COLOR CORRECTION reviewed by D'Lynn Waldron, PhD. ©2003
Winner of the Golden Crane Award for lessons in the graphic arts
http://www.dlynnwaldron.com/author.html........ e-mail: dlynn@dlynnwaldron.com

THE BEST BOOK ON COLOR CORRECTION

PHOTOSHOP COLOR CORRECTION
Author: Michael Kieran
384 pages, color Illus., Mac/Windows CD
Peachpit $49.99 ISBN 0-321-12410-4
http://www.peachpit.com

Photoshop Color Correction by Michael Kieran, from Peachpit, is by far the best book I have ever found on the subject of optimizing photographs and preparing them for the press. This book is clear, concise, comprehensive and ideally organized. It is very well illustrated and the CD has images on which the reader can practice the techniques presented in the book.

The author Michael Kieran is a deservedly renowned authority on optimizing photographs and preparing them for prepress and Photoshop Color Correction is excellent as both a text and a reference.

Part 1 explains the fundamentals of color:
- How lighting conditions and individual eyes affect the way color is perceived.
- The RGB, HSB and CIELAB models for color in the computer
- How to adapt the transmissive RGB color of a monitor to the reflective color of CMYK inks on paper.
- The various kinds of process color and spot color printing.

Part 2 covers color managemeent with ICC profiles, calibration, and color spaces.

Part 3 explains how to use the various facilities in Photoshop to improve images and prepare them for the press.

Part 4 tells how to bring out the detail that is in the highlight and shadow areas of a photograph.

Part 5 explains why making your grays neutral is important and how to achieve them.

Part 6 deals with contrast and how to analyze tone channel by channel and apply curves to individual channels.

Part 7 discusses the options available in sharpening and how to use them, including sharpening only selected color channels.

Part 8 presents advanced techniques using CIELAB, stacked layers and channel blending.

Color correction, sharpening, etc., are a subjective art. With this book, you can use the author’s methods to achieve whatever results you prefer or your client wants.

Michael Kieran’s Photoshop Color Correction from Peachpit is of inestimable value to every professional and all serious amateurs. I keep it right beside my computer.

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