Photshop CS3 RAW
* Author: Mikkel Aaland
* ISBN: 978-0-596-51052-7
* Publisher: O'Reilly
* Publication Date: 2007
* Pages: 252
* Price: £26.99
As memory cards get larger, digital cameras more sophistaicated and software more affordable and feature-rich, an increasing number of digital photographers have the chance to capture the RAW data from their camera's CCD to manipulate in the digital darkroom.
Mikel's book takes the reader on a tour through the RAW workflow using Adobe's Photoshop CS3; starting with the basics of is RAW the right format to be using, getting your photos into Photoshop and applying basic tweaks. The book then goes into more details about the finer adjustments available to the photographer in Photshop CS3.
Each chapter starts with a brief overview and a list of the chapter's contents. The content of the book is split into 2 halves on most pages. One column provides a text "commentary" including elements such as an introduction to a process, the steps being carried out and overviews of the various features in Photoshop with the 2nd colum providing sample photos, dislogue boxes; both with useful features highlighted. A number of side-topics are also raised but clearly separated from the main text by use of different background colours. Example photos from the book are also available to download from the book's website.
Overall, this book will be of more interest to the keen amateur and those heading into professional photography and who want to have the ability to work on the purest data their camera can offer; avoiding the compression factors from allowing hte camera to compress and save as JPEG. This is not a book for everyday point-and-shoot users. The book is laid out in a clear manner that gives both step-by-step instructions alongside useful screenshots and examples.
Score: 8 out of 10
This review was written as part of the O'Reilly User Group review scheme with the Durham University Computing Society.