I am a graphic designer and photographer with over a decade of professional experience. Though self-taught, I am extremely knowledgeable about both hardware and software. I am particularly advanced in my Photoshop skills. I recently was offered a retouching position, but I had to know how to D-Max files, so I could not take the position. I understand the concept of D-Max, and have been doing it after a fashion in my own auto-didactic way for years, but I would like to find a formal, technical and detailed book, tutorial, or even class if it’s in the Los Angles area. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hi ljshapiro the best book is called,Beyond the zone system by Phil Davis.You might be able to find it used,also there is a web site btzs.org give it a try

best of luck zganie

Thanks for your help!

Amazon has a new version of Beyond the Zone System, and by the description, it appears to be about photography, light density, etc., without specific digital information, i.e. dealing with specifics in photoshop. I'm looking for something more pragmatic which will help me learn what I need to know to work as a prepress retoucher. I need to know the theory as well, so I will definitely read this book.

Dmax can be applied SEVERAL different ways. Some are easier, while others are more effective. In my experience there really is no ONE way to dmax that works for every image. What you need to be familiar with are the reasons behind replacing CMY with K and then make the move with as little color shift as possible. This may require a different curve or technique for different images since some images have cool shadows while others have warm ones. I find that a lot of prepress shops use a profile conversion to get the dmax down, and with a less than adequate result in my opinion. If you just go to convert to profile>web coated it will drop the dmax enough for many applications. It also jacks up the rest of your colors in your image. A one percent shift in a midtone area is too much! They should be left untouched. There is also a layer set out there that you magically drag around from image to image and adjust the opacity of it to get the desired affect. This also is a little rookie in my mind since it doesn't leave you to figure out exactly what you need to do. Often it shifts the shadow hues also. Bad news!

How good of a retoucher are you? My studio is actually hiring at the moment and if you're truly a good catch I'd love to have you come check it out and take a quick photoshop test. If you're interested, we are better and more fun than a "prepress house". Drop me a line at jrogers@xyzgraphics.com. You can check our work out on our website as well if you like.
Hope all this helps.

one more thing.....we're in marina del rey. one city over from you.

Thanks for the info. I just sent you an e-mail about checking out your kind offer.