Digital Photography: 99 Easy Tips to Make You Look Like a Pro!

by Ken Milburn

Overview

Tim Cahill returns with an entertaining collection of essays as he travels the globe and faces down challenges that are animal, topographical and human. Cahill takes us to sites as far-flung as Saharan salt mines, the Congolese jungle, and Hanford, Washington, home of the largest toxic waste dump in the western hemisphere. With trademark wit and insight, Cahill describes stalking the legendary Caspian tiger in the mountains bordering Iraq, slogging through a pitch-black Australian Eucalyptus forest to find the nocturnal platypus, diving with great white sharks in South Africa, staving off enlightenment at a yoga retreat in Negril, Jamaica, and much, much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780072225822
Publisher:	McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media
Publication date:	06/25/2002
Series:	Consumer Series
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	7.55(w) x 9.22(h) x 0.61(d)

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	xiii
	Introduction	xv
Part I	Taking Full Advantage of Your Camera
Chapter 1	How Does a Digital Camera Work?	3
1.	The Basic Parts of a Digital Camera	4
2.	The Basic Differences Between Conventional and Digital Cameras	7
3.	Know Your Resolution	8
Chapter 2	Taking Care of Your Camera	15
4.	Keep Your Camera Handy--Safely	16
5.	Keep It Dry, Cool, and Clean	17
6.	Make a Raincoat for Your Camera	18
7.	Take Care of the LCD	20
8.	Keep the Lens Covered	21
9.	Keep Fresh, Quality Batteries on Hand	22
10.	Using and Caring for Memory Cards	25
Chapter 3	Understanding Shooting Modes	31
11.	Understand the Shutter Release Button	32
12.	Get the Correct Color Balance	35
13.	Use Automatic and Programmed Modes	36
14.	Use Manual Mode	39
15.	Set Aperture Priority	42
16.	Set Shutter Priority	45
17.	Use Macro Mode for a Closer Look	46
18.	Use Burst Mode to Capture the Moment	48
19.	Use Time-Lapse Modes	50
20.	Use Video and Audio Modes	52
21.	Photograph Documents and Artwork	54
Chapter 4	Composing, Focusing, and Metering	57
22.	Understand How Good Composition Holds Viewer Interest	58
23.	Understand Focus	62
24.	Use the Two Viewfinders	67
25.	Using the LCD in Bright Sunlight	70
26.	Understand Metering Options	71
27.	Keep It Steady	74
28.	Make Test Shots	75
Chapter 5	Lighting Techniques	77
29.	Use the Built-in Flash	78
30.	Use an External Flash	84
31.	Keep the Background Bright and Naturally Lit with Slow Sync Flash	86
32.	Lighting Portraits	87
33.	Control Red Eye	89
34.	Use Reflectors to Fill in Shadows in Sunlight	90
35.	Use Inexpensive Lighting for Extreme Close-ups (Macros)	91
Chapter 6	Overcoming Difficult Situations	93
36.	Freeze Fast Action	94
37.	Follow Motion to Blur the Background	96
38.	Take Night Shots	97
39.	Steady Handheld Shots in Dim Light	101
Chapter 7	Things You Don't Do with Your Film Camera	103
40.	Make Panoramas	104
41.	Shoot Movies	108
42.	Shoot Animation for the Web	110
Part II	Digital Darkroom Magic
Chapter 8	Moving and Managing Your Pictures	115
43.	Transfer Images Directly from Camera to Computer	116
44.	Use a Card Reader to Transfer Images to a Computer	119
45.	Move Images from One Computer to Another	121
46.	Sort Images by Category on the Computer	123
47.	Manage Images with Windows XP	125
48.	Use Your Camera's Image Catalog Software	129
49.	Rotate Images	131
50.	Archive Images to CD-R and CD-RW	133
51.	Create Wallpaper from Your Images	134
Chapter 9	Correcting Images with the Computer	137
52.	Rotate an Image to Correct Alignment	138
53.	Frame Your Shot with Cropping	139
54.	Use Quick Fix	142
55.	Alter the Color Balance	144
56.	Eliminate Color Cast	146
57.	Get a Visual Fix on Corrections with the Color Variations Command	147
58.	Create a Perfectly Exposed Image	149
59.	Create Instant Effects	152
60.	Use Recipes for 31 Complex Solutions	153
61.	Draw Details Out of the Shadows and Highlights	154
62.	Open Up Shadows with the Dodge Tool	156
63.	Use a Soft Light Blend Mode Layer	158
64.	Create Your Own Shallow Depth-of-Field	159
Chapter 10	Retouching Your Images	161
65.	Fix Red Eye in Your Image Editor	162
66.	Eliminate Small Annoyances with the Clone Stamp Tool	163
67.	Smooth Out the Wrinkles	165
68.	Draw Attention to the Eyes	166
69.	Sharpen Eyes and Other Specific Areas of the Image	168
70.	Spread Highlights to Achieve Glamour Blurring	169
71.	Convert Color Photos to Black-and-White	171
72.	Color Tone Black-and-White Photos	172
73.	Hand Color Black-and-White Photos	173
74.	Correct Perspective Distortion	175
Chapter 11	Creating a New Reality with Composites	179
75.	Stack Components on Layers	180
76.	Make Collages Using Layer Transparency	182
77.	Make Use of the Power of Selections	185
78.	Blend Selections with Feathering	187
79.	Select Complex Areas with the Magic Wand	188
80.	Incorporate New Skies	190
81.	Add Texture to Your Photos	192
82.	Match Grain	194
Chapter 12	Special Effects	197
83.	Create Lighting Effects	198
84.	Use Blend Modes for a Million Special Effects	201
85.	Make Your Own Weather	203
86.	Combine Hand-Drawn Art with Photos	205
87.	Combine Vector Art and Text with Photos	207
Part III	Managing, Publishing, Printing, and Accessorizing
Chapter 13	Managing and Publishing Photos an the Web	213
88.	Optimize Images for the Web	214
89.	E-mail Your Photos	216
90.	Turn Still Photos into Web Animation	218
91.	Make an Instant Web Portfolio with Elements	221
92.	Caption and Frame Web Photos	223
Chapter 14	Printing Pictures that Look Good and Last	227
93.	Choose the Right Printer, Paper, and Ink	228
94.	Create and Print Projects	233
95.	Calculate Resolution Needed for Printed Publication	236
96.	Make Your Photos into Gifts	237
97.	Archive Printing Techniques	240
98.	Print Without a Computer	242
99.	Print Without a Printer (Online)	242
Chapter 15	Handy, Affordable Accessories	245
	Close-up Lenses	246
	Extension Lenses	247
	Filters	247
	Tripods	249
	Other Devices to Steady Your Camera	250
	Cases	251
	External Flash	251
	LCD Hoods	253
	Be Prepared	255
	Index	257

Editorial Reviews

Pointers collected here will help readers extend the capabilities of their digital cameras. Step-by-step instructions in a question-and- answer format show how to use the camera's features, correct and enhance digital photos, create special effects, and manage, print, and publish images on the Web. Milburn is a digital artist, photographer, and author who has been writing about computer graphics, design, and multimedia since 1981. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)