Rating: 

Review by: Karen Coles
Strait Mac User Group

Because I decided that I have little use for the additional features of iPhoto ’09, I was eager to study Pogue’s “Missing Manual” for iPhoto ’08.

I have a nice digital camera with extensive features that I have no idea how to use. I can use the “wide angle” and “telephoto” button, but beyond that, I’m technologically challenged. I use iPhoto only occasionally to store family and vacation photos, and found iPhoto a bit intimidating at first. Then I spent the better part of 2 days stumbling through the help menu, trying to learn how to use the range of features available. This took me to the place where I felt somewhat comfortable navigating the program and doing some simple editing of pictures, but little beyond that.

I was surprised and pleased to find that this book is much more than an iPhoto manual. Part 1 of the book (the first 75 pages) covers the basics of digital photography and the functions of a digital camera. Included in this portion are topics such as composition, flash photography, time lapse, digital movies, and cameraphone photography. I enjoyed Pogue’s writing style which is conversational, casual, and easy to understand.

Part 2 covers, in great detail, the basics of iPhoto. After going through this portion of the book, the reader will be proficient in the use of all iPhoto features, including all of the various ways to perform each function. For example, did you know there are 5 ways to flag and find photos? (There are!)

In Part 3, Pogue gives us instructions and tips for sharing photos with others in a variety of ways. Have you ever thought about how many ways we can share our pictures? Consider slideshows, prints, Email, web galleries, books, calendars, and cards. Again in this section, Pogue goes beyond iPhoto to inform the reader about techniques that will enhance print and electronic photos. His coverage of “Making Prints,” for example, includes instruction about resolution, printer settings, and paper types, in addition to step by step directions for printing from iPhoto.

Part 4 provides lots of neat tricks and stunts to enhance the use of iPhoto. When discussing screensavers and desktop backdrops, I loved Pogue’s comments about pictures of your children, etc. He says, “iPhoto’s desktop-image feature is the best way to drive home the point that photos of your children (or dog, or mother, or self) are the most beautiful in the world. You pick one spectacular shot to replace the standard Mac OS X swirling blue desktop pattern or outer-space photo. It’s like refrigerator art on steroids.”

Pogue’s appendices include a wealth of valuable information such as troubleshooting advice and a blow by blow description of every menu item, many of which may never have been explored by the average user.

In this 395 page manual, Pogue has once again demonstrated his ability to connect with both the beginner and the advanced user with his interesting writing style and his thorough approach to every aspect of the software. Even those users now functioning with iPhoto ’09 could undoubtedly learn much from the ’08 Missing Manual. I know I will refer to it often as my digital photography/iPhoto “Bible.”