The Elements of Color

Book Description

A useful simplification and condensation of Johannes ltten's major work. The Art of Color, this book covers subjective feeling and objective color principles in detail. It presents the key to understanding color in ltten's color circle and color contrasts.

Customer Reviews:

Great reference book to have.......2006-11-04

I purchased this book because I wanted to understand colors, color schemes and theory(ies) better in order to apply to my necklace designs. It's a good book to have in your library, but it won't answer all the questions you may have about some applications. Itten's other books however cover pretty much everything; try The Art of Color, for example, if you'd like learn more about color effects on moods/feelings.

For the Serious..........2006-08-13

It's been difficult to give a balanced critique. On one hand, "Elements of Color" has a wealth of information, but on the other, it takes serious committment to fully understand and comprehensively apply the information Itten presents. There is much valuable data, but it's interspersed with almost stereotypic, outmoded "Teutonic" concepts; e.g. assigning "Blond Types" springtime, bright, vivid colored topics, while "Dark Types" should be assigned "Night, Burial and dark room" topics. There is much valuable, technical information, but it is like digging through hard stone to find the gold; overwrought and culturally centered, judgemental statements are very common ("red expresses intermediate degrees between the infernal and sublime"... what's this?!?!). Other statements seem value-laden, i.e., "sentimental blue", "angelic pink", "blue reigns supreme"... Some excuse may be found in realizing the concepts in this treatise may have been developed before the Post Modernist Age, which accepts cultural and ethnic diversity, that accepts art and the use of color as being open to various interpretations, that color is certainly relative and greatly subjective, that many statements about color are only opinions... and that there is no absolute truth as to what color is "right" or "wrong". Unless the reader is studious and very serious about trying to unearth the information contained in this book, he or she is much better served by studing Albers or others. Too bad there is no editing, no index, and no glossary. What would Itten think of the book, "Chromophobia"? ... Pablo Tellez

so you decided to learn the truth about colors..........2006-07-24

Itten, himself is one of the greatest color theorist of our century, and the masterful mind behind the Bauhaus School.

In this book Itten describes his color theory and the facts of his famous "Color Star", which is one of the most strongest tools for color harmony for designers and alike.

Most color books have samples of color harmonies you choose from when you design, or talk about complementary colors, but cant tell you why u use such combinations or so.

If you have an analytical approach to design, rather than just copying what others do, you will love this book. You will begin to understand the language of colors.

Have u ever heard of "the Seven Color Contrast", if not then it is time for you to get familiar about it.

This book is an evaluation of Ittens masterpiece "Art of Color". The chapter on subjective experience of color is very limited in this book.

If you are willing to invest more on color matters buy "Art of Color"

If you are happy to stay with the basics then this book is adequate for your purposes.

Color from a master.......2006-07-14

Although witten for artists who mix colors for an effect, this small book has a wealth of information for fiber artists and quilters. How do translucent colors interact with other colors? Illusions in color? Which colors can be used in conjunction with other shades and tints? It is all here in this book. Many illustration,color plates,and well written text.
Very scientific, but easily readable. Good reference book on color.

Essential Reading for the Serious Colorist.......2002-01-26

I have been a professor for 15 years. "The Elements of Color" has been required reading for many of my courses. It is not only enriching as a color theory document, but it helps expand the artist or designers possibility of using, arranging and conceiving color.

Digital Photography Expert Techniques (O'Reilly Digital Studio)

Average customer rating:

Who's an Expert?
A long read - because it is that good
MyMac.com Book Review
SMILE: YOU'RE ON DIGITAL!!
Make Your Digital Photos Stand Out From The Rest

Digital Photography Expert Techniques (O'Reilly Digital Studio)
Ken Milburn
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596005474

Book Description

This absorbing book, by professional photographer and author Ken Milburn, offers a ton of expert advice to those who are ready to move to the next level with digital photography. Rather than a general discussion of photography principles, Digital Photography: Expert Techniques focuses on workflow: time-tested, step-by-step procedures based on hard-nosed experience by and for genuine practitioners of the art. The book's conversational tone presents detailed information about what to look for in today's affordable high-end digicams, how to use simple techniques and equipment to shoot breathtaking shots, instructions on shooting great panoramas, dos-and-don'ts for creating better Photoshop masks, and professional digital darkroom techniques for everything from knockouts to restoration to transforming your photos into watercolors. It even shows you how to get your most prized photographs printed and ready for exhibition. Contents include:

Understanding your digital camera from the inside out.
Creating effects with the camera: making panoramas, high-resolution matrixes, infrared photos, and more.
General composition and managing your workflow.
Using the digital darkroom and Photoshop CS to make your images professional caliber.
Understanding the power of Photoshop CS selections and masks.
Using special effects to save what's good, and get rid of the bad and the ugly.
Creating fictitious photos: bend and wrap images to fit an object, insert a more interesting skyscrape, and more.
Professional color and tonal management
Creating portfolios and presenting your images on the Web.

Digital Photography: Expert Techniques is in four-color front to back, allowing you to see each step in the Digital Photographer's workflow, including the steps in-between. Serious photographers, including professionals, who want to take advantage of the unique creative powers available through digital photography and digital image processing will find this problem-solving book invaluable.

Customer Reviews:

Who's an Expert?.......2007-02-16

This is a well written book that it's hard to put into a cubby. That's because one man's expert technique is another man's beginner's technique.

Milburn's style is to follow a workflow approach, starting even before capture and moving through the use of Bridge, Adobe Camera Raw and the main Photoshop program. Milburn emphasizes the importance of non-destructive adjustments and in the main program proceeds first with both overall and targeted adjustments which are made by adding layers which do not change the underlying photo. He recommends that only when these are completed should adjustments that effect the underlying image be made, and then only on image layers that have been created especially for this purpose. (Strangely, in creating this special layer, he recommends converting the background layer to Layer 0, selecting all the layers and then using Cmd/Ctrl-Opt/Alt-E. Most experts do not recommend changing the background layer, but rather just selecting the top layer in the layer stack and using Cmd/Ctrl-Opt/Alt-Shift-E.)

By the way if this last discussion of creating a new layer was incomprehensible to you, you are probably not one of the experts that Milburn is aiming at.

And of course there's the rub. In some chapters the instruction is quite suitable for beginning Photoshop users and in other chapters one would have to quite familiar with Photoshop to get something out of the discussion. Moreover sometimes this happens in the same chapter. For example, in the chapter on Camera Raw he gives elementary instructions on using the sliders on the adjust tab which would be quite suitable for a beginner, but not necessary for anyone with a familiarity with Camera Raw. Later in the same chapter, he discusses creating high-key and low-key images which I would consider closer to expert needs. Moreover, he sometimes leaves out what I felt was essential information. For example in the Camera Raw chapter he discusses the fact that there is a sharpening facility in Camera Raw, but doesn't mention that fact that it can be set to apply only to the preview without actually being applied to the image later opened in the main Photoshop program.

Some chapters are clearly aimed at more advanced Photoshop users and quite good. For example, the chapter on repairing the details was full of information that an expert user may never have encountered before or never appreciated the importance of.

Occasionally, I found that the author made reference to a particular chapter or a website that was inaccurate, but not fatal since the material was covered somewhere in the book.

Where does all of this leave one? Certainly, to get the most from this book, you will need to be experienced with Photoshop and Camera Raw. Many experts would then prefer to look for advanced information in more targeted books. But others who don't mind having their memory refreshed about things they already know will probably pick up several useful techniques from this book. I certainly did.

A long read - because it is that good.......2007-01-12

I was anxiously awaiting this title to arrive in the mail, particularly because of its emphasis on "expert" techniques. Though I didn't find every page riveting, the book on the whole fulfilled my expectations.

If you have jumped into the world of serious amateur or semi-pro photography, you no doubt own an SLR camera. It is a must. After continuing to shoot JPG for awhile, you venture into the world of RAW files. This is a whole new world with incredible possibilities. What you quickly find is your hard drive quickly fills up with RAW files and you have a hard time knowing how work with those files in any sort of time-conscious workflow. You let them pile up into a perpetual of backlog.

Ken Milburn knows his stuff, and has developed a highly effective workflow for processing, organizing, presenting and publishing his photos. His experience shows through in each chapter as he opens up his entire process for everyone who reads this title to learn from. Though I found some of my own workflow techniques already matched his suggestions, I found numerous suggestions I hadn't previously known or considered that have helped improve my effectiveness. Efficient and effective workflow is the overriding theme of this title.

Though much of the books training focuses on post production, namely in Adobe Bridge and Photoshop, a couple of chapters at the beginning get you optimizing and improving your in camera approach as well. Past the workflow theme, there is plenty of time spent on giving your photos the "wow factor" you have always wanted. What I enjoyed most was the improved techniques taught in the "non-destructive" phase of digitally developing your photos.

I recommend this book to anyone who is shooting a high volume of photos, particularly those that may be working their way into portrait photography for hire. Adding the habits and knowledge gained from this title will make you a much better professional as well as the ability to output top notch photos.

MyMac.com Book Review.......2006-12-19

With a plethora of digital cameras appearing in the marketplace, purchases of these cameras has exceeded even the most ambitious sales predictions. Everyone and his grandmother now has a digital camera. A lot of these models are of the point and shoot variety. They're small, lightweight, actually take great pictures, and have many features for the cost. There are lots of publications out there: magazines, how-to books, manuals, videos, and websites which help newbie photographers along the path to good quality photographs. If you're looking for something like that, may I pass along a suggestion from the Ken Milburn, the author of this title under review? Before reading this book try Deke McClelland's Adobe Photoshop CS2: One on One (O'Reilly). You will then be "up to speed" and more able to handle the various terms and maneuvers in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques.

Along with all the less expensive point and shoot cameras, digital SLRs (single lens reflex) have also grown up. Most of these cameras will be purchased by serious amateurs, or "enthusiasts," and professionals. DSLRs have interchangeable lenses, more megapixels, and larger, more noise-free sensors. In other words they're more suited to professional and "prosumer" photography.

DSLRs also are capable of producing high quality RAW files which are, in large part, what this book is all about. It's also about workflow rather than procedures. If you're interested in what it takes to make true professional quality images in the most efficient and cost-effective way this book is for you.

The first thing I loved about Digital Photography: Expert Techniques is its organization, and the chapter outlines at the beginning. Here the author tells us what's in store for each chapter from start to finish. I also appreciate the way Ken Milburn writes. It's almost conversational, like having a good buddy who happens to know almost everything there is to know about what goes into a professional digital photograph, and being a professional photographer.

He starts us off with an overview around which the rest of the book is structured. There is a quick guide in the form of suggestions (some are common sense, others are anecdotal) like getting your camera ready, computer equipment and its configuration, image downloading, backing up originals, presentation for client approval, winnowing, preliminary editing, and the final output. He includes logical common sense tips about equipment, settings, and more. He even provides a comprehensive list of what's available -- suggesting hard drives, backups, monitors, and DVD writers. Efficiency is always the byword in workflow, and Ken Milburn leads the way.

Milburn teaches us how to connect to DNG (digital negative), a nonproprietary RAW format which anyone can use. He suggests that it may become a universal format which means that even if the RAW file format in your software becomes obsolete you will still retain your RAW files through DNG. Safety. Efficiency. Smart.

Since the author has been a professional photographer for decades he has learned through experience and study about being prepared in the field for both seen and unforeseen circumstances. He passes along sage advise and counseling in his chapter BE PREPARED.

One of the great features which has separated Adobe Photoshop CS2 from the rest of the pack is Adobe Bridge. It is a browser, but so much more. Ken Milburn gives the reader an excellent primer on how this feature works and its many advantages. He shows how simple it is, and at the same time it is scriptable, customizable, has variable thumbnail sizing, and has multiple browser windows which can be opened at the same time.

Want to create and use panel layouts to sort as you wish? How about creating a meta data template including all your camera info like settings, history, status, and even IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) info? He shows you how to do all this, and more.

Once we get into Camera Raw, Ken Milburn shows us how to streamline the process. Once it's set up you're ready to rip. For you Photoshop Elements 4 users he shows the differences between Camera Raw in Elements 4 and CS2. He also tells us the why and how of it all so we understand why all this is a good thing. Take for instance the aforementioned DNG files. The author implores the reader to strongly consider filing using DNG and lots of backup. It's possible that either through technical improvements, marketing considerations, mergers, or even dissolution of a manufacturer that a proprietary RAW format could become obsolete. It is certainly something to consider.

There are some clients out there who need their photos quickly. Wedding and sports photographers can attest to this. The author shows us that Camera RAW defaults to "smart" Auto adjustments for Exposure, Shadows, Brightness, and Contrast. So there's a good chance of getting a publishable image right out of the camera. Sweet! Milburn demonstrates how to open and adjust multiple RAW files quickly when the files have the same exposure, brightness, range, contrast, and color balance. He introduces us to HDR (High Dynamic Range), and High Key images.

Layers have been around for quite some time, and here we are shown a system for non destructive editing. There's a great chart listing in three columns Layer Name, Purpose, and Advice. It's like a quick check on WWKD (What Would Ken Do) for using Adjustment Layers. Even for those of us who might be new to Layers he gives us a quick rundown of Layers and Features in Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Ken Milburn's friend, Doug Sahlin, came up with an interesting idea which the author includes in Digital Photography: Expert Techniques. It's called the Magic Workflow Layers Action. It allows us to include the layers in the workflow for almost every image automatically, ensuring the photographer will follow a properly layered workflow for most basic steps. You can either get this in the book or download it from the sites provided. This alone could shorten the learning curve in learning layers workflow.

All of the general repair tools are reviewed but the author goes way beyond the characteristics of the tools and into the world of commercial photography and how these tools can work for the professional photographer. This includes Glamor Tips, Architectural Tips, Still Life, lighting from behind, and more.

Are you into montages or collages? Ken Milburn can help, and does he ever. We've all tried to string together various shots in an effort to create a panorama of a scene too vast for one shot, but with varying degrees of success. The author talks about exposure, tripods, and framing. There are several example photos showing what a professional panorama looks like. I've made all the mistakes he mentions, and then some. Thanks, Ken, for straightening me out.

In his chapter "Creating the Wow Factor" we get into the details of the various tools and how, using layers, the photographer can enhance just about any aspect of lighting, colors (or black & white), and even using what he terms a "fictitious imaging tool," liquefaction, which can remove unwanted pounds from a model, or add bulk to anyone or anything. He has many suggestions and techniques using Lighting Effects which are especially dramatic when used inside of layers. We learn how to make homemade backgrounds as well as Knockouts. If you like the look of hand coloring or tinting Ken shows us how to do it effectively and easily.

Milburn's experience as a pro for many years becomes a windfall for us readers as, in the last chapter, "Presenting Your Work to the World," he talks about some of the many ways to become recognized, and even paid, as a photographer. He starts by showing us how to get the prints we need by calibrating the printers and even LCD monitors. There are tips to show your images on the web, making portfolios, binders, contact sheets, and much more. And let's not forget the all-important Copyright protection using watermarks.

While our author is certainly a huge fan and user of Adobe Photoshop CS2, he is by no means married exclusively to that software. He lists alternatives and even talks about the differences and some advantages of software like Capture One Pro, Raw Shooter, Aperture (which can be used with Photoshop CS2), iView Media Pro, and Adobe Lightroom. All of these programs have their high points and are not to be dismissed as second only to Adobe Photoshop CS2.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to be a pro in the photo biz, Digital Photography: Expert Techniques will give you a good idea of the dedication, knowledge, and work it takes to do it right. One has only to look at Ken Milburns pictures to see why this book makes so much sense. His photos are pristine. He seems to be able to connect with the very vibrations of the colors, shadows, and details which are all part of an image, but are often times skirted over by photographers, if only for the lack of knowledge it takes to recognize these things and bring them "up" in the image. His techniques, to be sure, are always pointed toward one thing, and one thing only. Making the best image possible with the least amount of effort and expense. And here it all is, in this wonderful and smartly instructive book.

MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5

SMILE: YOU'RE ON DIGITAL!!.......2006-12-06

Are you a photographer who is serious about producing the highest quality photographs in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible? If you are, then this book is for you. Author Ken Milburn, has done an outstanding job of writing a 2nd edition of a book that focuses on digital SLR cameras that have higher megapixels of noninterpolated resolution, interchangeable lenses, and larger, more noise-free sensors.

Milburn, begins by putting the organization of the entire book in perspective. Then, the author covers how to set your camera to be prepared for shots. Next, he discusses the Bridge in relation to Photoshop and to the myriad ways that it helps to keep your workflow organized. He also gets into more depth about streamlining your processing while in Camera Raw. The author then continues by describing in detail, how layers can be used to isolate destructive operations, so that they can be carried out without affecting anything else you've done to the image. Then, he shows you how to use adjustment layers, which are completely nondestructive, to make overall image adjustments. Next, the author discusses making and using selections, masks, and other means of making adjustments that pertain only to portions of the image. He also covers all types of image repair, including retouching. The author continues by discussing the making of one image from multiple images using techniques of both collage and montage. Then, he presents the next stage of progressively more destructive editing: special effects. Next, the author covers specialized image processing. Finally, the author shows you how to prepare your image for output and then how to use that output to show off your talents in an efficient and cost-effective way.

This most excellent book is more about workflow than it is about procedures in a specific program. Perhaps more importantly, this book contains most of the information you'll ever need as a professional digital photographer.

Make Your Digital Photos Stand Out From The Rest.......2006-12-06

Reading many of the other review already posted, I couldn't help but chuckle at some of the 'complaints' regarding this book:

- there is too much emphasis on DIGITAL and not PHOTOGRAPHY

- there is too much emphasis on using Photoshop

- pictures chosen aren't of the best quality

Folks, the title of this book headlines the words DIGITAL and TECHNIQUES. This isn't a book that is meant to teach you how to become a better photographer or headlines a collection of great photographs, rather it is a book that is meant to teach you how to take digital images and turn them into BETTER pieces of work for whatever purpose you see fit.

Printed on very heavy stock paper, this is a guide that is full of color and has plenty of screenshots to help any user find their way through digital enhancement with Photoshop (or any other image editing software that utilizes the same words for the techniques that are presented here).

Packed with nearly 400 pages of material, this book presents topics in a clean, concise manner, spread over the following 12 chapters:

01. Basics
02. Advanced tricks
03. Using Bridge
04. Streamlining Camera Raw
05. Nondestructive Layering
06. Nondestructive Overall Adjustments
07. Making Targeted Adjustments
08. Repairs
09. Collage and Montage
10. Adding 'Wow' to your images
11. Special Purpose Processing
12. Saving for the web

I find Ken Milburn's book to be an excellent resource for all digital photography afficiandos that want to get the most out of their images and learn how Photoshop can fix or repair nearly any problem that can be found and viewed on a computer.

If you are a graphic designer or work with digital images on a daily basis, you owe it to yourself to pick up this great book that will most certainly add to your skillset... no question!!

***** RECOMMENDED

Average customer rating:

excellent resource book
A Seminal Work
Good Work
A Landmark Book in the History of Musical Sounds

Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale
William A. Sethares
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1852337974

Book Description

The only things truly universal in music are those that are based on biological and/or perceptual facts. Tuning Timbre Spectrum Scale focuses on perceptions of consonance and dissonance, which are defined in the Harvard Dictionary of Music: "Consonance is used to describe the agreeable effect produced by certain intervals as against the disagreeable effect produced others. Consonance and dissonance are the very foundation of harmonic music... consonance represents the element of smoothness and repose, while dissonance represents the no less important elements of roughness and irregularity.” Tuning Timbre Spectrum Scale begins by asking (and answering) the question: How can we build a device to measure consonance and dissonance? The remainder of the book describes the impact of such a "dissonance meter” on music theory, on synthesizer design, on the construction of musical scales and tunings, on the design of musical instruments, and introduces related compositional techniques and new methods of musicological analyses. This new and greatly revised edition of William Sethares' classic book includes an attached CD-ROM that contains over three hours of sound examples that demonstrate the ideas in action, as well as computer programs that enable readers to conduct their own explorations. A new chapter contains a detailed explanation of how the software works. It incorporates several important simplifications over the full presentation in the current Chapter 7 in order to allow it to function in real time. Another new chapter describes the various ways that the software can be used. New sections throughout the book bring it up to date with the current state of the subject. Tuning Timbre Spectrum Scale offers a unique analysis of the relationship between the structure of sound and the structure of scale and will be useful to musicians and composers who use inharmonic tones and sounds. This includes a large percentage of people composing and performing with modern musical synthesizers. It will be of use to arrangers, musicologists, and others interested in musical analysis. Tuning Timbre Spectrum Scale provides a unique approach to working with environmental sounds, and there are clear applications for the use of inharmonic sounds in film scoring. The book will also be of interest to engineers and others interested in the design of audio devices such as musical synthesizers, special effects devices, and keyboards.

Customer Reviews:

excellent resource book.......2006-11-11

I am glad I found this book researching material for my dissertation on music and new technology. A unique book!

A Seminal Work.......2004-12-18

Decades from now, this book will be seen as a seminal work -- a book that opened up spacious new frontiers to musical exploration and dramatically changed the sound of the world's popular music.

All previous analyses of music started and ended with the "harmonic series" -- the pattern of partials that is produced by virating strings, for example. The musical scale, tuning, and instruments of Western music have all evolved to maximize their "fit" with this pattern of partials.

But electronic music synthesis frees musicians from the restrictions of the harmonic series. This begs the question: can emotionally-satisfying music be made with inharmonic timbres? If so, how? What, exactly, is the relationship between tuning, timbre, spectrum, and scale?

By clarifying this relationship, Sethares lays the foundation for a "Grand Unified Theory" of music. That Grand Unified Theory has not yet been created -- which means that YOU can help design it; YOU can write its seminal works; YOU can perform music that's like nothing ever heard before, and yet which resonates as emotionally as the very best works of the Common Practice Era.

YOU can be the Beethoven of the 21st century -- but first, you have to BUY THIS BOOK. :-)

Good Work.......2000-10-01

The other review is over-enthusiastic. Hardly an example of unbiased scientific inquiry, the author basically sets out to prove something and does so without searching for contradictory evidence. As a result, we get a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Very interesting, never-the-less.

Reader's should be warned that this is *not* an introductory text, and that it is not an overview of the area of tunings.

Additionally, it is interesting that the word 'timbre' is in the title, as there is not one iota of original perceptual research here...and timbre is a preceptual phenomenon.

A Landmark Book in the History of Musical Sounds.......1998-01-08

While experimenting with musical instruments and sounds, the author observed a new relationship between the timbre of sounds and the tunings in which sounds are played. In an effort to understand this relationship the author hypothesized a mechanism for relating spectrum to scale. He then went to the heart of the matter, figured it all out, and proved the hypothesis. All of this and much more are clearly presented in Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale (TTSS).

TTSS is written so as to be comprehensible to a wide readership. It was a pleasure reading this informative and stunning book. In places it is even entertaining as the author's sense of humor shows through. The book should eventually find its way into many libraries (public, private, and institutional) because it contains new and important original contributions to many areas of music.

There are 345 pages divided into 13 sections and 6 short appendices. There is an extensive bibliography, a discography, an index, and an accompanying Compact Disk containing 33 sound examples. All sound examples are explained in the book, and they provide convincing support for the author's premises.

A succinctly written Prelude tells what Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale is all about. I found myself looking forward to learning more about the ideas outlined here. You'll find yourself anxious to learn where a particular concept will lead. The author has a knack for gradually building up an idea to its climax while keeping the reader involved, and this is rare amongst books where new ideas are being presented.

The book begins, in Section 1, with a challenge to current thinking concerning the consonance of musical octaves. A new idea is presented and its validity demonstrated using audio examples on the accompanying CD. ... Superb demonstration!... Section 1 also introduces a unique and practical method of quantifying the tonal consonance of any musical sound. The next four sections are entitled respectively: The Science of Sound, Musical Scales, Consonance and Dissonance of Harmonic Sounds, and Related Spectra and Scales. These sections taught me much about musical sounds and concepts. They are well written and include many informative figures, and they provide descriptions of more unique audio examples on the CD.

The Science of Sound section addresses the issue: what is sound? This leads into clear discussions of relevant terms. The reader is taken on a fascinating journey into timbre, pitch, scales, tunings, spectral analysis, beats and consonance. After reading about Musical Scales, you'll feel like an expert, and gain an appreciation of scales since the time of Pythagoras. You'll understand the profound influence they have had over the centuries in defining musics of an era.

The next section on Consonance and Dissonance provides a historical perspective of the way in which these terms have been used, and then focuses on Sensory Consonance. This has the unique property, amongst consonance/dissonance concepts, of being quantifiable in a scientific sense. It is here that one discovers a fundamental connection between the consonance works of Helmholtz 1877, Plomp & Levett 1965 and Partch 1974, which leads to a reasonably complete understanding of sensory consonance. The plot thickens as the connection between sensory consonance and musical scales unfolds. This connection is then transformed into practice as the author creates new and unique songs, A Bell, A Rock and A Crystal. It is amazing to observe musical passages created in this way.

The following section, Adaptive Tunings, describes the author's algorithms for tuning in real time, or , as is sometimes described, how to "tune on the fly". Once again, the accompanying CD provides adaptively tuned musical passages verifying algorithmic predictions. It seems that music is about to expand its domain of musical sounds in a significant way. Read the book to find out why and how this is happening.

The book contains much, much more. There is a section on Gamelans, a theory for 10 TET, dissonance curve computer programs, sensory consonance score of a Scarlatti sonata, analysis and synthesis of harmonic and non-harmonic sounds. Fourier Transform analysis and limitations, dissonance surfaces for chords, and a well thought out final section: Speculation, Interpretation, Conclusion.

I believe the author also recognized a basic limitation of Western music, and again went to the heart of the problem, figured it all out, and then proved his point. The result of these efforts is this exceptional book.

Book Description

Visual Design Fundamentals: A Digital Approach, Second Edition has been completely updated to provide new insights and hands-on tutorials using the latest technology, including Adobe® Illustrator® and Photoshop®. The book teaches the foundational information that artists and designers need to know to understand the art of two-dimensional visual design. It explores the classic elements of design (line, shape, form, value, color, and texture) and their relationship to balance, harmony, variety, and other classic design principles. The theories presented are well-established ideas in all forms of two-dimensional art and design, including drawing, painting, printmaking, graphics, and general design. These principles may also be applied to interior design, architecture, and industrial design. As artists learn the theories taught throughout the book, they'll put these ideas into practice using a variety of hands-on tutorials covering line & shape, type combinations, letters as design elements, color composition, drawing, photo collages, and more. The tutorials use basic computer skills and techniques, and address classic tools and procedures common to all drawing and paint programs, including Illustrator and Photoshop.

Customer Reviews:

can use with any design program.......2007-01-25

Hashimoto teaches timeless precepts of visual design. Many of which predate the Internet. The book seems apt for someone already knowing something about Photoshop and Illustrator. It shows how to use those programs to apply changes to a design, in accordance with the precepts. But primarily you benefit at a higher level, in understanding through the book's examples how to use basic key ideas in design. Hence, the book is not necessarily restricted to users of those design programs. If indeed you favour another program not covered here, the book can still be very informative.

By the way, one chapter uses the example of typeface design. This has an air of antiquity about it. Designing letterforms goes back centuries, and has many subtleties that the chapter lets you appreciate.

Back to the Fundamentals........2006-09-30

The advent of the personal computer and design software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop have greatly changed the way in which design work is done. Still, at the fundamental level the essence of good design still require an understanding of the fundamental design theories. The old concepts of line, shape, form, value, color and texture are still fundamental to good design be it of a poster, a kitchen appliance, or an automobile.

This book discusses how to combine the traditional approaches with the advances made possible by digital techniques. This is the second edition and builds on the material covered in the 2003 edition by providing discussion of the more powerful software that is available now.

The CD that comes with the book includes several tutorial projects for the student to complete as well as links to provide trial versions of Illustrator and Photoshop.

Questionable reviews.......2005-06-16

The two other reviews seem questionable. They read like an add for the book.

Honestly, the book has nice illustrations. It is short on design princples, and long on examples. Check out Robin Williams Non-Designer's book as well.

Two Books In One.......2004-07-24

This book is for anyone new to design fundamentals, digital art and computer imaging software. The author, Alan Hashimoto, has written two books in one. First, he discusses the elements and principals of two-dimensional art design and how they apply to both traditional art mediums and the digital art medium. Second, the book is an introduction to digital imaging software. He discusses the difference between object-oriented and paint software. Throughout the book he teaches the basic skills needed for creating artwork on the computer using both Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. However the two objectives of this book are well integrated. The author has done a great job of demonstrating how to apply traditional design fundamentals to 2D digital art. He then reinforces this with seven digital art projects which help the reader to apply this knowledge while creating computer generated art.

Hashimoto discusses the design elements of line, shape, space, volume, value, color and texture and the principals of design such as unity, variety and balance. His explanations are easy to understand even for the novice and he uses many full-color digital art examples. However the best aspect of this book is the conceptual process used for completing the seven digital projects. This process starts by defining the design challenge and then brainstorming various approaches with thumbnail sketches. Next the design is further refined into roughs which incorporate more details. The final phases of the process are a trial run of the finished design and then the completed design.

The purpose of these seven projects is not only to apply the information in the book to real life examples but to demonstrate how the steps of the conceptual process can be accomplished using the computer. Hashimoto first discusses the traditional methods used for completing the process and then progresses on to digital methods. His step-by-step instructions for the Adobe software are very thorough and easy to follow. Even if you have not used this type of software before, these projects will teach you the basics of the software and how to use it. He also covers related topics such as scanning your artwork into the computer and printing your completed projects. I enjoyed all seven of the projects. But the one that I found especially useful was typeface design.

Project One - Modular Design
Project Two - Letterforms and Shape
Project Three - Figure Abstraction and Non-Objective Shape
Project Four - Value
Project Five - Color Theory
Project Six - Typeface Design
Project Seven - Digital Montage/Collage

Reading this book was like attending an art course at your favorite university. The author's presentation of the information resembled a class lecture which he reinforced with class assignments. So it is no surprise that Alan Hashimoto is an associate professor at Utah State University where he teaches graphic design and computer art. He is also an accomplished artist.

A self-teaching guide for artists and designers.......2004-03-06

Visual Design Fundamentals: A Digital Approach by Alan Hashimoto (Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Computer Art, Utah State University) is a superbly organized and presented resource and self-teaching guide for artists and designers seeking to take advantage of basic computer skills and techniques to create appealing, emotionally charged, and attention-gathering works of two-dimensional art. Visual Design Fundamentals includes straightforward tutorials and projects using Adobe Illustrator CS and Adobe Photoshop CS in order to provide hands-on experience with principles such as modular design, color theory, typeface design, figure abstraction, and more. An included CD offers files needed to complete the projects and trial versions of Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. Highly recommended for an graphic artist seeking to create and utilize computer generated illustrations and/or designs, Visual Design Fundamentals is replete with both black-and-white and color illustrations throughout which wonderfully enhance the detailed, practical, "user friendly" instructions.

Energize Your Paintings With Color (Elements of Painting)

Average customer rating:

Energize Your Paintings With Color (Elements of Painting)
Lewis Barrett Lehrman
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Using Color | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Enliven Your Paintings With Light (Elements of Painting)
Dramatize Your Paintings With Tonal Value (Elements of Painting)
Freshen Your Paintings With New Ideas

ASIN: 0891344764

Rethinking the Color Line: Readings in Race and Ethnicity

Average customer rating:

History at a certaim perspective

Rethinking the Color Line: Readings in Race and Ethnicity
Charles A. Gallagher
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States
American Ethnicity: The Dynamics and Consequences of Discrimination
Ethnicity and Race: Making Identities in a Changing World (Sociology for a New Century Series)
Racial and Ethnic Relations (7th Edition)
Immigrant America: A Portrait

ASIN: 0767402685

Book Description

Rethinking the Color Line is an anthology of current research and writings that examine contemporary issues and explore new approaches to the study of race and ethnicity.

Customer Reviews:

History at a certaim perspective.......2001-02-06

I think this book was an amazing example of telling history from a certaim viewpoint without forcing an opinion upon someone. It is an excellent choice for anyone with the desire to learn more on the history of race and culture. I found it to be educational, yet interesting at the same time.

The Elements of Design: Rediscovering Colors, Textures, Forms, and Shapes

Average customer rating:

Useless
An amazing treat for the eyes

The Elements of Design: Rediscovering Colors, Textures, Forms, and Shapes
Loan Oei , Cecile De Kegel , and Cecile De Kegel
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Quilt Artistry: Inspired Designs from the East
Design!: A Lively Guide to Design Basics for Artists & Craftspeople
Quilt National 2007: The Best of Contemporary Quilts (Quilt National)
Creating Sketchbooks for Embroiderers and Textile Artists
Landscape in Contemporary Quilts: Design and Technique

ASIN: 0500283397

Book Description

The bark of a plane tree in Paris, a detail of a cotton towel in Japan, sunset in the Egyptian desert, soil from Yosemite, a tiled floor in Bangkok, a wall in Ferrara, an iron cart wheel in Antwerp.... Colors, textures, forms, and shapes are the basis of this unique book that reveals the elements common to all design and literally teaches us how to see. Hauntingly beautiful and deeply instructive, it surveys the environment, natural and man-made, showing how it can be defined in terms of basic elements: variable arrangements of dots; lines that are straight, curving, bending, or crossing; planes such as rectangles, squares, lozenges, triangles, and circles. All these are represented, with telling juxtapositions, in a wide range of materials and techniques, in one sense timeless and universal, in another datable and culturally conditioned. Ever-recurring design elements, they take us to the heart of the creative process: a transformation that may involve inspiration or imitation, representation or interpretation. Destined to become a cult book for artists, designers, and craftspeople, this amazing volume is a reminder of how the search for something new is a voyage of rediscovery into past and present form. 177 color photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Useless.......2004-02-12

This is not a book that will teach you much of anything. Not about design, or the elements of design, or how various design elements might be used either separately or in conjunction to evoke feelings or images.

The book is broken into sections, one for each design element such as color, texture, etc. The first page of each section is a very general description of that design element. This is then followed by 15 pages or so of full-page pictures highlighting that design element. Looking at 15 pages of colorful objects or highly textured objects may be mildly interesting but it isn't terribly informative or useful.

This book may be marginally adequate if you just want to flip through the pictures looking for inspiration. But the pictures are largely mediocre and too few to really exhaust the topics at hand so it isn't even terribly useful as inspiration. No matter what your needs or purpose you would do well to pass on this book and look for something better.

An amazing treat for the eyes.......2002-06-06

The Elements Of Design: Rediscovering Colors, Textures, Forms And Shapes is a joint-project by Amsterdam exhibitions curator Loan Oei and Antwerp based Decile De Kegel, a graduate in textile design and weaving expert. The heart of Elements Of Design lies not in words, for it contains precious few of those, but rather in the stunning, full-color, full-page photographs that fill it cover to cover. Each photograph presents a different, majestic juxtaposition of colors, shapes, patterns, and fascinating medleys in this inspirational book created specifically to motivate artists and designers everywhere. An amazing treat for the eyes and especially recommended for personal and professional fabric-based art and needlecraft reference collections, The Elements Of Design is a beautiful and varied book sure to open one's eyes to brand new possibilities for artistic creation.

Average customer rating:

White and private schooled in Detroit
A wonderful personal history, set in a decaying town
TOO MUCH SELF AGGRANDIZEMENT
Capitalizing on the 8 mile mythos
The Decline of the Auto Industrial Beginnings.

Made in Detroit
Paul Clemens
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Discrimination & Racism | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

From Soupy to Nuts! A History of Detroit Television
Detroit Then and Now (Then & Now)
Grit, Noise, and Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll
Detroit: 1930-1969 (MI) (Images of America)
Who Killed Detroit?: Other Cities Beware!

ASIN: 1400075963
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

A New York Times Notable Book

A powerfully candid memoir about growing up white in Detroit and the conflicted point of view it produced.

Raised in Detroit during the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, Paul Clemens saw his family growing steadily isolated from its surroundings: white in a predominately black city, Catholic in an area where churches were closing at a rapid rate, and blue-collar in a steadily declining Rust Belt. As the city continued to collapse—from depopulation, indifference, and the racial antagonism between blacks and whites—Clemens turned to writing and literature as his lifeline, his way of dealing with his contempt for suburban escapees and his frustration with the city proper. Sparing no one—particularly not himself—this is an astonishing examination of race and class relations from a fresh perspective, one forged in a city both desperate and hopeful.

Customer Reviews:

White and private schooled in Detroit.......2007-07-09

Also being a white kid in a black city, I can relate to this book, as I too was sent to private schools to avoid the "dreaded" public schools in the Motor City.
CONFESSIONS OF A CATHOLIC SCHOOLGIRL by Michelle Kane is another good book set in the city of Detroit, although the main character is from a broken home and not as lucky as Clemens to have both parents to turn to in confusing times.Confessions of a Catholic Schoolgirl

A wonderful personal history, set in a decaying town.......2006-11-03

When I ordered this book, I thought that it might be about someone closer to my age (64) who grew up in the City of Detroit. It turns out to be a much younger man: one who grew up during the years just after I moved away from Michigan in 1972.
Although this book is somewhat different than what I expected, it turned out to be a thoughtful read. Yes, there is a lot of Detroit history and visits to places I recall, but you do not have had to live in Michigan to enjoy this book. It covers family life, religion, schooling, racial issues and much more. I think that the book does bog down a bit near the end. This is where the author is trying to resolve much of his upbringing and beliefs. Nevertheless, MADE IN DETROIT is very worthwhile. Particularly wonderful is the description of the author's dad and his continuing episodes throughout the book. Reminded me a lot of my old man and many other Detroit relatives and acquaintances of my parents. The occasional glimpses into the personality of Coleman Young (Mayor of Detroit for many years) are quite humorous. Mr. Young was a real genuine character.

TOO MUCH SELF AGGRANDIZEMENT.......2006-03-17

If the author had spent more time telling us about Detroit and less time telling us how literate he is then it would have been a lot better book.

Capitalizing on the 8 mile mythos.......2006-02-20

Were it not for Eminem's diatribes of the hood and a handful of curious Detroiter's (former and current), I can't imagine what interest this book would hold for anyone. I know the area Clemens speaks of and it is nothing short of amazing that he has so little to write about that is interesting. I suspect that the author was an "academic-in-waiting" from his earliest years and that the sounds and heat of the street were a little too dangerous for his sensitive soul. I will give him credit for being a decent writer, though. Furthermore, claims by a number of reviewers that Mr. Clemens is racist are pure politically correct nonsense. It is more likely the case that the author is guilty of being white and a bit naive.

The Decline of the Auto Industrial Beginnings........2006-02-05

In the early 1930s, Detroit was the fourth-largest city in America due mainly to Southern migration to find jobs in the auto manufacturing plants. "Its population lured in part by Henry Ford's promise of a five-dollar workday, had doubled between 1910 and 1920 and increased another sixty percent in the next decade, by which time it exceeded a million and a half residents." At its peak, the Great Migration to Michigan's southeastern corner seemed poised to go higher. In 1950, the city's population peaked at just below two million residents; in the 60s, it continued to dip to 1.67 million and, in 1970, that number slipped to 1.5 million.

This memoir of Paul Clemens, whose family lived in the northeast corner of Detroit in a bungalow, covers the decline during the twenty-year-reign of Mayor Coleman Young. Elected the year Paul was born (1973), one year after Motown Records was moved from Detroit to Hollywood. "In 1980, after Young had served a term and a half in office, the population fell to 1.2 million and, in 1990, the total number of residents stood at just over a million. The population is now well under that figure, and will never again come within whispering distance of it."

The city had been settled in 1701 by Frenchmen who had come down from Montreal in the company of Algonquin Indians to set up a trading post. Detroit can now be reached from Windsor, Canada, through an underwater mile tunnel; it was the most Canadian of American cities with Young as Detroit's uncontested king. Like our former mayor who was in control and power for fourteen years, Young allowed the inner city to decline while he played politics. "The distinguishing feature of Young's tenure was that, as the years went on, he found himself in firmer control of less and less."

One redeeming feature of the town was the Belle Island where they held the bicycle races, the elegantly laid out interior designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the architect of Central Park. At the time of the Iranian hostage crisis, the gas shortages, and the Olympics boycotts, it seemed to be "a national political trendsetter, an area in which large numbers of ethnic Catholics and unionized blue-collar workers decided to vote against Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election."

By the time Paul left his narrow world to go off to college, "Metropolitan Detroit was now four million people, with less than a quarter of that in the city itself. To most people, Detroit now meant everything but." He relates how life was as he lived it and charted the city's long decline during Young's twenty years at the helm. This year, the Motor City will recover somewhat for the one-day event when sports fans will converge for the 40th Super Bowl at the stadium there for the Pittsburgh Steelers/Seattle Seahawks game. Why Detroit?

Elements of Color Photography: The Making of Eighty Images

Average customer rating:

Nice book document why these pictures were taken

Elements of Color Photography: The Making of Eighty Images
George E. Todd
Manufacturer: Amphoto Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Color | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Equipment | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 081743822X

Customer Reviews:

Nice book document why these pictures were taken.......2005-12-30

I enjoyed this book very much. Basically its 80 images with the photographer explaining the backstory and why he took the photo he did. Its a great way to understand composition and color matching.

Always Wear Joy: My Mother Bold and Beautiful

Average customer rating:

Joyous, Joyful
Not your tragic mullato, and not your average black biography!
A joyful read
I Love This Book
Hungry for More -- Diahann Carroll Next, Perhaps?

Always Wear Joy: My Mother Bold and Beautiful
Susan Fales-Hill
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Artists, Architects & Photographers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Women | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

The Devil Riding
The Philadelphian
A.L.T.: A Memoir
The Living Is Easy
Having It All? : Black Women and Success

ASIN: 0060523565
Release Date: 2003-04-15

Book Description

Growing up with a black, Auntie Mame -- like mother who performed with the likes of Lena Horne and Alvin Ailey, and a WASP seafaring father, Susan Fales-Hill thought nothing of watching her mother, Josephine Premice, perform in an acclaimed Broadway musical one moment and fleeing to Faleton, her grandparents' summer estate, the next.

But it was from her mother -- a woman who was dressed by Givenchy and sculpted by Alexander Calder, yet rejected by many a casting agent for her "dark," unconventional looks -- that Susan drew inspiration, particularly when she faced challenges in her own career as a television writer in Hollywood, a town that wasn't always receptive to positive images of people of color. As a result, the two developed a bond that mothers and daughters everywhere will find inspiring.

Dazzling in their public lives and emotionally vulnerable in their private lives, there is not a person in this touching and, at times, funny family memoir that the reader will soon forget.

Customer Reviews:

Joyous, Joyful.......2007-08-26

Susan Fales-Hill presents a beautifully written story about her mother, the unforgettable Josephine Premice. While Ms. Premice was not publicly bestowed with all of the fame, fortune and accolades worthy of someone of her talent, Fales-Hill more than makes up for it with page after page of love, admiration, and respect for a woman who, through it all, always wore joy. Bravo to Ms. Fales-Hill! Bravo to Ms. Premice!

Not your tragic mullato, and not your average black biography!.......2007-03-12

I can't recall how I came across this book, but I am so glad that I purchased it. In addition to being an interesting and gripping biography, this book portrays and loving, ambitious, and well-educated black family that, as a African American woman, I just don't see enough of. I had seen the work of Susan Fales-Hill, but I had no idea she was such a inspirational woman! I was thoroughly entranced and inspired.

A joyful read.......2007-01-10

The close relationship between the author and her mother Josephine Premice was refreshing.

I Love This Book.......2005-05-24

Centrally, this book is a tribute to the author's mother Josephine Premice. To Susan Fales-Hill, she was a superstar,devoted mother and wife. Her parents were set up by a friend of her father's. Josephine, at first, refused him. Time permits and she accepts his offer of a date. The two eventually fall in love and their marriage plans wmake the front cover of The Chicago Defender, an African-American news publication. On the other side, the Yankee gentry hearing of this is shocked and dismayed by her father's choice of bride. His name is taken off the social register.
To some people, it would be a fairy tale. But this is Fales-Hill's world. They lived in thier own world where everyone was welcome. They entertained the likes of Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll, and Eartha Kitt. Beneath the marriage, Ms. Hill's father had a wandering eye and her mother, despite her good looks and style, struggled to get the recognition she wanted in the entertainment industry. Premice was told she was too dark or not black enough. Hill defines her as a strong-willed woman who continued to live for the sake of her children.
What I like about this story is that it gives black women a sense of pride in themselves. Josephine and her friends took pride in their appearances even when things weren't in proper alignment. They managed to make it through good and bad times.
This is a time-honored book that will relate to black mothers and their daughters. Josephine Premice deserves her place in the entertaiment industry.

Hungry for More -- Diahann Carroll Next, Perhaps?.......2005-05-13

After reading this book, I was hungry to know more about Josephine Premice, to hear her smoky-timbred voice. I bought the soundtrack to the Broadway musical "Bubbling Brown Sugar" just because I was hungry to match her voice, some still existent piece of her, to all that I had read about her in this book. There was a certain duality about her that the book captures in an unflinching manner -- her independent woman of the world/working entertainer in Europe life before her marriage, and her later frustration with being financially dependent on a white husband of blue-blooded means who had "fidelity challenges" but who was also the loving father of her children. This book is inspiring because it demonstates how one supposedly "too dark" African American woman of Haitian descent was able to stake her claim in the entertainment world of the fifties and beyond. Despite numerous instances of racism and rejection in her profession, she lived her life as her own self-possessed fabulous self, for herself and, I think moreso, for her children. My hope is that Ms. Fales-Hill will turn her next efforts towards biographies of her mother's friends such as Diahann Carroll and Lena Horne. Their lives as African American entertainers in spite of the industry and as "fabulous people" represent a side of the African American world that seldom sees the light of day, but should.

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