoshop deftly combines hand-written notations with actual program menus and photographic images in different stages of completion. It describes the advantages of RAW files, the process of HDR imaging, the options of monochrome conversion, the useful effects of LAB color, and the utilization of layer masks for photo compositing. Dramatic examples of the author’s published work are beautifully displayed and interspersed evenly with procedural instructions.

   //The Photoshop Darkroom// delivers practical ideas in a methodical yet appealing fashion. In comprehensible terms, it manages to reduce the complexity of digital post-production to an art form that is as meaningful as it is enjoyable. Shooting, layering and painting techniques are explained like a basic cookie recipe. If you ever felt that you should have obtained better results from your scans or photographs but were overwhelmed by the technical aspects of digital photography, then this inspiring book is for you.

   Reviewed by Richard Mandrachio
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. R. I. Coles says:

   May 9, 2010 at 9:38 pm

   Photoshop is a huge program, it could take years to learn all its capabilities if you only use it in your leisure hours. As an amateur photographer I wanted to learn which tools to use and a workflow for post processing of digital images. This book is perfect for that task, and is suitable for recent versions of Photoshop not just the current version CS4.
   Rating: 5 / 5
4. William L. Davidson says:

   May 9, 2010 at 11:13 pm

   I first became aware of author and photographer Harold Davis a couple of months ago through an article he wrote on Selective Sharpening for “Photonet” ([...]). You can review this article on the Photonet Website under the “Learning” tab menu options.

   There are many digital sharpening processes (that is increasing edge contrasts) available but Harold Davis’ selective LAB sharpening is the first I have found which is an easily learned selective sharpening; a way to restrict sharpening to the areas which benefit from sharpening. It is necessary to advoid sharpening areas of soft focus, noise and other artifacts as sharpening these areas will degrade rather than improve the image. With this process, the user maintains fine control over each step.

   Based on this very well written sharpening article, I researched the author to find that he has published more than thirty computer programming and digital photography books, each to excellent reviews by readers as well as professional reviewers. He is recognized in the digital photography field for his ability to share his expertise through classroom teaching and writting.

   In The Photoshop Darkroom, he presents several varied processes for improving and applying special effects to digital images in Photoshop. He expands his selective sharpening presentation through screen shots of the Photoshop steps accompanied by concise notes. He follows this format for each of process presented in this book. He simplifies and improves many of the Photoshop processes I struggled with in learning Photoshop. This book will be helpful for those digital photographers beginning Photoshop through to the advanced users.

   (If interested in digital black and white processing, note that Harold Davis will be releasing a book on this subject in April, 2010. I am eagerly awaiting my copy!)

   wd
   
   Rating: 5 / 5
5. C. Dalessandro says:

   May 10, 2010 at 1:32 am

   I have been doing photoshop for years and this book is written in easy to understand examples. I say it is a must for everyone.
   Rating: 5 / 5