Topic: Books by Dan Margulis

[BBushe]

I've read a fair bit of Professional Photoshop now, and it is illuminating. The LAB book is on it's way from the US, as I could order it half price (compared to UK).

BarryP, I didn't mean to imply LAB was best for all photos, just I get results I like very quickly. I am looking more into the other colourspaces now, using the Prof PS book and know I need to look a lot harder, but life and work all gets in the way

I'm very happy to see signs of an intermediate class!

[BBushe]

I have read Professional Photoshop now, it's still very relevant despite being written for PS7. Colour hasn't changed that much since then   I think I need to read it again, as I was mainly on planes and in hotel rooms when I read it, and couldn't work through any of the examples at the time. The book is heavily cymk orientated, no matter what Dan says!

I have also just got the LAB book, and have started to read that. Looks good.

[Jean Pierre]

I am still ... (at least I work hard ) ... reading Margulis on LAB.

I am trying to find back in the book where he talks/writes  on why using auto level for the A or B channel?

Somebody can help me on this?

[Jean Pierre]

I found it in chep9  page191

Auto levels is use to increase contrast, because the color channels usually does not have big contrast (because wcmk and rgb have only a small part of the LAB gamut) and are thus not very good for mask.

[curvemeister]

Yes!  Congratulations on finding this!

The a and b channels are often useful for distinguishing objects that may differ in color, but not brigthness.  Using the a or b channel, combined with auto-levels, can result is a mask that gets the job done cleanly and without any hand work.

BTW - Curvemeister's "Copy Channel" command is useful for mask shopping - you can quickly find the channel you want to use (generally this will be in the RGB, Lab, or HSB color space, copy it to the clibboard, and use it in Photoshop as the start of a layer mask.

Mike

[Barry Pettinger]

Mike,
    You make it sound simple. but I must be a little thick headed to day. Could you give me  more detail on the procedure. I did find "copy channel" but I am not sure what to do with it!
     Thanks
         Barry

[curvemeister]

The object of the game is to find a channel that has has good contrast between the area you want to mask, and the rest of the picture. 

For example, a mask can be used to change a red shirt to a blue one.  Create an adjustment layer that changes red to blue.  Then scroll through the various channels of each color space to find a channel that is dark or light for the shirt.  Click copy, alt-click on the mask for the Hue/Sat layer, and paste the data.  Typically you will follow up with using levels to add contrast to the mask, and clean up with the paint brush so that only the shirt color is changed. 

Most people - myself included - will over-use them after their power is intially discovered.

Masks are an indespensible too.  The danger of using a mask is that masked objects take on an unnatural "punched out" look, and it is generally easier to achieve a natural appearance using curves alone, or by duplicating the layer, and using the Blend If sliders to merge the modified layer with the original.

[Barry Pettinger]

 
   Thanks Mike, I'll give it a try.
           Barry

[rsprouse]

Hello all.  This is my first post since discovering the new board.

I have both of Dan's books, though I confess I got into the LAB book first, and have worked my way perhaps halfway through it.  Then I got the Pro PS book (used, on eBay)  but I have not gotten into it nearly as much.

I also got a copy of Curvemeister and took Mike's beginner class quite a while ago.  So long ago, in fact, that I think I would like to do it again just to refresh my understanding before attempting the intermediate class.  Is that OK, Mike?

I routinely use a "cookie cutter" approach (basically the Ch. 1 and 2 stuff from Dan's LAB book) on many if not most of my photos.  But I have not done anything more with all the other information in the books or Mike's class in a long while, so I have gone stagnent.  I am trying to reawaken my interest and learn more.

Sorry for the ramble.

  -- Russ 

[curvemeister]

Hello all.  This is my first post since discovering the new board.

I have both of Dan's books, though I confess I got into the LAB book first, and have worked my way perhaps halfway through it.  Then I got the Pro PS book (used, on eBay)  but I have not gotten into it nearly as much.

I also got a copy of Curvemeister and took Mike's beginner class quite a while ago.  So long ago, in fact, that I think I would like to do it again just to refresh my understanding before attempting the intermediate class.  Is that OK, Mike?

I routinely use a "cookie cutter" approach (basically the Ch. 1 and 2 stuff from Dan's LAB book) on many if not most of my photos.  But I have not done anything more with all the other information in the books or Mike's class in a long while, so I have gone stagnent.  I am trying to reawaken my interest and learn more.

  -- Russ 

Hi Russ - good to hear from you! 

Certainly you are welcome to take the beginner's class again.  The format has changed, and I'm encouraging people to provide their own images for the class to add more material over and above the basics: shadow, highlight, and neutral.

An intermediate class is in the works - I'll be putting up some poll questions shortly so that the people who will take the class will have a hand in selecting the subject matter.

Meantime, the October class starts next Sunday, and example images and questions are always welcome here.

Mike

[Jean Pierre]

Is not [Dan's book "Professional Photoshop, 5th Ed".]  more on press printing  in cmyk?