Editorial Reviews:
Book Description
Because RAW files remain virtually untouched by in-camera processing, working with them has given digital photographers greater flexibility and control during the editing process -- for those who are familiar enough with the format. Camera RAW, the plug in for Adobe Photoshop CS3, has emerged as one of the best and most familiar tools for editing RAW images, and the best way to master this workflow is with Photoshop CS3 RAW.
Award-winning author Mikkel Aaland explores the entire RAW process, from the practical reasons to shoot RAW, to managing the images with the new features of Bridge 2.0 navigation software, to processing your images with the new power of Adobe Camera RAW 4 and Photoshop CS3. The book's unique four-color, photograph-rich design helps you grasp the subject through visual instruction and clear explanation.Photoshop CS3 RAW focuses on Photoshop editing techniques, such as: - Automating RAW workflow
- Correcting exposures
- Extending exposure range
- Manipulating grayscale
- Working with the DNG open standard
Aaland helps you establish the best tool for each phase of your workflow, from managing shoots to perfecting photos. A digital photography pioneer and author of eight books, including O'Reilly's groundbreaking tutorial Photoshop Lightroom Adventure, Aaland's trademark ability to teach complicated topics on digital imaging with straightforward, easy-to-follow text makes this book a valuable learning tool for anyone serious about digital photography.
Required reading for professionals and dedicated photo hobbyists alike.
Seven RAW & Photoshop CS3 TIPS by Mikkel Aaland
#1) Shoot RAW when technical quality is critical, memory plentiful, and post processing is feasible. Shoot JPEG if capture speed is an issue, camera memory is limited, and processing time is of the essence.
#2) When shooting RAW critical camera settings include ISO (sensor sensitivity), and exposure--even though with a RAW file you have a greater margin of error. Not-so-critical settings include: white balance, sharpening, color space, and the choice between grayscale and color. These settings can all be applied later, using RAW processing software such as Photoshop Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw.
#3) When shooting RAW with grayscale images in mind, don?t bother using different color filters over your lens to produce dramatic black and white effects. Adobe Camera Raw provides graysale conversion which provide color sliders that "dial" in a filter effect.
#4) To recreate accurate colors in your RAW file, when possible, include in the shot a xRite ColorChecker target which cost around $50.
#5) To safeguard your images against unwanted usage, use Adobe Bridge?s Photodownloader and have it automatically add a copyright notice to every image downloaded. (The Photodownloader is found under Bridge?s File menu,"Get Photos from Camera".)
#6) Create and use different Bridge workspaces to work with your RAW files. For example, the default workspace displays small thumbnail versions of your images so you can see the entire collection at a glance for quick editing. The Horizontal and Vertical Filmstrip presets display large previews of your images for close examination and comparison. You can create custom workspaces as well.
#7) RAW files remain untouched when worked on with Adobe Camera Raw (and Adobe Lightroom), and developing instructions are saved separately, in XMP sidecar files. Avoid confusion, and the possibility of unreadable data, by converting your native RAW files in DNG, an open-standard RAW file format championed by Adobe.
About the Author
Mikkel Aaland is an award-winning photographer and and the author of nine books, including Photoshop CS2 RAW (O'Reilly 2006), Shooting Digital (2nd edition, Sybex, 2006), Photoshop Elements 4 Solutions (4th edition Sybex/Wiley, 2006), Photoshop for the Web, 2nd edition (O'Reilly, 1999), Still Images in Multimedia (Hayden, 1996), and Digital Photography (Random House, 1992), Since 2001 Aaland has been a regular guest on G4's Call For Help TV Program with Leo Laporte. In 2003 he was a guest columnist for newsweek.com. In 2004, Shooting Digital was named the best "Digital Photography" book of the year by the Designer's Bookshelf.
Aaland's documentary photographs have been exhibited in major institutions around the world, including the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and the former Lenin Museum in Prague. In 1981 he received the National Art Directors award for photography. He has contributed both text and/or photography to Wired, Outside, Digital Creativity, American Photo, The Washington Post, and Newsweek, as well as several European publications.
Aaland has been a pioneer in digital photography, an interest that dates back to a 1980 interview he conducted with Ansel Adams. When Aaland asked Adams what he would be pursuing if he were just starting out, Adams discussed at length his fascination with digital photographs of the planets. Aaland has pursued this new technology since its infancy. During the 1980s he reported on digital photography as west coast editor of the Swedish FOTO magazine, and wrote a column on the subject for American Photographer magazine. Aaland is one of the few orginal Adobe Lightroom's alpha and beta user, and he served as an unpaid advisor on the project for over a year.
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 6 to 10 of 12 total reviews (Page 2 of 3):
 Photoshop CS3 RAW
This is a fine introduction into CS3 RAW. It is very clear and easy to understand and follow. If you shoot in RAW and use ACR, this book should be in your library.  Time To Get RAW
'Photoshop CS3 Raw: Get the Most Out of the Raw Format with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Bridge' is a great resource for all levels of digital photographers who want to work with images of the highest quality possible. A regular photo who takes images with their camera probably takes them saved in the JPEG file format that has been so widely known and loved for so many years. The problem with this format is that when JPEG is used their is always data lost in the compression used to save the images. This data usually is minimal and not a big deal but if you need the highest quality pictures without any loss or compression at all, you need to save these in a better format. One of those formats is the Adobe RAW format which is the data saved with no data loss at all. These files will be much bigger in size but they also will guarantee that whatever picture(s) you took, you will see everything that was intended to be seen (and saved).
But simply taking the picture isn't enough, as there is tons of post-processing that goes on to get images looking even better than when they were taken. If you want to learn how to edit, crop, saturate, lighten, darken, whatever your heart desires with RAW imgagery, this is a great resource to have!! With nearly 250 pages spread across 12 chapters, this is a great introduction (in full color on glossy paper) to getting the most out of your camera and taking your images from Bs to As!!
This is a great resource to digital editing, my only caveat is that I feel it could be a bit longer. Another 50 pages or so with another example per chapter could have made things even better. A small complaint (and not enough to hurt my rating for the book) but it's worth noting.
If you take RAW images and want to learn how to get more out of them, this book will get you well on your way!!
***** RECOMMENDED Outstanding
The outstanding thing to note about this book is that is organized very systematically. Instead of being a breathless description of everything you can do with the software, Aaland focuses on why you would do something and how to do it. Its an effort that is fun to read and easy to reference. The Only RAW Book You'll Ever Need
Photoshop CS3 Raw: Get the Most Out of the Raw Format with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Bridge
I have been working with Camera Raw since it was considered to be a strange format that most photographers talked about and few if any used. Since that time I have seen it become the format of choice for many professioals and a tsunami of book titles devoted to it. This book is one of the very few books on the topic that not only tells you how to make the most out of using Raw files but also how to hone your photographic skills in the use of the Raw format as well as how to use the portions of Bridge, Camera Raw, and CS3 designed to work with Raw.
The book's content is both straight to the point and well written. Ink is not wasted by the author with lame puns or jokes (if you want a laugh read Dave Berry). One of the greatest things I appreciated about this book is how the author examines each topic thoroughly. For example, in several other Raw books, when it comes to the tool designed to remove Chormatic Abberation (CA), they describe the CA tool and its contols and quickly move on. I do not fault these authors. I am sure they just weren't that sure how to use it themselves. In this book, the problem of CA is discussed, the tool to correct it is explored, and then the author takes you through the steps needed to remove it. Too cool.
If you shoot photos in Raw format, you have to have this book. Once you get it, make sure you sit down and read a secton, download the sample files that are provided for the tutorials, and do them. You can learn a lot reading but you can retain the knowledge that you learned by applying it doing the tutorials. Top Notch Coverage on a Fascinating Tool for Photographers
Aaland writes in a way I can best explain as what every good help manual SHOULD be, with clear explanations and plentiful examples. Whether your skill level is as a beginner through advanced Photoshop user and photographer, you will have no difficulty understanding this book.
From start to finish Aaland takes the reader through every aspect of the Photoshop RAW application leaving no stone unturned. If you are already familiar with RAW, even previous versions, the first half of the book may be a bit redundant and slow as you are walked through the common tools and features. That said, this is one of the books I read cover to cover as the insights shared on each tool often bring to light a better understanding of how and why you would want to use individual tools.
On a critical note, in many cases his screen shot examples were presented too small to read the settings he referenced without including the info with the text of the page. At times it was also difficult to see the visual changes within his examples that were key to understanding his intended point being made.
This is the second title I have read of Aaland's, the first being his Lightroom Adventure. Already his style feels familiar and inviting. For all users looking to start using RAW processing with Photoshop, or those that have used it looking to improve their skills in the process, this book is the best I have read for the process. More Customer Reviews:
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(12 reviews)
