Creative Techniques with Nik Softwareby Jim Zuckerman
This is a second new ebook from Zuckerman, but this one is totally
about how he uses Nik Software to create many of his images. It has 79
pages with 11 chapters that include, Creating light, Control points,
Combining F/x, and the newly popular HDR. The chapters don’t just
“tell” you how the program was used, but it also includes screen shots
of the tool settings showing what amounts were used on the sliders. If
you are into special effects with some of your images there is also a
chapter on “Grunge” that I see him use in a lot of his images. Another
special effect covered in the ebook is on blending modes for those who
like to also add textures to their images. One other feature he
covers, that this software has, is the ability to actually “ADD”
sunlight to an image. But the HDR section is probably the one that
most people are going to use a lot, I know I am, is the last chapter
on HDR. It covers both how to do the grunge effects that a lot of
people turn their HDR images into, but mainly it covers the way to get
an HDR image to look natural the way it would look if it would of had
totally balanced lighting. All I can say is that if you want your
images to have that extra quality, then this is one book you should
have on hand.
PANOBOOK 2011by Kolor - Developer of image stitching software.
This is the first book I have ever reviewed that was put out by a
company and not an author, but I like it! There is no How-To info in
this book other than the technical details given for each image. The
whole book is on Pano (panoramic) images, so the book is a pano shape
and when opened you will see some images that measure 2-feet across.
(The 2-page spread of the Egyptian Pyramids is enough to hook anyone
on pano work for life) There are nine different pano subjects
including, Architecture, Cityscapes, and Interiors. A great book for
your coffee table that everyone will be looking at.
This hardback book is about 8x12 inches, with 240 pages, retails for
US-$39.95 - and is published by RockyNook and distributed by O’Reilly
Media and can be checked out at www.oreilly.com. I Rate it: A+
Marketing Fine Art Photographyby Alain Briot
Here is a new reference book that anyone, and everyone, who would
like to have their photography pay for it-self needs to have. You only
have to look at the internet to see how many gallery sites that are
selling prints. (I have some of my work in three of them) But the
internet is not the only place a photographer can sell their work, and
this book covers all of them, including how-to info and tips on up-to
date techniques tested and used in the field. The sales info you will
get in this book will pay for itself in no time.
This hardback book is about 8x10 inches, with 313 pages, retails for
US-$44.95 - and is published by RockyNook and distributed by O’Reilly
Media and can be checked out at www.oreilly.com. I Rate it: A+
Flash Techniques for Macro and Close-up Photographyby Rod and Robin Deutschmann
I have seen my share of lighting books, and Macro books, but I
cannot remember seeing one on the two subjects together. The book is
well illustrated to show you how all the different macro subjects are
lit, including step-by-step and before and after images. There is also
macro info in this book that you don’t find in most others, such as
how to “reverse” a lens to get even more magnification. I did some of
that 25 years ago and have not seen anyone talk about it since, and it
is a shame since it is such a good way to capture extreme close-ups,
and it is also a really cheap way of doing it. Now you’ll have to buy
the book to find out what I am talking about, but it will be more than
worth it.
This soft cover book is about 9x11 inches, with 126 pages, retails for
US $34.95 and is published by Amherst Media at www.AmherstMedia.com. I Rate it: A
