Macworld Digital Photography Superguide, Fourth Edition

Learn everything you need to know about digital photography from the experts at Macworld!

Hey, What's This?
If you're familiar with our ebooks, you've probably noticed that this one is different. It was written by our friends (some of whom also write for Take Control) at Macworld. Since they did a great job, we saw no reason to do something similar, so we're selling their ebook next to ours.

The Macworld Digital Photography Superguide, Fourth Edition is bursting with the latest insight and advice for every aspect of digital photography on the Mac:

If you're shopping for a new camera, you'll find useful, up-to-date guidelines for picking the right one for your needs.
Once you have a camera, this book will help you take better pictures with shooting tips and tricks from professional photographers.
You’ll find out the best ways to use the camera you always have with you—your iPhone camera.
As your photo collection grows, use this book to stay organized and to bring out the best in your images with iPhoto '11, including using features like face recognition and GPS support.
You'll also find tips to help you print your pictures yourself, scan old negatives and slides, get the best results from an online photo service, back up your photos, have fun with unusual photo projects, make Web galleries, and more.

More Info
Contents & Intro
FAQ

Foreword

Ten years ago, my wife and I were expecting our first child. During one of our walks around town together, we debated the latest crazy technology purchase I was advocating: a digital camera. I was worried about the cost of printing photos compared with getting prints made at the local drugstore. We were both worried about image quality and, of course, the cost of the camera.

A lot has changed in my life in the intervening years—and not just the typical parent stuff. These days, my family and I live in a nearly all-digital world. The last decade has seen a complete transformation of the art of photography—but it comes at a price. Sometimes these devices and applications aren’t as easy to use as they could be. And beyond that, photography is still as much about art as it is about science.

That’s why Macworld has a dedicated Digital Photo section in print and online, to help you get the most out of your camera and your digital photo library. And that’s why we’ve created this book. Whether you’re shopping for a new camera, searching for tips on shooting better photos, trying to come to grips with a massive (and ever-growing) library of photos, or simply interested in using software tools to make your photos look their best, our team of digital photography specialists has assembled this book to provide the expert advice you need.

As for that walk my wife and I took ten years ago, we did finally decide to buy that digital camera. What pushed me over the edge? I didn’t want to have to take photos of our new baby, run them to the one-hour photo lab, and then scan them into my Mac so I could e-mail them to our far-flung families.

We made the right decision. Every photo I’ve taken since then is in my photo library on my Mac at home. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

—Jason Snell, Editorial Director, Macworld
San Francisco, April 2011

Buy a Camera

Choose a Type of Camera: From compact models to hefty DSLRs packing professional features, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to buying a digital camera.
Features to Consider: Is it worth spending extra money for the latest camera technology? See which features help you take better photos—and which you don’t need.
Accessories: Learn about all the accessories with which to outfit your camera.
Where to Buy Cameras and Accessories: After educating yourself on what type of camera and accessory package you need, find out where to pick them up.

Take Photos

Camera Settings: See how the parts of your camera work together to ensure a good shot.
Master Lighting: Want to take great portraits and avoid gloomy party photos? The secret to these challenges lies in understanding your camera’s flash modes.
Control Depth of Field: Compose a perfectly focused shot using these tips for creating the right depth of field.
How to Shoot Anything: Find the simple solutions to common photo challenges.
How to Compose a Photo: Master the artistry of arranging and framing a perfect shot. ConTenTS

Manage Pictures

Choose Your Application: See what applications you can use to import and edit your images.
Import Images: Learn the easiest ways to import images into your computer.
Sort and Organize Your iPhoto Library: Photo libraries can get unwieldy fast. However, with basic organizational tips and tricks, you can keep your database of pictures manageable.
Tag, Map, and Label in iPhoto: organize your pictures in detail by adding geodata, faces, and keywords.

Edit Photos

Make Basic Edits in iPhoto: iPhoto makes it easy to quickly diagnose and fix subtle image problems. Put these tools to work for drastic improvements in your photographs.
Correct Bad Color and Lighting: Fix coloration and lighting in your images using iPhoto’s Adjust panel.
Make Quick Edits with Preview: Make easy crops and tweaks using Apple’s built-in image viewer.
Improve Photos Fast with Cropping: Capture the best part of your photo by cropping it accordingly.

Share Photos

Print Out Images: Learn about different types of printers and find out how to troubleshoot common problems.
Display Photos Digitally: Show off your photographs by creating a slideshow on your computer or presenting them on an iPad.
Share Photos Online: Display your photos on the Web to audiences near and far using Flickr, Facebook, MobileMe, SmugMug, and more.
Create Fun Projects: Use iPhoto to create beautifully designed photo projects. Sail through the process and unlock hidden features using these tips and tricks.

iPhone Photography

How to Use the iPhone Camera: Master the iPhone’s 5-megapixel camera and LeD flash.
Take Better iPhone Photos: Use these handy tips to take stellar images with your iPhone.
Edit iPhone Images: Tweak photos with ease using third-party apps or a desktop application.
Print iPhone Photos: Learn the best ways to prepare your iPhone images for printing.
Download Photo Apps: Create a panorama, desaturate, or tilt-shift images using ioS apps.

Back Up Photos

Backup Basics: Follow these strategies to avoid destroying or losing your images.
Hardware Options: Study the strengths and limitations of your hardware options.
Online Services: Back up (and share) photos with friends and family using an online service.
Software Tools: You can back up locally using any of these software applications.
Digitize Old Photos: Don’t confine your older prints to the shoebox—scan them, or pay a service to do it for you.

Visit our catalog to see all the other books we publish!

Teach classes? Check out our discounted class copy pricing!

Book Info

iPad & Kindle

About the Authors

Book Reviews

Author Interviews

Foreword

Table of Contents