The Photoshop Elements 13 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,Photography & Video
The Photoshop Elements 13 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter) Details
ARE YOU READY FOR AN ELEMENTS BOOK THAT BREAKS ALL THE RULES? This book breaks new ground by doing something for digital photographers that’s never been done before–it cuts through the bull and shows you exactly “how to do it.” It’s not a bunch of theory; it doesn’t challenge you to come up with your own settings or figure things out on your own. Instead, it does something that virtually no other Elements bookhas ever done–it tells you flat-out which settings to use, when to use them, and why. If you’re looking for one of those “tell-me-everything-about-the-Unsharp-Mask-filter” books, this isn’t it. You can grab any other Elements book on the shelf, because they all do that. Instead, this book gives you the inside tips and tricks of the trade for organizing, correcting, editing, sharpening, retouching, and printing your photos like a pro. You’ll be absolutely amazed at how easy and effective these techniques are–once you know the secrets. LEARN HOW THE PROS DO ITEach year we train thousands of digital photographers and, almost without exception, they have the same questions and face the same problems–that’s exactly what we cover in this book. You’ll learn: • The real secrets of how the pros retouch portraits • How to unlock the power of layers (you’ll be amazed at how easy it is!) • How to use Camera Raw for processing not only RAW photos, but JPEGs, • TIFFs, and PSDs, too! (And you’ll learn why so many pros like it best–because it’s faster and easier) • The sharpening techniques the pros really use (there’s an entire chapter just on this!) • How to deal with common digital camera image problems, including brightening people in dark shadows and getting the best color possible • The most requested photographic special effects, and much more! THE BOOK’S SECRET WEAPONAlthough Elements 13 offers some digital photography features that Photoshop CC doesn’t offer, there are plenty of features that Photoshop CC has that Elements 13 still doesn’t have (things like channels, HDR, etc.). But in this book, you’ll learn some slick workarounds, cheats, and some fairly ingenious ways to replicate many of those Photoshop features from right within Elements. Plus, you can follow along with all the images used in the book, available for download on the book’s companion webpage. Since this book is designed for photographers, it doesn’t waste your time talking about what a pixel is, how to frame a shot, set your exposure, etc., and there’s no talk about which camera or printer to buy. It’s all Elements, step by step, cover to cover, in the only book of its kind, and you’re gonna love it!
Reviews
I recently upgraded to Elements 13 from Elements 5. I've been using Elements for a number of years, mainly to edit some old photos that I scanned and needed some touch-up. I was very comfortable using the basic tools (crop, clone, spot healer and a little bit with layers), but never took the time to really learn the program. After purchasing a new camera, I wanted to be able to process RAW photos and edit my photos to look their best.This book is exactly what I was looking for! Depending on what you're trying to do, the authors walk you through the process step-by-step. They show you how to use the tools together (rather than just focusing on one tool at a time), so you start to understand WHEN and HOW to choose one tool over another. There are lots of pictures to illustrate the "before" and "after" effects, and they'll give you a ballpark amount for the tools you're working with so you know when to use a gentle touch, and when to "crank it up."In the past, I tried playing around with different tools based on a different "how to" manual for Elements. That book described what the tools did, but I wasn't sure how they worked together. The subjects in my pictures ended up looking like Frankenstein aliens (OK, maybe they weren't that crazy, but they definitely looked "off"). I ended up just using the "smart fix" or auto functions because I didn't know how to use the tools effectively to bring it all together.So far, I've only read the beginning sections of this book (dealing with Camera RAW), and it's a slower read since I'm trying to practice the techniques as I learn them (otherwise, what's the point?). I really like this approach, which really is focused on using the software to make better pictures rather than describing the features in isolation. If you're planning to use Elements for processing photos, this is the book to get!UPDATE 3/27/15I don't usually update my reviews, but I've had this book for a couple of months now and I've had a chance to work through most of the tutorials. In the past 2 months with this book, I've learned more about Elements than I have with many YEARS of using the program (with a different handbook as a reference). The sections on Layers and Masks are excellent-- I never could quite grasp what masks were, or why you would use them, but now it makes sense. Best of all, I've been able to apply these same skills to my own photos. I've saved 2 pictures just by using the techniques for lightening dark areas. This book opened up a new level of photo editing for me, but only with a lot of re-reading and application. If you're new to Elements, don't expect this book (or any other) to teach you everything you need to know in a weekend. But if you are committed and take the time to do the tutorials, you will be able to do amazing things with this program.