Evan Sharboneau's Trick Photography and Special Effects second edition is advertised as a $47 one-off digital package with 295 pages, nine hours of video and lifetime online access. A mini-ebook kit is described as included; cameras, accessories and editing software are separate considerations. The current seller guarantee says eight whole weeks and links it to first-photo improvement. No paid book, video or photographic exercise was tested for this review. The useful buying decision is whether the exact material fits your equipment and learning needs, without expecting immediate mastery. Current second-edition offer.
Affiliate disclosure: ShopperCove may earn a commission if you buy through an affiliate link. This article is based on public-source research; we have not purchased or tested the product.
Public sources were checked on October 5, 2026. Advertised counts, member access and learning results were not audited. This assessment supplies resource-selection questions, not instructions for recreating the seller's photographs or paid lessons.
What the package advertises
The seller describes an ebook and tutorial videos covering camera effects, lighting and editing, with examples including light painting, perspective, motion, panoramic stitching and HDR. Its page names a second edition and features work from several photographers. Those examples identify the subject range without proving how well the paid teaching is organized or how a learner will progress. Advertised learning scope.
Request the current chapter list, a relevant authorized sample and the exact files delivered. A page or hour count can identify a package, but it does not establish depth, accessibility, currency or a useful sequence for your starting point. Nine hours of video might serve as a reference library, a guided progression or a mixture; those arrangements should be clarified rather than assumed.
The mini-ebook kit is an advertised inclusion rather than a verified paid upgrade. Public descriptions mention camera settings, equipment, software and marketing topics, but its exact current file titles were not inspected. No current named paid upsell was verified. Included marketing material does not establish photographic income.
Start with the camera and software you actually own
The seller uses DSLR examples and mentions older Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop Elements 10-or-above comparisons. Those references do not establish present compatibility, current software prices or that every effect works with any smartphone. The page also disclaims Adobe sponsorship. Seller's equipment and software framing.
A useful purchase enquiry identifies the camera model and controls available, the file formats you use and the editor version you already have. Ask which relevant lessons can be followed with that setup and which require separate equipment or software. Avoid buying accessories solely because the public page shows an appealing result; first establish what a chosen topic actually needs.
Software-version differences can affect menu names, available tools and how demonstrations map to the reader's interface. Request current support information or a representative sample for the exact editor. A historic low-cost comparison is not a budget for today's project, and a similar feature name is not a tested compatibility finding.
For a hobbyist mainly interested in composition or in-camera ideas, the relevant sample may differ from one needed by a learner focused on editing. That is a reason to assess the topic you want rather than treat the entire advertised scope as equally useful.
An original photography resource-fit sheet
This worksheet helps connect an information purchase with an actual learning requirement. It does not reproduce a paid technique or specify equipment procedures.
- Learning goal: Name one result you want to understand, such as a perspective concept or editing workflow, and ask which current chapter or demonstration addresses it.
- Starting point: Record the controls and concepts already familiar to you. Ask what prerequisites the material assumes rather than accept a universal beginner claim.
- Camera fit: Identify your model, available controls and file formats. Obtain a topic-specific equipment requirement rather than assume every camera has the same capabilities.
- Software fit: Name the current editor and version, licences already owned and any additional software the selected topic requires.
- Reading and playback: Specify whether you need downloadable reference material, streaming video, captions, transcripts, readable diagrams or searchable navigation.
- Feedback: Decide whether replayable demonstrations are sufficient or whether personal critique and correction are essential. Establish what assistance the purchase actually includes.
- Extra budget: Separate the information fee from equipment, software, accessories and other commitments. Leave prices unknown until current requirements are confirmed.
- Exit terms: Record the guarantee's start date, request route, conditions and the order information needed. Keep that separate from expected learning improvement.
A hypothetical hobbyist looking for an idea reference might value clear navigation and lawful local downloads. A learner who needs current software demonstrations and individual critique has additional requirements. Neither case supplies a tested verdict about the unseen ebook or establishes that a package size determines teaching quality.
Self-study access has practical limits to clarify
The current page advertises immediate digital/member access with no shipping and lifetime online access. Those are seller commitments, not an account-access test. Confirm what can be downloaded, what must be streamed, the supported devices and the arrangements if a login or file is unavailable. Advertised access.
The general website terms reserve the ability to change or remove the site and make no promise of uninterrupted operation. That does not identify a particular closure date; it means the lifetime headline should be considered alongside actual download and service-continuity arrangements. Current website terms.
Ask whether materials have been revised for current equipment or software, and when relevant demonstrations were recorded. A current public offer of a named second edition does not prove that every lesson has been refreshed. No update history, member-area inventory or support response was tested here.
Special-effects topics require equipment-specific judgement
The public scope includes effects involving unusual lighting and equipment. An attractive photograph cannot establish that an unseen procedure is suitable or safe for the reader's setup. This review gives no laser, fire or camera-modification directions.
FDA's laser information identifies possible eye and skin injury and explains risks involving optical aids. It is general hazard context, not an assessment of this book or approval of a photographic technique. Relevant equipment documentation and complete prerequisites should be examined separately from a sales-page shortcut. FDA laser background.
A buyer can choose an educational topic that fits existing equipment and preferences without attempting every advertised effect. The important resource question is whether limitations, prerequisites and appropriate boundaries are made clear in the material that would actually be supplied. That question remains unresolved until suitable current information is available.
The current guarantee is eight weeks
The assigned seller page offers eight whole weeks under a first-photo-improvement promise. Eight weeks is 56 days arithmetically, not an assumed 60-day policy. The claim of improvement from the next photo remains seller advertising, and this research did not establish such an outcome. Current guarantee wording.
The linked terms say payments and refunds go through ClickBank, but do not resolve the complete eligibility, start clock or request process. Confirm those details for the selected order. Also establish taxes, currency, any optional selections and the full initial total; no checkout was entered. Payment/refund route in the terms.
A refund promise is a purchase condition to understand, independent of teaching quality or mastery. Keep the applicable wording and order information rather than assume that a general guarantee headline settles every circumstance or reimburses separately acquired equipment.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a physical photography book?
The observed offer describes digital/member access without shipping. Confirm actual download formats and streaming requirements rather than read a cover illustration as a shipped item.
Does the package work with every smartphone?
That was not established. Topic-specific camera controls, accessories and software requirements should be checked against the reader's own setup.
Are the 295 pages and nine video hours verified?
They are advertised counts used to identify the offer. No paid-file inventory or duration audit was performed, and a large count does not establish educational value.
Does the bonus kit make photography income likely?
No supported earnings conclusion follows from a kit mentioning marketing. Its delivered contents were not assessed, and it does not supply demand, buyers or a representative income record.
Is the refund period 60 days?
The current public offer says eight weeks. The exact order's start date, conditions and process need clarification without substituting an older refund description.
Inspect the second edition against your requirements
Check Trick Photography and Special Effects' current package. Request a relevant sample and match the stated prerequisites, files and access terms to your camera, editor and learning needs. The present research supports that selection process without a tested improvement, safety or income verdict.
