5 comments about Photo Restoration and Retouching Using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo.

1. I've been using Paint Shop Pro since version 9 and consider myself at the lower end of an advanced user.
   
   I have seven Paint Shop Pro books proclaiming to teach you how to use the program. With the exception of Ken McMahon's book they all fall miserably short.
   
   I was weary of ordering Robert's book thinking it would turn out to be just like the others that sit in the bookshelf collecting dust. Fear not his book isn't a dust collector.
   
   I won't go over what's already been stated in the other reviews. This book is everything the publisher, author, and other reviewers claim it is.
   
   One recommendation:
   
   If you're a beginner to intermediate user of Paint Shop Pro I'd recommend getting Ken McMahon's book "Paint Shop Pro Photo For Photographers" along with this book. McMahon's book covers the program and it's use while Robert's book covers techniques for photo corrections. The combination of these two books will greatly reduce your frustrations and enhance your skills, knowledge & techniques of photo corrections and manipulation using Paint Shop Pro.
   
   
   Thank You Robert for a great reference and teaching publication.



2. Others have written enthusiastically about this book. I concur!
   
   I regularly must touch up photographs for web or print use including conversion to b/w for newspaper ads. I'd used PaintShop Pro since V5 for this task but with Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 and this book, everything I've done has moved forward by a quantum leap. People won't notice the fine differences in your work because of your better photographic presentation but it WILL show, and the advice/tips in this book will make you wish you'd found it years ago! I am SO pleased!!!!!



3. A common lament among users of Corel's popular Paint Shop Pro series of photo editing programs is the lack of advanced tutorial material. Over time there have been a few professionally done video books and texts offered here and there, and author Robert Correll himself has put together two helpful video books based upon earlier versions of PSP, but in general those efforts concentrate on developing basic to low-level intermediate skills at best. Now Correll and Thomson Course Publishing (since become Cengage Learning) have come forth with an advanced PSP tutorial that goes well beyond the basics of photo repair titled Photo Restoration and Retouching Using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo.
   
   In his new tutorial Correll (the similarity in names Correll/Corel is pure coincidence) has assembled 73 photo projects, mostly casual photos of his wife and children along with those of assorted kinfolk who were smiling into the family cameras as far back as 1919. The color and black and white photographs presented here have suffered a host of indignities over the years; fading, overwriting and smudges of all kinds, scratches, tears and holes in addition to the usual technical defects caused by bad film, poor lighting or poor scanning techniques. There are, of course, the human flaws as well; a pimple here and there, nose hair, dandruff - it's all here in gory high resolution detail, and each Photo Study's source photo is made available for download upon request to the author. I should add that Correll makes himself readily accessible to his target audience via e-mail, keen on cheering them on in their photo restoration efforts.
   
   Basically each Photo Study begins with a brief background about the subject(s) of the photo. Along the way you will meet the author and his wife Anne and their four small children who are introduced in a light-hearted fashion along with Uncle Jim and Grandpa Bud among others. Then the problems in the photo at hand are pointed out, and Correll begins his repair routine in a step-by-step fashion sometimes diverging to try alternative means of solving the issues being confronted. A pre-release version of PSPP X2 was used to do the repairs, but the included screenshots are taken from PSPP XI. I am still using PSP X, and for the most part had no problems following along though the capabilities of some of the tools in my older version differ slightly from those in the more recent PSPP X2. The Levels adjustment tool is one such example. The text and screenshots are of excellent quality and printed in color on high-gloss stock. My only niggle here is that my 73 year old eyes had difficulty discerning the small text shown in many dialogue boxes, and even my magnifying glass sometimes struggled to make out many of the dialogue settings which are not always specified in the explanatory text.
   
   In Photo Study One the author throws the reader off the leaning tower and right into the heart of photo restoration and retouching with a very challenging photo repair study of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I would have preferred easing into things with a more merciful project, but so much for whining. Perhaps Correll was trying to instill from the get-go a necessary sense of patience and persistence which he emphasizes frequently while stressing the need to be discriminating about one's work. He also cautions a light touch that does not render restore operations obvious to the viewer.
   
   One great advantage of the book for me was that I became acquainted with several tools that I had, frankly, not previously employed in my photo restore efforts since beginning to work with PSP about 6 or 7 months ago. The Saturation Up/Down and the Lighten/Darken tools are just two such. I was also introduced to the Displacement Map under the Effects menu. This looks like an interesting Effects routine that I intend to explore further. The final chapter of the book presents a few creative applications using some of the Effects menu options, but frankly the author only scratches the surface here, though his results are impressive. An imaginative author could easily employ the PSP Effects tools in a tutorial presented solely upon their own merits, and I am sure Mr. Correll would be the first to agree.
   
   In addition to the photo exercises, Correll offers interesting background information about scanning photos, organizing and archiving them as well as helpful printing tips. He also interjects along the way a few useful editing tips and tricks that he has discovered through his personal experiences using PSP.
   
   Does the author leave anything left unsaid? Well, in a word, yes. Not every tool and adjustment in the PSP arsenal is acknowledged its fifteen minutes of fame, though all the heavyweights certainly are, but there is an appendix to the book that does give a brief rundown of each and every tool. However, there is no mention of the hidden tools to be found in the Unused Commands section, some of which can be quite helpful in certain circumstances. Plug-ins are not touched upon nor is the use of scripts, even those pre-defined scripts included with PSP. The author has a tendency to use the High Pass Sharpen adjustment as opposed to the Unsharp Mask, but his reasons for this apparent preference are not stated. He also likes to work with photos in .tif format as opposed to the more common .jpg/.jpeg file format, but again reasons are not stated though I presume they have something to do with a lesser likelihood of introducing artifacts into a photo during the restoration/retouching process.
   
   I personally would have liked to have seen Photo Studies that put to work a few PSP capabilities that I am largely unfamiliar with. In this category I would include the Hue Map tool, and a few exercises using the Create Mask from Image procedure would have been a very welcome addition. In fact, I would have liked to have seen a few more exercises using masks in general though there are 3 of them. Masking, I think, is a weak point for many, including even PSP buffs far more experienced than I am.
   
   All in all, however, this is a powerful tutorial that ought to be a part of every PSP enthusiast's personal library - it is a text that is sure to be referred to again and again. It is my hope that Mr. Correll's tutorial does well in the marketplace thereby launching further PSP instructional texts from this very knowledgeable and photo-savvy author. In my book, Correll's tutorial, Photo Restoration and Retouching Using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo, gets a well-deserved 5 stars.



4. As previously mentioned in other reviews this book assumes you know how to find your way around Paint Shop Pro. It's most compatible with versions X through photo X2. He doesn't go into any tools that aren't in all three of these versions so it covers the general usage of specific tools very well.
   
   The author stresses the importance of not trying to "perfect" your photos. Giving good examples of doing things the right way, the wrong way, and stopping when the photo is "good enough." He explains himself very well and has a good method presenting the information.
   
   His use of actual photos that he's fixed before, and has an actual personal connection with really brings this down to the average user who is just trying to fix those old photos and improve upon ones that didn't come out as well as they could have.
   
   My only real criticism is more of a warning to those of you who learn as I do. I learn by example, or in other words I need to follow along with the book to properly get everything down just right. This book does not include a link for downloading these pictures that I have found so without your own photos to practice on as he goes over the different parts, if you learn like I do, will be difficult.
   
   This book is far more about recognizing the different problems with photos and some tips and tricks and methods that the author himself has discovered that work very well. A lot of what he says comes from personal experience. And he goes through a trial and error process for most of the book demonstrating the different things you might try by using the number of effects options and hands-on tools. And he explains them all fairly well. He doesn't bore you with all of the technical aspects of the tools, he simply tells you what they do and gives you suggestions on their proper use.
   
   All in all the book is excellent, he focuses on basic aspects and information rather than focusing on the photo in specific. If you're fixing cracks he won't go into depth about adjusting the contrast unless it's needed. If he's being artistic he won't lecture you on the proper use of the clone brush. He focuses on the task at hand and only the task at hand. Helping you to identify the various aspects of restoring and retouching a photo individually.
   
   I would suggest this to anyone wanting to use Paint Shop Pro to correct photos.



5. This book is great no matter what level of experience you have. This expands so much info on the corel program it is definitely worth purchasing...everyone that has this program should own this book. You won't be sorry. Seriously, buy it right now! 5 STARS! A+

5 comments about San Francisco's Lost Landmarks (California/Old West).

1. For a native San Franciscian, this was a thrilling read. I was shocked on what I learned and it is interesting to see how things change. Strongly recommended.



2. Some very interesting tidbits here, but as a San Francisco resident I kept asking "what's there now?" It would have been great to include more (brief) history on what happened to the properties after these places were no more, or at least the addresses of the buildings that are there now. Some of this info is there, but it's hit or miss. Also, poor editing is a distraction throughout.



3. I've got an obsession (of sorts) with obscure San Francisco lore...all the different incarnations of the Cliff House, the rise of "hoodlum" culture in the 1800s, the ups and downs of the Barbary Coast, you name it. That said, "San Francisco's Lost Landmarks" is loaded with stories I've never heard before (waterslides in the Upper Haight? Who'd have thought!), mostly related in a prim, rosy-tinted manner by Mr. Smith. The chapter on the 1939 World's Fair, for instance, is mostly a list of who, what and where with no attempt to convey the excitement and novelty of the event. There's plenty here for any student of SF history to enjoy, but it lacks the seductive you-are-there storytelling of a Herbert Asbury or Luc Sante.



4. I am a fan of the 1960's coffee table, giant picture book histories of urban America distroyed. Lost New York, Lost Chicago, Lost Boston, and the now hard-to find pre hurricane Katrina, Lost New Orleans had a part in urban historic preservation awareness. Lost San Francisco never existed. And that's too bad. James Smith's book, Lost San Francisco Landmarks is a fine, well written work of local history. It explains San Francisco better than anything I've read. The why of Treasure Island, the tolleration of "civic sexuality" and the over use of quake prone land-fill engineering all get aired. It's A great read. RW Los Angeles.



5. So many books appear yearly on San Francisco that it's easy to miss one - and San Francisco's Lost Landmarks is not one to miss; it holds riches like few others. Where competitors offer listings of dates and facts, San Francisco's Lost Landmarks uses vintage pictures to blend with history to tell of lost pieces of the past. From the Tivoli Opera House and Gardens to Ralston's failed Grand Hotel, San Francisco's Lost Landmarks is history at its best.

1 comments about Steve McQueen: A Life in Pictures.

1. 'A Life in Pictures' is a bit misleading as the title. Yes, there are several photos spanning McQueen's acting career, but it is hardly comprehensive. For every rare photo (or color version), there is a familiar one (some published a few years ago in the excellent book of McQueen photos by William Claxton). For some reason, the photos are not in chronological order which can be a bit jarring when jumping from the family pictures of McQueen from the 1960s to the longer haired McQueen of the 1970s. This book is filled with quality photos of Steve McQueen. Most are large, and several are in color. This is a book for someone who is a devoted fan or just wants nice pictures of McQueen in one book.

5 comments about Factory Records: The Complete Graphic Album.

1. Complete catalog of the Factory cover art, posters, etc. Factory perfected the symbiosis between the music and art.



2. This book is an awesome look back at some of the best artwork and packaging of its time. The footnotes for each "Fac" are interesting and the reproductions of the artwork are showcased nicely. I only wish there were some photos of the packaging, for instance the famous Blue Monday single with the die-cut, it would have been nice to see how it looked. Still, I think this is a great book!



3. I've always been a huge fan of Factory Records and the designs of Peter Saville so this book was a dream come true. Pictures of all the artwork from Fac 1 onwards, all the New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Durutti Column - everything you could want.
   A wonderful gorgeous book, the pictures are bright and clear, plus history and stories on major aspects of the artwork - highly recommended fro any Factory / New Order / Peter Saville fan.



4. This is an excellent book for fans of Factory Records. Factory was label that always had beautiful graphic design work. The album covers and poster art were a showcase for the design work of Peter Saville. I highly recommend this thorough book to fans of the label.



5. FACTORY RECORDS: THE COMPLETE GRAPHIC ALBUM could have been featured in our Music Shelf area but is profiled here for its artistic visual inspection of one British music label's eye-catching covers and productions. Notes for each production outline the varying graphic design choices which made the albums notable and different, making this a fine choice not just for contemporary music libraries but for art library holdings strong in graphic arts representations.

5 comments about Santa Barbara Style.

1. you just can't go wrong with these series of books, I have them all and they are outstanding



2. As an interior designer, several of my colleagues mentioned that this was the most requested style from their newer clients. I thought there would be more current interiors, referring to a new style. It was more of a historical chronicle of design in Santa Barbara, for exteriors and interiors. It is a nice book, but not exactly what I expected.



3. Im building a santa barbara style house and I was disappointed. Not a lot of details. Sure some pics of some SB mansions but not enough photos or details to actually do anything with this book. I guess if you are into SB history it might be OK, otherwise save yourself the $. You will be done browsing it in about 10 minutes and never use it again.



4. This is an amazing photo essay about the Spanish Architecture of Santa Barbara. I own several books like this and this is my favorite.Casa California: Spanish-Style Houses From Santa Barbara to San Clemente



5. Such a beautiful book, recommended by our architect and builder for obtaining ideas on building a real Spanish Colonial or Revival house. The landscape designs were fantastic as well. Another reader wanted to see "beach shacks" and was disappointed by this book. I lived in Santa Barbara for 6 years and I can tell you have never traveled there. No beach shacks in Santa Barbara. Try along the eastern seaboard coastline.

5 comments about Lighting for Portrait Photography.

1. I loved this book it is great, I haven't tried every illustration but I love the layout, and the ones that I did try are excellent I own numerous amouts of portrait books but I find myself reaching for this one the most.



2. This book leans towards the "artistic" elements to portrait photography (which I love). If honey dripping and being licked from fingers (non sexual way) or a portrait of a model with egg suspended over her face are not yours (these are the extremes of the book, most others are more realistic)and you are looking for improving your family photos or posing seniors, you may want to look elsewhere, although you will still likely benefit from this book. If you want to see how some very "non ordinary" ie exceptional photographers achieve their results, this is it. I enjoyed it very much and it is basically a diagram book. An image is shown, then little keys show where (and what type) lights, gobos, flags, etc were placed and the cameras settings for the shot are diagrammed -excellent. this makes the book a quick read and a great reference, I've read it once but as soon as I finish a few others I have left to read I've got this on the "return to read" stack.
   
   Also, worth noting for anyone who noticed and may be sensitive to nudity and get the wrong idea. If you click on Amazon's "look inside" feature, in the table of contents section it shows a topless photo (as of this writing).In the revision of the book I have, 2007, purchased from amazon, that photo has been replaced. There aren't any nudes in the book, that I remember. Just in case something like that is offputting to you I thought I'd mention it. In fact I think that photo has no place in the book, not because it's a nude, which is also why, but because it's not up to the caliber of the rest of the book either. There are some flat out great portraits in this one.



3. 
   
   At the middle of last year I opened a photo studio. So, I can say, I'm still beginner int this topic. So, this book was very helpful for me to gt advance knowledge about art of making great photos.



4. This book is great if you are just starting out in portrait photography. There are detailed light diagrams and a lot of awesome portraits to choose from.



5. I am a portrait photographer and I pull this book out all the time to review lighting set ups and get inspiration. A definate must have for any photographer. I especially love that the book extensively covers one and two light set up and using foamcore bookends. You don't need a bazillion lights to create amazing images.

No comments about Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D3 (Magic Lantern Guides).

4 comments about Trailer Travel: A Visual History of Mobile America.

1. This book brings together a wonderful collection of visual images of travel trailers from the late 1920s through the 1950s. The images come from vintage photographs, publicity brochures, and other publications. A majority of the materials come from the collections of the University of Southern California, the Auto Club of Southern California, and Vintage Vacations (a California travel trailer restoration company). The quality of the image reproduction is excellent making this book a genuine feast for the eyes.
   Although subtitled "A Visual History Of Mobile America," the majority of pictures are from California with the rest of the country only sketchily represented if at all. Florida is the only other state to have more than one or two pictures included.
   The book has eight chapters. Each begins with one page of text consisting of three paragraphs. The rest of the chapters are illustrations with captions and quotes. The first chapter "Motor Camping" has some of the earliest photos and portrays the beginnings of the travel trailer craze. The second chapter "Selling The dream" contains a collection of illustrations from brochures and advertisements. "Wish You Were Here," the third chapter, is a collection of postcards both humorous and illustrative. The fourth chapter "Trailer Shows" contains pictures from various California trailer shows. Pictures of the latest trailer designs are often enhanced by including attractive female models. "Take A Look Inside" is the next chapter which portrays the interior furnishings of travel trailers. Again attractive female models often enhance the photos. "I've Got This Idea" is a chapter that captures some of the more inventive and original travel trailer designs. A whole chapter is devoted to "Trailer Logos." It was in this chapter that I found the only reference to my 1948 trailer made in Alma, Michigan.
   The book ends with a chapter on "Teardrops," compact trailers with outdoor kitchens built into a back hatch. A one page bibliography provides both current and historic books and articles for further reading. A joyful coffee table book, light on text, but very rich on illustrations, that is eye candy for the trailer park crowd.



2. I am so happy that there is finally a book about this part of American pop culture that has been largely ignored! I had no idea that so many amazing pictures have survived all these years. The graphics are wonderful and I love all of the logos. Great book.



3. It really is a great little book. The endless pictures are the selling point as I could (and have) look at them again & again!

   If you like trailers, or 50's Americana Camp this is a great book.




4. Colorful, instructive and full of eye candy. It's about time someone published a book for those of us who love vintage travel trailers and just plain Americana. This book will live on the very top of my coffee table library.

5 comments about Richard Kern, Action.

1. I was expecting more from this book. I am usually more fetish photgraphy oriented and was not expecting such "penthouse" type pictures. I was expecting something further from your everyday erotica. This being said the book does have its moments with lighting and composition. For a more varied look at this type of photography I recommend Taschen's The New Erotic Photography wich caters to varying tastes. Not a disappointment no matter what your flavor is.



2. I was really blown away by this book. Pictures are of stunning detail and really show an artistic erotic art.



3. While the second review here is accurate -- and let there be no doubt, many of the photographs in Richard Kern's Action are indeed porn -- it is the first review that tells fans of Kern's work what's in store: This book is an erotic masterpiece. The photographs themselves are marvelously composed and beautifully lit. And the young women Mr. Kern has lensed are remarkably sexy and sexual. Yes, there are shots of women urinating and doing other naughty things for the camera, but, alas, that is what many of us enjoy viewing. In short, Richard Kern's new book is stunning, and those who enjoy his kind of work will not be disappointed. A superb volume, this one.



4. This review isn't to condemn this book, only to inform buyers. If you aren't a fan of Richard Kern before buying this book like me, you won't know the content. While the book is presented in coffee table book format; oversize, hardback, nice paper, ect., much of the photography is identical to what you would find in a porn magazine. Mostly young girls, hardcore shots, girls urinating, insertion of toys, semen on faces, and fettish shots. The accompying dvd is as well not photo reference, but is live footage of the models, again in a very adult nature. Probably not a standard artistic reference book if you're expecting it.



5. The evolution of Richard Kern continues. His new book, Action possesses that quintessential pizzazz that runs throughout all of his work, but it nonetheless has its own unique and wonderful flavor too. Kern has always been attracted to the atypical model - he was photographing girls from the "suicide" genre long before it became fashionable - and his affinity for sexy, young ladies continues.
   
   Within the 280 pages of Action there is a subtle yet piercing element of fetishistic sexuality. Panty clad young sirens drop their bottoms, there's toe-sucking, spread shots, and other forms of tainted affection. All presented in that infamous Richard Kern style. Fan's of Kern's work will find numerous reasons to fall in love with his breathtaking vision all over again. And there's an hour-long DVD too. Action is a can't miss!

4 comments about Georgia O'Keeffe Museum Collections.

1. In contrast to a previous review which said the reproductions in this book are very small, I don't agree. It's a large book, and most of the reproductions are decent-sized and good quality.
   Along with the wonderful reproductions of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings are some very nice photographs of her. This book isn't heavy on text, but what there is, I found valuable in interpreting the paintings.
   I'd recommend this book highly for any O'Keeffe fans.



2. I flipped through this book at Barnes and Noble, and was frustrated to find that while the pages were large, the prints were tiny! Just a few inches across, usually. Anyone planning on buying this should know.



3. Georgia O'Keeffe would have loved this book! Not only does Barbara Buhler Lynes, curator of Santa Fe's Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, respect her subject's astonishing eye and craftsmanship in this book, she respects Ms. O'Keeffe's wishes regarding displaying her works of art. During her lifetime, the artist often mounted her own shows, e.g., at An American Place, her husband Alfred Stieglitz's gallery in New York. Ms. O'Keeffe was adamant (a) that her creations be hung on white walls, and (b) that her artwork be arranged by type rather than chronology.
   
   Lynes abides by both of the artist's rules here to great effect, and her meticulousness, in terms of the notes she provides about the artist's work and also the tags she associates with the plates (where she identifies the type and size of the surface used and also the type of medium: charcoal, graphite, oil, watercolor), add another layer of enjoyment for the reader.
   
   Lynes' notes attempt to steer the reader away from stereotypical interpretations that haunted Ms. O'Keeffe during her career. For instance, regarding "Blue II" (Plate 3, Page 19), the curator states: "The . . . womblike spiral of 'Blue II' seems to substantiate connections critics in the 1920's made between O'Keeffe's work and female sexuality. Yet when she made this watercolor, O'Keeffe was intensely involved in playing the violin, and . . . the form . . . of the spiral in her watercolor most likely derive[s] from the scroll-shaped termination of the neck of the instrument . . ."
   
   Categories in the book include abstractions, still lifes, architecture, animal and human forms, and trees. Every reader will find his or her favorite here; mine are the artist's representations of feathery kachina dolls and New Mexico's Pedernal. The last category in the book contains works by other artists at the museum whose careers, in some way, parallelled that of Ms. O'Keeffe. Stieglitz photographs (including a Georgia O'Keeffe nude) are here, as well as Ansel Adams' memorable "gelatin silver print" of Georgia O'Keeffe and Orville Cox at Canyon de Chelly National Park.



4. 
   For those of us not fortunate enough to be going to Santa Fe this year for the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (which houses the largest collection of her work), here is an able substitute. Those who have visited the Museum in the past will relish this opportunity to revisit not only her art but her houses at Ghost Ranch and in Abiqiu, New Mexico.
   
   It need not be said that O'Keeffe is a preeminent artist of the twentieth century, one of the most respected and loved. An American modernist she is acclaimed for her compelling abstractions, so elegant and vital. Her visions are often enlarged. Inspired by the natural she once said, "When I found the beautiful white bones in the desert I picked them up and took them home too...I have used these things to say what is to me the wideness and wonder of the world as I live in it."
   
   This gorgeous volume is rich with illustrations - 335 in full color and two eight-page gatefolds. It also includes numerous photos, some previously unpublished, and works by others who embraced modernism and painted in New Mexico.
   
   Curator of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, author Barbara Buhler Lynes is the leading authority on this artist. She has done a meritorious yeoman's task in compiling this glorious volume which is a treasure for all.
   
   - Gail Cooke