Complete Digital Photography by Ben Long

Product Details

Synopsis

Digital photography has arrived once and for all. No longer do photographers have to be defensive because they prefer digital. Thanks to new technologies, digital cameras at all ends of the price spectrum can rival their film counterparts. If you have shifted from traditional to digital photography, and need to know what's different about shooting digital, this is the book for you. Now in its third edition, this bestseller has been fine-tuned and updated to provide you with the most current information on today's cameras that you'll find anywhere. Whether you're new to photography, or new to digital photography, you'll learn how to take the best possible shots. Even though your camera may pack an image sensor instead of film, taking good pictures still involves understanding apertures, shutter speeds, and metering techniques, as well as a few other issues that film shooters don't face. Fortunately, digital cameras also provide some unique tools to help you get the shot right the first time.

Covering everything from the inner workings of your camera to the subtle intricacies of your image editing software, the book is divided into four sections. The first section provides a basic technical foundation that will prepare you for the rest of the book. It details the basics of how digital cameras work and gives you a quick photography primer. The second part explores everything you need to know to make an informed decision about which camera, computer, and software is right for you. In section three, you'll progress to the nitty gritty of shooting, including metering, choosing the right exposure, using histograms, flash photography, and much more. In the final section, you'll learn about digital editing and correction techniques, along with the various methods for outputting your images (print and electronic). If you're new to photography, you'll learn the basic theory that photographers have studied for decades, as well as the latest tools and techniques made possible by the shift to digital. If you're an experienced film photographer, you'll see how to translate the knowledge you already have into the digital realm.
 
Features:
* Includes completely revised and updated coverage
* Provides new, detailed coverage of camera evaluation, including the latest technologies and affordable SLR cameras
* Includes completely re-written explanations and examples of metering and exposure, including hands-on tutorials
* Covers Photoshop CS and of Photoshop Elements 2.0
* Includes many new tutorials on improved methods for correcting and enhancing photos, and addresses the most common types of corrections users want to make
* Provides new and expanded coverage of the basic questions camera purchasers have, including how many pixels are needed, how to reduce red eye, shooting inside versus outside, etc.

 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
To work through the tutorials in the book, you will need Photoshop CS (a demo is included on the CD). WINDOWS: Intel® Pentium® II or better; Microsoft® Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 3, or Windows XP; 192MB of RAM (256MB recommended); 300MB of available drive space; Color monitor with 16- bit color card or better; CD-ROM drive. MACINTOSH: PowerPC® G3 or better; Mac OS X v. 10.2.4 or better; 192MB of RAM (256MB recommended); 350MB of available drive space; color monitor with 16- bit color support, or better; CD-ROM drive. Please check the individual demos for specifics

Booknews

Intended both for amateur photographers and for traditional film photographers who wish to understand the new technology, this manual explains how to produce high quality digital photographs. Covers basic technological concepts, basic photography, choosing equipment, building a work station, shooting, exposure, preparing images for editing, color and tone correction, special effects, and other topics. CD-ROM includes images used in tutorials, built around Adobe Photoshop, along with Mac and Windows demo Photoshop versions. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Biography

Ben Long (San Francisco, CA) is a writer, producer, videographer, and the author of the best-selling title Complete Digital Photography, Third Edition as well as the first two editions of The Digital Filmmaking Handbook.