  Decent for the non-technical
I picked this up hoping to find a more approachable alternative to learning RAW, as many of my Photoshop students wanted something easier than Bruce Fraser's Real World Camera Raw. A brief skimming of Sheppard's Camera Raw made it appear as though it would do so.
Sadly, after reading it, I can't recommend it.
Overall, it's a decent overview of the capabilities of Camera Raw, aimed at photographers without any experience with Photoshop and very little desire to understand why some of the features in Camera Raw operate the way they do. That (over) simplification does make it easier to learn the basics, but it's sadly limiting for anyone who hopes to be able to truly optimize their images.
His very sketchy explanation of the new sharpening capabilities in ACR v4, his handwaving of the importance of the Calibration tab ("pretty geeky" and hard to use--not surprising given the lack of explanation of any of its controls); the lack of detail about how Vibrance and Saturation inter-relate; the lack of detail about Clarity; the lack of use of SmartObjects when combining multiple images--all made it an unsuitable alternative for me.
Worse were the many misstatements. While rarely important, they were enough to be off-putting. Saying ColorMatch is a "wide-gamut colorspace" (It's smaller than sRGB), various misstatements about CMYK, and numerous other little inaccuracies scattered throughout reduced my confidence in it.
It is, however, very approachable, especially for those with no experience with Photoshop, and particularly for those whose background is with film. The coverage of black and white was also quite respectable.
In that light, if a reader wants to learn JUST the basics, this isn't a truly bad choice--though I would still recommend the Fraser/Schewe Real World Camera Raw book for most photographers anyway, even though it's more technical: it covers more and in more depth in fewer pages.
Overall: not horrible, but better alternatives exist.
Raw Raw Raw
Very well done. I have been into digital photography several years now and did not realy understand what raw was all about. I just took what was common knowledge and shot my pictures in that format, thinking it was better, and then used photo shop for processing.
Now since I have gone through this book I have a comprehensive understanding of this format which allows me much greater post capture enhancing. Some of the material may a little basic for the most advanced users but once you work through this fine work there won't be anything you don't know about raw and its advantages.
He writes in a straight forward manor and gives very clear step by step instructions on what camera raw is all about and how to use the processing power of Camera Raw to its fullest potential.
Like any technical presentation I found myself going over some of the material more than once but that was only because I was unfamiliar with some of the terms. Once I did that the confusion was gone.
All things concidered Camera Raw is well worth the price and the information will answere all your questions about Camera Raw and you will gain valuable information that will greatly enhance your digital experience.
Dull, uninspired instruction.
If like me, you have ever tried taking an adult education class at a local community college to expose yourself to a new topic, you might understand my experience with this book. The author has all the dynamism of a bottle of cold molasses. He is like the ham radio operator who somehow has landed a job teaching Introduction to Broadcasting in the local community college. He may have the passion and the knowledge, but it certainly doesn't come through. This book drags on and on without imparting the information. His style treads the borderline of being pontification. One must endure a full 100 pages of this 350 page book before getting to the meat of the subject and THEN, the author does not provide the images to work along with that first exercise. In fact, for the entire book, he has provided a total of 8 images to download and work with the text.
Especially if you are an aficionado of the writing/teaching style of someone like Deke McClelland, you really need to save your money and look for another book on camera raw. I admit, i got no further with this book than page 125, and i'd sell it on Ebay if only i wouldn't feel guilty for ripping someone off by doing so. I'll donate it to the public library.
Camera Raw
Without a doubt this has been the greatest photography book that I have ever read; and I have an extensive library of other titles.
Good Info, Some Typos
The subject of Adobe Camera Raw is covered well. There are some typos when talking about the controls in the Basic tab. In ACR version 4.* the Shadows adjustment has been renamed to Blacks. The author makes a point of discussing the change but then proceeds to call the control by it's old name, Shadows instead of Blacks.
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