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Posts Tagged ‘LIVE’

How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home

10 May

The post How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.

live streaming setup and youtube setup

Since many of us are spending most of our time at home at the moment, I thought I’d share this great video from the dPS founder, Darren Rowse, on how to do live streaming and YouTube videos from your own home as a way to reach your audience and promote your photography.

He shares his complete live streaming setup, which I have listed below so that you can see if you have some of this gear already. Of course, you can replace some of this gear with the equipment you already have too. Most DSLR and mirrorless cameras do video nowadays.

The great thing about this video is that Darren shows us how this equipment all works together too, which is perfect to see what parts may or may not suit your needs.

Want to do some photography videos for youtube, or post-processing videos? This could be an ideal setup for you too.

Livestreaming gear setup:

live streaming setup and youtube video setup
  • Sony A7 III – https://geni.us/BM6gBHA
  • Sony 28mm f/2 lens – https://geni.us/sony282
  • Sony 55mm f/1.8 Lens – https://geni.us/sony5018
  • Sony A6400 – https://geni.us/udaP
  • Sony 16mm f1.4mm – https://geni.us/qLanFq
  • Rode PodMic – https://geni.us/rodepodmic
  • Rode Podcaster (USB) – https://geni.us/rodepodcasterusb
  • RodeCaster Pro – https://geni.us/rodecasterpropb
  • Shure SM58 – https://geni.us/shuresm58mic
  • Neewer 480 LED Lights – https://geni.us/neewer480led
  • Softbox for Neewer 480 – https://geni.us/neewersoftbox
  • LEDGO LG-B150 – https://geni.us/ledgo
  • Manfrotto magic arm – https://geni.us/mfmagic
  • Manfrotto superclamp – https://geni.us/mfsc
  • Ecamm Live – https://geni.us/ecamm
  • Elgato Camlink – https://geni.us/camlinkpb

Do you have a setup that you use already and would like to share with us? Please do so in the comments section!

The post How to Setup For Doing Live Streaming and YouTube Videos at Home appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Caz Nowaczyk.


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Twitter rolls out Live Photo support on iOS, improved JPEG compression

13 Dec

Twitter has updated its platform with two new useful features for photographers: iOS Live Photos support and better JPEG quality. Both changes are live now.

Live Photos are a type of image that can be captured using an iPhone or iPad; in addition to the image, Live Photos include the 1.5 seconds of action that happened before and after the photo was snapped. In order to make it possible to share these images, Twitter is first converting them into GIFs.

To share a Live Photo, iPhone users must launch the Twitter mobile app and select the image from their Camera Roll. Once the Live Photo is selected, the user can tap the new ‘GIF’ option located in the bottom left corner of the image. This will result in Twitter converting and sharing the Live Photo as a GIF.

Converting Live Photos into GIFs has been the primary method used to share the video versions of these images. Lack of direct support on many platforms has forced many iPhone users to turn to apps like Lively. Twitter’s new support merely removes this time-consuming manual conversion process, enabling iPhone users to rapidly share their Live Photos with followers.

In addition to the new direct Live Photos to GIF conversion feature, Twitter is also now publishing JPEGs with their original encoding, according to company engineer Nolan O’Brien.This eliminates the transcoding and compression that obliterates image quality when viewed in full size. O’Brien notes that the thumbnail version of JPEGs will still be transcoded to cut down on file size and that only the bitmap encoding is preserved, not the metadata. As well, the new encoding preservation is only live for images uploaded using Twitter for Web.

Twitter for Web has supported 4096 x 4096 image uploads since last year, according to O’Brien, who details some upload scenarios in which the platform will still encode images:

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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FiLMiC launches Firstlight, a stills camera app with Raw capture, live analytics and more

21 Nov

FiLMiC, the company best known for its FiLMiC Pro video camera app with features for professionals, has branched in the still photography market with the launch of Firstlight. With FiLMiC Firstlight, iPhone owners get access to more features than offered on the stock camera app, including support for TIF and DNG Raw formats, anamorphic adapter support, the ability to embed copyright info and more.

FiLMiC announced the availability of Firstlight v1.0 on November 12. The company has included the live analytics feature from FiLMiC Pro in its new still photography app, as well as adaptive film grain, custom film simulations, an RGB Histogram, an Auto Exposure (AE) mode, tap/swipe-based focus and exposure controls, a lens selector and vignette.

FiLMiC boasts a number of ‘professional camera tools,’ including grid overlays, a burst mode, flash and timer, expanded shadow details, the ability to select either HEIC or JPG formats, multiple aspect ratios (4:3, 16:9, 3:2, 1:1, 5:4), HDR controls on the latest iPhone models, and Bluetooth support for ‘most’ camera shutter remote controls.

In addition to the free version of the app, FiLMiC gives users the option of paying for access to premium features, making it possible to configure the burst mode, adjust the vignette, apply film grain, use an anamorphic adapter, use a custom function button, configure the exposure and focus controls, and more.

The app is free to download from the iOS App Store now. The premium features can be unlocked via either a $ 0.99 monthly subscription or a $ 7.99 annual subscription.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google’s Dual Exposure Controls and Live HDR+ features remain exclusive to Pixel 4

22 Oct

Google’s brand new flagship smartphone Pixel 4 comes with a variety of new and innovative camera features. Google has already said that some of those features, for example the astrophotography mode, will be made available on older Pixel devices via software updates.

However, two of the new functions will be reserved for the latest generation Pixel devices: Dual exposure controls, which let you adjust highlights and shadows via sliders in the camera app, and Live HDR+, which gives you a WYSIWYG live preview of Google’s HDR+ processing. Google confirmed this in a tweet:

According to the tweet the reason these two features won’t be available on the Pixel 3 and older devices is down to hardware rather than a marketing decision. It appears the older phones simply don’t have enough processing oomph to display the HDR+ treatment and manual adjustments in real time.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google Pixel 4 adds telephoto lens, improved portrait mode and HDR in live view

15 Oct

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Google officially unveiled the Pixel 4 today, with the addition of a telephoto camera headlining the camera updates. Other improvements include an enhanced live view experience showing the approximated effects of HDR in real time, added controls for adjusting exposure and tone mapping prior to image capture, and an updated portrait mode with better depth mapping thanks to the additional rear camera.

The Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL offer 5.7″ and 6.3″ OLED displays respectively, each with a 90Hz variable refresh rate that Google calls ‘Smooth Display.’ Gone is the fingerprint sensor on the rear of the device, replaced by face unlock. Also new is a technology called Soli, comprising a radar chip that detects hand motions. Called Motion Sense, this feature makes it possible to skip songs and silence calls with a wave of your hand.

As is the case with high-profile phone launches, along with the main specifications the camera updates are also the center of attention (in fact, Annie Leibovitz made an appearance). In addition to the new F2.4, optically stabilized telephoto camera (about 48mm equiv.), Google has introduced improved Super Resolution Zoom for up to 8x digital zoom. In fact, the telephoto camera uses a hybrid of optical and digital zoom at its default zoom setting to achieve approximately 2x zoom.

The process of taking photos has been improved on the Pixel 4 as well. On previous models, the results of Google’s impressive HDR rendering could only be seen after capture – now, machine learning is used to approximate the effect in real-time for a much more ‘what you see is what you get’ experience.

Google Pixel 4 official sample images

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Additional exposure controls are also available during image capture. Two new sliders give users direct control of overall scene brightness and rendering of shadows, as compared to the single exposure slider offered by the Pixel 3. Google also says the Pixel 4’s camera is more responsive and stable compared to the Pixel 3, thanks to 6GB of RAM at its disposal.

Portrait mode should see significant improvements as well. The mode now uses information from the telephoto camera as well as split pixels to judge subject distance, creating a better depth map than was previously possible only using split pixels. Portrait mode’s range has also been extended, making it possible to capture large objects as well as human subjects from farther back than was possible on the Pixel 3.

While the telephoto camera lends depth information, the standard camera with a 1.5x digital zoom is used for the image itself. Background blur is now applied to the Raw image before tone mapping, with the aim of creating more SLR-like bokeh. The updated Portrait mode should also handle human hair and dog fur better, and Google says that its face detection has been improved and should handle backlit subjects better.

All camera modes will benefit from improved, learning-based white balance – previously used only in Night Sight

An astrophotography mode is added to Night Sight, using longer shutter speeds to capture night skies. Additionally, all camera modes will benefit from improved, learning-based white balance – previously used only in Night Sight. Google has also done some white balance tuning for certain light sources.

Google has reduced the number of front-facing cameras from two back down to one. Citing the popularity of the ultra-wide selfie camera, the Pixel 4’s single front-facing camera offers a focal length that’s a happy medium between the standard and ultra-wide options on the Pixel 3.

Google Pixel 4 pre-orders start today; Pixel 4 starts at $ 799 and Pixel 4 XL starts at $ 899. Both will ship on October 24th. It will be available for all major US carriers for the first time, including AT&T.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Review: Live Planet VR live-streaming system

05 Oct

Live Planet VR camera and live-streaming platform
$ 3,495 | liveplanet.net

Live Planet VR bills itself as “the only end-to-end VR system,” and technically, since it includes a camera system as well as a cloud publishing suite that’s capable of delivering to just about every major VR headset and outlet currently available (including live-streaming high-resolution stereoscopic 360 video over mobile networks) they may be right.

Live Planet has a lot of things going for it, especially when it comes to the algorithm and software solutions side of things. Their live-streaming and real-time stitching execution is impressive, and I can also see many cases where their cloud publishing platform could be a godsend, which we’ll get to below.

In fact, whether or not Live Planet VR is right for you is highly dependent on how you plan to use it, as Live Planet is targeting a very specific user – mostly those looking to live-stream.

But we’ll start with the key features and the design.

Key Features

  • 16-lens stereoscopic VR 6K camera
  • DCI 4K/30p (4096×2160) resolution for live streaming
  • 6K/24p (6144×3328) for post-production stitching
  • In-camera real-time stitching
  • Live-streaming capability
  • Records to a single microSD card
  • VR headset live preview
  • Robust cloud publishing solution to all major VR platforms
  • Delivers high quality VR over LTE networks

Design

The camera itself is quite nice. It’s a hefty, well-crafted chunk of heavy polymer and machined metal about the size of an extra large coffee mug. It has sixteen Sunex DSL218 F2.0 lenses and 1/2.8” Sony IMX 326 sensors, and is flanked on top and bottom by generous ventilation grills.

The bottom of the unit has inputs for USB stereo, audio-in, ethernet, 12V DC 5A power, microSD slot, TOSLINK (optical audio), and HDMI out, as well as a standard 1/4”-20 thread for mounting to any standard tripod plate or system.

The LivePlanet camera may look like something out of a science fiction movie, but it’s a robust camera with sixteen F2.0 lenses.

The camera records to a single microSD card in a compressed .mp4 format. It also offers an HDMI out for YUV 4:2:0 capture so you can transmit the signal in both stereo or mono to a switcher or for a traditional broadcasting workflow. For standard recording, it captures at 50 Mbps, and for live-streaming it can capture at 15, 30, 45, or 60Mbps.

This all weighs in at around 700g (1.5 lb) and comes packaged in a Pelican case with custom foam cutouts.

I had no qualms about the aesthetic and physical design of the camera, but there are a few key points to take into account as you consider whether this system is right for you, which brings me to…

In use

As with most VR cameras, much of the magic happens on the software side. In the case of the Live Planet system, most of that magic is related to live streaming. If you’re looking for a rig to showcase and/or live-stream produced events, such as sports, concerts or conferences, and expect to do little to no post-processing, the Live Planet VR system is certainly one to take a look at, for this is where Live Planet VR truly shines.

Live Planet is targeting a very specific user, mostly those looking to live-stream.

However, if you’re looking for a fairly portable system that you can quickly grab and go to capture high-resolution, high-quality 360 footage, you should probably be aware of a few things:

There are no internal microphones. You need to connect a third party microphone, such as the Zoom H2N or Zoom H3-VR, if you plan to capture audio, as well as a second tripod or clamp to attach it to the tripod and keep it out of view below the camera. Live Planet does support direct-to-soundboard input so audio is attached to your video files.

There’s no internal battery pack. In order to use this unit away from a power source, you need a third party battery pack. The review unit came equipped with a Watson Pro VM-95-ME 97Wh external Lithium-Ion battery pack and Core SWX GPSCPM V-Mount plate and monopod clamp, also to be attached to the tripod. These are not included when purchasing the Live Planet VR camera.

The camera’s ethernet plug provides a reliable connection for live streaming content.

You can’t preview recorded clips in the field. In order to preview what you’ve recorded the app provides screenshots, but you can’t see recorded video files until you offload footage onto your laptop or computer. Live Planet says that this is a feature on their roadmap.

The camera only records in compressed .mp4 format. While most cameras at this price point offer several recording options, those interested in color grading and refining stitches may want to look elsewhere as the Live Planet VR camera does not currently record Log or Raw footage, nor does it allow you access to full resolution un-stitched camera files for fine-tuning using tools like Mistika VR or Nuke. Live Planet tells me they have features in beta for Raw capture and a Premiere Pro plugin, however it doesn’t seem that access to individual camera files is yet on the roadmap.

The Live Planet VR camera requires some accessories, like an off camera battery and audio recorder, so it’s not the best camera for quick projects. But for live-streaming events it’s a very powerful solution.

There’s no internal gyroscope or stabilization solution. While this wouldn’t be as much of an issue if individual camera files could be accessed to post-process using third party software, moving shots are virtually impossible with the Live Planet VR system without a gimbal or rover with stabilization.

These may seem like some serious limitations, and for certain uses they are. However, when you consider that the system is optimized to live-stream VR content, features like previewing recorded clips or the specific recording format used are probably less critical.

Software and apps

First, the basics.

The mobile app, as well as the web app from your computer or laptop, are very simple to use. For image control it offers the essentials: exposure (including auto-exposure), shadows, saturation, temperature (including auto-white balance), tint, and curves.

Additionally, you can choose between monoscopic and stereoscopic, quality of live-stream, choice of audio stream (with optional microphone attached), and field of view (currently 360 or 180, with plans on future updates to choose anywhere between 0 and 360 degrees). Finally, you get the option of recording or live-streaming, as well as a button to turn on and off the camera unit.

The Live Planet mobile app is easy to use and offers a lot of control.

Now, the magic.

First, by taking full advantage of an NVIDIA Jetson TX2 Module (with AI computing), the unit live-stitches 4K footage in real-time, and the algorithm does a fantastic job doing so. I was as close as a half meter (1.5 ft.) away, and stitch-lines are hardly noticeable as you can see in the video below

There is an impressively noticeable lack of optical flow Jello-effect, often seen with other software stitching systems at such close distances. It really wasn’t until I was about 30cm (1 ft.) away that I even noticed any stitch lines. To get these kind of results from a package that fits in the palm of your hand, when just a few years ago you needed an ultra powerful desktop-sized stitchbox sitting underneath the camera, is a more than impressive feat.

Editors note: for best results, we recommend watching this sample video on a mobile or head-mounted device.

The Live Planet system is able to live-stitch 4K footage in real-time, a very impressive feat considering how well it works. Stitch lines are hardly noticeable until something gets within about a half meter of the camera. (Please excuse the lack of audio – I failed to consider the lack of internal microphones until I offloaded later in the day).

Second, the ability to monitor and preview live using a Samsung Gear VR headset is priceless. It’s very easy to setup and use, and is a wonderful way for a producer, director or client to experience, on set, the 360 sphere the way the end user will experience it. It’s also capable of simultaneously streaming an equirectangular preview to a laptop or computer, from where you can also control the camera and settings.

Third, and this is perhaps the main selling point for the Live Planet system, is that it gives the user the opportunity to simultaneously live-stream in 4K stereoscopic video, at as low as 2Mbps, to various platforms, including Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR, and Google Daydream headsets as well as YouTube and any platform that supports Real Time Messaging Protocol (RMTP).

To get these kind of results from a package that fits in the palm of your hand, when just a few years ago you needed a powerful desktop-sized stitchbox sitting underneath the camera, is a more than impressive feat.

This makes it an elegant solution for publishers of live events to easily distribute to multiple channels. All you need to do is connect the camera to a router via Ethernet cable, plug it in, and hit the Livestream button on the mobile app or computer. You then share a simple event code generated by the Live Planet Cloud to whomever you like and users can login to experience both live, as well as pre-recorded, video. Facebook and Vimeo support are on the way.

Now here’s the kicker – users of most major 360 cameras such as Insta360 Pro, Vuze+, Samsung Gear VR and Rylo can now take advantage of Live Planet VR Studio, Live Planet’s cloud publishing platform. Since the software is where Live Planet does some serious algorithmic voodoo, this is an incredibly welcomed feature. Using the Live Planet publishing platform can give you a consistent easy way to push your 360 content out to the world, no matter what platform a user chooses to experience it on. I cannot think of an easier turnkey way to simultaneously publish to all major VR and social media outlets.

Finally, and this will be one of the least talked about and least understood, but perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the technical design, it all runs on a blockchain-enabled infrastructure called VideoCoin.

I cannot think of an easier turnkey way to simultaneously publish to all major VR and social media outlets.

Those that know me know that anything blockchain and distributed ledger technology gets my full attention. While this isn’t the place to get into the nitty-gritty of blockchain tech, essentially the basis of most cryptocurrency, what’s important in the Live Planet VR system’s case is that it provides a peer-to-peer, decentralized, encrypted platform for data distribution – never has there been a safer way to safeguard, control, and distribute your own data, in this case video.

Live Planet also employs a proprietary algorithm in what they call ViewCast technology, which predicts head movements in order to maximize resolution in the direction the eye is facing, enabling high-resolution viewing in headsets even on mobile networks.

The Live Planet system arrives in a very sturdy Pelican case with custom foam cutouts.

The Live Planet team also indicated that they “plan to release an update every 3 weeks.” Some of the things they specifically pointed out to us include still photo capture, HDR capture, flexible field of view capture (0 to 360º), support for streaming from multiple cameras, RAW capture, an Adobe Premiere Pro plugin to aid in post-production color grading, and spatial audio support on the Live Planet publishing platform.

Be aware that space and publishing through the cloud system will cost you, based on how much streaming time and space you need. There are packages from $ 50/month for 90 minutes of streaming and 50GB storage, up to $ 270/month for 10 hours of streaming and 250GB storage. To take advantage of the ViewCast technology, it’ll cost you $ 9.99 per streamed hour.

Image quality

Image quality is certainly adequate and acceptable, especially for the turn-key live event use cases as described above. While a recent update allows for 6K capture (6144×3328) at 24fps, that is currently reserved for post-production stitching. Maximum resolution for live streaming is 4096 x 2160 at 30fps. The camera does a very good job of rendering details close-by, however, at further distances, in high-contrast situations, say under a tree canopy or between several buildings in daylight, there tends to be some noticeable edge-fringing.

Conclusions

When I first started using the Live Planet I ran into some of the same frustrations that I did when I started shooting 360 several years back, piecing together 3rd party accessories and solutions. With no internal battery, on-board audio recording, any sort of controls on the camera unit itself, it’s not the best camera for travel or on-location shooting. It has a lot of moving pieces, all of which have to work perfectly together with no issues.

Bottom line, this is a perfect turn-key solution for the quickly growing market of live-streaming events in 360 video.

However, when I began to truly consider what the Live Planet system was designed to do – effortlessly stream live events – my perspective changed. Live Planet’s software engineering and solutions are top notch. For live-streaming, especially over wireless networks, 4K is more than enough resolution for that bandwidth to handle. Furthermore, since Live Planet has begun to open up its software solutions to users of other cameras, it’s absolutely worth keeping an eye on Live Planet’s evolution as I’ve yet to see anything that rivals Live Planet VR Studio on the software and distribution front.

Bottom line, this is a perfect turn-key solution for the quickly growing market of live-streaming events in 360 video, and it gets my enthusiastic recommendation as a system to use for live streaming purposes. Additionally, Live Planet VR Studio certainly gets my nod as a publishing platform for users of any camera.

What we like

  • Build quality
  • Instantaneous stitching
  • Live Planet live-streaming publishing platform
  • Good image quality
  • End-to-end system
  • Only requires 1 MicroSD card

What we’d like to see improved

  • Price
  • No internal or swappable battery
  • No audio recording
  • No still photo capture (coming soon)
  • No raw recording (coming soon)
  • No access to individual camera files
  • No stabilization
(Rating based primarily on use as a live-streaming system)

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Useful Ways You Can Use the Olympus Live Composite Feature for Long Exposures

16 Sep

The post Useful Ways You Can Use the Olympus Live Composite Feature for Long Exposures appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.

Olympus has a number of unusual features for longer exposure photography. Aside from the classic bulb style photography, there are two other specific long exposure features available with Olympus cameras: Live Time and Live Composite. These two functions, although related, treat longer exposures quite differently and can produce quite interesting results. Both are really fascinating tools for photographers looking to experiment. Both use computational features of your camera to allow you to get an image in a different way. Although we will briefly discuss Live Time, this article primarily focuses on the Olympus Live Composite feature.

olympus-live-composite-feature

The Live Composite feature on Olympus Cameras lets you mix light sources for long exposure

Live Time

Live Time is like the bulb function on old film cameras that held the shutter open as long as the bulb was depressed but with a twist. With modern cameras, you open the shutter by pressing once and then close it by pressing it a second time. As with any bulb function, you end up holding the shutter open for as long as you want but without a set time on the camera.

In the film days, you would just guess how long you wanted (or use a light meter and a stopwatch). With most digital cameras, there is a function to allow you to hold the shutter open for an extended time. However, for many makes of cameras, you won’t see the image until the camera has closed the shutter, taken a noise reduction image, and then processed the image.

Live Time in Olympus cameras is a little different. It allows you to see the image on your display developing during the process while the shutter remains open. As the exposure lengthens, you see the image form as more and more light gets added to the entire image. The image gets brighter on the back panel, and it is really cool to see the image created live.

This process allows you to decide when you have held the shutter open long enough. Like the old bulb settings, you decide how long the image progresses. You press to start the exposure and press to stop.

Image: Long Exposure images simply mean that light sources get brighter

Long Exposure images simply mean that light sources get brighter

Fundamentally, Live Time is just a manually extended exposure time that allows you to watch the image develop as you take it. It is still a pretty cool feature.

Problems with long exposure photography

The trouble with Live Time (and any long exposure image with any camera for that matter), is that bright things get brighter faster than the dark areas.

This means that dim, infrequent events in lower light environments with some point sources of light will be overwhelmed by the point sources. When you have enough light to expose the dark areas properly, this usually means that the lit areas have far too much accumulated light. Everything in the frame gets treated the same.

Image: A still Image of a fire provides lots of detail and freezes the action of the flames.

A still Image of a fire provides lots of detail and freezes the action of the flames.

olympus-live-composite-feature

Long Exposures tend to smear the light as the light sources persist.

Enter Live Composite

Live Composite is a particularly unique feature present in Olympus cameras that is not currently offered by other camera makers at this time.

Live Composite is similar to Live Time, in that you are taking a longer exposure image, but Live Composite is just light additive for new sources of light, not existing sources. What this means is that Live Composite takes a base image and then only adds new light to the image that was not present in the original base image. This means that light sources seen in the original reference image do not get brighter. Only new lighting or new light sources that move in the frame will appear in the final image.

olympus-live-composite-feature

Live Composite of a campfire shows that the entire image is not getting brighter

The mechanics of Live Composite

Using Live Composite is a two-step process; first, it requires you to take a base or reference image exposure. This image forms the base layer of the composite image. Then you take subsequent additional images at intervals with only new light in the field of view added.

This allows you to take a static image of a colorful background under low light conditions and add only new light sources.

Just like Live Time, you get to watch the image develop right before your eyes.

olympus-live-composite-feature

After the base image is taken, only new light sources (such as a lightning bolt) show up

How to use It

Turning on Live Composite on your Olympus camera is not the most prominent process. It is a bit hidden. Live Composite is a type of manual mode setting, so that is where you find it on the camera.

However, before you use Live Composite, you need to decide a few key parameters for your base composite image – specifically initial shutter duration, ISO and aperture.

You set the shutter time duration in the menu (out of the function itself) before setting the camera to shoot. However, you set the ISO and aperture as you go.

Useful Ways You Can Use the Olympus Live Composite Feature for Long Exposures

Turning on Live Composite varies a little between cameras (the EM1X does it slightly differently), but for most Olympus cameras, you simply set the mode selector dial to Manual (M) and adjust the time to beyond the 60-second shutter duration. At that point, you get a Bulb, LiveTime, and then LiveComp setting. LiveComp is the one you want for Live Composite. On the EM1X, you set the mode selector dial to B (bulb) and then turn to LiveComp. Everything else is the same.

At this point in time, you set your ISO and Aperture. This, combined with the shutter time duration you set in the menu system for cycling the images, will be used to set your base composite image. For instance, if you set the shutter timing to 4 seconds, plan on using an aperture of f/4 and ISO of 800. You will use those values for the base reference composite image.

To activate Live Composite, set up your composition, focus your lens, and then press the shutter for the reference image. The composite is now ready to start.

Next, when you press your shutter button again, the image creating process begins! The camera will open the shutter and add to the image as each time period compares to the base image. Any new light gets added to the composite at the end of each cycle. The image changes and grows on your display as Live Composite progresses.

It is very cool to watch as your image develops.

Does Live Composite mean you can take images that you couldn’t before?

Image: Lightning storms work incredibly well with Live Composite, especially if there is a lot of ne...

Lightning storms work incredibly well with Live Composite, especially if there is a lot of nearby light sources (such as streetlights)

Yes and no. You could take the images separately and combine them as a composite, but as a single image, you would not have been able to do it. Also, there are certain types of images that are way easier to take with the Live Composite function than would be possible to achieve in a single image.

Live Composite also forces you to change your approach to certain images. As part of that change, it may actually take longer to take some images (because you need to create a base/reference every time), but you get the benefit of seeing if it is doing what you want.

What kind of image works well with Live Composite?

Several specific types of images can get the full benefit of Live Composite. These include star trails, lightning flashes, fireworks, night photography with bright lights present, and light painting.

You can take all of these in other ways, but using live composite allows you to see if the image is turning out how you want.

Most of these images all require manual focus and manual settings for your exposures. All require some trial and error and pretty much all benefit from the use of a tripod. In theory, you might be able to take these images without one, but in reality, the requirement to be steady really limits those cases.

Star Trails

In astrophotography, taking an image of stars can be particularly daunting. This is because the earth is rotating and the stars are relatively dim. What this means is that you need a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the motion of the star but also need to leave the shutter open long enough for the start to appear on your image. If you leave the shutter open too long, you will see a streak or smear instead of a star. If you leave the shutter open even longer, the stars leave even longer trails that are circular. In the northern hemisphere, these star trails appear to rotate around the North Star.

Image: Star trails occur when you take astrophotography shots and leave the shutter open for an exte...

Star trails occur when you take astrophotography shots and leave the shutter open for an extended period of time. The stars create a trail. This image was taken with the shutter open for 27 minutes

With conventional digital cameras (or film cameras for that matter), working at night can be a challenge. The shutter duration required to create star trails are long, and you can’t see what your image is like until you’ve completed the entire exposure duration. In addition, if you have made an error in focus or composition, you won’t see it until the entire process is complete. There are ways to combine star trails together in post-processing, but the Live Composite allows you to do it in a single exposure.

With Live Composite, you can see the image develop. Particularly with star trails, this allows you to quickly figure out if you want to have your image in a different setup or use a different point of interest so that the star trails work with your composition.

You also have the ability to have star trails show up when there is an illuminated object in the foreground.

Lightning

Another significant challenge for photography is capturing images of lightning, particularly in areas where there are light sources. As anyone who has attempted to take lightning images knows all too well, this is a difficult type of photography.

olympus-live-composite-feature

Lightning strike captured using the Olympus Live Composite Feature.

The main difficulties of capturing lightning images are fourfold. Lightning is difficult to schedule, so you have to wait to find a storm to photograph. Depending upon your position relative to the storm, you need to find a vantage point to capture images that are reasonably clear (you need to be able to see the lightning from a distance) and have a perspective that forms a reasonable composition. More common vantage points are across a field, across a valley or from highrise building.

Next, you need to hope the lightning is not blocked or shrouded by rain (a common companion to lightning). This will interfere with your sightlines. Lighting is often at leading and trailing edges of storms, but if you are at the wrong end, the lightning will simply light up the sky.

Finally, taking images at night always presents a problem for trying to achieve focus. Focusing in the dark means that you can’t see what you are focusing on and the light from the lightning hasn’t lit up your subject yet.

If you have the right conditions, you can take the base image and wait for the lightning strike and the image to develop. You just wait until lightning strikes in the field of view.

For a detailed guide on photographing lightning, see this Ultimate Guide to Photographing Lightning.

Fireworks

Fireworks is an interesting subject for live composite. It actually isn’t faster to take images, but I think it takes better images. Fireworks requires you to manually focus where you think the images are, set the time, aperture, and ISO for a darker setting than your camera will want, then wait.

Image: Fireworks also work well, although it is a two-step process for every image.

Fireworks also work well, although it is a two-step process for every image.

Without Live Composite, you simply open the shutter and wait. The image gets brighter, and the duration is based upon a little trial and error.

With Live Composite, you take the reference image and then wait. When the fireworks start, you hold the shutter and watch the screen. You press the shutter when you have the image you want.

Unfortunately, you need to take a new reference image each time, so you end up with additional steps. However, the results are at least as good (and often better) as simply guessing an exposure time.

Night photography with bright lights and light painting

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Capturing car tail lights and headlights will appear but the street lights don’t get overly bright

Night photography featuring bright lights, such as carnivals or street performers using fire at night, can turn out really well with Live Composite. So can images where lights are moving, but you don’t want the background to get brighter.

You can also use Live Composite for light painting. This is particularly useful if you have someone helping you when you are taking a light painting image.

Light painting is a technique for taking an image under low light conditions with a long exposure and lighting up the object with controlled use of flashes or light sources. The neat thing about using Live Composite for light painting is that you can have light in the image when you are taking the image with the light painting because only new light gets added. It also means that dark objects won’t show up, and the bright surfaces behind them will remain illuminated.

Image: Live composite allows you to do light painting with light sources present in the image (not t...

Live composite allows you to do light painting with light sources present in the image (not the greatest light painting image!)

Conclusion

Live Composite is a unique feature in Olympus cameras that allow you to make composite images in-camera that previously would only be able to be created with two separate images and a bunch of post-processing. It is another useful tool for your photography kit.

olympus-live-composite-feature

The Olympus Live Composite feature is a unique tool to allow you to be creative with low light images.

Have you used Olympus Live Composite Feature before? What are your thoughts? Share with us in the comments!

 

olympus-live-composite-feature

The post Useful Ways You Can Use the Olympus Live Composite Feature for Long Exposures appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Mark C Hughes.


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Fujifilm Camera Remote app version 4.0.0 for Android is now live with new UI and more

31 May

Fujifilm promised back in April that the Android version of its Fujifilm Camera Remote app would be available in May. Now, with only a few days to spare, it fulfilled its promise, releasing version 4.0.0 on the Google Play Store.

Like the iOS version, the new Android version features an updated user interface and many other features designed to streamline the remote capture process.

The new interface sheds wasted space and is specifically designed to make use of smartphones with larger displays. Additionally, Fujifilm has simplified the pairing process and added a new ‘Album’ feature, making it easier to sort through images transferred to the device. Other improvements include support for new cameras and numerous bug fixes.

Below is a list of features the Fujifilm Camera Remote app provides, according to the app’s description:

  • Transferring images and movies to a Smartphone
  • Browsing the Camera from a Smartphone
  • Downloading Location Data from a Smartphone
  • Shooting Images by Remote Control(*)
  • Easily transfer pictures from the cameras that offer Bluetooth capability.
  • Synchronizing “date and time” and/or “location information” with the cameras that offers Bluetooth capability
  • Firmware update via a Smartphone to the cameras that offers Bluetooth capability.
  • Bluetooth wireless remote control camera shutter release is now supported for cameras that offers Bluetooth capability.
    *How to change the setting depends on your camera.

Fujifilm’s X-T30, GFX 50R, X-T3, XF10, X-H1 and X-E3 cameras support all the above features while the FinePix XP140 supports all but number seven. The X-T100, X-A5 and FinePix XP130 support features one through six and the GFX 50S, X-T20, X100F, X-A10, X-A3, X-T2, X-Pro2, X-E2S, X70, X-T10, X-T1, X30, X100T, X-E2, FinePix XP120, FinePix XP90, FinePix XP80, FinePix S9900W and FinePix S9950W support features one through four. Wrapping up, the X-E2, XQ2, XQ1, X-A2, X-A1, X-M1 and FinePix Z1100EXR support features one through three while the FinePix Z1000EXR only supports the transfer of images and movies.

Fujifilm Camera Remote version 4.0.0 is live in the Google Play Store for free and works with smartphones running Android 5.0 or later. Geotagging functionality only works with devices equipped with LTE connectivity.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Instagram’s redesigned Explore tab is now live: Stories, shortcuts and more

17 May

Instagram has launched a redesigned Explore tab that adds Stories, topic shortcuts, and direct access to ‘more immersive’ IGTV and Shopping experiences. With the update, Explore now provides users with direct access to Stories, a feature utilized by more than 500 million users daily. Users will now see personalized Stories recommendations in the Explore grid.

Explore recommendations include Stories that are relevant to each user’s interests based on topics they interact with. Users will start seeing these personalized Stories recommendations in Explore in the near future; Instagram says it will be rolling out the addition ‘over the coming weeks.’

Additionally, the redesigned Explore tab features shortcuts in the navigation bar that direct users to topic channels, such as Travel and Art. Users will also now see shortcuts that take them directly to IGTV and ‘Shop,’ the latter of which will produce category filters for specific product types directly in the navigation bar. The IGTV link directs users to the recently updated video home page with a personalized feed of suggested video content.

The redesigned Explore tab is intended to help users find new content they’re interested in viewing, and will likewise help photographers gain exposure to potential new followers interested in the types of content they share.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How to Find Great Photography Opportunities Where You Live

28 Feb

The post How to Find Great Photography Opportunities Where You Live appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Prasad Np.

Are you one of those folks who wait to travel to an exotic destination to make photographs? Is your camera nicely packed or gathering dust until you are traveling or on an assignment because you don’t have enough inspiration or subjects? If you are one such photographer, then you are actually missing countless photography opportunities right in front of you. No matter what level of skill and experience you have, the more you take your camera out and make photos, the better you get.

This image of the Gurgaon Metro was taken in the night on one of the busiest streets of the city and clicked from 20-floors above © Prasad Np

Gone are the days when you made images on film, and there was a cost involved in acquiring and processing rolls of films. Now, thanks to the digital cameras, you can take as many photos you want and keep on learning and improving every day.

So there’s no reason to wait until you are traveling to an exotic location to make images. Look around you, and you will find countless opportunities to make beautiful images, test your technical skills and take your game to the next level.

Whether you live in a developing city like Gurgaon (where I live), or in a picturesque mountain town, there are photographs to be made and shared. So the question is, how do you find great photo opportunities when you think you live in a boring location?

Sunset In Gurgaon © Prasad Np

The first step is to believe there are beautiful photographs around you that you must capture. It doesn’t matter what your preferred genre of photography is. Whether you enjoy wildlife, landscape, people or street photography, there are photographs to be made right near your home, in your own city.

Advantages of photographing your city and its surroundings

The advantages of photographing your city and its surroundings include:

  • You get to practice photography regularly and dissect your photographs technically and artistically to take better photos next time
  • You don’t have to travel a lot. You can always take pictures close to your home
  • Unlike when traveling to an exotic, faraway location where you may get only a short window to get the shot, closer to home you can always revisit the place and get the shots you may have missed the first time
  • If you are not happy with some of the photos, you can always go again and click, and you can also plan the shots in a better way, especially in cases like the city skyline, or sunsets

So here are a few pointers for you to find great photo opportunities right where you live. In this post, I am sharing some images I made in Gurgaon – a city I now call home.

Go for skyline and redefine it

Every city has its own iconic skyline that people can identify it with. However, that should not restrict you from trying to redefine or interpret it in your way. You can always go for a different shot; especially if the city is still developing. Capturing it as it develops creates an everlasting record of the change the city went through as it grew.

Even the most mundane of skylines can give a dramatic effect when you combine it with beautiful clouds or a sunset. Because you know the best vantage points from your previous experiences in your city, you can be well prepared and reach the spot in time to get the shot you have always wanted to take.

A Housing Society In Gurgaon © Prasad Np

Photograph seasonal natural phenomenon like blooming of trees

Many cities in Japan are known for the Sakura or Cherry Blossom festivals. Think about what the equivalent may be in your city. Every change of season brings a visual spectacle that is a hallmark of that season. In Gurgaon and most of North India, April to June are months of Golden Shower. The hotter the weather, the more beautiful flowers of Indian laburnum trees you find. Make a point to find out when the local trees in your area are in bloom, so you are prepared to take their pictures. An advantage of this is you can go over an extended period and click pictures of the same tree in various stages of bloom, including being barren in autumn. If you have these trees growing close to local landmarks, then your pictures may be easily identified with your city.

Laburnum blooms Gurgaon © Prasad Np

Local festivals and fairs

Local festivals & fairs are a great way to photograph your local community and happenings around you. Festivals and fairs are excellent opportunities to document the vibrancy and bonhomie of your city and how people connect – more so when a festival is a community event. “Lohri” is one such festival celebrated on 13th of January every year. Here, they light large communal bonfires in various housing communities, and people walk around the fire singing songs and celebrating. Find out what festivals your city celebrates. It could be as big as Christmas or something that could be very local, like a fair. Be there and make images to your heart’s desire.

Lohri Festival Bonfire Gurgaon © Prasad Np

Night photography in your city

A big city is no place for star trails as light pollution may be too much. However, there are other night photography opportunities in abundance. All you need is a good vantage point, your DSLR and a sturdy tripod. Any high-rise with a safe observation area or a balcony can become your vantage point to capture the light trails of vehicles down below.

Look for exciting locations like a curve in the local metro train tracks and wait for the train to come along. You can also click interesting images while incorporating the moon against your city skyline. The photo below of Super blood moon was deliberately clicked with part of it hiding behind the building to give an idea of the size of the moon compared to a normal one you see in the picture with the power towers.

Super Blood Moon Gurgaon © Prasad Np

Power Towers Gurgaon © Prasad Np

Go abstract

Night photography is also a great time to go abstract with some images of your city. While there are no creative limits to what you can do when trying to create a work of abstract photography, it is always a good idea to never overdo it, especially when you are beginning. A creative idea you can try is to move to manual focus and deliberately click out of focus images that render the distant lights with a bokeh-like effect. Use a tripod or keep your camera on a sturdy surface. Also, use a time release button or remote to click images to keep your images sharp.

Abstract Night Photograph Gurgaon © Prasad Np

Be observant of your surroundings

One of the keys to photography is being observant of your surroundings. Even when you are on your apartment balcony or in your backyard, there are enough photography opportunities available to you. If you live in a highrise, look down. You may get an interesting frame like the photo below of the two kids carrying similar umbrellas on the sidewalk. Or perhaps, the cars passing below under the trees that look like a beast under the canopy of the rainforest.

Kids Walking with Umbrellas © Prasad Np

Car under tree Gurgaon © Prasad NP

Conclusion

As you can see, any place can be a good location for making photographs. Don’t miss any opportunity to take photos as it helps in honing your skills both technically and artistically. Most of all, photographing your own city helps you learn much faster. You have an opportunity to click images in various seasons, in many light situations and go back as you need.

Now it is your turn, do share where you live and your favorite image that you made in your own city.

The post How to Find Great Photography Opportunities Where You Live appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Prasad Np.


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