Introduction If you have this book in your hands, you're a person who enjoys photography and wants to get more out of your photographs. You're also probably at least somewhat familiar with Apple's iPhoto application; maybe you've played around with it, but getting to know everything it can do seems daunting. Not to worry, this book is for you. When I worked for Apple, I learned that the number-one reason people switched to a Mac is so they can use the incredible iLife suite of software, which iPhoto is part of, to manage their digital lives. Matter of fact, iPhoto was so popular and enticing that Apple's sales staff were instructed to lure "switchers" (Windows users who were thinking of buying a Mac) by demoing iPhoto to them before showing them anything else on the Mac. The reason for this is obvious: the number-one digital device everyone owns is a camera, and we record our lives in photographs more than in any other medium. And now the number-one photography application for photography hobbyists is iPhoto '11. You've got the Mac, you've got the camera, and you've got the digital photos--now get this book. It ties everything together for you and helps you make organizing, navigating, sharing, and editing your photos more fun than you ever thought possible. Don't be intimidated by photo editing either. There's no right way or wrong way to do it. And there's no hard-and-fast rules what a "good" photograph should be like. Matter of fact, the only "should" for photographers is that they should have an understanding of the tools available to them--and iPhoto '11 gives you those tools in a tidy little package. Taking Your iPhoto '11 to the Max is the book you've been looking for to help you take your photographs to the next level. Now, turn to Chapter 1, and let's get started! Michael Grothaus xiii