It's disappointing when a photo of a loved one is marred by "red eye" or the wrong exposure, or when a cherished picture from long ago cracks and fades. Luckily, Katrin Eismann seems to know every trick available in Photoshop for making photographs--film or digital--look just how you want them to, whether that means restoring what has been lost, fixing incorrect exposures, erasing dust and scratches, or even recreating reality. (Who wouldn't want to lose a few wrinkles?) Eismann has the artistic eye to appreciate good photography, the technical savvy to be able to offer numerous solutions to any given problem, and the writing and teaching skills to walk readers clearly through these solutions.

The book assumes readers have a working knowledge of Photoshop. It does not go through the basics or cover complex selections or masking, although it does quickly explain essentials like shortcuts, context-sensitive menus, quick image-navigation tricks, the varieties of layers, and smart file management--all issues that expedite workflow and distinguish regular and power users. The book even outlines what it takes to set up shop as a professional retoucher, discussing equipment, studio arrangement, and working with clients and contracts.

The author strongly advises reading the book from start to finish, and she's structured the projects so that they build upon each other. The book is divided into three sections: correcting tone, exposure, and color; restoration, repairing, and rebuilding; and portrait and glamour retouching. Each page is filled with plenty of before-and-after images, along with screen shots of palettes and dialog boxes.

This book makes tackling each of your photo's flaws look easy--it seems like even the worst photo can be saved. Also, by the end, readers will have an appreciation for those who do retouching for a living--it takes planning, a good eye, consistency, and a lot of organization, or you're just flailing away with adjustment layers. You can get a look at a sample tutorial and chapter on the companion Web site, digitalretouch.org, which also includes all project images and other resources. --Angelynn Grant


From Library Journal
Everyone has old photographs stored in a shoebox or album. Storing them electronically allows for the preservation and, in some cases, the enhancement of these irreplaceable mementos. Both of these works feature a new angle on Adobe Photoshop training by focusing on retouching. Although the majority of techniques discussed here are found in every other Photoshop book (e.g., Carla Rose's SAMS Teach Yourself Adobe Photoshop 6 in 24 Hours, Computer Media, LJ 4/1/01), both authors do a good job of walking readers through the process. Kiteley's volume is an e-book available for Macintosh and PC. It comes only as a CD-ROM in PDF format and requires Adobe Acrobat to read (a free download from the Adobe site). Eismann's book is an attractive, paper equivalent of Kiteley's work, covering almost exactly the same techniques. Pass on both if you already have a Photoshop title; if not, I prefer the presentation of Eismann's volume. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Photoshop Restoration and Retouching is a hands-on book for designers, photographers, commercial illustrators, and artists who seek to make the best out of the not perfect. The world is full of imperfections, but professionally-prepared images never show those blemishes, cellulite, poorly reproduced colors, stray hairs or wrinkles. This book will walk readers through all kinds of repair and correction, including:Improving contrast and tone Correcting color, either from a bad original or a bad scanRemoving unwanted elements from photographsRepairing heirloom originals with problems such as mold spots, cracks, or torn cornersImproving portraits by removing blemishes, removing distracting elements, or replacing closed eyesTips and tricks for glamour and fashion photographers


Book Info
Highly detailed visual guide to using Photoshop to retouch and restore photographic images. Shows how to work with old, torn, faded, or otherwise flawed images and remove imperfections. Also shows how to work creatively with photographs, adding color to black and white images, using blending and other effects, and use digitally enhanced detail to invisibly refine images. Softcover.


From the Back Cover
Photoshop Restoration and Retouching is a hands-on book for designers, photographers, commercial illustrators, and artists who seek to make the best out of the not perfect. The world is full of imperfections, but professionally-prepared images never show those blemishes, cellulite, poorly reproduced colors, stray hairs or wrinkles. This book will walk readers through all kinds of repair and correction, including:* Improving contrast and tone * Correcting color, either from a bad original or a bad scan* Removing unwanted elements from photographs* Repairing heirloom originals with problems such as mold spots, cracks, or torn corners* Improving portraits by removing blemishes, removing distracting elements, or replacing closed eyes* Tips and tricks for glamour and fashion photographers


About the Author
Katrin Eismann is an internationally respected lecturer and teacher on the subject of imaging, restoration, retouching, and the impact of emerging technologies upon professional photographers, artists, and educators. Her clients include Eastman Kodak, Apple, Adobe, American Film Institute, Professional Photography Association, and University of California Los Angeles. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photographic Illustration with a concentration in electronic still imaging from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is completing a Masters Degree in Design at the School of VISUAL ARTS in New York City. Katrin co-authored Web Design Studio Secrets, Adobe Photoshop Studio Secrets, 2nd Edition, and Real World Digital Photography, and has written numerous articles for Photo Electronic Imaging, IdN, and Popular Photography. She speaks about creative imaging and restoration techniques at the Thunder Lizard Productions' Focus on Photoshop, HOW, PMA/DIMA, and PhotoPlus Expo conferences. She has been named a SGI Vanguard of Visual Computing, as well as guest artist at the La Pietra Hawaii School for Girls and a 1999 Guerin Visiting Scholar at the Marlborough School in Los Angeles, California. Katrin is also a regular contributor to the online Apple Master Class series. In the future, Katrin would like to take photographs that do not require any color correction, retouching, cropping, dodging and burning, or enhancement of any kind. To learn more about Katrin and to see her creative work, please visit http://www.photoshopdiva.com. To learn more about the book, Photoshop Restoration and Retouching, please visit the book's supplemental Web site, http://www.digitalretouch.org.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Photoshop Restoration and Retouching is a hands-on book for designers, photographers, commercial illustrators, and artists who seek to make the best out of the not perfect. The world is full of imperfections, but rofessionally-prepared images never show those blemishes, cellulite, poorly reproduced colors, stray hairs or wrinkles.

This book will walk readers through all kinds of repair and correction, including:

Improving contrast and tone Correcting color, either from a bad original or a bad scan Removing unwanted elements from photographs Repairing heirloom originals with problems such as mold spots, cracks, or torn corners Improving portraits by removing blemishes, removing distracting elements, or replacing closed eyes Tips and tricks for glamour and fashion photographers

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal