| Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF | |
|
|
|
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter) | 
 enlarge | Author: Scott Kelby
Publisher: New Riders Press
Category: Book
List Price: $44.99
Buy New: $29.69
You Save: $15.30 (34%)
New (45) Used (7) from $27.51
Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 319
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 8 x 0.9
ISBN: 0321555562
Dewey Decimal Number: 778
EAN: 9780321555564
ASIN: 0321555562
Publication Date: September 10, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Written in concert with Adobe's development of the Photoshop Lightroom 2 Beta, The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers - by #1 bestselling computer and technology author, Scott Kelby - is the most complete and concise Lightroom "how-to" book for digital photographers of all skill levels.
In The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers, Scott walks readers through the basics of Lightroom use, leading them to a brilliantly devised and super efficient digital photography workflow that dramatically improves productivity and allows photographers to spend less time processing photos and more time shooting them.
Throughout the book Scott shares his personal camera and Lightroom settings, as well as the studio-tested techniques he's developed for his own photography workflow. The book is written in his trademark step-by-step, plain English style, and because he knows what really works and what doesn't, he isn't shy to tell you flat out which tools to use, which to avoid, and why. This allows digital photographers of any skill level to jump right in using Lightroom like a pro from the very start, sidestepping a lot of the frustrations that typically haunt those unfamiliar with new applications?especially those as powerful as Lightroom.
What really sets The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers apart from other Lightroom books on the market are the last two bonus chapters where Scott answers the questions, "In exactly what order am I supposed to do things in Lightoom," and "Where does Photoshop fit in to the mix?" Both chapters start with an on-location photo shoot, including full details on the equipment, camera settings, and lighting techniques. Readers then witness as he takes the photos from each shoot through the entire workflow process, to the final output of the 16"x20" prints. And, because he incorporates Photoshop seamlessly right into this workflow, you'll learn some of the latest Photoshop techniques for portrait and landscape photography as well.
If you're one of those people who learns best by actually doing the projects yourself; who learns best without all the complicated technical explanations and confusing jargon, and if you really want to start using Lightroom today to unlock the productivity secrets of "The new digital photography workflow,"---there is no faster, more "straight-to-the-point" or more fun way to learn than this groundbreaking new book, and you are absolutely going to love it!
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
THE guide to navigating Lightroom 2.0 September 18, 2008
J. Revell (Manassas, VA)
60 out of 65 found this review helpful
First I would like to say that if the book feels a bit like the first version, there's a good reason and it's because Adobe didn't remove features from LR2. There isn't a way to write a Lightroom book without covering features that were included in version 1. This would be a disservice to those that didn't own Lightroom version 1 and are starting fresh with version 2. The other thing that might feel familiar is the layout of the book. Most all of the Kelby books have a visual style that is familiar but even that has changed slight in this book, and for the better.
The book begins with a seven step "Things you wish you would have known before reading this book". It is a quick guide that tells you how the book is organized, what to expect when you read it, where to find source material that is used in the different chapters, and even a warning about his humorous chapter intros. I am actually a fan of Scott's humor but for those that aren't, he tells you to skip the intros and move right to the chapter because that's where the good stuff is.
The actual flow of the book is very logical and moves through the workflow process just as you would in Lightroom. One of the new features of the book that I found extremely helpful are the small header banners at the top of each page which mimic the panels at the top of Lightroom. Listed at the top are the Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web headings that are so familiar to Lightroom users. Whichever module is being dealt with in the particular chapter is highlighted on the banner, just as it would be in Lightroom. This is a great way to navigate quickly in the book so if you wanted to check out chapters dedicated to printing you can quickly flip through the pages and look for the Print module heading at the top of the pages. This is a small but very clever idea that I really appreciate.
The first chapter is all about importing images into Lightroom and is laid out in an easy, step-by-step progression from where to store your images, to getting your images into the program from your memory card or from folders that already exist on the hard drive. There is even a section on shooting tethered directly to your camera and having the images go directly into Lightroom. And here's another new bonus to this book. Every chapter has a Lightroom Quicktips page following each chapter. These are helpful little hints that somehow relate to the chapter but didn't really fit but are nonetheless important nuggets of information.
The following chapters are laid out just as logically and are beautifully illustrated. Particularly helpful were the chapters on customizing the Library module to make it fit my own needs and the section on the new Adjustment Brush. This new feature in Lightroom 2 is amazing and Scott did a great job of explaining not just how to use all of the features, but also when and why you would use them. I especially liked how he showed how to use the brush as a creative tool that will keep me from having to use Photoshop quite so much.
This book covers every new feature with great depth but not in a textbook way. Every feature of the program is broken down into its basics and then reviewed in a progressive style that will benefit novice and professional alike. The one thing that sets this book (like all of the Kelby books) apart from the rest is that you feel as though he is talking directly to you thoughout the entire process. It's like having your own personal instructor right at your side.
Lightroom has changed tremendously from its humble 1.0 beginnings and any user of the new version will save themselves time and frustration by sitting down with this book which I believe is the definitive guide to using Lightroom 2.0.
Worth Every Penny September 29, 2008
Jean Walters
25 out of 29 found this review helpful
I'm one of the people that owned the first version of the book and still coughed up the $29 for version 2. I don't regret it one bit. There's an entire chapter on the new Adjustment Brush, and that chapter alone has made me my $29 back. If you're new to Lightroom, I can't help but think Scott's workflow and descriptions of the tools is the best out there. They sure helped me last year when I was starting out. However, if you're experienced in Lightroom, yes, you'll definitely find some of same "basics" stuff. But the updates (importing and sorting chapters, adjustment brush, new workflow chapters, and customizing) are worth $29 and I'd spend it again in a heartbeat. Highly recommended.
Just do it September 18, 2008
Christine Pincince (Fort Walton Beach, FL USA)
20 out of 24 found this review helpful
For me it doesnt come naturally to sit with a book at my computer and work through it to learn to do it right. I am determined to quit that silly massivly time wasting habit and have successfully started my new smarter behavior with Scott Kelby's well written, logicly laid out, with easy to understand verbage instruction manual. I have thousands of images and vow to continue to follow his flow and do it right this time. Lightroom 2 is an awesome program that looks easy, but to get the most out of it you may need a little hand holding by a pro and that is what this book delivers.
Great for the New User October 14, 2008
Conrad J. Obregon (New York, NY USA)
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
When Lightroom 1.0 was introduced, everyone who tried it was a new user, even the folks who had tried the beta editions that Adobe had offered. That meant that it was easy to say that Scott Kelby's older book, "the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers" was one of the best of the hoard of Lightroom books for all users. Lightroom 2 (LR2) is a different matter. There is already a large base of competent Lightroom users who are mostly interested in learning how to use the newest upgrades to the software. As a result, recommendations for Kelby's Lightroom 2 book have to be slightly tempered.
As with his first volume, Kelby covers all the basics of Lightroom 2 with step-by-step instructions with profuse illustrations. Each of the modules is covered in sufficient detail to explain to any newcomer how to use LR2. The chapter on the quick develop tools has been reduced to a few pages, the local adjustment tools are described with sufficient particularity to master the newest tools, and a full chapter has been added on Lightroom\Photoshop integration. The two workflow examples have been changed from the first book, giving readers of both volumes a little more bang for the buck.
Many of the photos used for demonstration are available for download so that the reader can follow right along with the author. A video on a workflow example of a wedding is also available for download.
Some people who were put off by Kelby's sophomoric sense of humor will be pleased to learn that there has been a substantial reduction in the jokiness.
There is no doubt that if you are a new user of Lightroom, this book is as good as it gets. On the other hand, for experienced users, there doesn't seem to be much value to reading over the sections on tools you already know how to use. As I've said before, what most LR2 users need is a book like the "Photoshop: Up to Speed" books that just cover the new tools. (Are you listening, Peachpit?) I suspect many experienced users will derive their information on the upgrade from the wide assortment of on-line sites that have introduced LR2. On the other hand, I'm replacing Kelby's Lightroom 1 book that I kept next to my computer with this volume, and I expect to refer to this opus whenever I encounter a problem in LR2 (or my aging memory fails me).
 Second Verse, Same as the First September 18, 2008
Steve Biroschik (Atlanta, GA)
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
I am going to leave the longer reviews to other reviewers, but I thought it was worth noting that this book appears to be about 80% the same as the first edition. This Lightroom 2 book is more of an update of the Lightroom 1 book than it is a brand-new book in my opinion. Scott even recycles his (in)famous "jokes" from the first book in the second one. Maybe that is not a surprise to most of you, but I was expecting a bit more new content in the second book. To add insult to injury, the book was shipped to me from Amazon damaged. :-)
If you don't own the first edition of the book, you should consider purchasing this well-written and informative Lightroom book. Scott Kelby shares a lot of useful info in an easy to understand writing style. I have purchased a couple of different Lightroom books and find Scott Kelby's Lightroom for Digital Photographers to be the best of the bunch.
|
|
|
| |
