I’m often asked for tips on what book to buy to learn photomontage in Photoshop, so I bought this book from Amazon to have something to dip into on a long weekend away, to see if it would be a suitable recommendation. This is a great book and I ended up reading the whole book from cover to cover! It was so easy to read. Whilst written primarily for designers and illustrators, the techniques in the book are equally valid for photographers working in photomontage or just wanting to add a little spice to their image making. It is written in a clear concise style, well illustrated with examples throughout the book. Although I have been working in photomontage for some years, there were still things I could learn and for anyone wanting to improve their Photoshop montage skills or just getting into creative work, it is a “must have”.
The author, Photoshop guru Steve Caplin, assumes that the reader has some basic knowledge of Photoshop. The book then teaches you to get the best out of the software to create realistic looking montages. Steve Caplin has been a recognized leader in the world of photo manipulation for many years and brings his talent and communication skills to this latest book:
Fully up-to-date with all the relevant new features of Photoshop CS5, the book can also be used with older versions of the software. It is accompanied by a DVD for Mac and PC, containing:
- 74 tutorial movies, totaling over 3 hours of video tutorials (unfortunately the videos are unedited and a bit untidy in places, but they generally do the job).
- All the project files used in the tutorials from the book
- A selection of free sample and high-resolution images and 13 high-resolution renders of skeletons for you to use in your own projects….but don’t forget, you can use these to learn with but not in your competition work!
- Test-yourself files in which you can test your skills against a range of problems
Inside the book, you will find easy-to-follow tutorials on all aspects of photo-montage, each set out on a double page spread, so that you can follow them with the book open on the desktop by the computer. From simple image adjustments to complex perspective challenges, working with light and shadows, and advanced techniques, such as working with smart objects and custom brushes, it’s all there at a bargain price from Amazon. Amazon even allows you to look inside the book before buying it, so you can ascertain that it is the best book for you…go ahead, have a look!
My Rating: Book***** Videos****
Christine Widdall, AFIAP, DPAGB, BPE3