Digital Photography: The Missing Manual

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 422 pages
• Published by: Pogue Press June 30, 2006
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0596008414
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0596008413
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 1.8 pounds

Reader Reviews
In actuality, only the first of the four parts of this book is about the art and science of digital photography itself. The rest of the book is about moving your photos to the PC, editing them, and sharing them via printing, email, or even coffee mugs. The part that is about photography is helpful when it is discussing artistic techniques, and somewhat frustrating when it is trying to give you specific instructions on operating a generic camera such as "If your camera has a portrait mode, indicated on this camera and many others by a silhouette of a human head, you may not have to fiddle with manual aperture settings". The question is, how do I know whether or not my camera even has a portrait mode? This is not the vague type of instruction I am accustomed to when dealing with the Missing Manual series. Outside of my general frustration with part one, though, the rest of the book is quite good. That is because the author now has a limited set of software packages to work with as far as instructions go, and here we get back into the high quality specific Missing Manual instructions that are so familiar. The author talks about specific aspects of using Easyshare, Picasa, Shutterfly, Snapfish, Flickr, and Photoshop Elements for organizing, editing, and sharing your photos with good comparisons of the different software packages and specific instructions for each. Overall, I recommend this book. Just realize that the part on photography itself is somewhat vague. I notice that the table of contents are not shown, so I do that below: Part One: DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS Chapter 1. DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS Point-and-Shoot or Single Lens Reflex? Image Resolution and Memory Capacity Batteries Deciphering Optical and Digital Zoom Image Stabilizer (Vibration Reduction) Flip Screens for Multiple Viewpoints Optical Viewfinder Taking Control with Manual Options Improving Autofocus External Flashes and Other Attachments Minimizing Shutter Lag Burst Mode for Rapid-Fire Shooting Creating Panoramas Software That Comes with Your Camera Eliminating Specks (Noise Reduction) Taking Movies with Your Camera Chapter 2. POINTING, SHOOTING, AND BASIC COMPOSITION Composition Explained Apply the Rule of Thirds Get Closer for Better Pictures Eliminate Busy Backgrounds Go Low, Go High A Final Thought Chapter 3. BEYOND THE SIMPLE SNAPSHOT Shooting Sports and Action Taking Portraits Kids and School Performances Weddings and Celebrations Sunsets and Nighttime Photos Landscape and Nature Photographing Objects Digital Movies Cameraphone Photography Part Two: ORGANIZING YOUR PHOTOS Chapter 4. GETTING PHOTOS ONTO YOUR PC Moving Pictures from Camera to Computer Moving Pictures from a Card Reader to a PC Importing Photos with a Scanner Three Ways to Scan an Image Using Windows Scanner Wizard Chapter 5. ORGANIZING PHOTOS ON YOUR PC Organizing Photos with Windows XP Organizing Photos with EasyShare Albums Organizing Photos with Picasa Chapter 6. STORING YOUR PHOTOS ONLINE Why Put Your Photos Online? Choosing an Online Photo Service Getting Photos Online with EasyShare Organizing Photos with EasyShare Getting Photos Online with Shutterfly Organizing Photos with Shutterfly Getting Photos Online with Snapfish Organizing Photos with Snapfish Getting Photos Online with Flickr Organizing Photos with Flickr Chapter 7. BACKING UP YOUR PHOTO LIBRARY Strategies to Protect Your Photos CD, DVD, or Hard Drive? EasyShare's Backup Tools Picasa's Backup Tools Chapter 8. ORGANIZING AND BACKING UP WITH ELEMENTS Importing with the Photo Downloader Browsing Photos in the Organizer Creating Tags and Categories Assigning Tags to Photos Creating Collections Searching for Photos Backing Up with the Organizer Part Three: EDITING YOUR PHOTOS Chapter 9. BASIC PHOTO FIXES Common Problems, Easy Fixes Rotating & Cropping with EasyShare Improving Photos with EasyShare Fixing Red Eye with EasyShare Rotate and Straighten with Picasa Cropping Photos with Picasa Fixing Exposure Problems with Picasa Fixing Contrast and Color with Picasa Fixing Red Eye with Picasa Chapter 10. ROTATING, CROPPING, AND SIZING WITH ELEMENTS Changing Your View of Your Photos Rotating Photos Straightening Photos Cropping Photos Changing the Size of Your Photos Chapter 11. THE QUICK FIX A Tour of the Quick Fix Window Quick Fix Suggested Workflow Fixing Red Eye The Smart Fix Adjusting Lighting and Contrast Correcting Color Sharpening Chapter 12. ADVANCED PHOTO RETOUCHING WITH ELEMENTS Fixing Exposure Problems Sharpening Your Images Fixing Blemishes: An Introduction Correcting the Colors on Your Screen Taking Control with Levels Removing Unwanted Colors Making Your Colors More Vibrant Chapter 13. CREATING SPECIAL EFFECTS Adding Effects with EasyShare Adding Effects with Picasa Adding Effects with Elements Creating Panoramas with Elements Part Four: SHARING YOUR PHOTOS Chapter 14. SHARING YOUR PHOTOS ONLINE Choosing a Photo-Sharing Service Sharing Photos with EasyShare Sharing Photos with Shutterfly Express Sharing Photos with Snapfish Sharing Photos and Hobbies: Flickr Sharing with the Pros: Photo net Chapter 15. EMAILING YOUR PHOTOS Understanding the File Size Dilemma Emailing Photos with EasyShare Emailing Photos with Picasa Emailing Photos with Elements Chapter 16. PRINTING YOUR PHOTOS How to Make Great Prints at Home Printing Photos with EasyShare Printing Photos with Picasa Printing Photos with Elements Printing at Photo Kiosks Ordering Prints Online Ordering Prints Online with EasyShare Ordering Prints Online with Picasa Ordering Prints Online with Shutterfly Ordering Prints Online with Snapfish Ordering Prints Online with Elements Chapter 17. CREATIVE PHOTO PROJECTS Making Slideshows with PhotoShow Simple Slideshows in Elements Custom Slideshows in Elements Posters, Calendars, and Photo Books More Elements Creative Projects Photo Mugs, T-Shirts, and More Comment | | (Report this)