Book Description
Ready to learn the visual effects techniques used at such leading-edge studios as Industrial Light + Magic and The Orphanage? Adobe After Effects 7.0 Studio Techniques inspires you to take your work to the next level with real-world examples and insider techniques. With this under-the-hood, in-depth guide to Adobe's updated motion graphics and effects powerhouse, you'll get complete coverage of all the big features in After Effects 7.0: High dynamic range (HDR) 32 bit per channel color compositing, cinema preview and color management, a redesigned user interface, a new Graph Editor to animate using explicit translation curves, retiming effects using Timewarp, and dozens of other enhancements. Get blockbuster results without the big budget as you delve deep into the essence of visual effects. This book goes beyond conventional step-by-step instruction, teaching you bread-and-butter effects that you can adapt and combine for countless projects.
- Real solutions from real professionals: learn the techniques and approach used to create shots for big-budget special effects films.
- Compositing essentials: No matter how sophisticated the effect, they all begin with the same building blocks. Find out what you've been missing about color and light matching, keying, motion tracking, rotoscoping, working with film, and more.
- Advanced techniques: Your goal should be effects so good that no one notices them. From sky replacement to explosions, from smoke to fire, learn to bring your shots to life and enhance scenes without anyone ever knowing what they're seeing isn't 100% real.
- Companion CD-ROM: Professional tools produce professional results. The book’s companion disc includes plenty of sample projects including HD footage from Pixel Corps and the Artbeats Digital Film Library, as well as more than a dozen plug-ins and programs that you can use to build up and customize your own effects.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book, one to keep by your side while in AE.......2007-08-24
This book is everything I had expected it to be. Not a tutorial book, but more a reference tool. Get in a jam, look it up and you will get ideas on how to get out, or workarounds.
Good for intermediate and advanced users.......2007-05-15
This book is good for people that know how to use After Effects already. It's a good book though full of illustrations and tips but lacks tutorials which would enrich the book a little more...If you are looking for a book to start using After Effects the best book is Adobe After Effects 7 Hands-On Training from Chad Fahs with Lynda Weinman. You read that book and you learn everything needed to work with After Effets 7, Full of tutorials, hi quality paper, color print, and tips all over the book. Simply amazing!
ESSENTIAL FOR VIZ F/X AND COMPOSITING.......2007-04-02
This updated edition improves on the 6.5 book in a number of ways. First, you have tutorials to practice the concepts. AE7 added new features that Mark makes sense of, namely 32 bit float. And he expands on topics and details. I literally compared 6.5 to 7, page by page. Though I owned 6.5, it's worth it to get this update, if for the tutorials alone.
This said, no one else has made easier sense of visual effects compositing. No one. All the other books are really directed at Shake. Which is great if you own or understand Shake. But if you own AE7, or the AECS3, you owe it to yourself to get this. You can live without the Classroom in the Book, not Studio Techniques.
As a final digression, this really is like the source for DV Rebel's Guide. They do not overlap material, but DV Rebel's Guide touches on issues that a crucial, but the author rightfully defers to this book for the indepth analysis and practices. So if you want to go further, look to DV Rebel's Guide. And if you got Rebel's guide and are confused by some issues, look here first.
Superb, Practical Advice.......2006-12-31
Practical is without doubt the best way to describe 'Studio Techniques.' Christiansen has written a book filled with very practical and powerful advice that is sure to delight. Learning to create effects is fundamentally all about two things:
1) Learning to think like a visual effects artist
and
2) Learning to think like After Effects
Christiansen does a superb job of melding these two together. His examples, while very useful for their specific results alone, are perhaps more useful in learning how to approach problems and solve them in the After Effects paradigm.
As an added bonus, 'Studio Techniques' is also riddled with very useful tips and notes that provide additional creative insight and warnings on oddities that occur, their cause, and how to solve them.
Turbo Chage Your Compositing.......2006-11-15
This is NOT a book to help you create your first AE project. You must already be comfortable with the program before you open the cover of this book. But, once you can walk, this book will help you run. You will learn the dark secrets of the hollywood masters of the mystic art of compositing.
Book Description
Before the smash hit movie Serenity came Firefly, the cult TV series which started it all and became a DVD phenomenon, selling almost half a million copies.
Set 500 years in the future, Firefly centres around Mal Reynolds, captain of the ship-for-hire Serenity and its eclectic crew of galactic misfits. When he takes on two passengers, a young doctor and his mysterious, telepathic sister, he gets much more than he bargained for…
This official companion is just what the show’s fervent fans, the ‘Browncoats’, have been waiting for, with unseen photos, scripts, behind the scenes secrets, and exclusive input from the cast and crew, including of course creator Joss Whedon.
Contains the second part of an extended interview with Joss Whedon, as well as exclusive new interviews with the cast, executive producer Tim Minear and many other writers and crewmembers; the full, uncut shooting scripts for ‘Jaynestown’, ‘Out of Gas’, ‘Ariel’, ‘War Stories’ ‘Trash’, ‘The Message’, ‘Heart of Gold’ and ‘Objects in Space’, annotated with memories from the cast and crew; extended behind-the-scenes interviews with the crew behind Firefly, including sections on the production design and visual effects, illustrated with unseen imagery; in addition a section on the Firefly fans and of course Vera...
Customer Reviews:
Basically just the scripts -- not what I expected........2007-09-19
Just to let future buyers be aware....this book (and Vol. 1) are basically just the scripts to the (REALLY FUN) shows. As my husband put it, "It's just the lines, without the wonderful delivery the actors achieved in the shows." I thought it would be more like the various other "about" books that exist about popular movies/TV shows - full of pictures and other fun "about" stuff. In my opinion, these two books were not that.
What a hoot! Get this if you just "liked" Firefly.......2007-09-09
I missed Firefly, the first time around, and didn't discover the series until after I'd rented Serenity. I can't call myself a confirmed browncoat, though I really *really* liked everything about the show.
But when I saw this book on the library's New Books stack, I grabbed it. I think you should grab a copy, too, even if you're no die-hard fan. Because this book is _fun_.
Most of the book is episode scripts (half of them; the other half are in Volume One). That's worth the price alone, because the scripts are immensely readable. Like other intelligent shows, the dialogue is both fast and thoughtful, and you might not have caught everything when you heard it the first or second time around. In particular, the scripts include the translations from the Chinese expletives, and most of them are _very_ funny.
And the "stage direction" is not the dispassionate descriptive sort ("Man enters, wearing a hat"). It reflects the entire mood of the show:
INARA walks towards them, heading for the stairs up to the shuttle catwalk. She's dressed with stunning elegance.
KAYLEE: Hey there, 'Nara. Heading off for some glamorous romance?
Simon turns, momentarily stunned by her elegance.
If you're a screenwriter, this is absolutely a must-have.
The book is also peppered with cast interviews, stories about the creation of Firefly's theme song, production explanations on how, for example, they created Niska's Skyplex. In this book, you can spend an enjoyable few hours investigating how a show can be done *right*...even if the network screwed it up.
Shiny!.......2007-08-23
This is the follow-up and completion of companion books to the cancelled-but-still-growing-its-fanbase Firefly television series. It provides the shooting scripts ans photo stills from the remaining episodes, as well as numerous sidebars featuring backstories and insights into the actors, crew, props, and the inner thoughts of series' creator, Joss Whedon. This glossy volume is heavily laden with color photographs, costume concept designs for the various characters, and pre-production sketches. If you have a love for the series and the Big Damn Movie ("Serenity"), you will feel compelled to buy this book.
A Great Companion.......2007-08-14
For anyone charmed by the short-lived Firefly series, this book is simply great. Besides having the screenplays of the programs in the second half of the series, it is full of pictures, interviews, storyboards, and various tidbits relating to the series. If there is a school for Browncoats, this should be required reading.
Shiny........2007-08-13
Please, what's not to like here? Just the fact that it needs more seasons of episodes to include...
Average customer rating:
- Excellent book for those who love Star Trek ships...
- Ships of the Line (Star Trek)
- Beautiful book--but know what you're getting.
- Disappointed
- Another Great Star Trek Photo Book
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Ships of the Line (Star Trek)
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Similar Items:
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Star Trek Ships of the Line 2007 Wall Calendar
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ASIN: 1416532439 |
Book Description
They dared to risk it all in a skiff of reeds or leather, on a ship of wood or steel, knowing the only thing between them and certain death was their ship. To explore, to seek out what lay beyond the close and comfortable, every explorer had to embrace danger. And as they did so, what arose was a mystical bond, a passion for the ships that carried them. From the very first time humans dared to warp the fabric of space, escaping from the ashes of the third World War, they also created ships. These vessels have become the icons of mankind's desire to rise above the everyday, to seek out and make the unknown known. And these ships that travel the stellar seas have stirred the same passions as the ones that floated in the oceans.
While every captain has wished that their starship could be outfitted in the same manner as the sailing ship H.M.S. Beagle -- without weapons -- that proved
untenable. From the start, Starfleet realized that each vessel, due to the limited range of the early warp engines, must be able to stand alone against any
attack. Thus arose the idea, taken from the days of wooden sailing ships, that every Starfleet vessel must stand as a ship of the line. Through the actions of their captains and crews, countless starships have taken on that role. Here we remember some of those ships and their heroic crews.
In celebration of the fortieth anniversary of Star Trek, here for the very first time collected together are the spectacular images from the highly successful and acclaimed Star Trek: Ships of the Line calendars. Gloriously rendered, each of these illustrations was created exclusively for Pocket Books. With text by Michael Okuda (The Star Trek Encyclopedia), the story of each of these valiant starships comes to life.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book for those who love Star Trek ships..........2007-09-22
I've been a fan of the "Ships of the Line" calendars for many years. This book is essentially a compilation of those stunning images, with some explanatory captions added. As such, it's a wonderful volume for any Star Trek fan who enjoys "beauty shots" of the various ships shown in the series. It should be noted, however, that these are pieces of original digital artwork. They are not screen captures of the various series or movies, but unique images created for the calendar series (and now, for this book). It was a great value and an excellent addition to my Star Trek book collection.
Ships of the Line (Star Trek) .......2007-09-21
Ships of the Line (Star Trek)was not what I was expecting. I was hoping for a more techincal review of the fleet.
With that said, the artwork was great, although I would have liked more on the ships other than that bad 'Enterprise' series!
The Romulan Warbird was the best pic, in my opinion!
Ian Johnson. Perth, Australia
Beautiful book--but know what you're getting........2007-09-19
This is a beautiful, imagination-stimulating, sometimes breathtaking book. But potential buyers should know three things: 1. This book is about half the size of the average coffee table book (FYI, in case you don't read the fine print or easily "get" measurements in the Product Description), so they are not big pictures. 2. This is an *art* book; these are "illustrations," not photographic reproductions from the Star Trek T.V. series(s) or movies. I wasn't familiar with the "Ships of the Line" calendars, so was expecting "real" photos of the Star Trek ships, not paintings. However, some of the pictures are computer-design artwork that very effectively look like photographs. I know it's a matter of taste, by I find these more enjoyable, more evocative.
3. While ships from all five of the T.V. shows are included (not the animated ST), there is of course a favored emphasis on the Enterprise in its various/successive generations. There are only 37 illustrations, so that doesn't leave room for a whole lot else. (Opposing/even-numbered pages are blank, except for a short paragraph of text by official Star Trek history guru Michael Ocuda, which offers interesting commentary, though more impressionistic thatn encyclopedic.) Also, the book's cover illustration is not repeated in the book, so if you get a torn or badly smudged copy, you're out of luck. I was also disappointed that a book called "Ships of the Line" didn't have a single schematic drawing or even a comparative illustration to scale of the various ships (like is sort of done on the cover picture).
Even given all these qualifications, there are at least 10 pictures in this book that really inspire me and excite my imagination; and any two of them, for me, are worth the price of the book.
Disappointed.......2007-09-04
Great art work, but I was expecting the entire book to give us a complete look at rarely or never before seen star fleet ships in various situations. There was a limited look, but mostly that of the series ships we're already quite familiar with. I wasn't too thrilled about the blank left pages as well. Lots of potential for a great coffee table top book. Hopefully we'll get more in a Volume 2.
Another Great Star Trek Photo Book.......2007-08-12
Margaret Clark & Doug Drexler have out done themselfs. This book is packed full of some of the best CGI graphics yet to be published. It's a must for any trekie as it will keep you spell bound just looking at page after page. The book covers all era's of trekdom with graphics of all the major ships we've come to love. It even has a few hints of things to come. The book is graphic intense with very little story, but that ok because some of the graphic will have you beliving that these ship are real. The only short side to this book is it's lack of alein ships as it's cover suggests. There are some aliens ship but none are the focal point of any of the graphics. All in all I would highly recommend this book for anyones library.
Book Description
Before the smash hit movie Serenity came Firefly, the cult TV series which started it all and became a DVD phenomenon, selling almost half a million copies.
Set 500 years in the future, Firefly centres around Mal Reynolds, captain of the ship-for-hire Serenity and its eclectic crew of galactic misfits. When he takes on two passengers, a young doctor and his mysterious, telepathic sister, he gets much more than he bargained for…
This official companion is just what the show's fervent fans, the `Browncoats', have been waiting for, with unseen photos, scripts, behind the scenes secrets, and exclusive input from the cast and crew, including of course creator Joss Whedon.
Customer Reviews:
Basically just the scripts -- not what I expected........2007-09-19
Just to let future buyers be aware....this book (and Vol. 2) are basically just the scripts to the (REALLY FUN) shows. As my husband put it, "It's just the lines, without the wonderful delivery the actors achieved in the shows." I thought it would be more like the various other "about" books that exist about popular movies/TV shows - full of pictures and other fun "about" stuff. In my opinion, these two books were not that.
Browncoats Unite!!.......2007-08-11
A must-have for fans (Browncoats) of the Firefly TV series or Serenity movie. Very high quality, glossy publication with lots of great photos, behind the scenes info, interviews, and word-for-word dialog of each episode. Both volume one and volume two are excellent values. They are well designed and made, great graphics.
Firefly Companion.......2007-07-22
Great, filled with glossy pictures, interviews and comments from the cast and crew. I didn't think I'd find reading the scripts interesting, but I enjoyed them all. The only omission is a cast and crew listing for each episode.
I ended up wanting more, so I guess I'll have to buy volume 2, and Jane Espenson's book and...
Worth triple every penny.......2007-07-03
Wow.
You might think that you're set with just the Serenity Visual Companion - but you're not. This is a necessary read for any true Browncoat. Visuals on weapons, script excerpts, pictures of Alliance money (which are different from the ones in the Serenity RPG book or the Serenity Visual Companion). The costume designs for Inara are explored, too!
If you enjoyed the show, you'll love this book.
Awesome Companion.......2007-06-18
If you want scripts, inside trivia, and sneak peeks at what went on behind the scenes of Firefly, then this is a must have. Well organized, full of beautiful pictures and descriptions.
Book Description
Rapidly evolving computer and communications technologies have achieved data transmission rates and data storage capacities high enough for digital video. But video involves much more than just pushing bits! Achieving the best possible image quality, accurate color, and smooth motion requires understanding many aspects of image acquisition, coding, processing, and display that are outside the usual realm of computer graphics. At the same time, video system designers are facing new demands to interface with film and computer system that require techniques outside conventional video engineering.
Charles Poynton's 1996 book A Technical Introduction to Digital Video became an industry favorite for its succinct, accurate, and accessible treatment of standard definition television (SDTV). In Digital Video and HDTV, Poynton augments that book with coverage of high definition television (HDTV) and compression systems.
For more information on HDTV Retail markets, go to: http://www.insightmedia.info/newsletters.php#hdtv
With the help of hundreds of high quality technical illustrations, this book presents the following topics:
* Basic concepts of digitization, sampling, quantization, gamma, and filtering
* Principles of color science as applied to image capture and display
* Scanning and coding of SDTV and HDTV
* Video color coding: luma, chroma (4:2:2 component video, 4fSC composite video)
* Analog NTSC and PAL
* Studio systems and interfaces
* Compression technology, including M-JPEG and MPEG-2
* Broadcast standards and consumer video equipment
Customer Reviews:
First Rate Book on Digital Video.......2007-09-22
My favorite book on video. It is the most thorough and careful development of digital video I have seen.
While you won't hear this often, it is a beautifully produced book. It contains very clear illustrations, its equations are clearly presented, and the text is nicely organized.
Quite A Fine Text.......2007-06-15
If only more tech authors could write as clearly and with such consideration for the reader as does Mr. Poynton. The layout of the text and graphics is superb. The attention to content accuracy is highlighted by the many helpful, and sometimes amusing, notes in the margins.
Good Book.......2007-02-16
I think this is a good book for begginers. It's very easy to understand and there not trouble read.
A great book for the algorithms and equations of digital video.......2006-12-25
Poynton presents a comprehensive treatise on digital video and HDTV in 50 chapters and two appendices. Although this is a comprehensive work and some topics are presented in complete detail, other equally important topics are discussed in a few pages. The concepts of color, NTSC and PAL encoding, colorimetry, and other topics of image presentation are strongly emphasized. However, the topics of quantization, digital filtering, general signal processing, and methods of compression are treated more briefly. This is a very good resource for anyone interested in digital TV or the computer display of images. It is probably not a good choice for general engineering study by readers without a good background in digital signal processing. The differences between computer displays and commercial television displays are well presented, provided along with some history of both disciplines and how, with the decreasing restriction on bandwidth, these interests are merging.
Part one of the book stresses digital video basics. This is pretty similar to Poynton's previous book on digital video with the exception that he has added some introductory material on HDTV, but that chapter is only a few pages long.
Part two, "Principles", is a very nondescript title for this section. That is probably because it discusses such a large group of diverse topics as filtering, sampling, visual perception, color science for video, NTSC and PAL, videotape recording, 2-3 pulldown, and deinterlacing. This is the section that is the most mathematical, however, it is still not as complex as most signal processing books you'll encounter.
Part three, "Video Compression", consists of three very short chapters on JPEG, motion-JPEG, and MPEG-2. It's a good overview of the concepts, but don't expect to be able to build a codec based on the information in this section.
Part four, "Studio Standards", also has a very specific subject matter. The standards discussed are 480i, 576i, 1280x720 HDTV, and 1920x1080 HDTV. Scanning, timing, sync structure, and picture structures are discussed in each case.
Part five, the final section, discusses broadcast and studio standards. NTSC, PAL, and digital television broadcast standards are discussed.
If you are the type of person who is interested in the algorithms of digital video more than you are the hardware of digital video systems, you'll probably enjoy this book. The author makes frequent use of illustrations and block diagrams to illustrate what is being presented, and I have gotten a great deal of use from it over the years. If you are looking for a book on digital video systems hardware, might I recommend "Video Demystified" by Keith Jack.
The best video book out there.......2006-10-18
I have several excellent books on video, and I have to say that this book is easily the best. Charles Poynton covers all of the basics in a very understandable and readable fashion. Video is a complicated topic, and one that is not well understood. There are many facets of video that are commonly confused, such as the differences, benefits and drawbacks of interlaced versus progressive scan video, or the difference between pixels and lines of resolution. Digital Video and HDTV Algorithms and Interfaces is very well written, and is a must-read for any serious video professional or hobbyist.
Book Description
Digital video students and enthusiasts must learn lighting fundamentals and techniques to enhance the visual quality of their work. Moreover, since lighting specifications for digital video differ significantly from those for analog video or film, professional videographers and cinematographers must learn how to adapt their lighting skills for this new digital medium to ensure that the final product meets broadcast standards.
This complete course in digital video and television lighting begins with how the human eye and the camera process light and color, progresses through the basics of equipment and setups, and culminates with practical lessons on how to solve common problems. It features clear illustrations and real-world examples that demonstrate proper equipment use, safety issues, and staging techniques. Detailed diagrams, figures, and photos illustrate techniques that enable novices to complete basic lighting setups. This new edition also features a 16-page color insert and new chapters on interview setups and lighting for low budgets.
Get a complete course in video and television lighting from a seasoned pro. Detailed illustrations and real-world examples demonstrate proper equipment use, safety issues, troubleshooting, and staging techniques. This new edition features an 8-page 4-color insert and new chapters on interview setups, as well as low-budget lighting set-ups.
Customer Reviews:
Just brilliant insight. really easy to read. .......2007-08-28
This book changed my perspective of lighting being a beginner and it gave me so much insight and the buzz words to work with the pros... Truly enjoyed it and refer to it often! (NO I am not the author)hehe I just really liked it. It rocks!!
A Must Purchase for the Filmmaker.......2007-08-23
Lighting for Digital Video & Television introduces the basics of lighting for film and video in a very concise and lucid manner. The information published here will serve the filmmaker with very little or no budget as well as those with professional budgets. The author presents both relevant theory and practical advice. The single best book I have purchased on the subject of lighting for video.
putting the 'lights' in "lights; camera; action".......2007-06-27
This content of this book is consistent with the "DV Expert series" range, which I would say are aimed at the novice who has discovered that 'automatic' settings don't really work in most situations and want to understand why and how to start taking their abilities up to the intermediate level.
There are many books on lighting out there, be it for still photography, stage lighting, etc and they all cover the same basic 3 point lighting principles, however this book builds upon this by showing how certain aspects relate to digital video. It also throws in real world examples of lighting situations likely to be encountered and ways to work with them.
I think this is a great book for anyone with a consumer/prosumer video camera and wants to get to grips with subject lighting.
Great for the newbie or wanting to go pro.......2007-01-10
I found this book to be exactly what I needed. I knew a bit about lighting, enough to get by, but I didn't have any real experience so I wasn't sure some of the equipment that was out there aside from what I see on ebay. For anyone looking to learn about how to do lighting for small DV/film productions this is a great book to start. There's some good technical background if you're like the rest of us and have to get by doing camera & lighting yourself...
Great for DV Shooters!.......2006-12-02
I found that this book was full of good information. I have been shooting in the DV format for nearly ten years and I definately learned some new tricks. John Jackman brings a great mix of technical and artistic ideas into his approach of lighting. This book is great for the beginner as well as the seasoned veteran. I would have liked to see more on lighting for the moving camera and action, but that's a whole other book.
Book Description
Color Management for Photographers: Hands on Techniques for Photoshop Users, by Andrew Rodney, addresses the difficult subject of color management in a way that can help you get real work accomplished. This is the first book that moves beyond esoteric color management theory and detailed explanations of how things work to explain how to achieve a desired effect with step-by-step instructions so you can get on with creating and printing successful images. Complete with what-button-to-push-when explanations, this guide will help you navigate color management and further solidify comprehension of techniques with self-paced tutorials that enable you to practice what Rodney preaches. This practical, learn by doing approach is enhanced by the accompanying CD-Rom which includes sample files for practice as well as tutorials and software.
Written with the photographer in mind, this book is also a great hands-on guide for graphic designers, those in prepress/print and, more generally, the majority of people who feel color management is too difficult. This book will help to explain this difficult concept in terms you can understand so that you may control and enhance your photographic vision.
* Covers CS2!
* Distills theory and concentrates on the tools at hand to get the job done
* CD ROM with tutorials and software help you better understand the concepts and teach you how to use Photoshop and its CMS features correctly
* Provides the working professional with a resource in the critically important area of printing and prepress
Customer Reviews:
Good resource for color management........2006-12-27
This is a great book on color management. Color management is a oft-misunderstood subject and it is fair to say that there are good reasons for this - mainly that it is complicated.
Andrew Rodney does not simplify the subject, thus the reason I did not give this four stars. However, if you are serious about the subject, this book is a vital tool in trying to understand color management.
Some of the book is tedious and some of it is hard to understand, but there are large parts of the book which offer valuable and understandable information on color management and your quest to achieve this "holy grail."
My suggestion is that if you are casually trying to understand how to calibrate your monitor, this book may not be for you. If you are seriously trying to understand color management and are building a library of useful references and gleaning useful nuggets of information from several different books in your quest to achieve color management nirvana - then this book should be in your library.
Meh... Next........2006-05-23
Nobody can deny that Mr. Rodney knows how color management works in Photoshop better than most people, but unfortunately, knowledge of a subject doesn't make you a good writer. I find the bulk of Mr. Rodney's ramblings (both those published on his website-that-time-forgot and posted to various discussion groups and mailing lists) to teeter on the verge of complete unreadability most of the time, and while my hopes were high that a good editor might tame his curious linguistic proclivities here, they were quickly dashed upon skimming through the text. What's worse, the illustrations and photos in every single copy of this book I've ever seen have suffered from severe magenta color casts, leading one to wonder why the author and his publishing company failed to practice what they preached in bringing this title to the public. If you didn't know who Andrew Rodney was to begin with, you'd likely think him full of beans based on the appearance of the plates in this volume. After all, why should readers believe consistent, predictable color in print to be a realistically attainable goal when even the guy who wrote the book on the subject can't seem to achieve it?
There's certainly some good information in between these covers, but none of it is groundbreaking in any way. You might learn something interesting about WWII by asking your grandfather to tell you some old war stories, but you'll have to suffer through a lot of pointless rambling to get to it, and that's pretty much what reading this book feels like. About the only thing this book really has going for it that its competitors lack is the nostalgia longtime Photoshop users will likely feel at the sight of the dog image gracing the cover. Since you can see that image right here for free, there's not a lot of point in paying for yet another rehashing of this subject matter, even at amazon's substantially discounted price. I have no doubt that Mr. Rodney is a very technically proficient color management consultant who can deliver $10,000 worth of results to all who can afford his services, but his efforts in the creative fields of writing, illustration and design just ain't worth a plugged nickel.
It may also be worth noting that more than one of the glowing 5-star reviews that have been posted here were planted by friends and associates of Mr. Rodney. How's that for class?
The best tutorial introduction to CMS........2005-11-27
Get Andrew Rodney's book, and a copy of Real World Color Management, and you'll have the best existing CMS tutorial and the the best reference text.
Edmund Ronald, Ph.D, (...).
Real world techniques to tackle color management.......2005-09-25
Thanks Andrew Rodney, I just received your new book and I just couldn't wait to thank you for having made all this knowledge available to us. This book will be a milestone on the subject of color management as it dares to go into the nitty-gritty details of "how to make it work in real life".
Andre Dumas "Colorman 042000"
Charming, lightweight banter.......2005-09-16
There are entirely too many books like this. 100 pages of information hidden in clouds of personal chatter, name dropping and cliches. Too bad because this is an important area that is almost completely misunderstood. This material should be presented to experienced photographers at an engineering level. It isn't an "all you have to do is..." subject.
If you don't know anything about color, the first 30 pages of this book might help. If you know a lot about photography this book will irritate you, especially when the author runs aground on the subject of Gamma, as so many others have. There is excellent information on the Web that covers this subject so well, nobody needs to misunderstand it.
If you already us Photoshop CS2 and Camera RAW you don't need this book. If you don't use them, you should. Then go to the Adobe website and pick up the white papers by Bruce Fraser and Jeff Schewe. They are free, very well written and focussed on how Photoshop works and what you need to know.
I would recommend anything written by Blatner & Fraser, or Schewe. Add your own experience and just do it. You'll be better off.
Book Description
Increasing use of digital signals for transmitting data in television, photography and printing means the reproduction of pictorial colour in the 21
st century continues to drive innovation in its development.
Hunt’s classic text The Reproduction of Colour has been fully revised and updated for the sixth edition to provide a comprehensive introduction to colour imaging and colour reproduction. New illustrations, diagrams and photographs ensure that both students and practising engineers using colour images can gain a full understanding of the theory and practical applications behind the phenomena they encounter.
Key features:
- Describes the fundamental principles of colour reproduction for photography, television, printing and electronic imaging.
- Provides detailed coverage of the physics of light and the property of colorants.
- Includes new chapters on digital printing and digital imaging, which discuss colour reproduction on HDTV and desktop publishing.
- Presents expanded coverage of the evaluation of colour appearance.
The Reproduction of Colour is already used as a basis for lectures in universities and specialist institutions and continues to be an essential resource for scientists, engineers and developers needing to appreciate the technologies of colour perception.
Reviews of the Fifth Edition:
"The book is beautifully written and superbly presented. It is a credit to both author and publisher, and deserves to be on the shelves of anyone who has any concern with the reproduction of colour."
From The Journal of Photographic Science, Vol. 43 1995
"Using his ability as a teacher, Dr Hunt has made potentially very difficult topics quite readable…he brings the insight that leads the reader to a greater depth of understanding."
From Color Research and Application, Vol. 23 1998
The Society for Imaging Science and Technology is an international society that aims to advance the science and practices of image assessment. A major objective of the Wiley-IS&T series will be to explain the latest scientific and technological developments in the field of imaging at a professional level. The broad scope of the series will focus on imaging in all its aspects, with particular emphasis on digital printing, electronic imaging, photofinishing, image preservation, image assessment, image archiving, pre-press technologies and hybrid imaging systems.
Customer Reviews:
The best book on color photogaphy I have ever read.......2007-04-29
In my opinion, this is the best book on color photography that I have read. Of course, it covers other topics, but it devotes a substantial amount of text, graphs and formulas to that topic. In recent months, I have acquired a fair number of books on the subject of photography and color theory, some of them very formula-intensive and some descriptive and math-primitive; but this one stands head and shoulder above the rest in its effort to describe the fundamental principles.
I bought this book primarily because I wanted to learn whether it is possible, and if it is, how to predict the RGB density values of negative film versus the CYM density of the photo enlarging filter. I believe that I have found my answers in this book. Yet I was also quite pleasantly surprised to learn a lot more about color photography and reproduction. As I was reading this book, many things to which I had had unanswered questions from reading those other books have fallen in their logical place.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in color photography and who wants to learn not only the practical aspects of it (i.e. the result and the practice) but also the "why" of it (i.e. its scientific and experimental fundamentals). You do, though, have to have some knowledge of linear algebra and chemistry, although I would not call this book math-intensive.
The definitive reference on the reproduction of color........1997-09-17
The author has an impressive array of initials after his name; he is, amongst other things, a Doctor of Science, a Member of the Imperial College, an Associate of the Royal College of Science, and a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society as well as a Visiting Professor of Physiological Optics and of Colour Science, and a former Assistant Director of Research at Kodak. He has also been Chairman of the Colorimetry Committee of the International Commision on Illumination, and Chairman of the International Colour Association.
First published in 1957 and now in its much enhanced 5th edition, The Reproduction of Colour is the most comprehensive single resource available. Two quotes from the preface to the 5th edition describe what it is about:
"The object (is to present) the fundamental principles of colour reproduction, whether by photography, television, or printing in the hopes that all those engaged in producing, selling, buying, or using colour pictures will be able to see the nature of the problems they encounter. Those who want a general statement on colour reproduction will find it in the first part, and those who want a more detailed discussion of any one application in which they are particularly interested (will find it) in the later parts."
and
"The reproduction of colour involves physiology, psychology, physics, chemistry, and technology. presents complexities, (and) involves a wide variety of enterprises".
Even though there are individuals skilled in processing and printing their own color film, and DTP bureaux had taken over some of the work of traditional printing houses, color reproduction was, until not so long ago, the province of technicians in the photographic, printing, and television industries, Now we have crossed the threshold of a new era in which a massive technology transfer is taking place, putting effective control over color into the hands of a much wider range of users. Even home users now have available to them very powerful tools that enable production of images that are, to the ordinary eye, indistinguishable from quality photographic prints.
That brings with it a need to understand the technology of color reproduction, and the definitive text is Dr Hunt's book. I have rated it 10/10 because of the remarkably wide range of disciplines covered and its astounding technical depth.
Without it most of the information presented would have to be gleaned from numerous other books, professional journals, and published papers. Further, one does not have to have a scientific background to gain some understanding of what is involved in the reproduction of color. The fields covered television, photography, and printing are becoming less discrete with the application of digital technology; those who use computerized systems for the reproduction of color images will find relevant information spread throughout most parts of this book.
It is not a popular account, a color-for-cretins guide, or a how-to manual. This is a technical resource written in a style that makes it readable without diluting its professional integrity. Not all readers will need, or even want, to know the chemical structure of cyclic methylene magneta couplers, but may want information about the effects of signal processing on color reproduction. In what other recently published text would one find a comparison table of film speeds that includes the Weston system?
The Reproduction of Colour should be in any library with holdings on technical subjects; professionals in DTP, printing, photolabs, television, and digital imaging should have it; and anyone teaching or studying graphic arts, computer science, photography, printing, or subjects related to television technology should be aware of this edition. A check of some large libraries suggests that librarians may think earlier editions are good enough, but new developments demand this latest edition. Teachers of science in sub-tertiary institutions may well find this a useful text for its practical application of science to topical real-life problems.
The book is divided into parts: Fundamentals, Color Photography, Color Television, Color Printing, and Evaluating Color Appearance. Each chapter opens with an introduction that provides a succinct overview of the topic.
Reviewed by Major Keary [majkeary@netspace.net.au]
Book Description
Digital Compositing for Film and Video is a hands-on, how-to guide that addresses the problems and difficult choices faced by the professional compositor in real-life situations. This book presents you with tips, tricks and techniques for dealing with the badly shot elements, color artifacts, and mismatched lighting that bedevil compositors. Included in this book is: in-depth, practical methods for bluescreen matte extraction, despill operations, compositing operations, and color correction - the "meat and potatoes" of all digital effects. Written in a completely software independent style, it is totally applicable to any brand of compositing software.
The second edition contains many important additions:
* printed in full color with over 400 color photos and illustrations
* companion DVD with 3.7 gigabytes of test images, including hard to get HiDef video and feature film scans
* new section on working with HiDef video
* new section on digital intermediate, the feature film finishing process of today
* more Adobe Photoshop blending modes and procedures
* new material that reveals the add-mix composite, light wrap, slot gags, and how to defeat banding problems
Customer Reviews:
An Essential Guide and not just for compositors.......2007-07-08
If you've ever been on set and heard the catchphrase "fix it in post" this book is for you.
Not only is the information detailed and thorough, but also extremely readable. Some ironic asides demonstrate Wright has the experience to back up his text. He covers all levels of compositing, from basic luminance keying to green-screen/blue-screen, to color corection and matching foreground and background elements, motion tracking, alpha-channels (to premultiply or not premultiply) and the differences between film and video.
The book is not software specific, and the enclosed exercises and demonstrations can be done on most software with compositing features -- including Photoshop!
Why four stars and not five? The extra money demanded for addional exercises seems to be an unfair gouge. But the book is definitely worth the cover price! Even if you have no immediate aspirations at all to composite something, you'll at least see just how tough it can be.
Producers, Directors and Camera departments (aspiring or experienced) can all learn something here -- and with any luck they'll learn it before they light their next green/blue screen.
Too bad the cover is so damn ugly.
Must have.......2007-06-08
I bought it based on the first Edition and I wasn't wrong.
Its even better.
Nice book.......2007-05-13
This is a very complete and engaging book.
It's generic enough so that you can learn a lot regardless of your software/manual tools;
But it focuses enough on certain programs, that it is still useful for those specific users as well.
It was a gift for a relative, but I spent a few hours reading before giving it away...
A must have for your VFX library.......2007-01-05
If you're new to the effect industry or a seasoned pro this is still the bible for understanding what is happening under the hood of a compositing software. This is not software specific, but be it 'Shake' or 'an other' this will help you truly understand the what, when and why.
This book together with - Ron Brinkman's 'The Art and Science of Digital Compositing' - also available at Amazon, will hold you in good stead throughout your career.
It truly gives you the 'wow' factor.
Excellent book.......2006-12-15
Even advanced compositors will glean juicy bits from Steve Wrights' effort. I've read all the standard texts and this one stands with the best. Clear, friendly prose makes this book a comfortable read; read it two or three times and you'll find that you get a little something out of it on each pass. Whether your work end up in print, video or film, this is a must-have book.
Book Description
Motion Graphic Design and Fine Art Animation teaches aesthetic visual concepts and practical techniques used by todays motion graphics and animation professionals. Its cutting-edge layout and rich visuals provide a comprehensive investigation of how images and type are choreographed over time and space, providing artistic inspiration and establishing a basis for individual creative development.
Since the early 1900s, fine artists have embraced the power of animation in motion pictures. Since the late 1970s, graphic designers have explored motion in the televised medium. More recently, animation has become a powerful force in interactive digital media. Today, fine artists and graphic designers have the opportunity (and are often expected) to be animators, as well.
Inspirational and informative, this book is intended for practicing artists, graphic designers, educators, and students who are new to the incredible world of animation both independently and commercially.
This book offers an historical and critical overview of how animation has evolved as an artistic and commercial practice in film, television, and digital media. It also explores conceptual processes by which fine art animators and motion graphic designers develop creative ideas, and it investigates how aesthetic principles apply to animation.
Jon Krasner offers a thorough investigation of common processes such as frame-by-frame animation, interpolation, and compositing. In addition, he explains how designers can approach progressive phenomena, such as motion and transition, and choreograph them to enhance artistic expression and conceptual impact.
As film, television, and digital media introduce certain standards that must be honored during production, this book provides innovative solutions for overcoming the challenges often presented by these conventions.
*Engage yourself in a technical and aesthetic investigation of 2D motion graphics for digital media design
*Grow your understanding of timeless design concepts with a straightforward explanation that you can apply to future projects
*See the rich, full-color illustrations of work by leading motion graphic designers and fine art animators
*Play the DVD to view a full motion gallery of international creative work from studios and major designers of the 21st century, as well as interview clips with graphic design professionals
Customer Reviews:
almost an all-encompassing motion design book.......2005-08-28
I have several other animation books and this book condenses most of the information into a well organized and well printed book. I am alos impressed with the DVD that is included as it gives several examples of motion graphics and fine art animation. I am using this book to teach a tim-based media course at an art school and it is a great resource which combines animation and commercial motion design principles in a way that will be easier for students to understand.
The book unlike other book which should really be printed in colour is beautifully printed and bound-not cheap at all. This perhaps explains the price. I do wish however that the author would have included more about some of the early fine art animators like Norman McLaren and Oskar Fischinger. I guess 'Experimental Animation' by Cecile Starr and Robert Storr cover this but that book is black and white and doesn't provide av examples. Overall however it is a good book that takes a slightly new direction.
A Natural Introduction to Motion Graphics.......2005-05-03
Jon Krasner's approach to motion graphics is a natural for learning the medium as an artform and commercial process. Rather than simply teaching tools and how to mechanics as most books are prone to doing, he builds an understanding of the media from the bottom up-from ideas to execution with an experienced eye for the use of tools and special effects. The emphasis is on how to organize ideas and build a coherent, interesting visual animation using the tools.
This book has the added advantage of retracing a history of motion graphics that will introduce the reader to the ideas and artists that pioneered the form and its evolution to the desktop digital environment. The author then introduces the reader to a wide array of processes and software applications for developing varied approaches to animation.
It is as good an approach to the subject as I've seen, and a valuable introduction to motion graphics animation.
Great book for basics and beyond.......2005-04-27
Maybe like me, you remember the days when Desktop Publishing was in its infancy and millions of ugly pages were created by people who had no talent or experience in design, but did own new software that would let them create those ugly pages very quickly.
But not all designs just sit on a page; they move across screens large and small. And again, as hardware and software become ever more powerful, we're in danger of being deluged with video and motion graphics that suffer from a lack of understanding of the fundamentals of good design and production.
But this book just might keep history from repeating itself. The writer offers insights into the history of motion graphics and then shines a spotlight on groundbreaking examples of more recent work. He talks about concept & design (and even how to come up with good ideas) and then takes you through production and distribution of the work. Some of it is pretty basic, but that's what happens when you're trying to create a book that covers ALL the bases. This guy is apparently a teacher and there's definitely a method to his approach.
And BTW, the accompanying DVD alone is worth the price of the book! It's got a great sampling of work and then the creators of that work talk about what they did and why they did it. You might not recognize the names, but you will certainly recognize some of the images.
If you're looking for a how-to book tied to a specific piece of software, I don't think this book is for you. But if you want a clear and complete understanding of the past, present and future of motion graphics you, this is one is a winner.
How else can you describe boring?.......2004-10-16
This really is a very good book, but it has it's limitations and requires a narrow audience (not for everybody). It's written by a Propeller-Head who does little more than state the obvious. If you've been away on the planet Mars for awhile, then this book is a good introduction to the genre. Although it might stimulate some ideas, although there again it might not. If you've already got a good fix on where you're going and where you're coming from, in motion graphic design, look for something else with a little more depth and breadth.
New Twist On Learning.......2004-08-24
i really enjoyed the approach of this motion graphics book. If you are
familiar with books that come out in this area, they are all generally
geared towards either learning software or recording the latest and greatest designs being done. Nothing wrong with that kind of approach,
but this book takes on some new territory, including a look at the history and roots. Even more importanly it tries to cover the toughest element
of all- having an IDEA. This book does a good job explaining that
motion graphics start with ideas, not knowing which buttons to push.
Of course everyone in the this area needs solid information also,
which a number of writers do well with. Still, a well rounded approach
makes beginners and professional consider the big picture. History, concept and practical information all in one.
I would highly recommend this.
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