Bookmarks Digital Photography Special Effects, by Michael Freeman, 9.25x10.25, softcover, 160 pages, $29.95, Amphoto/Watson-Guptill, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 www.watsonguptill.com Whether you like your special effects realistic or wild and wacky, this encyclopedic compendium can show you how to create all the most important types. The books large format is used to advantage to display some 700 before, after, and step by step, full color illustrations. First the author explains how to accomplish each effect with Adobe Photoshop (in most cases, the steps are the same for Elements). Then, where applicable, he goes on to show how you can achieve the same or related effects with third party plug-ins and other software programs. Adding to its value, this is one of the few books currently in print to discuss such a wide range of plug-ins with comparative illustrations. Which effects are covered? On the realistic side, youll learn how to achieve selective focus that includes progressive blur with distance and to correct perspective and lens distortion. In terms of color control, youll see how to add graduated color effects, intensify color, and enhance color selectively. A number of methods for converting color to black and white are explored, and a diffusion section shows how to make the highlights glow while maintaining sharpness in the midtones. A variety of sunlight and spotlight techniques are shown, as well as how to emulate a polarizing filter, day for night and night for day effects. Looking upward, the author discusses how to create a realistic, graduated blue sky, without banding, how to add clouds to a plain sky or a moon image. Theres a section on atmospheric effects with great techniques to add mist and mood to a landscape, work with flames, and add lightning and lens flare. Chapters on textural effects cover metal, glass, water drops, how to add a realistic lake with reflections to your landlocked image, and a plethora of organic textures. Sections on motion show how to create a multiple strobe effect and motion streaks. Author Freeman explains how to shoot a 3600 panorama in multiple still images and then stitch them together, as well as how to use them for digital video with QuickTime VR. Theres a helpful section devoted to retouching a portrait, and enhancement techniques to improve the clarity and color of an image. On the wild side, youll see how to create glows, haloes, and coronas, use bump maps and embossing to add texture to images. Youll also learn how to make displacement maps for real or warped effects, use detailed compositing and blending techniques and work with colorizing and toning approaches. Fragmentation, distortion brushes such as Adobes Liquefy filter used for both realistic and special effects, or dream and surrealist imagery evoking the style of Salvador Dali and M. C. Escher are also covered. Whether you want to enhance your images of the real world or create new worlds from your imagination, youd be hard pressed to find a better introductory overall guide.