Hi-Fi Color For Comics
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £3.60
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Hi-Fi Color for Comics: Digital Techniques for Professional Results (Book & CD Rom) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £3.60, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Product Description
This is an exciting and complete instructional package starting with the basics and progressing through step-by-step demonstrations that take you from line art to full, awe-inspiring colour.It features instruction on equipment, scanning, setting up pages, colour theory, flatting, rendering, special effects, colour holds, colour separations, and even details on the business of becoming a professional colourist.The bonus CD-Rom, includes Photoshop tools and actions that pro colourists Brian and Kristy Miller use to streamline their colouring work, plus sample Photoshop files so that readers can work along with the demonstrations.
About the Author
Brian and Kristy Miller own Hi-Fi Colour Design, which employs dozens of colourists to work with all the major comics and entertainment publishers, including DC, Marvel, Disney, Wizard, Lucasfilm (Star Wars) and many others. Hi-Fi Colour consistently achieves recognition for quality work, due in great part to the colour theory training and the Photoshop tools and techniques that the Millers have developed for their employees.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
|
Length:
2:32
Mins
One thing you need to get straight right away: This book is all about color!
You will NOT learn to draw or design marvelous creations of your own, but you WILL learn some ways to bring life and color to inked or penciled drawings.
The Miller couple does a good job of introducing you to their way of coloring, with each lesson explained in minute detail, step by step. They have also included several homework projects for you to practice on with the CD that comes with the book.
The book itself is gorgeous with fullcolor illustrations on glossy pages, and littered with small boxes giving you tips and tricks to shortcuts in Photoshop.
The book starts by telling you how to organize files and projects, as well as an overview of different tools and programs you might consider using. You are then thrust into a chapter about how to properly scan in (and stitch together) the original drawings.
Chapter two covers the process of adding flat colors to your projects, followed by how to render highlights and details in chapter three. The next chapter cover color holds, aslo know as how to color the lineart of the drawings. Chapter five covers some Photoshop specific techniques as well as showing you how you can create your own special effects (flares, fire, etc) and how to apply them. In chapter six you'll learn a little more about how digital art and printing work together as well as how to prepare images as CMYK for printing. The final chapter gives insight into how to make it as a professional colorist, and how to break into the industry.
As mentioned the book does a good job of holding your hand, letting you know how to do stuff and WHY you should do them.
That said, it is not without its flaws. There are three things that annoy me...
The first is the CD that comes in a small plastic folder inside the back cover. It is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to remove this folder without damaging the cover inside, due to the heavy glue they've used. I know, it's supposed to stay in there so you'll always have your CD available, but I find it really uncomfortable to read with a stiff plate attached to the back. Had it been a hardcover book it wouldn't have been a problem, but alas...
The second (and most severe flaw) is the scripts that come with the CD. You are given three scripts: One to prepare the lineart, one to process color holds and a final to convert RGB files to CMYK. They all work great and do what they're supposed to, but you are never told WHAT they do.
I like the book and have learned a lot from it, but the way Brian Miller works and how I work are not identical. That means his scripts will not work with my workflow. It would be nice to know HOW his scripts work so I might emulate and adapt it to work for me.
The third gripe I have is a relatively minor one. In chapter five, the one about special effects, you are introduced to a concept that many artists are familiar with: Texturing. A "texture" is a relatively common word when it comes to digital art, yet this book insist of calling them "Hi-Fi Helpers", and use that word over and over again. Understand it if you can. As I said, a minor gripe...
Now that all the bad things are out in the open, I'll STILL recommend this book to anyone looking to learn a new technique for coloring and rendering. You're sure to find at least SOME gems that will make you a better artist, even if you don't use it all. A good buy that I don't regret at all.
Thumbs up! :-)
You will NOT learn to draw or design marvelous creations of your own, but you WILL learn some ways to bring life and color to inked or penciled drawings.
The Miller couple does a good job of introducing you to their way of coloring, with each lesson explained in minute detail, step by step. They have also included several homework projects for you to practice on with the CD that comes with the book.
The book itself is gorgeous with fullcolor illustrations on glossy pages, and littered with small boxes giving you tips and tricks to shortcuts in Photoshop.
The book starts by telling you how to organize files and projects, as well as an overview of different tools and programs you might consider using. You are then thrust into a chapter about how to properly scan in (and stitch together) the original drawings.
Chapter two covers the process of adding flat colors to your projects, followed by how to render highlights and details in chapter three. The next chapter cover color holds, aslo know as how to color the lineart of the drawings. Chapter five covers some Photoshop specific techniques as well as showing you how you can create your own special effects (flares, fire, etc) and how to apply them. In chapter six you'll learn a little more about how digital art and printing work together as well as how to prepare images as CMYK for printing. The final chapter gives insight into how to make it as a professional colorist, and how to break into the industry.
As mentioned the book does a good job of holding your hand, letting you know how to do stuff and WHY you should do them.
That said, it is not without its flaws. There are three things that annoy me...
The first is the CD that comes in a small plastic folder inside the back cover. It is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to remove this folder without damaging the cover inside, due to the heavy glue they've used. I know, it's supposed to stay in there so you'll always have your CD available, but I find it really uncomfortable to read with a stiff plate attached to the back. Had it been a hardcover book it wouldn't have been a problem, but alas...
The second (and most severe flaw) is the scripts that come with the CD. You are given three scripts: One to prepare the lineart, one to process color holds and a final to convert RGB files to CMYK. They all work great and do what they're supposed to, but you are never told WHAT they do.
I like the book and have learned a lot from it, but the way Brian Miller works and how I work are not identical. That means his scripts will not work with my workflow. It would be nice to know HOW his scripts work so I might emulate and adapt it to work for me.
The third gripe I have is a relatively minor one. In chapter five, the one about special effects, you are introduced to a concept that many artists are familiar with: Texturing. A "texture" is a relatively common word when it comes to digital art, yet this book insist of calling them "Hi-Fi Helpers", and use that word over and over again. Understand it if you can. As I said, a minor gripe...
Now that all the bad things are out in the open, I'll STILL recommend this book to anyone looking to learn a new technique for coloring and rendering. You're sure to find at least SOME gems that will make you a better artist, even if you don't use it all. A good buy that I don't regret at all.
Thumbs up! :-)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book to help with colouring of some comic book work and it's a brilliant book that breaks everything down and massively improves your comic book colouring! :o)
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
37 reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
THE Book for Aspiring Colorists - Bar None
9 Aug 2009
Format:Paperback
I've always been interested in coloring my art in Photoshop like the pros do; as a self-taught artist, I'm constantly looking for the best resources to teach me what I need to know. Suffice it to say, I've bought quite a few books discussing computer painting and coloring. I've picked things up from them here and there, but I can honestly say that I have not found a book more comprehensive, more considerate of its audience, and better conceived than Hi-Fi Color for Comics. Before reading any further, however, please note that to get the best results from this book, you need to have Photoshop on your computer.
Hi-Fi Color for Comics is actually the best resource you can have if you're trying to learn how to do computer coloring for either comics work or just coloring your own black-and-white artwork - whether the art is inked or still in pencils. In this book you'll learn:
1. How to best scan your work and even how to best stitch together artwork that is too large to fit into one scan
2. How to 'flat' artwork (lay down the base colors)
3. How to render over the flats (the actual painting)
4. How to create color holds (turning black and white lines into colored lines for dramatic effects)
5. Special effects (making glows, fire effects, etc.) and making 'Helpers' (special image files that you can use in your artwork as starters for skies, grass, gravel, etc.)
6. Color Separation (in other words, how to finish your artwork's file and make it ready for print, etc.)
While this book would be great if it only outlined these subjects, it does something even greater: it contains a DVD-ROM that includes a large number of files. Here are just a few:
1. Photoshop Pre-Sets (color settings, brushes, and even shortcut scripts [which you will use liberally in the book's lessons] that you can install directly into Photoshop)
2. Examples of colored artwork, Helpers, etc.
3. 'Homework' assignments for stitching scanned artwork, flatting, etc.
Basically, the DVD-ROM allows you to practice what you learn right along with the lessons taught. You can open the files provided and dig right into coloring them to really get your feet wet in the coloring process right away. This is probably the best feature of the book. And, as a bonus, the pencils that you will color over are done by professionals and, in some cases, provided by top artists like Terry Moore and John Byrne.
Now, certainly, this book is not perfect: there are a number of typos, a couple of accidents in some of the lesson steps, and I found several instances where some lesson steps were accidentally left out (fortunately, they're simple enough that you will figure it out even if you're a novice). Also, those of you wanting to color your penciled artwork should note that, before performing the color separation Step 3 script to finish your artwork, be sure to Apply your line art or else your pencils would be almost completely washed out (the book fails to mention this problematic issue, I discovered).
While it has its faults, Hi-Fi Color for Comics remains the very best resource out there for those interested in learning the comic book style of computer coloring. It is a tremendously well-thought-out book, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If this book is your speed, you may also want to consider another helpful volume, with has another approach to coloring, Digital Manga Workshop: An Artist's Guide to Creating Manga Illustrations on Your Computer. Enjoy!
Hi-Fi Color for Comics is actually the best resource you can have if you're trying to learn how to do computer coloring for either comics work or just coloring your own black-and-white artwork - whether the art is inked or still in pencils. In this book you'll learn:
1. How to best scan your work and even how to best stitch together artwork that is too large to fit into one scan
2. How to 'flat' artwork (lay down the base colors)
3. How to render over the flats (the actual painting)
4. How to create color holds (turning black and white lines into colored lines for dramatic effects)
5. Special effects (making glows, fire effects, etc.) and making 'Helpers' (special image files that you can use in your artwork as starters for skies, grass, gravel, etc.)
6. Color Separation (in other words, how to finish your artwork's file and make it ready for print, etc.)
While this book would be great if it only outlined these subjects, it does something even greater: it contains a DVD-ROM that includes a large number of files. Here are just a few:
1. Photoshop Pre-Sets (color settings, brushes, and even shortcut scripts [which you will use liberally in the book's lessons] that you can install directly into Photoshop)
2. Examples of colored artwork, Helpers, etc.
3. 'Homework' assignments for stitching scanned artwork, flatting, etc.
Basically, the DVD-ROM allows you to practice what you learn right along with the lessons taught. You can open the files provided and dig right into coloring them to really get your feet wet in the coloring process right away. This is probably the best feature of the book. And, as a bonus, the pencils that you will color over are done by professionals and, in some cases, provided by top artists like Terry Moore and John Byrne.
Now, certainly, this book is not perfect: there are a number of typos, a couple of accidents in some of the lesson steps, and I found several instances where some lesson steps were accidentally left out (fortunately, they're simple enough that you will figure it out even if you're a novice). Also, those of you wanting to color your penciled artwork should note that, before performing the color separation Step 3 script to finish your artwork, be sure to Apply your line art or else your pencils would be almost completely washed out (the book fails to mention this problematic issue, I discovered).
While it has its faults, Hi-Fi Color for Comics remains the very best resource out there for those interested in learning the comic book style of computer coloring. It is a tremendously well-thought-out book, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. If this book is your speed, you may also want to consider another helpful volume, with has another approach to coloring, Digital Manga Workshop: An Artist's Guide to Creating Manga Illustrations on Your Computer. Enjoy!
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
This was exactly what I was looking for!
20 May 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I hadn't planned on doing any artwork for comics, but was looking for a book on digital painting, building from a pencil drawing on paper to line drawing on the computer with color highlights and shadows added. Most digital painting books seemed to be about touching up photos, trying to get photo-realistic results. But then I came across this book, and he gives fine detail and instructions for how to accomplish the look I was searching for and all the steps from line drawing to finished art work. My only other comment on this book is to point out that he establishes the highlights and shadows through use of forming vector areas and filling them with new shades of color. Other tutorials I've seen on how to do it, do it using dodge and burn using brush strokes to add highlights and shadows. Either technique can give nice results. I just wanted to point out the technique used in this book.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
A Complete Comic Support System in one package
1 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback
I found this book not so much a manual as a complete comic colouring support system. Not only do you get the book, which in itself is a well-written, easy to follow manual on comic book colouring, but also a CD of exercises described in the book that allow you to practice the techniques described (and, as they say, the best way to learn is to "do"). On top of that, the book is linked to the authors' web site and, best of all, there is an e-mail address you can contact if you run into real problems.
I ran into a brick wall with one exercise, e-mailed the authors and got a response back from Brian Miller within the day. That is what I call customer support and this is what I call excellent value for money. I look forward to more books on comic book creation from Brian and Kristy Miller and recommend this volume wholeheartedly to both new and established artists.
I ran into a brick wall with one exercise, e-mailed the authors and got a response back from Brian Miller within the day. That is what I call customer support and this is what I call excellent value for money. I look forward to more books on comic book creation from Brian and Kristy Miller and recommend this volume wholeheartedly to both new and established artists.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
