Customer Reviews:
Noel Reddings life as a musician and casualty of the business.......2006-08-04
I put off reading this for years due to hearing from friends who were turned off by the problems the late Noel Redding had getting paid for his contributions to the music of the Experience band. It was worth the read and is a good companion piece to Mitch Mitchell's book about his Experience years. As mentioned in other reviews the writing isn't the best and the last third of the book does go into mind numbing detail of how he was denied royalties on music he helped create that appeared on the 3 albums of JHE.
Noel is pretty honest about his over the top self medicating abuse but there is also there is some humor here in the life of a musican starting out. Some fascinating observations from someone who was there, such as his opinion that as much as everyone loved Jimi Hendrixes guitar playing; it was his intimate talk/singing vocal work that created an atmosphere that really drew people in. Noel probably weighed not a whole lot over 125 pounds and had a somewhat quiet and nasal singing and talking style, but here's a guy that took a bus to an audition as a very young man and was soon touring the world with 2 of the top musicians of the era and holding his own on bass with a dirty driving tone and plenty of inventive ideas of his own . If you like the intro to the song The Burning Of The Midnight Lamp, the title of the song Midnight Lightning or the guitar introduction to the song Freedom , they are just a few of the examples of the many things Noel brought to the party and did not receive credit for.
Noels comments that it was the 3rd tour that finished the JHE group off explain why the 2 shows I saw them do in 1968 were unfortunately just not that memorable musically although the first one was exciting. Plus it was way better than going to the high school homecoming dance the same night
Essential reading for any Hendrix fan and an real eye opener into the industry for any budding muscians out there........2005-08-17
Although this is indeed not a particularly well written book, (and I thought Jessica's review was hilarious), you have to bear in mind that Noel was a bass player, not a writer. This is Noel's story and pretty essential reading for any Hendrix fan. Noel clearly, dearly loved Jimi and understood him well and had a good perspective and balance on his character, and events that happened. But obviously he had his opinon.
What struck me most is that it's a real eye opener as to what being a successful musician is like. I also think any budding musician should read this-so they can find out exactly what they're letting themselves in for. It is so easy to imagine the life of a successful musician as glamourous when it's far from it. Even after The Experience were famous they were still going to gigs sitting in the back of a van on the top of the equipment, with their heads banging on the ceiling. Not the fur coat and limo people would perhaps envisage. Although it goes to show that despite no sleep, no time off, no money, and barely the chance of a decent meal, at least a man that looked like "Bob Dylan's grandmother" as Jimi called him, could get more action than Frank Sinatra probably ever did.
Yes, it's full of these boring detailed lists that Redding liked to make of various expenses, but despite this it's still a very entertaining book and the man has a great sense of humour. It's very unfair that Noel never got his money, but if you read this you can see in the end he had what money could never buy-real friends away from the sharks of the music industry, and the love and support of his family. I personaly wouldn't begrudge him a single penny he made from this book. I was very saddened when I heard he died a while back. RIP Noel.
Essential Perspective.......2004-04-08
I picked this up as soon as it was released in the US (which I thought was '92 but Amazon lists as '96). The lasting impression from the first read was all about the bitterness and misfortune Noel Redding had endured during and after his tenure with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Since that first read, I've occasionally used it as a reference, but only for the occasional spot-check.
After reading the new and exceptional Jimi Hendrix: Musician by Keith Shadwick, I knew it was time to give this and other core Hendrix books a fresh look. I'm glad I did. The nearly continuous bitterness, which I found stifling on the first go round did not irritate as much during this re-read. Thus I managed to get past that aspect and see more of the less obvious side of the book. This really is essential reading for those wanting to know more about Jimi and his music.
Noel was a dependable diary-keeper during his Experience days and thus has helped immensely to solidify the fact base for the groups lifetime. One one hand, you could argue that given the impressive record of substance abuse, how reliable are diary notes of the perpetually wasted and hung over but the answer is: more than historical comments made by those that weren't there. And therein lies the true value of this book: Noel was there. Although he may have had concerns about his treatment that added to the already mountainous stress endured by an overworked band, his perspectives, like those of Mitch and Jimi, have helped to frame the picture - to put the dirt on the soles of the work shoes as it were.
So the bottom line is that I encourage anyone interested in the real Jimi Hendrix story to read this book (and others as well). Sure, there is bias, but so what? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, especially the people that were THERE.
Rest in peace, Noel.
One of the best books on Hendrix.......2001-04-22
As always, when dealing with books on legendary people like Hendrix, you're better off with something written by someone who was actually *there*. And Noel Redding certainly was there.
Certainly one of the best books I've read on Hendrix.
Good book but pages are Blank.......2000-03-19
The following pages are blank:
91-92 106-107 98-99 94-95
lots of picture pages are blank also.
I had to return the book for this reason. Otherwise this book was a good inside view of the music business and the experience.
Book Description
The story of how the Jimi Hendrix Experience's first album, Are You Experienced, was made is even more astonishing than the record itself, and this book tells it all. With its finely crafted songwriting, breathtaking guitar playing, and the sheer power of the group, Are You Experienced was unlike anything heard before and paved the way for generations of rock to come. But rather than the result of a concentrated period of hard work, the album was recorded in short sessions between gigs, in radically different studios; moreover, Hendrix first showed most of the songs to the other band members on the day of recording, with no prior rehearsals. Here is the whole story, based on extensive interviews, along with accounts of all the album's influences-Jimi's love affair with Kathy Etchingham, the band's perennially penniless state, the gigs they had to perform to keep themselves afloat, and the growing awareness among British musicians that Jimi Hendrix was perhaps rock's greatest guitarist.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Music Journalism.......2007-05-26
"Fans" might disapprove of some of Egan's critical judgments, but that in no way diminishes his first-class research achievements in bringing to light how one of the best debut albums of the '60s came to be. Mitch Mitchell's is the main voice missing, though manager and ex-Animal Chas Chandler should be heard more. Believe he died before the book was written. Jimi did little rehearsing for his big debut, and the transformation from run of the mill r&b guitar player to interstellar genius seemingly came overnight, or at least as soon as Jimi got away from the U.S. and into the fecund London music scene of 1966-67. It's difficult now to recall just how wild "Are You Experienced" seemed back then. It wasn't as big a hit as you'd think, given its now revered place in rock history. I remember buying it and liking it as a 13 yr old. If you are curious how this artifact was created, then this book will fully clue you in about all the studio and tech music details. It brings Jimi back to life and strips off a lot of the myth.
Chronogical events from the recording sessions! Hendrix fan or not this is very entertaining.......2005-10-30
This book provides an entertaining view of the making of how one of the best debut albums in the classic rock scene.
It provides a chronological view of the whole recording process... from finding one of the best rythmic sections of all time, to tales about how Hendrix and Jim Marshall came up with the sound effects, plus views from the engineer Eddie Kramer. This book is WELL researched.
The author tells the Hendrix story briefly since it's not in the scope of the book, but boy it was so interesting. How Chas Chandler (manager and producer) pushed Hendrix to the limits...
Just read the damn thing! you won't be dissapointed if you have music running through veins.
Poorly written, though amusing timewaster.......2004-12-19
While one would think the author of a book about the classic Hendrix album "Are you Experienced" would love most of Hendrix's music and be a big fan, maybe that's not true in this case. Egan bashes at least three songs on the album, and later concludes the book with "As stated in the introduction, Are You Experienced is clearly one of the greatest albums of all time." The fact that he doesn't even like a good chunk of the album but then classifies it so highly makes it seem like he's writing an essay at school on something he doesn't care about. Of course any big Hendrix fan will have a few songs he/she doesn't care for too much, but the author contradicts himself in such a strange way that he doesn't seem to like much of Hendrix's music at all.
Anyway, as for the rest of the book, it's just your average information. There's a lot of focus on recording equipment and techniques, which can be quite boring at times, but overall, it's an insightful read, excluding the opinionated part. However, there's really nothing in this book that you couldn't find in another, better one. Buy this if it's at a flea market for $2. If not, find something more worthwhile.
A Bit Paradoxical But Still More Than Worthwhile.......2004-03-03
This book was written by Sean Egan and was published in 2002 by A Capppella books as part of a series called "Vinyl Frontier". I've had it a while and initially just thumbed through it for flavor, then recently went through it cover to cover.
I found this book to a bit paradoxical at times, but with enough merit to recommend its purchase to those into Jimi's music or the history of rock in general. Egan conducted numerous interviews that I haven't found published anywhere previous to this book and the key there is he asked some fresh questions that gave answers to similar questions I've had for some time. For example, Lonnie Youngblood gives interesting perspectve on Jimi the musician in the pre-Experience days. Likewise, the comments by Linda Keith on those exciting days the cusp of Jimi's discovery are illuminating.
Historical perspective is generally excellent, although not exhaustive. This book focuses on AYE and does not bother with historical trivia that does not bear on this album in some direct manner. Once we are brought to the recordings made in late '66 and '67 that became singles and album tracks for AYE, the mostly chronological approach is effective. This fleshes out the differences between the British Track and US Reprise releases effectively, even if Egan's opinions might not agree perfectly with mine.
The technological aspects of these recordings are given some discussion, but not necessarily an exhaustive one from a technotweak perspective. However, the discussion of how the technology was used as a musical research tool and its final effect on the music was given excellent treatment. For example, the discussion of 3rd Stone from the Sun was very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed his mention of people playing their album at 78 rpm to flesh out the vocals that were patched in at half speed. See, people were mining for hidden snippets back there in real time and I'm not the only one to say so!
Now for the more confusing aspects: The back cover starts by talking about albums that are so extrordinary that they influence generations of inspiring artists, yada, yada. Yes, AYE certainly fits that mold, maybe even shatters it to bits requiring a remolding job for all that follow. The problem comes when one reads the last chapter, titled: "The Songs". Herein we are treated to what I consider to be overly harsh criticisms of too many of these songs - such that I'm surprised that Egan considers AYE to be worthy of classic status. Three of the British Track LP tracks, I Don't Live Today, 3rd Stone From The Sun and Are You Experienced receive criticisms that I disagree with, and do so strongly. Those are three of my all-time favorites! Don't get me wrong - I enjoy diversity and respect the opinions of others regardless of how flawed they in
fact are, but this last chapter left me wondering if Egan might have been in a bit of a rush to finish the project off? His writing here is on average less colorful and insightful than the rest of the book and due to the subject matter - the music itself - it sticks out like a sore thumb. But I still strongly recommend this book, without reservation.
A mixed bag...not very in depth but has a few gems.......2004-01-30
This brief book seems to be written by someone that's at best a very casual fan of Hendrix's music. He actually slags off "Electric Ladyland" and states that by the end of Hendrix's life his solos had gotten "boring" (hmmmm...maybe he should listen to "band of gypsys" or "live at berkeley: the second set"?). However if you're a SERIOUS Hendrix fan you'll still find a few nuggets here...you can read some interview excerpts from some of his early studio engineers, girlfriends and career supporters. Although I've read many Hendrix books there were a few details I was unaware of and was happy to discover. I came away feeling I had glimpsed a very specific period of his career...the time period from when he landed in England to when he returned to the USA for his star-making set at the Monterey music festival in California. Other than that the book was a disappointingly light affair written in an offhand fashion by someone that doesn't know much about music (or so it would seem...)
Product Description
This new edition of the matching folio to Hendrix's groundbreaking debut album features revised transcriptions and a stunning 24-page color section. Includes 17 songs: Can You See Me Foxey Lady Hey Joe Manic Depression May This Be Love Purple Haze Red House Stone Free The Wind Cries Mary more.
Customer Reviews:
The life jimmy henderix lead.......1999-04-30
Jimmy henderix was born in 1940. He grew up in a black neiborhood and liked to play the guitar. He got his first break when he was 15. He was discovered at a bar he played at every thursday. He became very famous and later played in woodstock in 1969.
Product Description
All 17 songs from the re-released album including: Are You Experienced Foxy Lady Hey Joe Purple Haze.
Product Description
Bass transcriptions in notes & TAB for all 17 songs: 51st Anniversary Are You Experienced? Can You See Me? Fire Foxey Lady Hey Joe Highway Chile I Don't Live Today Love Or Confusion Manic Depression May This Be Love Purple Haze Red House Remember Stone Free The Wind Cries Mary Third Stone From The Sun
Customer Reviews:
4 1/2 For Those With No (or Little) Experience.......2004-10-17
This book from the Hendrix family company, "Experience Hendrix," and distributed by sheet music specialist Hal Leonard, contains signature notation for the treble and bass clefs, and, most importantly, tablature notation for the bass clef. Signature notation uses the standard notes and symbols one see on most written music. The advantage is that it conveys rhythm as well as notes; the disadvantage is that it takes a while to learn, especially on fairly complex songs. Tablature (or "Tab"), on the other hand, explicitly shows you what frets to play on each string to get the desired notes-but it tells you little or nothing about rhythm and loses some other nuances of signature.
My own opinion is that tablature is a great invention for those who don't want to wait until they learn to read signature before they play the songs they really love. Furthermore, you can get a technical description of the rhythm from the bass signature notation written right above the bass tab notation. I was playing notes from "The Wind Cries Mary" very soon after reading the tab.
There are some problems, however, because tab simply can't convey as much as signature. I suspect also that those who have studied the more traditional signature notation are musicians more likely to have received music lessons and other more formal and more intense personal instruction. A simple tab book is not a substitute for these.
Still, this is a great addition to more formal aspects of learning an instrument. I'll play scales for an hour, and then try my hand at the bass lines of some of my favorite Hendrix songs. It helps if you know the music already, or have a CD nearby (a CD is NOT included with the book). Also, the book would be much better if it included more than one page on how to read tab! Several pages with additional tab conventions and simple examples are needed here. On an absolute scale, this book deserves a 4; however, because of the paucity of tab books for bass guitar, and because this contains such sublime, historic music, the book merits a 5. As you might imagine, the beginning bassist will have more luck with the slower songs, those that are more familiar, and those with bass lines that can be matched with the lyrics-it's more difficult to keep track of your bass line when you're playing underneath a Hendrix solo. Highly recommended as a supplementary book, especially for the beginning player.
Average customer rating:
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Are You Experienced?
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0793560616 |
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Are you experienced?
Jimi. Hendrix
Manufacturer: Bella Godiva Music, distributed by Hal Leonard Corporation, Milwaukee, c.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P21XW2 |
Product Description
The Complete Authoritative Transcriptions for Guitar, Bass, and
Drums with Performance Notes and Rare Photographs for each Composition.
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Landscape of Fear: Stephen King's American Gothic
Tony Magistrale
Manufacturer: Popular Press 3
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Dissecting Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism (Ray and Pat Browne Book)
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Stephen King - Second Decade: 'Danse Macabre' to 'The Dark Half' (United States Authors Series)
ASIN: 0879724056 |
Book Description
One of the very first books to take Stephen King seriously, Landscape of Fear (originally published in 1988) reveals the source of King's horror in the sociopolitical anxieties of the post-Vietnam, post-Watergate era. In this groundbreaking study, Tony Magistrale shows how King's fiction transcends the escapism typical of its genre to tap into our deepest cultural fears: "that the government we have installed through the democratic process is not only corrupt but actively pursuing our destruction, that our technologies have progressed to the point at which the individual has now become expendable, and that our fundamental social institutions-school, marriage, workplace, and the church-have, beneath their veneers of respectability, evolved into perverse manifestations of narcissism, greed, and violence."
Tracing King's moralist vision to the likes of Twain, Hawthorne, and Melville, Landscape of Fear establishes the place of this popular writer within the grand tradition of American literature. Like his literary forbears, King gives us characters that have the capacity to make ethical choices in an imperfect, often evil world. Yet he inscribes that conflict within unmistakably modern settings. From the industrial nightmare of "Graveyard Shift" to the breakdown of the domestic sphere in The Shining, from the techno-horrors of The Stand to the religious fanaticism and adolescent cruelty depicted in Carrie, Magistrale charts the contours of King's fictional landscape in its first decade.
Customer Reviews:
THE episode guide for Robotech (US).......2002-10-02
If you are looking for the definitive episode guide to Robotech as aired in the US by Harmony Gold, this is the book for you. IT has detailed synopses of all 85 episodes from the beginnning of the Macross saga, through the Southern Cross saga, to the end of the Invid Invasion saga. The art is mostly cels from the original Japanese version of the series. It also has a brief history of Anime releases in the US up to this point (around 1986). It is well worth the effort to obtain a copy. If you like Robotech in particular, or anime in general, this book is a treasurehouse of the genre.
Ample artwork, indespensible guide to show.......1997-04-12
While the book is called "Robotech _Art_ I", the meat of it is actually a 138-page episode guide, summarizing each of the 85 installments with crisp writing and ample detail. These summaries are set against well-reproduced original cels from the series (or, when necessary, promotional artwork or even screen-shots [see p. 95]).
Also included are three chapters with character biographies set against animators' model sheets, some mecha designs, and a final chapter tracing "Robotech"s origins both as a shining example of Japan's "anime"... and as a case of US TV business expediency (the "show" is actually THREE Japanese programs, edited and rewritten to appear to be one huge saga). For this latter reason, anime purists will balk at the book, just as they dismiss the series as a bastardization.
Nevertheless, if you like "Robotech", this book offers a nice memento, and a glimpse into its unique background. If you can find it, grab it
Average customer rating:
- A look at Robotech and the history of anime
- Probe deep into the universe of Robotech.
|
Robotech Art I
Manufacturer: Donning Company Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 089865503X |
Customer Reviews:
A look at Robotech and the history of anime.......2000-04-05
Ever since it first aired, I've been a Robotech fanboy. I was already into sci-fi, and the 'space-opera' style of the series just reeled me in. I was also pleasantly surprised at how it stood apart from the other 'toons I watched in those days. The stories were more mature. People died, even some of the marquee characters. It became my all-time favorite animated series, and is still to this day, in my opinion, the best anime that has ever hit the U.S. shores.
Robotech Art 1 is one of the best additions to my fanboy collection. Not only does it have synopses of every episode, it also gives general details of the various vehicles and equipment that you see in the series. It also has character biographies of the "stars" as well as some of the second-stringers, though not as in-depth as I'd prefer. It's also well illustrated with 'stills' from the series as well as production sketches.
Art 1 also details Robotech's creation and evolution. It tells you about how three totally unrelated Japanese anime series were re-worked and edited into the legendary saga. It discusses the future plans of Robotech projects that ultimately failed.
But to me the best part of this book is the last chapter. It's a brief history of Japanese anime from the fifties to 1985, as well as myriad attempts to adapt and edit various anime series for U.S. viewing, many of which met with varying degrees of success or failure. You also get a glimpse of how an anime series is made, and the fundamental differences between the Japanese and Western styles and methods of animation.
Unfortunately, the one thing that Robotech Art 1's got going against it is that it's been out of print for several years, and has become extremely hard to find. It took me several months to track down a copy of it, but in the end it was worth it.
Sometimes, the thrill is in the chase...
Probe deep into the universe of Robotech........1999-01-13
This beautiful oversized art book showcases the incredibly talent and genius behind Robotech. It features a comprehensive episode guide as well as character and mecha profiles for each of Robotech's generations. The only place I think this books falls flat(why it doesn't get five stars) is the character biographies. Being a big fan of the show and the series of novels devoted to it, I can't help but feel that some of the characters were omitted. Granted, this book was published in 1986, and the novels hadn't been published yet, and some of those characters were created in those later novels..but what about Lang? Or Carpenter? Or Komodo? Or Dennis, Nova's one time love? The list goes on... Anyway, aside from those small flaws, this book is an excellent resource dedicated to a superb animated series, and worth tracking down if you are a Robotech fan.
Book Description
The latest edition to join Martin Evening's bestselling 'Adobe Photoshop for Photographers' titles gives you completely updated and revised coverage providing a professional photographer's insight into Photoshop CS.
The main update is the latest coverage of all that's new in digital capture; also the numerous new tutorials and updated, top quality color images throughout make this edition a must have purchase. This edition also benefits from a new internal design that, along with a re-ordering of the contents, makes navigation even easier. Still packed with practical advice and even more hints and tips, this book will take your Photoshop up to a professional standard, guided by the 'Daddy' of Photoshop himself, Martin Evening.
* Over 450 professional, color illustrations make this book stand above the rest
* New interior design and reorganised contents make this book even easier to use
* Master the power of Photoshop CS under the instruction of an internationally recognised Photoshop expert
Customer Reviews:
Excellant Book.......2006-11-05
This is one of the best books I have read dealing with Photoshop. It is written for the Photographer. The instructions are very clear. I would suggest that every profession photographer and serious amateur have a copy of this book.
Cragg Eichman
A MUST HAVE!.......2005-10-07
If you into photography, you must use Photoshop CS and consequently, you must have this book. No more, that's it.... just buy it!!!
Incredibly Helpful.......2005-07-15
Just to start this, I'm one of the "near-expert" users that uses Photoshop all the time, and has been doing so for years, and no, it's not at all geared for beginners, but you should of figured that out by the part where it says "Professional Image Editor's Guide". That said, this book is incredible, there are many very interesting and solid techniques that you will have a hard time finding in any other source. Aside from that, not much more is to be said, but as the owner of at least 6 or 7 photoshop books, I would have to say this is by far the best! Highly recommended, as long as your not a beginner.
Needs better editing.......2005-03-22
This is a wonderful book for the photographer who is delving into Photoshop CS for the first time. However, there are many editing errors. Some of the places where Mr. Evening refers to other sections in the book obviously refer to previous editions rather than to the current edition. There are quite a few typos which were not picked up by the editing process as well. The indexing is not up to par either. For instance when you search for "montage" in the index it doesn't exist, yet there is an entire chapter on the topic. Overall, I am very glad that I bought the book and find it extremely useful in getting up to speed in my digital darkroom use of PS CS.
Comprehensive book, but step-by-step instructions would help.......2005-02-01
This is a very comprehensive book. It demonstrates sophisticated Photoshop CS
techniques. I would call myself an advanced beginner in Photoshop PC. While I was able to implement the various techniques described in this book, I would have preferred clearer step by step instructions.
The author buries instructions within the text. Step by step instructions would make the book more user friendly and probably appeal to a broader audience. The contents of the CD which comes with the book was helpful. Some of the "before" and "after" photos used to illustrate the techniques in the book looked pretty similar to me, but they are more distinct looking on the CD. I found installing the CD on my PC a bit glitchy, but that was sorted out after a few tries.
In my opinion, the perfect hybrid CS Photoshop book would cross the sophistication of Martin Evening with the step-by-step instructional style of Scott Kelby.
Book Description
If you’re like most artists, the idea of structuring your work may seem at odds with true creativity, but you’ll be surprised to learn from digital imaging expert Tim Grey that just the opposite is true. This latest edition of his bestselling guide shows you how proper workflow can free you from the repetitive parts of a project and let you focus on your vision. Discover techniques that streamline processes, reduce your time and effort, and produce striking results.
Customer Reviews:
I agree with everything already said about this book........2007-10-04
For me, this book was an excellent introduction to new techniques, subtle tricks and fine-tuning of techniques I thought I already knew, and a clear, usefully systematic review of things I did know.
Thank you Mr. Grey.
Near-Perfect Guide for Beginners.......2007-08-21
Photoshop CS3 Workflow: The Digital Photographer's Guide is the best Photoshop primer I've read yet. The author works through image adjustments in a very logical progression. He begins with very simple edits and works his way up to more complex fine-tuning. The instructions are both step-by-step and very clear. He also does an excellent job of explaining the "big picture" of why you want to make these adjustments and does not just turn you into a mouse clicker following steps by rote.
While no one book is going to tell you everything you could ever want to know about Photoshop, this is a fairly comprehensive tome. The entire workflow process is covered beginning with downloading files and sorting them in Bridge, all the way through printing. I would suggest using the "Look Inside" function to check the Table of Contents if you're interested in a complete list of the specific steps covered. The good news is that all the most common bases are covered, and covered well. If I could add one thing to this book, it would be a chapter or two on the basics of making adjustments in the LAB color space. For certain images, LAB will yield truly superior results, yet it receives no coverage in most Photoshop books. If you're interested in learning more, I highly recommend Photoshop LAB Color: The Canyon Conundrum and Other Adventures in the Most Powerful Colorspace.
For those who own the CS2 edition of this book, you should be aware that this is largely unchanged. Most of the text is unchanged, the example photo are carried forward, etc. There is just enough new material to cover the new features in CS3. It's debatable whether the purchase is worth the money for roughly 30 pages of new material.
If this book has a weakness, it is that it doesn't really live up to its title. The book is not about workflow per se, but about all the steps that are part of a workflow. Only the first and the last chapters really focus on the aspect of trying to plan the workflow itself. This is no crime, I don't know if it's even possible to fill an entire book with workflow planning discussions without becoming ridiculously redundant and useless. But Tim Grey and his publishers chose to identify this as a workflow text and on that basis I think they have failed. If they had named the book "Photoshop CS3 for Beginners: The Digital Photographer's Guide" I would give it 5 stars and my highest recommendation. As it is, I'll still give it my highest recommendation for Photoshop novices as long as they realize that this book is really to help them with image editing skills much more than planning the workflow process itself.
Book Description
Photography and Photoshop go hand in hand. If you feel there isn?t enough photography in the average Photoshop book, and there isn?t enough Photoshop in the average photography book, then the book you?re looking for is right in your hands. Whether you are a digital or conventional camera buff, this full-color book is the ideal guide for diving into the most important elements of Photoshop CS. Examine Photoshop from a photographer?s perspective and learn how to fine-tune your photos as you transform them from quick snapshots into truly compelling images.
Customer Reviews:
Best on Photoshop from a Photographer's viewpoint!.......2004-12-02
What attracted me to this book the most were the before-and-after examples and exercises, which showed exactly how to transform the most mundane photographs into stunning finished products. I also liked how the author, obviously an experienced photographer, explained Photoshop features as they applied to real-world photography. As an advanced amateur, I appreciated having this viewpoint available.
Although some of this book is too advanced for the beginner, anyone with a little experience in Photoshop will be quickly applying these techniques to their own work. The explanations on how to mimic cross-processing looks, do sophisticated retouching and compositing, and duplicating darkroom techniques were worth the price of the book alone. I also thought the author's explanation of why an image can't be converted from color to black and white simply by using desaturation controls was the most clear of any I've read.
Based on my positive experience with this book, I've also picked up the author's book on retouching and will be diving into it next.
Thanks for a great book!
Short, fundamentals only, horrible examples.......2004-11-19
Part of the value of books on photoshop, particularly ones about digital photography, is in showing you how to take reasonable shots and make them better. In these examples the photos start bad and sometimes get worse. The problem is visible even on the cover. The photoshopped flag looks awful.
Definitely not the book for digital photographers looking to get the most out of photoshop. I recommend O'Reilly's Digital Photography: Expert Techniques instead.
Excellent treatment of Photoshop CS and Photography.......2004-05-17
This book covers Photoshop CS from the photographic perspective very well. I liked learning about all the new features and how they apply to digital photography. This book is slightly more advanced than a beginner will want, but it explains well at the intermediate to advanced level.
Have not found a better book on Photoshop for photographers!.......2004-03-28
While this book isn't for the absolute beginner, it really helped me learn about Photoshop as it applies to digital photography. I learned lots of cool tricks for manipulating my images. The step-by-step tutorials showed me how to correct colors, retouch images, and combine several photographs into one great picture.
This new edition for Photoshop CS is well-organized into sections that build on each other, so as I worked through the chapters I became more confident and ready to try more challenging things. I think this book has helped me improve my Photoshop skills, and it sure has made me a better photographer.
Although I have never worked in a darkroom, I enjoyed the chapter on duplicating darkroom effects such as solarization and cross processing. I don't really miss not using a darkroom, but I'm glad I didn't miss out on these special effects! I also really liked the chapter on the special effects filters for Photoshop.
Also useful were the working files on available from the Web site, which let me use the exact photos the author worked with. Once I tried out the steps using the original pictures, I was more confident in trying the same techniques on my own photos.
As a crazy cat person, I loved the photos of the adorable kitten, too! I'm glad I upgraded to this new edition. It was worth it.
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