1. I've bought this book, and just the first couple of chapters have taught me a LOT. Highly recommended.

Posted at 6:36AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Tetsuo

2. This book is outstanding! It's not for beginniners - you need to have a solid understanding of what you're doing with RGB or CMYK color adjustments, and basic retouching first. But if you know that stuff, working in Lab is an incredibly powerful way to pull out very natural and vibrant colors with much less effort.

Two of my recent experiments, with some discussion:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fields/43518655/

Posted at 6:36AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Adam Fields

3. This book is outstanding! It's not for beginniners - you need to have a solid understanding of what you're doing with RGB or CMYK color adjustments, and basic retouching first. But if you know that stuff, working in Lab is an incredibly powerful way to pull out very natural and vibrant colors with much less effort.

Two of my recent experiments, with some discussion:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fields/43518655/

Posted at 6:36AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Adam Fields

4. It's tempting to get this book. I've wanted for a long time to learn about the LAB mode

Posted at 6:36AM on Dec 19th 2005 by digitalsmoke

5. Dan Margulis, the author, is *the* man to learn about digital color from. I've been following him for some time since I noticed his Makeready articles in a trade publication I used to get. His other book, Professional Photoshop, should be required reading for anyone who has to use process color in print. He also used to have a forum somewhere where people could interact with him on the quiddities of photoshop color handling. It's probably still around ... I should go find it again and bookmark it.

I'll definitely be getting this book.

Posted at 6:36AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Tim Ryan

6. I started a reading group for this book and it's going pretty well. You might like to participate at: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=18203

Dan's work has a way of sneaking up on you. He writes so well and he's so logical, but it gets pretty complex and it helps to have others to practice with and to be able to ask (maybe) dumb questions.

Posted at 6:36AM on Dec 19th 2005 by John Ruttenberg

7. Dan Margulis's knowledge of color runs deep. This book is nothing short of amazing. If color matters *that* much to you, run--don't walk--to buy this book.

Dan essentially advocates color correction and image improvement through LAB, and he advances compelling evidence to support the concept. The trick is to get a grasp of what kinds of images LAB excels at, and where it falls short (in which case Dan points out which of the remaining color spaces, RGB or CMYK, is the better option). He also demonstrates image correction in as few steps as possible, often without selections (rather, he generates what he needs by employing more useful channels... which helps avoid obvious selection edges that do not match).

It's not a fast read. I keep picking it up and knowcking out a few pages here or there, trying out techniques as I can. And I have learned a great deal. I used to visit LAB occasionally, mainly due to Dan's previous book (also a worthy read). Now I go there frequently.

If you want a lighter read with more generally useful info, look at Scott Kelby's CS2 for Photographers, another great book but geared toward beginner/intermediate users. If you want to become a master of the color in your images, by Dan Margulis' book, geared toward the intermediate/advanced/mega-advanced user.

Posted at 6:36AM on Dec 19th 2005 by James