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Next Full Version Upgrade coming to Lightroom!
It’s no secret that, around here, we love Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for managing and editing your images. It might just be your quick stop for your video clips too!
Video clip support was brought into Lightroom in version 3, but it was pretty limited. Only really letting you keep your video clips alongside your still images and giving you quick access to view them or open them in a program that could work with them. Now we have even more options that are perfect for the casual videographer and even possible workflow improvements for pros too. No longer just a thumbnail amidst your images, video clips now show as scrubbable thumbnails (when you hover your mouse over them, you can quick preview them). When you open them full size in the Library module, you can now make exposure, color, and white balance adjustments to them along with a rudimentary trimming tool for cutting the clips down to the good parts. Not stopping there, Adobe has also given you quick access to setting the Poster Image (the still frame that shows in the Library module) and an easy to access tool for pulling a frame out of your HD video to use as you wish. A frame from HD video won’t print large, but it’s perfect for a 4×6 or to post to the web. Easy publishing of your stills to Facebook has been in Lightroom for a while too, but this feature has been extended to video clips as well. While this isn’t going to replace iMovie, Final Cut, and Adobe Premiere; it’s a great solution for quickly doing something with those video clips you sometimes capture.
There’s a host of other improvements in Lightroom 4, including tweaks to the Develop module that will make your images look even better. However, the real news is that Lightroom finally has Maps and Books! A plethora of options open up when you start incorporating GPS data into your workflow, and the new Maps module doesn’t disappoint. The Books module finally brings something iPhoto and Aperture users have been bragging about for years: a quick and easy way to make print albums from your photos. Tightly integrated with the print service Blurb.com, you can now create and order photo books from right inside of Lightroom!
There are many new features and enhancements in the new version of Lightroom, and the Beta has barely hit the shelves. Grab your copy of the Beta today to give it a try! (It’s free until the official release) But don’t uninstall Lightroom 3 just yet. As with any Beta software, beware when using it for production work. There’s a reason it’s not on the store shelves yet. Just sayin. Grab the download here: http://labs.adobe.com
New G Series Powershot!
Canon just announced the replacement for the G12 Powershot. We’ll save the full-blown reviews for sites that specialize in that area, but here’s the skinny.
- Full range of shooting and recording modes including 14-bit RAW + JPEG, as found in Canon DSLR cameras for the ultimate creative control.
- Shoot beautiful 1080p Full HD video in stereo sound with a dedicated movie button; zoom while shooting and play back videos on an HDTV via the HDMI output.
- 4x Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer, plus a 28mm Wide-Angle Lens delivers exceptional image quality and allows you to capture more in your frame.Intelligent IS automatically chooses from six different modes to optimize image stabilization for the shooting condition.
- Bright 3.0-inch Vari-Angle PureColor System LCD with 922,000 dots for shooting at a variety of angles plus an optical viewfinder.
- High-Speed Burst HQ allows for continuous capture at a maximum of 6 frames* while maintaining superb image.
- Compatible with Canon Speedlite flashes for additional creative lighting options.
- Mode Dial and Front Dial provide intuitive manual adjustment.
- High Dynamic Range scene mode combines multiple shots into one picture showing greater image detail.
So what does this mean to you? It means that Canon has done a great job producing a full-featured point and shoot for when you want DSLR functions in a point and shoot package. Compatible with the flashes you may already have on your DSLR, a big high quality sensor, and even shooting RAW, Canon may not have hugely innovated with this camera, but it’s a solid replacement to an already wonderful DSLR companion.
Canon 1Ds Mk IV coming soon?
A reference and extended warranty pricing briefly popped up on Canon’s site recently. It was promptly removed but not before Photography Bay nabbed a screenshot. Is there a 1Ds Mk IV on it’s way?
RC Concepcion’s “Proof”
One of the most inspiration stories of the power of a photograph I’ve seen in a while. Enjoy and share this.
Digital Photography 101: Troubleshooting a blurry photo.
The obvious answer is to –use a tripod–. But not all situations call for a tripod, sometimes the use is restricted, and some situations are even hindered by one.
An important thing to know is what shutter speed to use to effectively cancel out your own vibrations. When shooting handheld, it’s very common for your photos to come out just a little bit blurry (or sometimes very blurry). To best understand what’s happening, it’s important to recognize the three main causes of blur in a photo.
- Out of Focus (OoF)
- Camera Shake
- Subject Movement
Out of Focus (OoF)
Many things can lead to an OoF shot. The first, and simplest to check, is the Manual Focus switch on the lens being switched on (either accidentally or leftover from a previous shoot). Most Manual Focus switches will be labeled AF/MF for Auto Focus and Manual Focus. Make sure the switch is in the “AF” position.
Second, check the AF mode. If the camera is choosing the AF-Points for you, it might be choosing the wrong one(s). If that’s the case,
Digital Photography 101: How to use your tripod
There’s an excellent post on this subject over at Digital Photography School, so rather than rehash what they said so well, here’s a link the article.
While you’re there, give the rest of the blog a look. It’s full of excellent information regardless of your knowledge level.
That’s it for today! Happy Tuesday!
Digital Photography 101: The Halfpress.
One of the most frustrating things for a new digital photographer is the delay when you press the shutter button on the camera. It will often seem like it takes a second or two before it actually takes the picture. Often causing a missed moment or a blurry photo. What’s happening is the camera is getting the signal to lock focus and the signal to take the picture at the same time, so it firsts takes a moment to lock focus before it releases the shutter. On most digital cameras, pressing down the shutter button halfway will lock focus and allow you to recompose after focusing on what you want. This will also make the camera react faster when it comes time to take the photo, since the focus will already be locked. Photographers call this technique the halfpress.
Digital Photography 101: Check the Edges.
You’ll sometimes notice things in the final photo that you didn’t notice when you took the picture. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you weren’t being observant enough. Most camera viewfinders do not show you 100% of what will be in the frame when you take a picture. By moving the camera around and doing a quick check to make sure there is nothing unwanted just outside the frame, you’ll make sure nothing unwanted ends up in the final image.
Note: This usually does not apply if you are taking a picture using the screen on the back of your camera.