Title Details

Lee Varis, a Hollywood photo-illustrator, has been involved in commercial photography for three decades. His images have been featured in National Geographic, Newsweek, and Fortune magazines, and both his writing and photography have been featured in trade journals such as PDN, New Media, and others. His pictures have appeared on movie posters, video box covers, and CD covers, and in numerous brochures and catalogues. He has been a seminar instructor with APA, PPA, Julia Dean Photographic Workshops, and Apple Computer.

Introduction.

Chapter 1: Digital Imaging Basics.

Chips and Pixels.

Setting Up: Hardware.

Camera.

Memory Cards.

Batteries.

TV Monitor.

Computer.

Monitor and Calibrator.

Setting Up: Software.

Photoshop: Preferences.

Bridge: Preferences and Configurations.

Chapter 2: Color Management,Workflow, and Calibration.

Basic Digital Capture Workflow.

Calibrating for Digital Capture.

Establish Lighting.

Shoot to Bracket the Exposure Range.

View Shots in Bridge and Zero Out Sliders.

Determine the Best Exposure.

Compare the ColorChecker.

Adjust Calibration Sliders.

Save a New Camera Default.

Putting Color Management in Context.

Chapter 3: Lighting and Photographing People.

Lighting Technology.

Basic Portrait Lighting.

Beauty Light.

Rembrandt Lighting.

Natural Light.

On-Camera Flash.

Breaking the Rules.

Advanced Lighting Techniques.

Ring Light.

Combination Lighting: Daylight Plus Flash.

Controlling Natural Light.

Action Stopping Lighting.

Experimenting with Light.

Chapter 4: The Color of Skin.

White Points, Black Points, and Places In-Between.

Zone System: Contrast and Tone.

Neutral Color: Using Balanced Numbers.

Curves: The Basic Color and Tone Tool.

Contrast Control: The Basic Curve Shapes.

Info Palette: Reading Basic Numbers.

White/Black Point Correction.

Adjusting Numbers for the Color of Skin.

The Family of Man: Cultural and Psychological Issues.

Cultural and Personal Color Bias.

Chapter 5: Tone and Contrast: Color and B+W.

Converting to B+W.

The Channel Mixer.

Split Channels: Layer Blending.

Luminosity Blending.

Instant Tan.

When Color Overwhelms: Look for the Good Channel.

Hue/Saturation Toning Effects.

Split-Toning.

Gradient Map Colorizing.

The Power of B+W.

Chapter 6: Retouching.

Basic Image Repair.

Hue/Saturation Color Repair.

Beauty Retouching.

Figure Thinning Techniques.

Subtle Retouching.

Skin Smoothing.

Chapter 7: Special Effects.

Soft Focus.

Basic Diffusion Effect.

Screen Diffusion.

Overlay Diffusion.

Linear Light Diffusion.

Depth of Field Effects.

Lens Tilt Effect.

Film Grain and Mezzotint.

Cross-Processing.

Tattoos.

Faking Tattoos.

Chapter 8: Preparing for Print.

Sharpening.

Unsharp Mask.

Smart Sharpen.

Multiple Sharpening Layers.

Octave Sharpening.

Overlay Sharpening and High-Radius Effects.

Color Management for Print.

Profiles and Look-Up Tables.

Soft Proofing.

Desktop Printing.

Output Simulations.

Creative Print Finishing.

Last Minute Fixes.

Chapter 9: Parting Shots.

Digital Photo Workflow.

Companion CD Contents.

Chapter 2.

Chapter 3.

Chapter 4.

Chapter 5.

Chapter 6.

Chapter 7.

Chapter 8.

Future Developments.

Index.

A Hollywood photoillustrator with 30 years of experience, Varis has been published in National Geographic, Newsweek, and Fortune magazines. Far from a manual on fashion or nude photography, this is a comprehensive tutorial on how to photograph all types of people: young, old, and dozens of ethnic varieties. Varis supplements the book with a CD of numerous before-and-after sample image files and technical reference materials. He begins with a discussion of the right hardware and software and how to configure them, then teaches digital color management and lighting techniques as they apply to portraiture. He also provides in-depth chapters on retouching and special effects, including such techniques as skin smoothing, beauty retouching, screen diffusion, and depth of field effects. Highly recommended for serious students. (Library Journal, March 15, 2007)