DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS

O'Reilly Releases "Practical Color Management"

Sebastopol, CA -- Taking photos during a morning sunrise on a New Mexican mesa can be a once in a lifetime chance. Yet once you've captured the painterly image, how do you share the true colors and emotional veracity of the near outer-worldly palette with others?

Because no matter which type of digital camera is used to shoot an image, the computer, software, monitor, and output device (printer, projector, or on the Web) must work together to reproduce the actual and intended color for display.

Sound complicated? According to 2006 Photoshop Hall of Famer Eddie Tapp there's no reason to get discouraged. The Georgia native, widely admired for his knack for making the photo editing process easier and more transparent, shares his expertise in his newly published "Practical Color Management" (O'Reilly, US $29.99).

"Years ago, we were known as craftsmen, personally creating and controlling every detail," says Tapp, a contributor to RangeFinder magazine, about his trade. "But blink your eyes today and there's something new in digital. So with the explosion of digital media, taking control requires learning how to use the tools and theories of color management consistently so the results can be predicted."

With the assistance of contributing color-management consultant Rick Lucas, Tapp ably takes readers from the history and science to setting up a color management-friendly workflow. The 150-page workbook comes with clearly presented images to illustrate and clarify the concepts. Readers learn how to:

• Apply consistent color management theory
• Establish a color management-friendly workflow
• Chose color spaces
• Calibrate and profile hardware

"Practical Color Management" is the second in a five-book series. The first, "Photoshop Workflow Setups" (O'Reilly, US $29.99), shows readers how to organize an efficient and user-friendly workspace.

Tapp's easy-to-implement, color-management methods put the fun and simplicity back into digital processing. Frequent MySpace posters, dedicated family vacation bloggers, photojournalists, eBay sellers, graphic artists, conceptual artists, portrait professionals, travel writers, newbies, and enthusiasts are sure to keep this book within arm's reach and use it again and again.