|
Browse categories
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 Customer Reviews
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended!
A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference.
I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended!
A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference.
I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again.
Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have!
Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford.
Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)
Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended!
A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference.
I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again.
Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have!
Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford.
Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)
Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!
Very Comprehensive, 31 Oct 2008
Nice to find a book that strips away the jargon and really lets you get into the gut of the program. Highly recommended
The wrong approach for me, 30 Sep 2008
Having bought and enjoyed the Scott Kelby Lightroom 1 book I thought, variety being the spice of life, that for Lightroom 2 I would buy the Martin Evening book.
Having seen the Evening LR1 book in shops I was surprised to see that the pages in the LR2 book are smaller but to compensate the book is about 50% thicker. For me this has a handling disadvantage but more importantly the screen shots have to be smaller. This means that with many examples I struggle to see what the screen shot is trying to convey. Indeed the text on many of the screenshots is unreadable.
There is also a big difference in styles and approaches between the two authors. Evening tells you at length what every module, button and slider is for. Kelby tells you how to use Lightroom.
So If you want a reference book then this is the book for you. If you want a book that tells you when and how to use the controls to improve your photos then buy Kelby's books. My preference is for the latter.
Note: Although the Evening book purports to offer free online access to the electronic version you will find when you sign up to the offer that access is only free for the first 45 days. Not recommended.
The Best Book on Digital Capture Processing & Workflow, 18 Sep 2008
A fantastic book for Anyone, from serious enthusiasts to Semi-Pro's, or Old Pro's looking to finally go digital and leave the Titanic that Traditional Analogue photography has finally become.
Out of all the books I have checked out, this is the one. It's engaging, transparent, and fun, allowing the reader to dip in and out, or study in depth. It teaches seamlessly.
Buy It!
Just the job, 14 Sep 2008
After a short preamble describing the whys and wherefores of LR the book quickly down to business with importing photos into LR, then on to catloging, correcting and printing following the usual photographers workflow. There's a short (but useful) section on geotagging photos, which actually has little to do with LR2 (at the moment), but it's becoming an important part of a photographers workflow.
It's an approach that works well and Evenings style is both informative and relaxed, but he never strays too far from the business at hand and isn't 'chatty'. The book is printed on good quality paper so the sample photographs and screen prints are clear and clearly illustrate the processes being described. They are almost all there for a purpose, and not just as eye candy.
It's a book you can both use as a reference and sit and read in a spare moment. If you're new to LR and looking for something to get you up and running, then this will be just the job and will probably still be useful in 6 or 12 months time when you're experienced with the UI. If you're an experienced user of LR v1, then it's probably not as useful as it'll be covering V1 features you're familiar with, but there's a lot of new stuff in LR v2 and I doubt you'll find it better described elsewhere.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
Customer Reviews
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended! A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference. I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again. Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have! Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford. Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog) Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now! Very Comprehensive, 31 Oct 2008
Nice to find a book that strips away the jargon and really lets you get into the gut of the program. Highly recommended The wrong approach for me, 30 Sep 2008
Having bought and enjoyed the Scott Kelby Lightroom 1 book I thought, variety being the spice of life, that for Lightroom 2 I would buy the Martin Evening book.
Having seen the Evening LR1 book in shops I was surprised to see that the pages in the LR2 book are smaller but to compensate the book is about 50% thicker. For me this has a handling disadvantage but more importantly the screen shots have to be smaller. This means that with many examples I struggle to see what the screen shot is trying to convey. Indeed the text on many of the screenshots is unreadable.
There is also a big difference in styles and approaches between the two authors. Evening tells you at length what every module, button and slider is for. Kelby tells you how to use Lightroom.
So If you want a reference book then this is the book for you. If you want a book that tells you when and how to use the controls to improve your photos then buy Kelby's books. My preference is for the latter.
Note: Although the Evening book purports to offer free online access to the electronic version you will find when you sign up to the offer that access is only free for the first 45 days. Not recommended.
The Best Book on Digital Capture Processing & Workflow, 18 Sep 2008
A fantastic book for Anyone, from serious enthusiasts to Semi-Pro's, or Old Pro's looking to finally go digital and leave the Titanic that Traditional Analogue photography has finally become.
Out of all the books I have checked out, this is the one. It's engaging, transparent, and fun, allowing the reader to dip in and out, or study in depth. It teaches seamlessly.
Buy It! Just the job, 14 Sep 2008
After a short preamble describing the whys and wherefores of LR the book quickly down to business with importing photos into LR, then on to catloging, correcting and printing following the usual photographers workflow. There's a short (but useful) section on geotagging photos, which actually has little to do with LR2 (at the moment), but it's becoming an important part of a photographers workflow.
It's an approach that works well and Evenings style is both informative and relaxed, but he never strays too far from the business at hand and isn't 'chatty'. The book is printed on good quality paper so the sample photographs and screen prints are clear and clearly illustrate the processes being described. They are almost all there for a purpose, and not just as eye candy.
It's a book you can both use as a reference and sit and read in a spare moment. If you're new to LR and looking for something to get you up and running, then this will be just the job and will probably still be useful in 6 or 12 months time when you're experienced with the UI. If you're an experienced user of LR v1, then it's probably not as useful as it'll be covering V1 features you're familiar with, but there's a lot of new stuff in LR v2 and I doubt you'll find it better described elsewhere. Excellent for programmers who don't know Excel, 17 May 2008
As a professional programmer I wondered whether this was going to patronise me too much; I needn't have worried, Walkenbach's approach is just right.
He tells it like it is, with plenty of good examples and real world applications for those examples. I'm sure Walkenback doesn't expect this book to teach you everything about Excel and whilst using it I searched for other examples on the 'Net which reinforced what he was teaching me.
But this was the book that provided me with the central learning experience and for which I am eternally grateful. Thanks John! A good book to start with., 09 Jun 2007
When I set out to learn a completely new technique in programming I like to start by reading a simple book, then follow that up by reading a higher level book. John Walkenbach's work is excellent for the first stage of this process. It is simply written (although I could manage without some of the "humor"), and he explains the basic techniques very well. I would argue with the "for dummies" part of the title, and would describe the book instead (apart from the humor) as suitable for the intelligent reader who starts Chapter 1 knowing little or nothing about VBA, but who is reasonably competent with Excel itself. By the end of Chapter 25, and after trying out some of the worked examples, such a reader should have a reasonable working knowledge of how to write VBA macros. Excellent for getting familiar with th VBA "basics"!, 24 Mar 2007
This book is fantastic for those who know nothing, or next to nothing about VBA programming in Excel, and want to learn the "basics" (no pun intended!).
You can read this book from cover to cover, practising examples on the way , and learning something every chapter. The author also makes reference to an accomanying website where you can download some of the programs to see them in action.
Furthermore, the book is written in very good humour, and you can have a laugh at the same time!
It is however very much a beginner's book, and does not go into great depth with VBA - if you purchase the book with that in mind then you really are on to a winner! If only I had an option to give this 6 stars !!, 13 Sep 2006
This book is a must have for anyone wanting to get to know VBA. Don't let previous books on VBA programming put you off, as these can either swing between patronising to the mega confusing (in my own experience). John Walkenbach takes you through this must have guide with patients and humour at an understandable and undaunting pace. Even when I was only half way through his book I was using the information I had gathered to streamline my many tedious excel spreadsheets and by the end of the book I wanted more. P.s. John, please bring part two !! Found this really useful, 01 Apr 2006
This book is really accessible, with loads of working examples. I needed to write a couple of custom functions for use in Excel 2002 spreadseets. And needed to get them working as addins. This book told me all I needed to know. A lot simpler to follow than some other books on this topic - such as one of the author's other books "Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA". Brilliant.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Customer Reviews
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended! A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference. I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again. Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have! Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford. Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog) Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now! Very Comprehensive, 31 Oct 2008
Nice to find a book that strips away the jargon and really lets you get into the gut of the program. Highly recommended The wrong approach for me, 30 Sep 2008
Having bought and enjoyed the Scott Kelby Lightroom 1 book I thought, variety being the spice of life, that for Lightroom 2 I would buy the Martin Evening book.
Having seen the Evening LR1 book in shops I was surprised to see that the pages in the LR2 book are smaller but to compensate the book is about 50% thicker. For me this has a handling disadvantage but more importantly the screen shots have to be smaller. This means that with many examples I struggle to see what the screen shot is trying to convey. Indeed the text on many of the screenshots is unreadable.
There is also a big difference in styles and approaches between the two authors. Evening tells you at length what every module, button and slider is for. Kelby tells you how to use Lightroom.
So If you want a reference book then this is the book for you. If you want a book that tells you when and how to use the controls to improve your photos then buy Kelby's books. My preference is for the latter.
Note: Although the Evening book purports to offer free online access to the electronic version you will find when you sign up to the offer that access is only free for the first 45 days. Not recommended.
The Best Book on Digital Capture Processing & Workflow, 18 Sep 2008
A fantastic book for Anyone, from serious enthusiasts to Semi-Pro's, or Old Pro's looking to finally go digital and leave the Titanic that Traditional Analogue photography has finally become.
Out of all the books I have checked out, this is the one. It's engaging, transparent, and fun, allowing the reader to dip in and out, or study in depth. It teaches seamlessly.
Buy It! Just the job, 14 Sep 2008
After a short preamble describing the whys and wherefores of LR the book quickly down to business with importing photos into LR, then on to catloging, correcting and printing following the usual photographers workflow. There's a short (but useful) section on geotagging photos, which actually has little to do with LR2 (at the moment), but it's becoming an important part of a photographers workflow.
It's an approach that works well and Evenings style is both informative and relaxed, but he never strays too far from the business at hand and isn't 'chatty'. The book is printed on good quality paper so the sample photographs and screen prints are clear and clearly illustrate the processes being described. They are almost all there for a purpose, and not just as eye candy.
It's a book you can both use as a reference and sit and read in a spare moment. If you're new to LR and looking for something to get you up and running, then this will be just the job and will probably still be useful in 6 or 12 months time when you're experienced with the UI. If you're an experienced user of LR v1, then it's probably not as useful as it'll be covering V1 features you're familiar with, but there's a lot of new stuff in LR v2 and I doubt you'll find it better described elsewhere. Excellent for programmers who don't know Excel, 17 May 2008
As a professional programmer I wondered whether this was going to patronise me too much; I needn't have worried, Walkenbach's approach is just right.
He tells it like it is, with plenty of good examples and real world applications for those examples. I'm sure Walkenback doesn't expect this book to teach you everything about Excel and whilst using it I searched for other examples on the 'Net which reinforced what he was teaching me.
But this was the book that provided me with the central learning experience and for which I am eternally grateful. Thanks John! A good book to start with., 09 Jun 2007
When I set out to learn a completely new technique in programming I like to start by reading a simple book, then follow that up by reading a higher level book. John Walkenbach's work is excellent for the first stage of this process. It is simply written (although I could manage without some of the "humor"), and he explains the basic techniques very well. I would argue with the "for dummies" part of the title, and would describe the book instead (apart from the humor) as suitable for the intelligent reader who starts Chapter 1 knowing little or nothing about VBA, but who is reasonably competent with Excel itself. By the end of Chapter 25, and after trying out some of the worked examples, such a reader should have a reasonable working knowledge of how to write VBA macros. Excellent for getting familiar with th VBA "basics"!, 24 Mar 2007
This book is fantastic for those who know nothing, or next to nothing about VBA programming in Excel, and want to learn the "basics" (no pun intended!).
You can read this book from cover to cover, practising examples on the way , and learning something every chapter. The author also makes reference to an accomanying website where you can download some of the programs to see them in action.
Furthermore, the book is written in very good humour, and you can have a laugh at the same time!
It is however very much a beginner's book, and does not go into great depth with VBA - if you purchase the book with that in mind then you really are on to a winner! If only I had an option to give this 6 stars !!, 13 Sep 2006
This book is a must have for anyone wanting to get to know VBA. Don't let previous books on VBA programming put you off, as these can either swing between patronising to the mega confusing (in my own experience). John Walkenbach takes you through this must have guide with patients and humour at an understandable and undaunting pace. Even when I was only half way through his book I was using the information I had gathered to streamline my many tedious excel spreadsheets and by the end of the book I wanted more. P.s. John, please bring part two !! Found this really useful, 01 Apr 2006
This book is really accessible, with loads of working examples. I needed to write a couple of custom functions for use in Excel 2002 spreadseets. And needed to get them working as addins. This book told me all I needed to know. A lot simpler to follow than some other books on this topic - such as one of the author's other books "Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA". Brilliant.
Good for Photographers, 07 Sep 2008
Firstly don't let the humour comments put you off - it' not that bad. What the book does for digital photographers is tell you how to post process for great results and how to do some neat effects; what it doesn't do is explain why or what some of the steps are for. If you are creative or want to understand the workings of CS3 then look elsewhere. I got the CS3 Bible as well (which does the opposite - give the how and why but not much about what you can achieve) and between the two I got what I needed.
The book is nicely illustrated and all the steps to get the effects are clear and easy to follow.
Buy it and start USING Photoshop, 06 Sep 2008
If you have Photoshop, this book will simply help you understand it and start making it work for you.
Forget all the comments about Scott Kelby's humour, its an easy to read book that explains things well.
I also bought the Dummies book for CS3, it really isn't a patch on this one and just doesn't explain anything clearly.
Buy this book and you will be a Kelby fan for life (even if he is an American!)
Fighting through Photoshop CS3, 13 Aug 2008
I have been amateur photographer for years and have long since left my darkroom behind.
In recent times my interest has been revived by the new high quality digital pocket camera. In my case a Panasonic TZ3
Having played about with Photoshop I soon found I was getting nowhere fast until that is I purchased Scott Kebly's The Adobe Photoshop CS3 book.
I truly love this book; its step by step guide is a dream to use. Full of colour photos to accompany the instruction is great.
I used my own photos whilst going following the instructions which truly change the quality of the finished image.
I agree with other reviewers that Scott's humour is very American but don't let this put you off buying a truly great book. I would say the book is for the beginner to intermediate Photoshop user but has something for everyone.
The only down side is that I have hundreds of digital photos waiting for some Photoshop treatment.
Good luck any enjoy your copy.
Dissapointed, 26 Jul 2008
In a moment of extravagance I bought both Scott Kelby's and Martin Evening's books on Photoshop CS3. I have since sold the Scott Kelby book after giving up halfway through ! If you want to make friends with a needy, middle aged man, then this is the book for you. I just got sick of the corny jokes and the lack of focus. On too many occasions I found myself skipping pages and paragraphs of irrelevant "chat". In contrast Martin Evening's book is up to his usual high standard. It,s beautifully organised and has a clear focus on each aspect of the program in turn. guess which "Lightroom" book I bought?
AMAZING BOOK, 29 Jun 2008
Having bought other boooks of Scott and read online reviews I was confident that this book would be up to standard.
Before I read this book 6 weeks ago I knew next to nothing of photoshop; now I am a competent user who knows many methods and "tricks" and am able to produce quality pictures.
The book is a pleasure to read, gives one the desire and ability to develop one's skills further and I refer to the book again and again. Buy it!
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Customer Reviews
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended! A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference. I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again. Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have! Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford. Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog) Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now! Very Comprehensive, 31 Oct 2008
Nice to find a book that strips away the jargon and really lets you get into the gut of the program. Highly recommended The wrong approach for me, 30 Sep 2008
Having bought and enjoyed the Scott Kelby Lightroom 1 book I thought, variety being the spice of life, that for Lightroom 2 I would buy the Martin Evening book.
Having seen the Evening LR1 book in shops I was surprised to see that the pages in the LR2 book are smaller but to compensate the book is about 50% thicker. For me this has a handling disadvantage but more importantly the screen shots have to be smaller. This means that with many examples I struggle to see what the screen shot is trying to convey. Indeed the text on many of the screenshots is unreadable.
There is also a big difference in styles and approaches between the two authors. Evening tells you at length what every module, button and slider is for. Kelby tells you how to use Lightroom.
So If you want a reference book then this is the book for you. If you want a book that tells you when and how to use the controls to improve your photos then buy Kelby's books. My preference is for the latter.
Note: Although the Evening book purports to offer free online access to the electronic version you will find when you sign up to the offer that access is only free for the first 45 days. Not recommended.
The Best Book on Digital Capture Processing & Workflow, 18 Sep 2008
A fantastic book for Anyone, from serious enthusiasts to Semi-Pro's, or Old Pro's looking to finally go digital and leave the Titanic that Traditional Analogue photography has finally become.
Out of all the books I have checked out, this is the one. It's engaging, transparent, and fun, allowing the reader to dip in and out, or study in depth. It teaches seamlessly.
Buy It! Just the job, 14 Sep 2008
After a short preamble describing the whys and wherefores of LR the book quickly down to business with importing photos into LR, then on to catloging, correcting and printing following the usual photographers workflow. There's a short (but useful) section on geotagging photos, which actually has little to do with LR2 (at the moment), but it's becoming an important part of a photographers workflow.
It's an approach that works well and Evenings style is both informative and relaxed, but he never strays too far from the business at hand and isn't 'chatty'. The book is printed on good quality paper so the sample photographs and screen prints are clear and clearly illustrate the processes being described. They are almost all there for a purpose, and not just as eye candy.
It's a book you can both use as a reference and sit and read in a spare moment. If you're new to LR and looking for something to get you up and running, then this will be just the job and will probably still be useful in 6 or 12 months time when you're experienced with the UI. If you're an experienced user of LR v1, then it's probably not as useful as it'll be covering V1 features you're familiar with, but there's a lot of new stuff in LR v2 and I doubt you'll find it better described elsewhere. Excellent for programmers who don't know Excel, 17 May 2008
As a professional programmer I wondered whether this was going to patronise me too much; I needn't have worried, Walkenbach's approach is just right.
He tells it like it is, with plenty of good examples and real world applications for those examples. I'm sure Walkenback doesn't expect this book to teach you everything about Excel and whilst using it I searched for other examples on the 'Net which reinforced what he was teaching me.
But this was the book that provided me with the central learning experience and for which I am eternally grateful. Thanks John! A good book to start with., 09 Jun 2007
When I set out to learn a completely new technique in programming I like to start by reading a simple book, then follow that up by reading a higher level book. John Walkenbach's work is excellent for the first stage of this process. It is simply written (although I could manage without some of the "humor"), and he explains the basic techniques very well. I would argue with the "for dummies" part of the title, and would describe the book instead (apart from the humor) as suitable for the intelligent reader who starts Chapter 1 knowing little or nothing about VBA, but who is reasonably competent with Excel itself. By the end of Chapter 25, and after trying out some of the worked examples, such a reader should have a reasonable working knowledge of how to write VBA macros. Excellent for getting familiar with th VBA "basics"!, 24 Mar 2007
This book is fantastic for those who know nothing, or next to nothing about VBA programming in Excel, and want to learn the "basics" (no pun intended!).
You can read this book from cover to cover, practising examples on the way , and learning something every chapter. The author also makes reference to an accomanying website where you can download some of the programs to see them in action.
Furthermore, the book is written in very good humour, and you can have a laugh at the same time!
It is however very much a beginner's book, and does not go into great depth with VBA - if you purchase the book with that in mind then you really are on to a winner! If only I had an option to give this 6 stars !!, 13 Sep 2006
This book is a must have for anyone wanting to get to know VBA. Don't let previous books on VBA programming put you off, as these can either swing between patronising to the mega confusing (in my own experience). John Walkenbach takes you through this must have guide with patients and humour at an understandable and undaunting pace. Even when I was only half way through his book I was using the information I had gathered to streamline my many tedious excel spreadsheets and by the end of the book I wanted more. P.s. John, please bring part two !! Found this really useful, 01 Apr 2006
This book is really accessible, with loads of working examples. I needed to write a couple of custom functions for use in Excel 2002 spreadseets. And needed to get them working as addins. This book told me all I needed to know. A lot simpler to follow than some other books on this topic - such as one of the author's other books "Excel 2002 Power Programming with VBA". Brilliant.
Good for Photographers, 07 Sep 2008
Firstly don't let the humour comments put you off - it' not that bad. What the book does for digital photographers is tell you how to post process for great results and how to do some neat effects; what it doesn't do is explain why or what some of the steps are for. If you are creative or want to understand the workings of CS3 then look elsewhere. I got the CS3 Bible as well (which does the opposite - give the how and why but not much about what you can achieve) and between the two I got what I needed.
The book is nicely illustrated and all the steps to get the effects are clear and easy to follow.
Buy it and start USING Photoshop, 06 Sep 2008
If you have Photoshop, this book will simply help you understand it and start making it work for you.
Forget all the comments about Scott Kelby's humour, its an easy to read book that explains things well.
I also bought the Dummies book for CS3, it really isn't a patch on this one and just doesn't explain anything clearly.
Buy this book and you will be a Kelby fan for life (even if he is an American!)
Fighting through Photoshop CS3, 13 Aug 2008
I have been amateur photographer for years and have long since left my darkroom behind.
In recent times my interest has been revived by the new high quality digital pocket camera. In my case a Panasonic TZ3
Having played about with Photoshop I soon found I was getting nowhere fast until that is I purchased Scott Kebly's The Adobe Photoshop CS3 book.
I truly love this book; its step by step guide is a dream to use. Full of colour photos to accompany the instruction is great.
I used my own photos whilst going following the instructions which truly change the quality of the finished image.
I agree with other reviewers that Scott's humour is very American but don't let this put you off buying a truly great book. I would say the book is for the beginner to intermediate Photoshop user but has something for everyone.
The only down side is that I have hundreds of digital photos waiting for some Photoshop treatment.
Good luck any enjoy your copy.
Dissapointed, 26 Jul 2008
In a moment of extravagance I bought both Scott Kelby's and Martin Evening's books on Photoshop CS3. I have since sold the Scott Kelby book after giving up halfway through ! If you want to make friends with a needy, middle aged man, then this is the book for you. I just got sick of the corny jokes and the lack of focus. On too many occasions I found myself skipping pages and paragraphs of irrelevant "chat". In contrast Martin Evening's book is up to his usual high standard. It,s beautifully organised and has a clear focus on each aspect of the program in turn. guess which "Lightroom" book I bought?
AMAZING BOOK, 29 Jun 2008
Having bought other boooks of Scott and read online reviews I was confident that this book would be up to standard.
Before I read this book 6 weeks ago I knew next to nothing of photoshop; now I am a competent user who knows many methods and "tricks" and am able to produce quality pictures.
The book is a pleasure to read, gives one the desire and ability to develop one's skills further and I refer to the book again and again. Buy it!
Photoshop CS3 for photographers, 24 Oct 2008
This is quite a big book, and comes with a very informative DVD. It goes into a lot of detail and this sometimes makes it hard reading, it probably best to not try and read it "cover to cover", but rather use it like I do as a "reference" book. Some excellent techniques are shown, and the book is very well laid out and it is normally easy to find the information you require.
The Next Level, 18 Sep 2008
A Professional photographer shares his knowledge with honesty and clarity. I recommend this book 100 % for digital photographers of all levels.
Simple to understand, so you can learn with dexterity.
Excellent resource, 10 Aug 2008
As a graphic designer and an amateur photographer, I find this book one of my most useful resources. If I'm looking learn a new technique or improve an old one this is the first place I turn to for help. The way the book is written allows me to either see quickly how to do something or, go in to some real depth. This is the third of Martin Evenings books I own and all of them have proved invaluable, and now doubt once CS4 is available, Martins book (which I'm sure will appear), will be where I go to learn new skills and techniques.
Deeeeeeelighted, 04 Aug 2008
In a moment of extravagance I bought both Scott Kelby's and Martin Evening's books on Photoshop CS3. I have since sold the Scott Kelby book after giving up halfway through ! If you want to make friends with a needy, middle aged man, then his is the book for you. I just got sick of the corny jokes and the lack of focus. In contrast Martin Evening's book is up to his usual high standard. It's beautifully organised and has a clear focus on each aspect of the program in turn.
Easily the best, and not only for professional Editors, 10 Jul 2008
I am finding this CS3 guide extremely helpful. I'm not a professional photographer, but working with graphics from camera to finished publications in the charity sector made a clear and concise guide to CS3 essential when I upgraded. I won't need all of the chapters but those which do relate my needs provide expert advice with a clarity and precision that is often lacking in user guides of this kind. The DVD which comes with the book is an absolute bonus and really accelerates the learning process. The photo samples provided support the explanations of new CS3 features admirably and many of the images are simply stunning. I also like the author's detached frankness when explaining occasional CS3 features which disappoint. I am similarly reassured by the same, detached comments when the writer draws attention to competing products.
An excellent guide. I just wish I'd purchased it from Amazon on line and saved myself ten quid!
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Customer Reviews
Much better than expected, 08 Nov 2008
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Excellent book that I have learned more from in a week than I did from Rob Sheppard's Lightroom 1 book in several months. I know that some people find Scott's casual style a bit irritating, but it is not at all intrusive in this book. In fact I think it helps me to remember things. Screen shots linked directly to the "stepped" approach, provide both a readable book and a reference work. The practical "real life" approach suits me and I would think many other photographers - Thoroughly recommended!
A lot more to Lightroom than the obvious, 08 Oct 2008
Mr. Kelby always does a good job with all his books, but this is his best yet.Written in a clear, and concise manner, and the screen captures this time are readable without the aid of a magnifying glass. The book follows a good workflow throughout, and proves what a comprehensive programme Lightroom is. This is not evident at first or even second glance, and yet Mr. Kelby makes it all appear so easy, which few writers manage to attain with so called technical books, this is his big secret.
The book is also a valuable reference.
I never knew there was so much in it!, 02 Oct 2008
With the beta release of Lightroom 2, I decided to see what all the fuss was about and try it. Once Adobe released it to manufacturing, I was happy to switch my workflow from CaptureOne + Adobe Bridge + Photoshop to Lightroom 2 + Photoshop. I was up-and-running very quickly, but I knew I was just scratching the surface. Obviously, there's a lot in Lightroom 2 and I wasn't exploiting very much of it.
I was rather pleased, then, to see that Scott Kelby was releasing this new volume and pre-ordering it was a no-brainer. I particularly like Scott's informal, conversational style of writing. I expect some may find it irritating, but for me, it makes his books more pleasant to read. Consequently, it makes it easier to retain the knowledge that he imparts.
I'm reading this one from cover-to-cover, as Scott recommends, and it's certainly working. Within the first few pages, I found useful ways to incorporate Lightroom facilities that I simply hadn't encountered. As I continue to work through, there's more and more that is helping improve my workflow considerably.
I sometimes wonder if Scott's books are a little lightweight. They certainly don't tax your brain too much. I guess that's because most of the books I read tend to be detailed technical references where there's a vast amount of information to impart in a limited space. The way Scott writes, it seems too easy. But then, that's the point, isn't it? When you're working with hundreds or even thousands of photographs at a time, it really does need to be easy. So, thumbs up to Mr Kelby for helping me find new ways to improve the efficiency of my workflow, yet again.
Had very little presentation experience, never heard of Garr, gave a ppt based on this book - really positive feedback on my ppt, 19 Nov 2008
I have never left a review before but this book really helped me. I have made the odd slide before but nothing fancy. I needed to give a full presentation as part of an assignment and as part of my work role. I had created the usual text laden ppt that I had experience of seeing others present. I needed some literature to back up my decision in my assignment and found this book. In one day it transformed my whole presentation. I had lots of fun using pictures suggested from istockphoto and the critical audience that I presented to was really impressed with the slides I had produced. Yes most of what he says is common sense when you think about it - but the book is so easy to follow and you will kick yourself for not realising it all by yourself! However sometimes you need things pointed out to you simply! Its an easy read and can make a difference! I would strongly recommend this book - in fact I already have!
Should be required reading for presenters, 14 Nov 2008
Bought this on "spec", and found it extremely useful. Written in a light and easy manner, never preachy, yet supplying valuable concepts and rules for all presentations.
Should be required readings for anybody wanting to create a powerpoint presentation, as there are soooo many bad PP's out there.
Only looses five full stars because it relies a lot on asking you to use stock photographs from sites such as iStockPhoto, that need a subscription - which few can afford.
Replace Bullet Points with Dental Posters That Evoke Positive Feelings, Tell Stories, and Be Mentally Present, 21 Oct 2008
Long before there was PowerPoint, most presentations contained more columns of numbers and bullet points than pictures. PowerPoint seemed designed to capture the essence of those transparencies and make it faster to create them . . . while adding color. Compared to those ugly transparencies, PowerPoint seemed like an improvement.
By comparison, my dentist has always covered his walls with beautiful bleed images of gorgeous places combined with intriguing sayings about life. Those posters are the only uplifting thing about my trips to the dentist's office. He doesn't tell me any entertaining stories.
In presentationzen, Garr Reynolds shares with us that today's audiences like a standard PowerPoint presentation about as much as I like going to the dentist (I doubt if you are surprised by that). His prescription is to turn the typical presentation into a series of stories aided by exhibits that remind me of those dental posters while being very responsive (present . . . in his terminology) to the audience.
The book's main strength, and one that makes it well worth reading and following, is in describing a process that can be used to create a presentation that will be compelling. Even when I see a presentation that I like, I don't learn much from the example because the presenter doesn't share the process behind the result.
The examples almost all showed someone in a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes who looked like a Steve Jobs acolyte. As a result, there's an Apple versus Microsoft tone to the book that didn't match any environment where I ever see or give presentations (usually board rooms and senior corporate conference rooms).
Most presentations should be much shorter, should have a lot less material, and should be much easier to grasp. This book will help you if that's the way you want to go. Beware, however, that you don't go over the edge into becoming an "artiste" in your presentations. This book will probably push you a little too far in that direction.
For those who cannot imagine how an image might fit into a presentation, this book will be a great breath of fresh air. To those who want to copy the advice closely, keep your audience in mind. You might try to take them places where they don't want to go.
In my 30-plus years of presentation experience, I find that the story is the key to success. One good story will more than carry the day. You can draw on a chalk board with your fingernails for graphics and a good story will still work just fine. To me, the weakness of this book is that it doesn't pay enough to the story telling aspect of successful presentations.
I recommend Stephen Denning's books on story telling to help you with that aspect of presentations.
Must read for people doing Presentation, 08 Oct 2008
This book is a must read on the Topic. Some people might find it not practical but I don't agree, it's just that it makes you think on the way we've been taught to do Powerpoint presentation. And from there Garr Reynolds gives you the keys on how to prepare, design and deliver your presentation. Presentation is in our everyday life, face to face, powerpoint, meeting, selling etc... Presentation Zen is a classic in Business (read also his blog)
Presentations worth meditating on...., 16 Sep 2008
This concise book is a real breath of fresh air in presentation design. Stripping the art of presenting back to basics, Garr Reynolds advocates a clean and simple form of presentation that he argues strengthens a presentation's quality.
I'd certainly agree and the book is beatifully illustrated with examples of this crisp and clean design style. I used the book as inspiration for a series of presentations (both for myself and my graphic design team) and the resulting presentations were a massive improvement on previous work and very well received.
If you like long lists of bullet points, don't buy this boo. If you like clean and elegant work, get a copy now!
Very Comprehensive, 31 Oct 2008
Nice to find a book that strips away the jargon and really lets you get into the gut of the program. Highly recommended
The wrong approach for me, 30 Sep 2008
Having bought and enjoyed the Scott Kelby Lightroom 1 book I thought, variety being the spice of life, that for Lightroom 2 I would buy the Martin Evening book.
Having seen the Evening LR1 book in shops I was surprised to see that the pages in the LR2 book are smaller but to compensate the book is about 50% thicker. For me this has a handling disadvantage but more importantly the screen shots have to be smaller. This means that with many examples I struggle to see what the screen shot is trying to convey. Indeed the text on many of the screenshots is unreadable.
There is also a big difference in styles and approaches between the two authors. Evening tells you at length what every module, button and slider is for. Kelby tells you how to use Lightroom.
So If you want a reference book then this is the book for you. If you want a book that tells you when and how to use the controls to improve your photos then buy Kelby's books. My preference is for the latter.
Note: Although the Evening book purports to offer free online access to the electronic version you will find when you sign up to the offer that access is only free for the first 45 days. Not recommended.
The Best Book on Digital Capture Processing & Workflow, 18 Sep 2008
A fantastic book for Anyone, from serious enthusiasts to Semi-Pro's, or Old Pro's looking to finally go digital and leave the Titanic that Traditional Analogue photography has finally become.
Out of all the books I have checked out, this is the one. It's engaging, transparent, and fun, allowing the reader to dip in and out, or study in depth. It teaches seamlessly.
Buy It!
Just the job, 14 Sep 2008
After a short preamble describing the whys and wherefores of LR the book quickly down to business with importing photos into LR, then on to catloging, correcting and printing following the usual photographers workflow. There's a short (but useful) section on geotagging photos, which actually has little to do with LR2 (at the moment), but it's becoming an important part of a photographers workflow.
It's an approach that works well and Evenings style is both informative and relaxed, but he never strays too far from the business at hand and isn't 'chatty'. The book is printed on good quality paper so the sample photographs and screen prints are clear and clearly illustrate the processes being described. They are almost all there for a purpose, and not just as eye candy.
It's a book you can both use as a reference and sit and read in a spare moment. If you're new to LR and looking for something to get you up and running, then this will be just the job and will probably still be useful in 6 or 12 months time when you're experienced with the UI. If you're an experienced user of LR v1, then it's probably not as useful as it'll be covering V1 features you're familiar with, but there's a lot of new stuff in LR v2 and I doubt you'll find it better described elsewhere.
Excellent for programmers who don't know Excel, 17 May 2008
As a professional programmer I wondered whether this was going to patronise me too much; I needn't have worried, Walkenbach's approach is just right.
He tells it like it is, with plenty of good examples and real world applications for those examples. I'm sure Walkenback doesn't expect this book to teach you everything about Excel and whilst using it I searched for other examples on the 'Net which reinforced what he was teaching me.
But this was the book that provided me with the central learning experience and for which I am eternally grateful. Thanks John!
A good book to start with., 09 Jun 2007
When I set out to learn a completely new technique in programming I like to start by reading a simple book, then follow that up by reading a higher level book. John Walkenbach's work is excellent for the first stage of this process. It is simply written (although I could manage without some of the "humor"), and he explains the basic techniques very well. I would argue with the "for dummies" part of the title, a | | |