Adobe Photoshop

As a digital editing tool, Adobe Photoshop is the most widely used. It is the accepted industry standard for graphics professionals, much as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel are the standard for business word-processing and spreadsheet applications. Using Photoshop, you can perform all the traditional retouching techniques that have been used for decades, as well as use an amazing array of digital image-enhancement and manipulation tools. At the time of this writing, Adobe has just released Photoshop CS2, and I've had the pleasure of trying it out. I'm particularly fond of the new Smart Sharpen tool, because it helps cure what I call the "halo effect" you get when you over-sharpen using other Photoshop methods. Unfortunately, Photoshop is so full of tools that a detailed discussion of the program is beyond the scope of this book (although I do take you through some retouching steps later in this chapter). Consider picking up some of the books written specifically about Photoshop CS2 if you want to know more. I highly recommend David Busch's Adobe Photoshop CS2: Photographers' Guide, published by Thomson.

Note

How you use certain Photoshop features for food photography varies somewhat from how the program might be applied to portrait and fashion. Using Photoshop and its tools is a continual learning process; the tutorials and the instructional CD that are packaged with the program are very helpful. Also, try to attend any Photoshop workshops offered in your area.