[HILDA WOOD]

Anyone out there with this superb book might be able to help me with a slight problem right at the end of the book.
Page 441 - After applying a curve and lowering the highlights down to darken the image, you are told to 'with white as the foreground colour - select the gradient tool - choose the white to transparent gradient and then draw a number of gradients well outside the image toward the centre. When I do this nothing happens, but then drawing a white gradient on a white mask I wouldnt really expect it to.
Im obviously missing something very basic.
Can anyone help?
Ali

[mistermonday]

Hi Hilda,
What Katrin failed to point out, but perhaps assumed readers would realize, is that after you add the Curve Adj layer, you need to hit Ctrl+I to invert the layer mask to make it black. What this does is completely hide the darkening you just did with the curve, so that it leaves the image looking as bright as it did before your curve adj layer was added. Now by applying a white to transparent gradient from the edges inward, you are whitening the perimeter of the mask allowing the curve's darkening to be applied. Wherever the gradient is transparent will leave the layer mask black and therefore will hide the effects of the curve. Hope that helps,
Regards, Murray

[HILDA WOOD]

Hi Murray,
Oh dear, now I feel silly. Thats just so obvious. Must be having a bad day. Thank you for your help.
Must find another book like Katrin's but it will be a hard act to follow.
Regards
Hilda

[DCobb]

I have three of her books and I have found things that just don't seem to work. However, was not a member of RetouchPRO when I did this book.

dc

[mistermonday]

Hilda, if you have not yet purchased her book called Photoshop Masking and Compositing, you should. Really worth it and then some!
Regards, Murray

[Gary Richardson]

You've gotta ask, why didn't she just use a graduated mask. Black/White

I haven't looked at the book so there may be some obvious reason I'm missing, but from what I've just read in this thread, it seems she's doing things the hard way.

[mistermonday]

Gary, she is creating a vignette but not a uniform circular one. She is slectively unmasking parts of the image. With the gradient not fading to transparency the areas of black that need to be protected will get covered in white and vice verse.
regards, Murray

[sergio2263]

I bought katrin Eismanns book third edition I found i just cannot follow her tutorial i've had to put the book away for now perhaps i need to concentrate more but i just cannot grasp the way she wrote her tutorial everything seems unfinished.



sergio

http://www.pbase.com/mstmart

[Gary Richardson]

Originally Posted by mistermonday

Gary, she is creating a vignette but not a uniform circular one. She is slectively unmasking parts of the image. With the gradient not fading to transparency the areas of black that need to be protected will get covered in white and vice verse.
regards, Murray

Thanks Murray , that's what you get from reading things out of context. Really must dig up Katrin's book, I know I've got it somewhere in the house.

[BenHardy]

Personally, I 'd have to agree with sergio2263. I find the book: 'Photoshop Masking and Compositing' to be rather flawed. I find her step by step instructions either miss out vital operations or simply do not work as stated. Some of her operations for masking seem pretty pointless. She takes you through a bunch of operations to increase contrast between the object and the background and then you find that you have to carefully paint around objects anyway. Not impressed.

[sergio2263]

Originally Posted by BenHardy

Personally, I 'd have to agree with sergio2263. I find the book: 'Photoshop Masking and Compositing' to be rather flawed. I find her step by step instructions either miss out vital operations or simply do not work as stated. Some of her operations for masking seem pretty pointless. She takes you through a bunch of operations to increase contrast between the object and the background and then you find that you have to carefully paint around objects anyway. Not impressed.

Hi BenHardy,

I am glad someone agrees with me regarding Katrin Eismann's book, her book the third edition Restoration and Retouching which i've paid £35.99 on page 26 there is a very badly torn and damaged photo of a house which she shows the before and after but there are no tutorial at all to show how she's achieve the results of restoring this badly damaged photo all she went on about on two pages about computer,tables,chairs,CPU, Bus Speed, Ram etc etc, it's unbelievable also i came across 3 tutorials which i found on the net written by other people which she has in the book again no finish everything just stop in mid sentences. I feel cheated and cannot believe how people says about her books being the best to learn about photoshop.


regards


sergio

[BenHardy]

Well my post referred to her book: 'Masking and Compositing' which, although not incomplete, seems a little shoddy.
Many of her instructions assume prior knowledge of Photoshop procedures and seem to expect that, if she misses out a step then readers will just know what she means them to do, even if she doesn't bother to mention it..
I for one expect full and detailed instructions and as a tutor I'm aware that one must, when outlining procedures, assume that the reader is a complete numbskull and should not be expected to guess.
As such, I find it odd that her books are so highly recommended.
It's not all bad of course but just a shame that some of the procedures were not checked properly.

[sergio2263]

Originally Posted by BenHardy

Well my post referred to her book: 'Masking and Compositing' which, although not incomplete, seems a little shoddy.
Many of her instructions assume prior knowledge of Photoshop procedures and seem to expect that, if she misses out a step then readers will just know what she means them to do, even if she doesn't bother to mention it..
I for one expect full and detailed instructions and as a tutor I'm aware that one must, when outlining procedures, assume that the reader is a complete numbskull and should not be expected to guess.
As such, I find it odd that her books are so highly recommended.
It's not all bad of course but just a shame that some of the procedures were not checked properly.

Hi Ben

And my post referred to the Restoration and Retouching Third Edition suppose to be the must have book. I am a complete newbie to photoshop first ever layed my hands on photoshop 5 months ago Katrin does explain all the tools how they work etc but when it come to the tutorials about restoring it is nil point very confusing she never finish explaining on how to completely restore a photo. I was so looking forward to the book thinking it would make a pro out of me no chance i am still learning bits and pieces from this forum or the net. I am very grateful and thanks very much to all Pros in this forum and the net to give so much help and advice for free.

regards



sergio

http://www.pbase.com/mstmart

[Manorts]

I dislike going against the grain but I love the book. I do agree some things are a little difficult to grasp and some examples did not seem to work too well for me. But she is a lot smarter than me so I guess I did not understand her instructions.
In her introduction to the book on page three, she makes it pretty clear the book in not for a novice to Photoshop.
The one thing I have learnt is that I have to be really patient and not expect instant results. I am working my way through the book little by little. I do not turn the page until I have fully understood the page I just read. It works well for me. I bought the book six months ago and am already up to page 48

[klassylady25]

If you have difficulty with KE books, Ctein's book isn't laid out as well. Both excellent, just a matter of how far you are in your learning curve.