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Posted on 29/03/09 02:28:57 AM |
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Scott
* Posts: 40 Reply |
The CS3 Edition - Feedback
Hello I thought I would post some honest feedback on the book as I have now owned it for 4 days. For a novice like myself, skipping very briefly through the book, I can see that it is a valuable source of help, information with plenty of tutorials to get my teeth into. I think I would need to brush up on some knowledge in order to take full adbantage of course but it's laid out in such a way that it's not out of my reach, and I can understand what needs to be done in many cases. I haven't yet fully explored the DVD. But at first glance, I feel a little disappointed at the images available. Apart from the "People" folder I find the rest of the images not much use. That is at present. Having said that, I do own a camera and I can take images that I need. My main motive for getting the book (besides the walk through techniques) is to be able to do the sort of montage work that I am interested in. May I point you towards 3 Flickr folk? It is work from them that inspires me to do what I want to do. Predominantly, it's a 'fantasy landscape' thing, uncluttered, simple, but highly effective art. In oredr of importance (for me) they are... 1 Mattijn Franssen http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattijn/ Mattijn's work fascinates me, his light and tones are superb and was the first montage artist to catch my eye. Favourite images: the guesthouse, winter crossing, when autumn feels like winter. 2. Anton http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquify/ Like Mattijn, Anton's work revolves around fantasy with clever use of landscape. His cliff edge scenes are what draw me to his images. Surrounded by mystical skies and clouds. Favourite images: Sweet home, ...and then I wake up, Young spirit 3. Dimitri Depaepe http://www.flickr.com/photos/dimitridepaepe/ Dimitri astounds me. More simplistic in approach but none the less technically brilliant. His use of HDR and dreamlike landscapes are utterly fabolous. I don't think anyone does skies like Dimitri. Favourite images: Pretty much all of them On a similar note, I should note images by Philippe Sainte Laudy are natural landscapes (mostly not montage) but with super use of Ps. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pilou/ All these artists are an inspiration and I am chasing their heels to get to their standard. If you visit these guys Flickr streams I hope you would agree. I think if another HTCIP book is published, then a boost in images of buildings, people, selected landscape bits would be a super idea. Thanks for a brilliant book Steve, it's going to be fun learning and improvising with its help. Scott |
Posted on 29/03/09 5:27:49 PM |
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rob
* Posts: 24 Reply |
Re: The CS3 Edition - Feedback
I have had the book for a little over a year now and I have not worked through any of the tutorials at all. I work as a photographer, not as a graphic artist so my montage skills are rarely required - and that's a good thing believe me! It is not a book I would read from cover to cover, more something that I dip into as and when I need to - I treat it as a reference book and look things up when I need guidance. I have said in another post that the smudge tool hair trick (Nicole Kidman) is the technique I use most from the book and it has proved invaluable. I have also put text into pictures in different ways now, thanks to the book. I have managed to have text "carved" into wooden floors and stone walls - this has been very useful. It is a book I wouldn't want to be without despite the fact that I don't use it for every picture - I may use it for eight or nine pictures a month out of maybe 3,000 pictures taken, but the time I have saved on these eight or nine pictures is vast. It is a very useful book for me and helps out in "real world situations". The hair technique is especially valuable. The number of tutorials I have read for extracting hair that start with "First, make sure you have a contrasting background......." - should I re-decorate every church or take a huge white background and put that up behind the bride? In reality, smudging away with a spatter brush is easier and quicker - my favourite technique from the entire book and the single most useful thing I have learned in Photoshop. _________________ rob_stroud@yahoo.co.uk |
Posted on 29/03/09 8:46:13 PM |
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Scott
* Posts: 40 Reply |
Re: The CS3 Edition - Feedback
Hi Rob Like yourself, I am more interested in photography rather than graphic design. Mu main interests are lamdscape, cityscape, either as HDR or long exposure BW, though I have dabbled in textures too. I bought the book because I want to pull myself up on montage after being inspired those people I mentioned above, and it has opened my eyes into the basics of montage, and Ps work in general. The useful parts of the book for me is the rain effects, explaining the warp tool in a way a novice like me can understand. You know all the bits relevent to creating dreamlike montage landscapes. I have only been doing digital photography since July 2008 and I suppose at the moment, I am just trying to learn as many techniques as I can when it comes to Ps. Online tutorials are fine but it's nice to have a comprehensive book on your lap explaining perspectives etc. It's a great book, I just want to be fluent in what I want to do to save me getting frustrated. Scott My Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/psychedelicamphibian/ |