Two Free E-Books to Learn Color Theory Fundamentals for Retouching

Color theory for photography and retouching is more important than many would like to admit. Knowing how to create a visually strong color photography starts there. You can always go by the feeling, but failing to plan is planning to fail. Learning all about colors takes time and finding the proper resources is not an easy task. But thanks to Wacom, digital artists now have a place to get the needed materials to get familiar with all the theory necessary to get started.

Wacom teamed up with Kevin O’Connor and Natalia Taffarel to create two e-books detailing everything you need to know about colors and color management. The first PDF was created by O’Connor and will take you through everything there is to learn to get the best color from your display. Getting perfect grading on your images start with working with properly set up equipment. The second book was designed by well-known retoucher, Taffarel. She’ll first teach you the basics, then show you how to apply this knowledge in Photoshop using curves, and finally how it’s possible to use what you just learned in an artistic way.

No matter your experience or understanding of colors, these two books are worth the time. They are both about 40-pages long so that you can get through them very quickly. It won’t be as complete as a book you could find in an art library. However, they are explaining two critical topics in a concise manner. To download them, head over to the Color Master section on the Wacom website and click the download button at the bottom of the page.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these e-books in the comments below. Have you already read them? Did you find them interesting? Have you got any books or e-books you’d advise a photographer or visual artist to read to learn more about colors and color management?