Digital Lady Syd’s Favs
My Favorite Photoshop Books
No Photoshop blog could be complete without a list of favorite Photography and Photoshop books. I like all these books pretty much the same so they are presented in no particular order. Most have older publication dates but I feel they are still quite relevant, especially those on photography.
1. The Photoshop Wow! Book (both versions CS/CS2 and CS3/CS4) by Linnea Dayton and Christen Gillespie.
These books are definitely for the creative type. When I got the first book, I did not look at it that much. What wonderful books with all kinds of interesting ideas and great coverage of Photoshop, including many ways of using the tools that had never occurred to me. Worth every penny, even though somewhat out-of-date! They still contain some real jewels in them.
2.
Anything Glyn Dewis does is great – this book I particularly like but there he has published a newer book on Photoshop.
3. Photoshop CS6 – the Missing Manual by Lesa Snider
This is the first book I have bought of Lesa’s and I am not disappointed. She covers everything about Photoshop very thoroughly in this 862 page book, with lots of little tips throughout. I like the many cross-references added to the text to get more info on a topic. I still use this book when I am stuck on how something works – still relevant many years and Photoshop versions later.
4. The Photoshop Darkroom Creative Digital Post Processing Book 1 and Creative Digital Transformation Book 2 by Harold Davis and Phyllis Davis
Harold Davis books are all great but I particularly enjoyed these two – they have lots of examples of the techniques he is using and gives you new insights into getting totally crisp looking images, whether shooting HDR or not. Wonderful techniques in these books. The first book does not seem to be readily available anymore.
5. Adobe Photoshop Master Class – 2nd Edition: The Essential Guide to Revisioning Photography by John Paul Caponigro
This book was published in 2003 and as far as I know, is the only technical book he has published. Caponigro uses very different approaches to all his art and I absolutely love his techniques. He has a very active website and does sell DVD’s which have more current information, but much of what he teaches is presented in this book. This book is definitely not for someone who wants to just adjust an image – it is really about creating fine art in Photoshop. Simply the best for this. This book is still one of the most useful I have.
6. Vision & Voice – Refining Your Vision in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom by David duChemin
This is easy to understand and has beautiful photography in it. duChemin is one of the best photography authors and this book totally connected with me. If you have Lightroom, it is a must read! Once again, even with Lightroom 4 or 5, the basic presets he discusses work just fine since most involve the Split Toning section. And basically, anything he currently writes is a great read!
7. The Moment It Clicks by Joe McNally
This book has been around for a while and he has several newer books which are very good. I just love this book and the stories that go with it – totally entertaining and pretty light on the photography aspect, which his other books explore more. He is a fabulous photographer and the book totally entertains!
8. The Digital Photography Book – Books 1 through 4 by Scott Kelby
Even if you are new or old to photography, these little fairly inexpensive books are great reads – you will learn something and there is very little repetition between each book. Quick reads and chocked full of tips!
9. Art Beyond the Lens by Sarah Gardner
This book is THE book on learning how to apply textures to an image correctly. The images are beautiful and her explanations easy and straight forward.
10. Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques by Scott Kelby
Once again, when I had to retouch a couple wedding shots, this book was indispensable! He takes you through everything you need to get that great face look from getting rid of 5-o’clock shadow to changing the color of lipstick. I am not the best at people retouching and this book saved the day for me!
Favorite Photoshop and Photography Websites/Blogs
Most of really good Photoshop gurus have taken to putting tutorials on YouTube or short videos on their website instead of writing books. Here are the one I like the most.
1. Digital Lady Syd’s Fun Photoshop Blog
I have to list my other blog – I have been blogging there for over 14 years and a lot of my favorite techniques are shown. Take a look if you have a chance. There is also a link to it at the top of this page.
2. Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider Blog
Simply the best blog on Photoshop. Has interesting topics and interesting guest bloggers. Check it out frequently.
He has lot of videos and tutorials with the latest information on Lightroom and Photoshop.
This is Matt Kloskowski’s Lightroom and Photoshop blog, which he is updated frequently with lots of tips and advice on it.
5. John Paul Caponigro’s Digital Photography Blog
This is a very interesting blog and site. There is always something very different to look at on his site. Also check out his resources – they are excellent!
6. Unmesh Dinda YouTube Channel
Unmesh has one of the most popular and interesting Photoshop YouTube video channels I have seen. He does not appear to have an active website but is somewhat active on social media.
Colin Smith has another great website with lots of great tips and tricks for both Photoshop and Lightroom. One of the best sites!
Another fabulous site where Aaron Blaise, a former Disney character drawer, has a lot of inexpensive tutorials to learn how to draw. He also has a great presence on YouTube, so check out his videos. They are a bit long, but loaded with great drawing and Photoshop tips.
I am partial to this guy (he’s my son) as he is using my old camera to create some of the best concert photos you will ever see. Some of his photos have appeared recently on major network news shows and newspapers. Check it out.
10. Shorpy’s Historical Photo Archive
I am a bit of a history nut and this site usually posts between 1 – 3 old historical photos a day from all over the country. Many are from the turn of the century of the large hotels and the beaches up and down the East Coast. If you enjoy the old images, this site is great.
10. Bored Panda
This website has some of the most remarkable photos that are updated many times a week. Lots of fun to see what other people are coming up with! Check it out!
Totally interesting and covers many of the great painters of the past and current times. Always find interesting information on this site.
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