[.ca] Commercial Photoshop Retouching: In the Studio (ISBN 059600849X)

The best of Retouching:
Finally somebody has created the very best guide to professional retouching. The format is easy to read and kept me focused on what I really needed to know. After spending much time researching the topic I have found a tool for one stop shopping. Glenn Honiball certainly knows the fundamentals and has a coherent way of telling "the story". I encourage young retouchers and old to start by scimming the the book and you will soon find out that you can't live without it. Way to go Glenn and thanks.

Very useful retouching aid!:
The chapter on adding natural-looking shadows alone was worth the cost of this book! It has helped me immensely both professionally and in my personal photo retouching. Glenn has gotten to the "meat" of colour correction without being too verbose or technical. I enjoyed reading the book and was able to use Glenn's tips and tricks immediately.

Very Disappointed:
Based on the description, previous reviews and the author's portfolio, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, after only a few chapters, I came to the sad realization that I was going to be disappointed with Mr. Honiball's offering. With any reference book, you need to have complete faith in the author and the information he is providing. So when I see glaring errors like describing shadow RGB values as R520 G250 B250 and highlight values as R5 G5 B5 (along with obvious typos like calling Chapter 5 "Chapter 7" in the Table of Contents) I am understandably suspicious of much of the instruction provided in this book. I've been using and teaching Photoshop for the past 12 years and I fear that if I was a novice that didn't recognize these as errors, I would have taken this misinformation as fact and would have been hopelessly lost in his incomplete and inaccurate instructions. I had hoped to find some valuable information on retouching glamor photos and studio shots, but the author barely touched on the subjects. While Mr. Honniball's portfolio is impressive, I have to question his ability (or perhaps his willingness) to share the techniques he uses to create these works. Much of the instruction in this book tells you to do things, but never actually tells you HOW to do it. If you're looking for a definitive guide on professional retouching using Photoshop, look elsewhere.

Fantastic tips:
Glenn's knowledge of Photoshop is quite obviously extraordinary and anyone in the prepress/print business can attest to the amazing tips he demonstrates for that application. Quite simply, it is the best tool for anyone in the industry who needs to perform the functions of prepress. Further, his creative tips are unique and constructively exercised so someone can easily try, practice and learn for themselves. I think it is a fantastic resource for our industry.

Every graphic designer should own this book!:
I was very happy to finally find a Photoshop retouching book that I can keep at my fingertips and use regularly for my work as well as for my personal use. The book is very well organized and layed out. You can easily jump from chapter to chapter as needed. The step-by-step instructions supported with lots of coloured images are very easy to follow and understand. If you are a beginner or an advanced Photoshop user, you can greatly benefit from this book. I highly recommend it!