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iPhoto 2: The Missing Manual
One of the things I like about Apple's iApps is that they hide a great deal of complexity behind a simple interface; they do indeed make the complex simple. The drawback to this is that I often find myself ignoring the more powerful aspects of the application and never using it to its full. It was here that the Missing Manual came to my help.
The target audience for this book would probably be a little less technical than myself or the average Slashdot reader, however when I find myself in a field I don't understand well I don't mind a little stuff for the absolute newbie. This book has an entire first section that deals with photography and digital photography in particular that may be a total repeat for some, I found it a welcome reminder of how to get a good photograph along with some extremely useful hints about the new technology and choosing a camera. It covers such topics as composition and lighting for a host of different situations such as landscapes, night, portraits, children and sports.
It then goes on to a section of similar size on the basics that covers getting the photos from your camera to the Mac, organising the photos using albums and keywords and then editing your shots.
A third section covers the various ways of publishing and showing your photos such as printing, CD, and web pages, and a final section with some tricks and tips on things like managing your libraries. There are two appendices: one very useful troubleshooting guide, and a menu-by-menu look at iPhoto 2.
I particularly appreciated the thorough treatment of how to get the most out of iPhoto when printing photo books and creating web pages in the third section; it was here that I really discovered how little I knew from just 'playing' with the application. The book is peppered with useful information and tips that take you beyond the level that most of us discovered when we ran and used the program. The authors have also provided some marvelous explanations of what is going on, the "why" as well as the "what."
The book is well written with a readable, light, almost witty style that somehow deceives the reader as to the depth of the material being covered. It is only when I reflected back on how much the book taught me that I realised how well it had done the job.
O'Reilly have their usual web page for the book with a sample chapter, Table of Contents and Index. Pogue Press have a neat idea - they have a page that features all the software mentioned in the book. A neat idea that I liked a lot.
In conclusion, I would recommend this book to everyone who is serious about digital photography on their Mac. If you have used iPhoto for a long time you may think the book a waste, but I'd be surprised if even long-time users didn't get their money's worth out of this book. I much preferred the style of this volume to IDG's iPhoto 2 for Dummies , the only other real competitor for this volume was iPhoto 2 for Mac OS X: A Visual Quickstart Guide , and that is a shorter volume with less depth and less advice for photography and nothing on the camera technology, though I think Engst's writing seems a bit clearer at times.
I wouldn't buy a "Missing Manual" for every iApp or the operating system, but if you take the slogan for the series seriously, "The book that should have been in the box" (for the box is entirely devoid of books), I think they are a marvelous help for becoming a true 'power user.'You can purchase iPhoto2: The Missing Manual from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
I think it would have been nice to have recieved something of this nature when I bought my new macintosh. Something to give me a little peek into the power of the iApps.
;-))
I think that would help Apple out a lot, to have more in-depth PDFs on their iApps, like iMovie, iDVD, and iPhoto
I think that would help more and more normal mac users become power mac users (get it! powermac
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but it simply is more than I need. When I download pictures off my camera, I use EXIF-Renamer to rename the photos based on the date and time they were taken. I use JView to view them and if I want to order hard copies, I use Ofoto via Safari. Should I need to manipulate the images, I have GraphicConverter.
The best thing about this is they there are no installers to run; they are "drag and drop" installed applications. But I can also understand why people like iPhoto.
That's just what they want you to think. When Windows 95 shipped, the thinking at the time (and still is today) was that consumers would perceive software to be easy to use if it had no "need" of a manual. It sucks having to plop down 50 bucks for a book telling me how to do some of the more intermediate tasks, let alone the advanced ones.
Apple and Microsoft _should_ be shipping manuals with their products, hands down. Sure I could spend my time playing and figure out a way to do things and yes, the net is a great resource, but I'd rather have a vendor-provided method for training and get my work done so I can play with my Nintendo.
That's just what they want you to think. When Windows 95 shipped, the thinking at the time (and still is today) was that consumers would perceive software to be easy to use if it had no "need" of a manual.
Dude, there is a monstrous difference between Windows 95 and iPhoto. Or even between an operating system and a consumer application.
iPhoto is a very simple, mostly intuitive program whose features can be described / summarized in only a few pages of paper.
I can't say the same for Windows 95.
I had but a simple dream, to destroy all humans.
The 8600 didn't come with Firewire, so you're using some kind of add-on firewire card. Sounds like that's your problem.
Avoid Missing Ball for High Score
I wish /. could filter out repeating trolls like this one and the gay mac user one. I sometimes like to read trolls if they are on topic, but these useless ones get in the way of that. How about "-20 Repeat Troll"?