I own the full version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and have bought and read this guidebook prior to trying out the software, when I was holidaying in Bandung. And it was not the first time I read a guidebook before even trying out a product. I read a book on Canon 40D and have decided to buy a Nikon dSLR instead. Bizarre as it may sound – as people normally do it the other way round – I reckon I value tips and advices from the experts with hands-on experience more than my own initial discovery journey (besides, I am a lazy guy at times). Also, if I don’t find things that excite me from these experts, I wouldn’t find the product exciting anyway.
But that is just me. If you are interested in buying a guidebook, I reckon you must have started playing around with Lightroom 2.
As a side note, this is not a review on the product itself. Stay tune. I am writing an article on that and more.
If you have read the previous works by Scott Kelby, this book does not disappoint. Perhaps more a step-by-step approach compares to the short and sweet and humorous style of his Digital Photography Book Vol. 1 & 2, his personality and honestly still shines the same way. You can clearly see that Scott Kelby has a lot of passion using this software that is designed from ground up for the digital photographers; you can also feel his frustration on some of the functionalities and features that Lightroom 2 does not do too well.
I know your time is precious. So here are my thoughts after reading this book once, and then more.
- In theory, you could learn all the hot keys and where is what from the online manual. In reality, I find it hard to internalize all these to put them in good use. This book is a wonder. It is as though you have a tutor siting by your side walking you through what you ought to know while sharing his experience along the way. When I first downloaded the Lightroom 2 trial version, I was just a little bit overwhelmed. I referred to the book every now and then and in no time, I surfed through what I need to do at ease. In short, I spend more time developing my photos than trying to make the software works for me.
- This book is organized much like how the software is structured: library, develop, slideshow, print, and web. In each section, not only does the author tell you all that you need to know, Scott Kelby does share much of his wisdom beyond the step-by-step guide. From his advise on the digital format that he would use and why, to getting that trendy, gritty portrait look that is highly sought after in the commercial market these days. And there are lots of tips on how to add punches to your photos. There is even a chapter on how to merge HDR images in Photoshop. As a small disclaimer, I did try out some of his highly skilled tricks and somehow, the results are not as fantastic. I am pretty sure that it was my photos and less on the author’s wisdom. Most of the tips they work as they should be.
- What I find most fun (and inspiring) to read is the last chapter on his step-by-step on-location portrait shoot process. I think in time to come, all of us photographers would develop one work-flow that works best for our individual need and artistic inclination. But it is good to read how the professionals work in real life, what they use, how they do certain things, and why.
If you feel that you may wish to get the most out of your software, this book is it. You can spend S$63 to buy one in Singapore. Or order from Amazon.com, it is US$30 before shipping –The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
