Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0321205456, Paperback)

Compositing is the technique of melding multiple photographs together so that they appear to be one. As opposed to collaging, where a level of artifice is intended, with compositing, the art is in making the image, no matter how fantastical, seem "real"--whether it's a dog lounging poolside with a drink in his paw or a dramatic lighthouse beacon over a stormy sea--just two of the carefully crafted works of master photographer and digital compositer John Lund.

Adobe Master Class books allow readers to look over the shoulders of some of the top designers and artists out there. Adobe Master Class: Photoshop Compositing with John Lund begins with an overview of Lund's process, from initial inspirations (even walking by mounds of dirt can make him reach for his camera) to collecting photographic parts (a rusty chain, an exploded computer, and a manhole cover magically merge to become a ball and chain smashing a wall), to the Photoshop tools and tweaks that bring it all together. Lund walks readers through the creation of twelve of his best-selling images, focusing on specific techniques integral to each. For example, for his photo of a "herd" of motorcyclists charging towards the camera (actually built using just two bikers), he shows how he made precision selections using the Pen tool. Other techniques shown include using the liquefy brush to create a devil's ear, adding details to a street scene using the alpha channel, and selecting a complex treetop using the Color Range dialogue box. Not only has co-author Pamela Pfiffner made Lund's story a great read, she has ensured that there are lots of screenshots for all these tips. This is in no way a Photoshop how-to manual and beginners may get lost, but intermediate and advanced users will be eager to apply Lund's methods in their own work.

Lund, an early adopter of Photoshop (a controversial move for any photographer "back in the day"), has carved out a successful career creating digitally manipulated photographs for stock companies like Corbis and Getty. Rather modest, he makes no claims to be a Photoshop guru: "No doubt in some ways my work would be better if I did get more precise in my methodology, but when I get caught up in the flow of work, I don't want to be bothered by naming every layer and looking at histograms--so I don't.…I'm getting along just fine bumbling through my image making." This new book makes it clear that there's a lot to learn from this level of bumbling. --Angelynn Grant