Frequently Asked Questions

This section aims to answer some of the more common questions about the Adobe Photoshop CS for Photographers book and the acompanying CD-ROM. The most common CD-ROM problems can be solved by checking your system setup and ensuring you have the correct software installed.

If you are still experiencing problems, please complete the online form on the Technical Support page and someone will be able to contact you and discuss your problems. If you require a replacement CD, because yours is damaged, go to the Contact Information page and call, write or send an email to the Focal Press office nearest to you.

Why, when I run the CD, do all the images look posterized?
Make sure your screen resolution is set to thousands of colors.

Why is the CD slow?
The QuickTime movies play at a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels and thousands of colors, if your screen resolution is set much higher than this it can cause the CD to run more slowly. It is best to change the monitor color display depth to thousands of colors and use a lower resolution.

Why do the demo images appear light and washed out in Photoshop?
The demo images were created in the Adobe RGB (1998) color space and designed to be worked on in Photoshop 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 or 7.0. If you are working in a different RGB color space, such as Monitor RGB on a Macintosh and choose not to convert colors on opening, this is to be expected. Choose "Convert Colors" when opening the pictures.

Why can't I see the tutorial movies?
The most common resolution to this problem is to install the latest version of Quicktime. The Quicktime installers for both the Mac & PC are included on the CD, look in the 'Essentials' folder.

Make sure you have the correct version of Quicktime loaded. The CD requires Quicktime version 3 or later. Apple has changed the way Quicktime works when used on the PC. Quicktime 3 applications are not backwards compatible. The is not the case for Macs, but it is advisable to use the latest software.

Even after loading Quicktime I still can't see the movies, what can I do?
There are a number of reasons why this could be, but there is an easy solution to part of the problem. You can view the movies outside of the CD applications, go to the movies folder on the CD and load the movies directly into Movie Player. There is also an old-movies folder that contains Quicktime movies from the previous version of the book.

In the meantime, check to see you have the latest Active X drivers and your graphics card drivers are up to date. You should contact your hardware vendor for this.

The installers on the CD-ROM are for Quicktime 3. Now it may be possible that you already have a later version of Quicktime already installed on your computer. From what we have gathered about the order of events, a version 5 player on a PC can't be overwritten by version 3 files without causing problems.

Another reason might be that the version 5 download is incomplete. Usually there will be a warning to tell you if a Quicktime Download is not complete.

The solution is to uninstall and reinstall either Quicktime version 3 from the CD or Quicktime version 4 or 5 from the Quicktime website. This worked for a lot of readers. Make sure you only have one copy of Quicktime on your machine - this is a common cause of problems.

Why is the sound distorted/inaudible in the movies?
This is usually caused by a problem with the specification of your machine.
It isn't a problem with the CD itself. Try saving the movies onto your hard
drive and playing them from there.

Otherwise try opening the movie files from the CD direct, not through the main application. They're in the Movies folder. This should launch the Quicktime player and play them. If you still have no sound then you should try re-installing the Quicktime software from the essentials folder. It may be that you haven't done this and your copy of Quicktime is either old or missing a file (this latter would seem more likely if you could see the pictures but not hear the sound at all however). Again, ensure that you have one version of Quicktime on the machine.

Another thought is that you may just have your Quicktime volume switch set
to something inaudible. Try checking the sound slider in bottom left-hand corner of the screen. You should also check your main volume controls. On a PC if you try to use the standard volume controls (the thing at the right end of the menu bar at the bottom of the screen) while the movie is playing it seems to mute it. You have to press stop and then play again on the movie's task bar to make it work.

The voice soundtracks are in stereo so there's no problem with the balance.

How can I obtain a later version of Quicktime?
Quicktime 6 is the latest version. You can download this for free via the Apple web site. Remember to select the correct version for your operating system.

Why can't we have all the pictures as demo files on the CD?
Although I single-handedly wrote, designed the layout and originated many of the photographs you see in the book, I am much indebted to the contributions made by other photographers. I am also grateful to the professional models and their agencies, who granted me permission to use certain pictures.

It is important to realise that many of the pictures you have seen in the book represent a slice of someone else's livelihood. The photographers who supplied images, are quite rightly very protective of their work. The professional model agencies have clauses in their client contracts which prohibit the electronic distribution of the photographs taken of them. Everything remains negotiable of course, but in this instance it was clear from the outset that many of the pictures could never be licensed to appear on the disc (in any form), or if they could, the budget would have been prohibitive. This would have added more cost to the book and in the end it would have been hard to justify extra expense.

When are Adobe going to release the next version of Photoshop?
This is always a closely guarded secret. Adobe normally make their official announcements about a month or so prior to the release date of software. It usually takes about three months after the program's launch before you will see any Photoshop books on a new version published.

How can I order the book?
Adobe Photoshop CS for Photographers, ISBN
0240519426 is published by Focal Press, an imprint of Elsevier. The title is now available. Here are four easy ways to order direct from the publishers:

By phone:
Call our Customer Services department on 01865 474010 with your credit card details.By mail: Write to Elsevier Customer Services Department, PO BOX 840, Halley Court, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8YW

By Fax:
Fax an order on
+44(0)1865 474011

By email:
Send to directorders@elsevier.com

Orders from the US and Canada should be placed on 1-800-568-5136
or 1-781-904-2500 (outside the US and Canada).
Email:
custserv.bh@elsevier.com

Web orders from Focal Press

Order via the Focal Press' secure online ordering at www.focalpress.com to order Adobe Photoshop CS for Photographers

Web orders from Amazon
The title is also available to buy through the online bookstores, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com and is also stocked in most major bookshops throughout the UK and US.