TechTV's Digital Camera and Imaging Guide - Softcover

Freed, Les

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789726394 ISBN 13: 9780789726391

Publisher: Que, 2001

Synopsis

TechTV's Digital Camera and Imaging Guide is a complete resource to use before and after buying a digital camera. You'll get expert advice from Les Freed, a PC Magazine editor who writes reviews on the newest consumer digital cameras and compatible software and hardware. This guide covers choosing the right camera, hardware, software, and Web resources, and shows how to capture, edit, store, and share images easily and with no previous photography experience.

About this title

Review

A combination of a beginner's guide to photography and a tutorial on how to use the most popular image-editing software, TechTV's Digital Camera and Imaging Guide makes an excellent companion for someone approaching digital photography from either direction. It's simultaneously well suited to photography hobbyists who want to learn about digital editing and to longtime computer users who want to do more with their latest peripheral than take happy-snaps at the barbecue. The authors--Les Freed (who has written about this subject for PC Magazine) and Sumi Das, who does technology reports for a cable television show--have done great work in explaining their subject in a welcoming way. You'll enjoy reading their prose and trying out their ideas.

Though there are a few expeditions into the peculiarities of specific products (cameras and printers, especially), the authors generally stick to universal principles when explaining what to look for in hardware. Any other approach would quickly be rendered obsolete. When it comes to software, they investigate a variety of products as well, though they stick mainly to the Adobe Photoshop interface (under Windows XP) when they explain how to, for instance, straighten and crop a haphazard picture of a skyline. These instructional sequences, by the way, are nicely illustrated. There are plenty of "work in progress" shots in addition to the "before" and "after" ones. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to choose, use, and enjoy a digital camera. Coverage includes much about general technology, including explanations of pixel resolutions and photo-transfer options, as well as advice on photographic technique (lighting and composition, among others). Detailed sections have to do with using Adobe Photoshop to tweak your photos after they've been taken.

About the Author

Les Freed is a writer and photographer based in Southwest Florida. Les writes on a broad range of technology topics, including digital imaging, computer networking, and the Internet. Les has been a contributing editor at PC Magazine since 1994 and a frequent contributor since 1990.

Les' other Que books include How Networks Work and Practical Network Cabling, both co-authored with longtime collaborator Frank Derfler. Les and Frank shared the 1993 Computer Press Association award for Best How-To Book for How Networks Work, still in print in its 5th edition.

Before joining PC Magazine, Les was founder and CEO of Crosstalk Communications, developers of the popular Crosstalk data communications program for PCs—back in the days before the Internet made communications software obsolete.

Prior to founding Crosstalk, Les was a Senior Technician and Videotape Editor at CBS News from 1976 to 1981 and a cameraman and News Editor at WTVJ-TV in Miami from 1972 to 1976. He graduated from the University of Miami in 1974 with a B.A. in Electronic Journalism.

Sumi Das, host of TechTV's Fresh Gear, shows viewers each week the best and brightest technology available in the market, covering what's new, what works, as well as offering recommendations on what and what not to buy. She also gives viewers a glimpse into the future by exploring emerging technologies that are still in the research and development phases. Das has been an on-air host since 1998, endearing herself to TechTV viewers as one of the network's leading ladies through her charming, accessible approach to intricate technology subjects.

TechTV is the only cable television channel covering technology news, information, and entertainment from a consumer, industry, and market perspective 24 hours a day. From industry news to product reviews, tech stocks to tech support, TechTV's programming keeps the wired world informed and entertained. TechTV is one of the fastest-growing cable networks, currently available in millions of households and distributing content to 70 countries around the world. Check your local television listings for TechTV.

Edition details

• Publisher: Que
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0789726394
• ISBN 13: 9780789726391
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 344