Comments about O'Reilly Media iPhoto 2: The Missing Manual:

Review - iPhoto 2 - Text Format - No images

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Name - "iPhoto 2 This Missing Manual"

Author - David Pogue, Joseph Schorr, Derrick Story

Category - Book

Publisher - O'Reilly

Price - $24.95 USD

MacUsers Rating - 5 out of 5

Pros: Covers every possible thing you can think about iPhoto

Cons: None

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iPhoto 2 is a very basic application to organize, edit, and publish your photos from Apple but if you want to unleash the real power of iPhoto 2 you need to get this book. iPhoto 2 The Missing Manual covers everything you could possibly think of about iPhoto 2. When I first got this book I thought "A 336 page book about iPhoto!?" I didn't think you can write so much about the simple application but when I started reading this book I found so many things that I had not know about before. This book covers everything about iPhoto, real basics, how to organize your photos, everything about enhancing and editing, presenting, and includes many tips and tricks. One of the really cool things about this book is that it features about 100 pages of lessons on how to take good pictures and also has a chapter about buying a good digital camera. The book also has some cool AppleScript tricks you can use in iPhoto and features a lot of information about publishing. It has information on how to publish to the web, archive to CD or DVD, make screen savers (Screen Effects), export to QuickTime, iMovie, iDVD, and the iPhoto Photo Book. For publishing to the web it even has a chapter on how to design your site, which is really great for newbies. So if you like iPhoto and would like to do more with it iPhoto 2 The Missing Manual is the book for you, it really is the book that should have been included in the box. Also make sure to check out the discounts section on the MacUsers website to find out how you can get this book from O'Reilly 20% off, which is a really great deal for this book.

Review written by MacUsers Member.

Comments about O'Reilly Media iPhoto 2: The Missing Manual:

Book Review: "iPhoto2: The Missing Manual"

by John Suda

Apple Computer markets a concept they call "the digital hub" representing its integrated hardware and software combinations, especially the iLife package (iPhoto2, iTunes, iChat, iMovie, and iDVD). Beyond Apple's traditionally elegant and harmonious hardware-software integration, the iLife programs are brilliantly designed to allow users to easily enjoy important non-computer things in their lives - photos, music, home and family and recreational video, etc. - while benefitting from the enormous background power of computer applications.

With iPhoto2, for example, images (scanned or from a digital camera) can be easily imported into the computer, viewed, printed, burned to CD or DVD, emailed, posted to websites, or composed in professional quality albums with only a handful of clicks. Other than acquiring the images themselves, iPhoto2 and the Mac can facilitate an enormous depth and breadth of enjoyment of photo images without great effort or computer knowledge. The iLife idea is to have the computer aspects work seamlessly and near sub-consciously in the background allowing the user to enjoy his or her photos.

In essence, Apple has designed and created a hardware-software combination which, in itself, does virtually everything a non-professional needs to fully enjoy photo imaging. All of the iLife applications are designed with the "hub" concept - put all the tools needed into one easily learned and implemented application; - in other words, think of what people need and give that to them in an integrated and elegantly-designed package.

As easy as the iLife applications are to use, like all computer aspects, ease of use is relative - there is no real "easy" computer or application - it's an issue of something only more or less easy to use than another thing. Consequently, there is still a need for focused documentation and instruction to allow users to better and more fully utilize the features and power of the applications. This is where "iPhoto2: The Missing Manual" becomes useful. "iPhoto2" is part of the acclaimed "Missing Manual" series published by Pogue Press/O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. Like all of the other "Missing Manuals" it is a comprehensive, systematic, well-written paper manual where Apple provides none.

Whether intentionally designed, or not, "iPhoto2" mimics the "hub" concept - bringing together into one elegant unit all the information and tools needed to productively enjoy digital imagery. "iPhoto2" contains five parts - an opening section on how to select and buy a digital camera, and sections on

how to use a digital camera, iPhoto2 basics, how to create and produce photo projects like slideshows, prints, web galleries, photo CDs, etc., and a section on how to take advantage of specialized iPhoto2 features like making screensavers and desktop images and using Applescript. Also included is a separate set of appendices about trouble shooting, a menu-by-menu description of iPhoto2 features and commands, and a small section describing where to find additional digital photo resources.

The trio of authors are David Pogue, noted writer, NY Times computer columnist, and wit; Joseph Schorr, established Macworld writer and author of "Macworld MacSecrets"; and Derrick Story, author of "The Digital Photos Pocket Guide" (which was reviewed here favorably a number of months ago).

This book is structured into two overarching themes - as an iPhoto2 manual and as basic instruction in near-professional quality photography. Overlapping some material from "The Digital Pocket Guide", part one of this book covers basic digital camera concepts: resolution, memory cards, batteries, controls, etc. It then continues with guides on image composition and tips and tricks on how to obtain good quality photos in a large set of situations: portraits, travel, sports, night scenes, and the like. It does no good to have the ability to easily view, print, and e-mail bad photos. Learn how to take a good shot. These sections of the book will help a lot.

The iPhoto2 parts describe how to get your "good" images into the application, how iPhoto2 is structured on the hard drive with its designated Library, for example, and its organizing concepts - "Albums" and "Rolls." Other application features like editing, copying, and archiving images are well- explained and detailed.

The most interesting chapters are 7-12 detailing how to get quality and efficient production from the program.Features like the "One-click Slideshow" and how to make Quicktime movies from a folder of images are highlighted.

All in all, this is another well-done publication from Pogue/O'Reilly.

"iPhoto2" is published by Pogue Press/O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 2003; 336 pages, including index; $24.95. More information is available at www.oreilly.com/catalog/iphoto2. As usual, CIDER members can get a 20% discount.

Comments about O'Reilly Media iPhoto 2: The Missing Manual:

What a great book! I'm like a Jack-in-the-Box; something on the written page jumps out at me and I have to go to the computer to try it out. Thank you for making iPhoto 2 easy for an old person.