Art of Photoshop for Digital Photographers : From Image Capture to Art

by Giordan, Daniel

• ISBN13: 9780672327131
• ISBN10: 0672327139
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-01
• Publisher: Sams

Summary

Highly visual guide to taking great digital photographs and turning them into evocative digital art of display quality.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Welcome to Tuscany

Planning Ahead

Going Home

A Tentative Start

The Palio and the Gangs of Siena

Obligatory Pilgrimages

Prologue

Digital Photography Techniques

Digital Camera Basics

Digital Photography Pros and Cons

Five Habits to Optimize Image Quality

Previewing Tips: Critical Evaluation

Preview Exposure with Histograms and Clipping

Capturing the Elusive Shot

Elements of Photographic Quality

File Format Pros and Cons

Using a Flash Effectively

Digital Exposure

Exposure = Amount of Light and Speed of Shutter

The Tones and the Zones

Adjusting Exposure

Metering Light

Overcoming TTL Meter Limitations

Non-manual Exposure Settings

Using a Handheld Meter

Measuring Tonal Range with Histograms

Focus and Depth of Field

Types of Autofocus

Focus and Camera Stability

What Is Depth of Field?

Artistic Application

Composition

Compositional Building Blocks

Documenting a Moment

Controlling Compositions with Multiple Exposures

Photoshop Explorations

Photo Explorations

Dramatic Shadows

Custom Black and White Conversions

Shift Depth of Field

Image Panoramas

Daguerreotype Effects

Infrared Effects

Simulate Twilight

Hand Coloring

Cyanotypes

Artistic Explorations

Printmaking Effects

Painterly Illustration

Line Engraving

Painted Canvas

Conté Crayon Drawing

Graphic Effects with Blending Modes

Gallery

Abbazia: Finding Transcendent Spirit

Building the Image

Abbazia Image Design Log

Passagio Scuro: Revealing Shadowed Vitality

Building the Image

Passagio Scuro Image Design Log

Punto: Exploring Relative Fundamentalism

Building the Image

Variations on Punto

Punto Image Design Log

Santissima Addolorata: Experiencing Blind Faith

Building the Image

Santissima Addolorata Image Design Log

Porta Rossa: Discovering Evocative Doorways

Building the Image

Porta Rossa Image Design Log

Molecola Sogni: Toward a Weightless History

Building the Image

Molecola Sogni Image Design Log

Una Passione Perfetta: Creating Dynamic Precision

Building the Image

Una Passione Perfetta Image Design Log

Parte Interna: Building Visual Tension

Building the Image

Parte Interna Image Design Log

Glossary

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction Introduction There's an old saying that "Sometimes the worst thing in the world is to get what you want." This just might be the case with theArt of Photoshopbooks as they continue to grow in complexity, detail, and nuance with each new volume. And yet, I guess I wouldn't have it any other way. I consider dynamic imagery and compelling source material to be requisites for any design book. When I started writing, my books were straightforward text-based volumes with the occasional screen shot. The layouts were done by someone else and the images were scavenged from whatever royalty-free stock photo house we could find. As I continued writing, things slowly began to change. I started taking my own photos for theHow to Use Photoshopbooks, and took control of the layout withArt of Photoshop. With this book, I've added a new thematic variable that I hope results in a cohesive volume that is even more instructive and informative--Tuscany. Initially, this book presents itself as a digital photography travel book, drawing its inspiration and photo resources from the Tuscan region of Italy. In addition to featuring the images I shot during a photo trek through the area, the book also includes stories and commentary about how the images were captured, technical challenges, and overall aesthetic impressions. Thus, the book you're holding is an instruction guide for how to capture digital images, an inspiration for what to shoot, and a behind-the-scenes commentary on how the general impressions of a region translated into tangible digital images. All the images in this book were captured with a Nikon D2H digital SLR camera and a wide range of external lenses. I used a Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod, an electronic cable release, and a host of various filters and attachments. I mention this so that readers will have a point of reference regarding the equipment used to create the images in this book. Users who don't have an SLR camera, tripod, or other accessories mentioned here will experience different results, although the basic photographic principles are the same regardless of what equipment is used. As mentioned elsewhere in the book, my suggestion is that you use a digital SLR as a bare minimum, along with a stable camera support and cable release. This combination will allow you to follow most of the procedures outlined in the upcoming chapters. Each image that appears in the book is accompanied by a profile of how it was created. Specifically, it lists the camera used, f-stop, shutter speed, and focal length. Occasionally, I used exposure compensation on an image, and this data is listed as well, using an "EV" designation followed by a positive or negative compensation value. In addition, all images were captured at ISO 200 to ensure optimum resolution detail, except as otherwise noted. This book is also about Photoshop. Although the first part of the book looks at how to take a good picture, the second part features explorations that show you how to bring those images into Photoshop and push things further. Some of the explorations teach alternative photo techniques such as cyanotypes and hand coloring, while others are more artistic and painterly. Part 2, "Photoshop Explorations," is not exhaustive by any means, but it does provide a solid base for how you can transform a photograph into a digital design. The final part, "Gallery," presents my own vision for exploring and interpreting the Tuscan region. It presents a suite of eight finished works, along with step-by-step details for how they were created, following the familiar format of the originalArt of Photoshopbook. If you want to follow along with the steps in the presentations, you can download low-resolution copies of all the source images used i