Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Digital Photography, 4th Edition

Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Digital Photography, 4th Edition

Released September 2010
Publisher(s): Visual
ISBN: 9780470589465

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

All-new update to this complete photography guide-over 125 photography tasks explained!

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Digital Photography, Fourth Edition is a brand new take by a brand new author and professional photographer, who packs this book with heaps of essential tasks and new photos. Step-by-step screen shots show you best practices for completing more than 125 digital photography activities, including composing and lighting pictures; mixing and matching focus and lens settings; cropping, resizing, and sharpening photos; and enhancing photos with software. You'll find great tips and tricks for capturing your best photos and turning them into impressive prints and photo-based projects.

  • As digital photography technology and photo-editing software evolve, so do the latest digital photography techniques

  • Explores essential digital photography concepts, including composition, lighting, focus, sharpening, and enhancing photos with photo-editing software

  • Demonstrates through step-by-step instructions and numerous, full-color screen shots and photos, so you can see exactly how to perform tasks

  • Offers tips and tricks to help you make the best captures and turn them into impressive prints and photo-based projects

See how to produce your best digital photographs ever with this easy-to-follow visual guide!

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Credits
  3. About the Author
  4. Author's Acknowledgments
  5. How to Use This Book
  6. 1. Understanding Digital Photography
    1. 1.1. Why Go Digital?
    2. 1.2. Discover Digital Cameras
    3. 1.3. From Start to Finish: The Digital Workflow
  7. 2. What You Need to Get Started
    1. 2.1. Choose a Digital Camera
    2. 2.2. Consider Digital Camera Accessories
    3. 2.3. Build a Digital Darkroom
    4. 2.4. Choose a Photo Printer
  8. 3. Controlling Exposure and Focal Length
    1. 3.1. Learn About ISO
    2. 3.2. Learn About Aperture
    3. 3.3. Control Depth of Field
    4. 3.4. Understanding Shutter Speed
    5. 3.5. Discover Exposure Modes
    6. 3.6. Learn About Focal Length
    7. 3.7. Use a Wide-Angle Lens
    8. 3.8. Use a Telephoto Lens
    9. 3.9. Use a Zoom Lens
    10. 3.10. Learn About Digital Camera Lenses
  9. 4. Understanding Light
    1. 4.1. Learn About the Color of Light
    2. 4.2. Measure and Correct Light for Color
    3. 4.3. Learn About Light Quality
    4. 4.4. Use a Flash
  10. 5. Learning About Focus
    1. 5.1. Understanding Focus Systems
    2. 5.2. Focus on an Off-Center Subject
    3. 5.3. Use Focus Modes
    4. 5.4. Discover Focus Techniques
  11. 6. Composing Pictures like a Pro
    1. 6.1. Visualize Composition
    2. 6.2. Consider Design Principles
    3. 6.3. Discover Rules of Composition
    4. 6.4. Learn to Control Composition
  12. 7. Putting It All Together
    1. 7.1. Experiment with Depth of Field
    2. 7.2. Mix and Match Settings
    3. 7.3. Change Shutter Speed for Effect
    4. 7.4. Focus Selectively
    5. 7.5. Compose Creatively
    6. 7.6. Explore Different Lighting Options
    7. 7.7. Try Creative Techniques
  13. 8. Taking Your First Digital Photos
    1. 8.1. Set Up a Digital Camera
    2. 8.2. Take Test Pictures
    3. 8.3. Troubleshoot Problems
    4. 8.4. Transfer Pictures to Your Computer
    5. 8.5. Evaluate Your Photos
    6. 8.6. Fine-Tune Camera Settings
  14. 9. Taking Advantage of Your Camera's Settings
    1. 9.1. Match the Scene to the Setting
    2. 9.2. Be Aware of In Camera Settings
    3. 9.3. How Do the Scene Settings Change the Images?
    4. 9.4. Use the Settings Creatively
    5. 9.5. Evaluate Your Photos
    6. 9.6. Better to Change Things Later?
  15. 10. Avoiding Digital Photography Pitfalls
    1. 10.1. Avoid Taking Unfixable Pictures
    2. 10.2. What Is a Histogram?
    3. 10.3. Use a Histogram as You Take Pictures
    4. 10.4. Compensate for Shutter Lag
    5. 10.5. Avoid Blowouts
    6. 10.6. Keep Your Camera Steady
    7. 10.7. Avoid Undesirable Colorcasts
    8. 10.8. Never Use Digital Zoom
    9. 10.9. Reduce Digital Noise
  16. 11. Capturing Unique Photo Opportunities
    1. 11.1. Photograph Products to Sell on eBay
    2. 11.2. Take Great Close-Up Photos
    3. 11.3. Take Photos at Night without a Flash
    4. 11.4. Capture Firework Displays
  17. 12. Organizing Your Photos
    1. 12.1. Why Use Image Editing Programs?
    2. 12.2. What Is a Digital Editing Workflow?
    3. 12.3. Photo Editing Options
    4. 12.4. Understanding Metadata in Your Photos
    5. 12.5. What Are RAW Digital Photos?
    6. 12.6. Import Photos to Your Browser
    7. 12.7. Review, Sort, and Tag Your Photos
    8. 12.8. Tag Photos
    9. 12.9. Tag Photos (continued)
    10. 12.10. Tag Photos (continued)
    11. 12.11. Find Images Using Tags
    12. 12.12. Use Tags to Sort
  18. 13. Enhance Your Photos with Basic Photo Editing
    1. 13.1. Learn about Global and Local Changes
    2. 13.2. Zoom In with the Zoom Tool
    3. 13.3. Rotate an Image
    4. 13.4. Straighten an Image
    5. 13.5. Crop an Image
    6. 13.6. Adjust the Exposure
    7. 13.7. Adjust the Color Temperature
    8. 13.8. Adjust the Tint
    9. 13.9. Adjust the Saturation
    10. 13.10. Adjust Noise and Sharpness
    11. 13.11. Remove Red Eye
    12. 13.12. Retouch Spots on Your Photos
    13. 13.13. Retouch Spots on Your Subjects
    14. 13.14. Apply Photo Effects
    15. 13.15. Use the Auto Enhance Button
  19. 14. Advanced Photo Editing with Photoshop Elements
    1. 14.1. Why Calibrate and Profile Your Monitor?
    2. 14.2. Open the Photoshop Elements Quick Fix Workspace
    3. 14.3. Get Familiar with the Quick Fix Workspace
    4. 14.4. Open a Photo to Fix in the Quick Fix Workspace
    5. 14.5. Open a RAW Photo File
    6. 14.6. Zoom In and Out
    7. 14.7. Move Around the Image
    8. 14.8. Rotate an Image
    9. 14.9. Select a Comparative View
    10. 14.10. Improve Composition by Cropping
    11. 14.11. Use the Quick Fix Auto Buttons
    12. 14.12. Try an Auto Fix for a Quick Improvement
    13. 14.13. Remove Red Eye with One Click
    14. 14.14. Undo Changes
    15. 14.15. Convert a Color Photo to Black and White
    16. 14.16. Add a Colored Filter Effect to Any Photo
  20. 15. Printing Photos and Other Projects
    1. 15.1. Archive Your Photos to CD or DVD Media
    2. 15.2. Create a Contact Sheet
    3. 15.3. Understanding Resolution
    4. 15.4. Digital Photo Printing Options
    5. 15.5. Get the Best Prints
    6. 15.6. Choose a Photo Printer
    7. 15.7. Match Prints to Monitor Display
    8. 15.8. Optimize Printer Settings and Print a Photo
    9. 15.9. Print One Photo as a Traditional Picture Package
    10. 15.10. Use the Create Tab for Fun Photo Options
    11. 15.11. Create a Greeting Card
    12. 15.12. Print to an Online Photo Service
  21. 16. Sharing Photos Electronically
    1. 16.1. Add a Personal Copyright to Protect a Photo
    2. 16.2. Save a JPEG for the Web
    3. 16.3. Preview an Image in a Web Browser
    4. 16.4. Create a Web Photo Gallery
    5. 16.5. Send an Image with E-mail
  22. 17. Special Projects for Photoshop Elements
    1. 17.1. Customize the Panel View
    2. 17.2. What Are Layers and Why Use Them?
    3. 17.3. Find Your Way Around the Layers Panel
    4. 17.4. Straighten a Crooked Photo
    5. 17.5. Make a Creative Crop
    6. 17.6. Select an Area of a Photo
    7. 17.7. Whiten Teeth Digitally
    8. 17.8. Duplicate the Background Layer
    9. 17.9. What Are Photoshop Elements Filters?
    10. 17.10. What Is the Filter Gallery?
    11. 17.11. Understanding Styles and Effects
    12. 17.12. Colorize a Black-and-White Photo
    13. 17.13. Create a Sepia-Toned Photo
    14. 17.14. Remove Blemishes with One Click
    15. 17.15. Fix Skin Tone
    16. 17.16. Adjust a Photo before Applying Filters
    17. 17.17. Convert a Photo into a Sketch
    18. 17.18. Convert a Photo into a Painting
    19. 17.19. Create a Digital Photo Collage
    20. 17.20. Create a Digital Panorama
    21. 17.21. Understanding Type Layers
    22. 17.22. Add and Edit Text
    23. 17.23. Move and Resize Type to Fit a Photo
    24. 17.24. Add Text and Match the Color to the Photo
    25. 17.25. Rotate Text
    26. 17.26. Warp Text
    27. 17.27. Stylize Text

Product information

  • Title: Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Digital Photography, 4th Edition
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: September 2010
  • Publisher(s): Visual
  • ISBN: 9780470589465