Photoshop CS2: Mastering Camera Raw by McClelland

So, you’ve got your brand-new Nikon D80 or Canon EOS 400D digital SLR camera, and you’ve heard this buzz about the RAW digital format, but don’t know where to start. Well, if you just graduated from P&S (point-and-shoot, that is) and you wish to benefit from shooting in the RAW format, there’s an ebook you can turn to.
lynda.com has just released its “Photoshop CS2: Mastering Camera Raw,� authored by best-selling technology writer Deke McClelland. This will teach you key principles and techniques for mastering raw photography using the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in. From shooting, converting, and organizing raw files to developing and finalizing images using specialized commands, each capability of the Camera Raw plug-in is covered in depth.

The RAW image, which is the digital equivalent of a large-format negative, allows photographers to have greater artistic control and flexibility during the image-editing process, while still maintaining the integrity of the original raw file. Understanding RAW opens a whole lot of artistic and technical possibilities to the new photographer.
Quips Lynda Weinman, CEO of lynda.com, “The future of digital photography lies in the raw format. As cameras and computers become powerful enough to support this highest-resolution format, digital photographers will need to learn new skills. There’s no better guide to this new frontier than best-selling Photoshop author Deke McClelland.�
And when you’re done familiarizing yourself with RAW, go take it to the next level by learning about what a digital photographic workflow is. Apple’s Aperture does this. So does Adobe’s Lightroom, and a few other workflow software. Don’t limit yourself with Photoshop to just plant rabbit ears on Uncle Tony’s head. Learn RAW and the digital workflow to really, I mean really, become an accomplished digital photographer. You know, kid, you just might make money with that. Or become famous. Or both.
In the meantime, your first step is to learn RAW from Deke. Go ahead and do yourself a favor. Meet the guy. There’s some free video lessons here for starters.

Author Deke McClelland in his introductory video to Mastering Camera Raw.
lynda, raw, camera, photoshop cs2, dslr, adobe, lightroom, aperture

Leave a Reply