Katrin Eismann and Sean Duggan set out in 'The Creative Digital Darkroom' to share some of the creative concepts and techniques they use when working in the digital darkroom. It's " ... more than just a book of Photoshop recipes and quick tips ... [it's about] How to look at the image and 'listen' to it; how changes to the delicate matrix of light and shadow tones can transform the mood and meaning of a photo; how to sculpt with light and contrast; and how to imagine colour and tonal changes that will best express your vision for the photograph."
Katrin is an internationally respected artist, teacher and writer specialising in creative digital photography. Sean is an art photographer, educator and Adobe Certified Photoshop Expert.
They hope the book will serve as a good travel companion as the reader explores their photography in their own creative digital darkroom.
The book was written for Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, whether on a Windows or Mac platform. The authors contend that the book's general principles can also be applied by those who prefer using other software.
Comprised of ten chapters, the book proceeds on its way along a sensible and well-organised path. A brief introductory chapter summarises the tools, terms and techniques in digital darkroom work and overviews the workflow from image capture to print, reflecting the structure of the book.
Chapter Two covers in much helpful detail the requirements of setting up a workable digital darkroom. Hardware, peripherals and software, system calibration and a range of Photoshop preferences and settings are described. It includes a very clear exposition on the bane of digital darkroom users' lives - colour management.
Now that the darkroom is set up, the following eight chapters work their way sequentially through scanning, developing, and organising; file preparation; tone and contrast; dodging, burning, and exposure control; colour correction; creative colour; creative enhancements and, finally, enhancing focus.
Each of those areas is dealt with authoratively and with finesse.
There are several things I liked about the book. It's a remarkably thorough and well organised guide. Graphics and photographs are used sufficiently to illustrate the authors' points. It has good ample use of dialogue box screenshots which are concisely annotated where appropriate. Comparative and before/after images are used effectively to highlight the effects of applying different creative ideas.
There's a handy summary at the beginning of each chapter to introduce the reader to what follows. A comprehensive index is included.
Finally, there's a companion website offering additional information plus download access to many of the book's images to help achieve a richer learning experience. It's at www.creativedigitaldarkroom.com.
Reviewed by Greg Davies for The Apple Users' Society of Melbourne (AUSOM), Australia.
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