Photoshop Restoration and Retouching [Paperback]

It's disappointing when a photo of a loved one is marred by "red eye" or the wrong exposure, or 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 re-creating 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 them.

Photoshop Retouching and Restoring 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 such as 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. It even outlines what it takes to set up shop as a professional retoucher--equipment, studio arrangement, and working with clients and contracts.

The author strongly advises reading 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 colour; 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 dialogue boxes.

This book makes tackling each flaw 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 organisation, 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

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.

Photoshop Restoration and Retouching provides expert insider advice!
Photoshop Restoration and Retouching shows readers a wide variety of real world photo problems and how to repair them.
Short of being in their studios while they work, this is the best way to learn the secrets of the pros.
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. Both professionals and amateurs will find useful and unique methods for dealing with problem images. Designers, photographers, and commercial lab employees must work with whatever their client provides, and many technology-savvy users are becoming amateur retouchers as they scan and repair their heirloom or recent photographs for distribution and preservation. 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.There will also be time-saving actions and presets to download and links to many other resources of interest.
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. She received her BFA in Photographic Illustration with a concentration in electronic still imaging from the Rochester Institute of Technology. She is completing a MA in Design at the School of VISUAL ARTS in New York.

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

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.