DxO has announced the Nik Collection 3, the latest version its popular plugin suite that brings multiple new features and an entirely new plugin, Perspective Efex.
The new Perspective Efex fixes geometric distortion in your images via automatic corrections or manually placed reference lines. Perspective Efex can correct distortions such as keystone distortion in architecture images and is able to address lens distortions such as barrel, pincushion and fisheye distortion.
The new Perspective Efex plugin allows users to fix distortion in their images and adjust perspective. This example shows before (left) and after (right) when using Perspective Efex to fix distortion. Distortion correction can be applied automatically by the software or manually by the user through the use of placed reference lines. Image credit: DxO
In addition to being used to fix issues with distortion, Perspective Efex also includes a Miniature Effect tool, which allows you to control shallow depth-of-field effects. This allows you to replicate the effect of using a tilt-shift lens just with only software.
Nik Collection 3 includes a revised Nik Selective Tool. This tool allows the user to quickly access the suite of plugins within Nik Collection 3 from inside Adobe Photoshop. The redesigned Selective Tool lets you select favorite filter presets or revisit a prior edit, which DxO promises will result in a faster and more efficient workflow.
Speaking of workflow improvements, Nik Collection 3 introduces a non-destructive workflow option when working with Adobe Lightroom Classic. After you have made edits to your raw image in Lightroom Classic, you can export images as TIFF files from LR Classic into Nik Collection 3 and adjust plugin edits indefinitely while maintaining a completely reversible editing process.
In total, Nik Collection 3 by DxO includes eight plugins: Color Efex Pro, Viveza, Silver Efex Pro, Dfine 2, Sharpener Pro, Analog Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro and Perspective Efex. Between all the plugins, you can perform tasks such as preset application, localized editing, black and white conversions, noise reduction, sharpening, film emulation, HDR creation and perspective adjustments. The local editing tools in Nik Collection by DxO are particularly popular with users due to Nik’s famous U-Point editing technology, which was a primary reason for DxO purchasing Nik from Google in late 2017.
This screenshot shows Color Efex Pro in Nik Collection 3 by DxO. This popular plugin allows users to add and adjust various filters to their images. You can adjust the individual application of filters and their strengths through the Nik Collection’s U-Point technology. Image credit: DxO
Nik Collection 3 by DxO is sold as a lifetime license. For a limited time, users can purchase Nik Collection 3 for $ 100 USD. Existing Nik Collection by DxO owners can purchase Nik Collection 3 at a reduced price. A free trial is also available, which you can download here. Nik Collection is compatible with DxO PhotoLab, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom Classic.
Adobe has released updates for a variety of its software products, including major updates to Adobe Premiere Pro. Adobe Premiere Pro version 14.2 includes GPU acceleration for encoding on Windows, promising export speeds up to five times faster than encoding performed using only the CPU.
For Nvidia and AMD GPUs which support hardware encoding, the new versions of Premiere Pro, Media Encoder, After Effects and Audition on Windows promise vastly improved performance when exporting files. Of the new update, Adobe senior engineering manager Manish Kulkarni says, ‘With new support for NVIDIA GPUs on Windows, exports are hardware accelerated leveraging the power of the GPU to make Premiere Pro more powerful and keep video creators productive and nimble.’
‘This graph shows encoding speeds gains using hardware-based encoding with an NVIDIA RTX 5000 GPU. With the addition of AMD and NVIDIA support on Windows, hardware encoding is now available across all modern macOS and PC systems.’ Image and caption credit: Adobe
Adobe has also introduced ProRes RAW support in Premiere Pro and After Effects on Windows, a very welcomed change that’s been a long time coming. The graphics workflow in Premiere Pro has also been enhanced through the addition of an improved Pen tool with better support for Bezier curves. This will allow users to more easily create lines and shapes.
Further, in After Effects, motion graphics artists have new tapered shape strokes to use when creating animations and designs. There are also new repeating concentric shape parameters and Mask/Shape cursor indicators.
In addition to faster encoding through hardware acceleration on Windows, users can also expect faster Auto Reframe across all devices. Utilizing its artificial intelligence, Adobe Sensei, Auto Reframe now automatically reformats and repositions video across varying aspect ratios. Speaking of aspect ratios, Adobe Premiere Rush users will now be able to automatically resize projects to the 4:5 aspect ratio frequently used for Facebook and Instagram videos.
‘Auto Reframe in Premiere Pro uses Adobe Sensei AI to reposition video within different aspect ratios. The feature is now twice as fast.’ Image and caption credit: Adobe
On the workflow side of things, Adobe has added support for audio files within Creative Cloud Libraries, which allows users to save, organize and share audio assets for easier access through the CC Libraries panel. For macOS users, automatic audio hardware switching has been added to After Effects, Media Encoder, Audition, Character Animator, Prelude, Premiere Pro and Premiere Rush. This means that when changing audio devices, Adobe applications will now automatically switch to the current hardware.
Improving software performance and stability is Adobe’s top priority. Alongside today’s updates, Adobe has published a new blog post outlining the various efforts the company and its engineers have made over the past year. Further, as many performance updates depend upon the user’s hardware, Adobe has also expanded its research into crash reports and how users are taking advantage of the company’s suite of software. If you are interested in learning more about the performance gains introduced with today’s update and becoming part of Adobe’s expanding public beta program for future updates, be sure to read the new post.
DJI has announced the Mavic Air 2, the newest compact, folding drone in DJI’s growing lineup. In addition to new hardware, both inside and out, the drone also features new fly modes for simplifying the flight process.
At the heart of the Mavic Air 2 is a 48MP 1/2” Quad Bayer CMOS sensor that’s capable of recording 4K video at up to 60 frames per second (fps) with a 120Mbps data rate. When dropped down to 4K/30p, the Mavic Air 2 can record HDR video while a slow-motion mode can max out at 240 fps when shooting at 1080p. DJI has also included a new Hyperlapse feature that will result in 8K video using one of four flight modes: Free Movement, Circle, CourseLock and WayPoints. This isn’t the true 8K capture the Autel EVO II drone has promised, but it is 8K and we’re still yet to see the EVO II hit the market.
On the stills front, the Mavic Air 2 can capture 12MP stills with a special 48MP supersampling option that uses the drone’s three-axis gimbal to help compensate for movement in-between frames. A new ‘SmartPhoto’ capture mode will also snap 12MP stills using one of three image capture options that DJI says uses ‘advanced scene analysis and deep learning to automatically choose one of [the shooting modes].’
The first of the three shooting modes is HDR, which will snap seven photos at various exposures and merge them together to optimize the dynamic range in an image; the second mode is Hyperlight, which is a low-light mode that will take multiple photos and merge them together to create a single image with less noise than would be possible with a single image; the third and final mode is the ‘Scene Recognition’ mode that will automatically analyze the scene and select from one of five presets (sunsets, blue skies, grass, snow, and trees) to apply to the image to bring out the best of the scenery.
DJI is using new motors and electronic speed controllers (ESCs) in combination with improved battery technology to offer up a maximum flight time of 34 minutes on a single charge. This benchmark is also helped by a more aerodynamic design and lighter weight, with the device weighing just 570g (1.26lbs).
Transmitting live video from the drone to a mobile device is done with DJI’s OcuSync 2.0 protocol, which has been updated to support both 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz frequency bands, as well as an auto-switching feature, to offer a maximum range of 10km (6.21 miles) when unobstructed. Also included in the Mavic Air 2 is Advanced Pilot Assistance System (APAS) 3.0, which is a new obstacle avoidance technology that will recognize when an object is in the drone’s flight path and reroute the drone accordingly. DJI says this new version uses 3D mapping to ‘[aid] in smooth transitions and more fluid movements around objects even in highly complex environments.’
A sample photo captured with the Mavic Air 2, provided by DJI.
AirSense technology has also been included, which uses ADS-B aviation technology to help warn drone pilots of other nearby aircraft by displaying messages on the pilot’s screen, making sounds and vibrating with compatible mobile devices. DJI does note though that due to supply chain shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, only Mavic Air 2 units sold in North America will feature the ADS-B transponder; units sold in other regions will be identical in every other regard. No timeframe is given as to when this discrepancy between units could change.
The Mavic Air 2 also features a number of AI-powered features, including ActiveTrack 3.0, Point of Interest 3.0 and Spotlight 2.0. Below is a breakdown from DJI explaining each of the three modes:
ActiveTrack 3.0: Select a subject for Mavic Air 2 to automatically follow. The third iteration of ActiveTrack uses state-of-the-art mapping technology and new flight path algorithms to offer improved subject tracking and obstacle avoidance, along with the ability to quickly re-engage the subject if it temporarily moves behind an object.
Point of Interest 3.0: Set an automated flight path around a specific subject. The updated iteration improves surface recognition to better dynamically track subjects.
Spotlight 2.0: Found in professional DJI drones, Spotlight locks a subject in the frame while the user has free operation of the drone’s movement.
The Mavic Air 2 will be made available in China starting today, while other regions should see the first units hitting store shelves in mid-May for $ 799. This ‘standard’ kit will include the Mavic Air 2, one battery, the remote controller and all necessary cables. A new Fly More option, which will include everything in the standard version as well as a shoulder bag, ND filters, a charging hub and three additional batteries, will retail for $ 988. Other optional accessories include propeller guards, protective cases and a tablet holder. You can find out more information about the Mavic Air 2 on DJI’s product page.
The post How to Use Photography to Teach Your Children Maths, English, Physics and More! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.
It is certainly a weird time right now. We are all suddenly expected to become teachers due to the current lockdowns. While we all have different skills, we are all full of knowledge about photography. You may be wondering, how you can use photography to teach your children during this difficult time.
It’s actually easier than you think! Moreover, it can give your children a passion for learning during this difficult time.
Photography is a powerful teaching tool that can be linked to many subjects.
Where to start?
I first want to give you some more general points about homeschooling during these times.
In a classroom, your child will be one of many. They do not have a teacher over their shoulder the whole lesson, so try not to hover. Set them a task and let them explore.
It’s hard to do as we always want to see our children happy, but sometimes you just need to let them make mistakes.
When using photography to teach your children, it can be easy to take the camera and do it for them. However, this does two things:
It means they don’t learn anything for themselves
It can make them feel stupid or incapable.
Remember when you first started with photography. I know I made several mistakes, as I am sure you did. When I finally figured out my mistake and got the result I wanted, I felt a great sense of achievement.
The only way for your child to feel this same sense of achievement is to let your child fail and figure things out for themselves. Failing is one of the best tools for learning. It gives them a great sense of satisfaction when they succeed.
So let’s take a look at some of the key subjects and how you can use photography to teach your children.
Maths
Maths is usually the most dreaded of all subjects. The best way to use photography to teach your children maths is by using the exposure triangle.
The exposure triangle uses equations, which is a key skill in maths. Unsure of using manual exposure yourself? Why not learn along with your child. This demonstrates to them that learning is a lifelong skill.
Start by explaining that every time you double your shutter speed, it equals one stop of light. Conversely, every time you double your ISO it equals one stop of light. So, if you double one, you need to double the other. If you halve one, you need to halve the other.
To start, take a correctly exposed photo. Then challenge your child to alter the shutter speed and ISO but to keep the correct exposure.
To demonstrate this, take a photo at ISO 400 and make a note of the shutter speed. You can then explain that when you halve your ISO you also have to halve your shutter speed. You can make this harder by giving them a high ISO (say 1600) and ask them to keep the exposure with an ISO of 100.
You can also give these questions on paper, then take them out into the real world.
Example Question.
Jack takes a photograph. His camera gives him the correct exposure at ISO 400 and a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second. If Jack wants to change his shutter speed to 1/100th second, what ISO value does he need?
You can then make things more complex by adding aperture. This is a great way to show how equations work in a practical environment.
Two images, same exposure, different ISO. Halving the ISO also means halving the shutter speed. It’s all just balancing the equation.
Science/physics
For this, you will need a flash for your camera to demonstrate.
There is an inverse square law and how it affects photography. The inverse square law states:
The intensity of an effect such as illumination or gravitational force changes in inverse proportion to the square of the distance from the source.
When you double the distance between a light source and a subject, the amount of light falls off by 3/4. This also means that the greater the distance between the light and the subject, the less harsh the fall off of light across it.
The most fun way to demonstrate this is to show what happens when you change the distance between a flash and subject, and the impact on the light fall off.
Start by placing the flash close to the subject (say 30cm) then move the flash about 1.5 meters from the background.
When the flash is close, any background will be almost black, but when further away, the exposure on the background and the subject will be almost identical.
For more science-based work, give your child a shiny or reflective object to light. Light travels in a straight line, so getting them to change the position of the light or object means reflections can be minimized or enhanced.
Teach the inverse square law by changing the flash-to-subject distance to show how light falls off over distance.
History
This can be done in a variety of ways. They can research a specific photographer from history or research a time period (e.g., the 60s) through photography. Get them to look for similarities in the works and create a presentation or written report on this. Try using our Lessons From the Masters Series for this.
They should also be encouraged to create history by recording their experiences in this time. The possibilities here are endless, including creating a Vlog (you don’t need to upload it to YouTube if you don’t want to), creating a photo story, writing a journal, etc.
We are living through a major historical event, get your children to record it.
Design and technology
Get your children to create a backdrop for a photoshoot. Get them to choose a toy or give them a household object such as hand soap and create a backdrop for this.
You can keep the brief as open or closed as possible. You could get them to build something only using a set of equipment given to them. Or let them create something from whatever they can find. If you have access to a tool shed, you can get creative with scrap wood, etc. This can then be used for the next lesson.
Making a backdrop will involve physics and maths skills (forces and measurements respectively).
See more DIY projects here.
Graphic products and graphic design
Use the backdrop your child has built to create an image that will become an advertising campaign for a project.
You can teach them how to edit a photo. From here, you can then get them to use the image in a poster to promote the product they have photographed. Not only does this involve graphic skills, you can involve English skills by encouraging them come up with the slogan and blurb for the product.
This also has a nice crossover into ICT in terms of using the software for designing and editing the photographs.
Taking Images and making them into a poster is great for developing graphics & ICT skills
English
Although not strictly photography, a great way to involve English in using photography to teach your children is to make a film. This means writing a script, which teaches them about formatting work. It also gets them to think creatively and produce an original piece of writing.
You can extend this to include art by getting them to storyboard the project. Then push it into design and technology by creating a set.
If you have access to lights, you can even get them to light the scene and look at how placing the light in different positions creates a different mood. This can then lead to talking about low-key lighting and high-key lighting. This also involves physics in terms of light direction and the inverse square law.
The next Hollywood BlockBuster has to start somewhere.
Art
The most obvious way of doing this is getting your children to take photographs, but it is easy for this to lack structure. To make sure this is more learning-based, you can give them a brief.
Give them a household object and get them to photograph it in an unusual or abstract way. If you want to make this more game-based, get them to take photographs of 5 household objects of their choosing and then present them to you and see if you can guess what they are.
For a more traditional photographic approach, you can give your child a theme to photograph. You can use our weekly challenges to give them the theme if you are stuck for ideas.
When complete, sit down and critique the images together. You can use this to explain things such as composition.
If you want to go more into theory, you can teach them about the rule of thirds. Get them to look at photographs and see if they can see this within them.
The easiest way is to use a grid in something like PowerPoint that you can overlay onto different images. They can then use this to identify patterns in images they like or that you give them to study. You can also use this for things such as leading lines, foreground interest and so on.
Art fits in perfectly for photography, but to make sure it aids learning, all you need to add is a little structure.
Shot on an iPhone, this is an abstract representation of Venetian Blinds. Did you guess what it was?
Equipment
Obviously, you can give your kids your camera, but if you don’t feel comfortable with this, for most of these lessons, you can use a camera phone or the camera on a tablet. Many of the images in this article are iPhone images.
The lighting you use also doesn’t need to be some beautiful color-balanced LED panels. An angel-poise lamp works brilliantly, or even a simple torch will do the job.
For the sections on the exposure triangle, you will need access to a camera with full manual controls. In fact, you can possibly use a manual camera phone app in a pinch.
In terms of software, there is GIMP, which is free for photo editing. Also, Affinity Software is doing a 90-day free trial on all their software during this time.
Over to you
Hopefully, I have given you a few ideas on how you can use photography to teach your children during this difficult time. It gives some activities to try and maybe work that they find more interesting than sitting at a desk writing away.
Remember, homeschooling is very different from being taught in a classroom. There is no expectation of getting it perfect. You are doing your best in a bad situation, and that is all anyone can ask. The same applies to your children; they are finding homeschooling every bit as weird as you are.
Stay safe.
The post How to Use Photography to Teach Your Children Maths, English, Physics and More! appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.
Pixelmator has released a 1.2 update for its powerful iPad photo editing app Pixelmator Photo that adds cursor support, an improved Split View mode, a Match Colors tool, a new copy/paste function and much more.
The update comes on the heels of Apple’s new iPad Pro models and accompany Magic Keyboards, which offer not only a tactile typing experience, but also an integrated trackpad that works alongside iPadOS 13.4 to bring mouse-like support to iPadOS apps. By adding support for the new cursor functionality, Pixelmator Photo adds yet another means of input for editing photos on the go (it works with third-party Bluetooth cursors and trackpads as well).
Also new is Split View support, which lets you use Pixelmator Photo alongside another app without interrupting your workflow, as well as a new ML Match Colors function, which allows you to ‘match the look and feel of one photo to another’ thanks to machine-learning. Pixelmator has also added a new intensity slider for color adjustments and presets and the ability to share images directly from the Photos browser within the app without opening each image individually.
Other improvements and fixes addressed in the 1.2 update include improved screenshot capture, new default color adjustment options, a collection of user interface changes and a handful of bug fixes to smooth out the overall experience.
Pixelmator Photo 1.2 is available to download in the iOS App Store for $ 4.99.
Considering most of the world is well into a few weeks of self-isolation, you’ve probably photographed nearly everything you can in your household, leaving little left to document. Now, it’s time to get really creative and to help make the most of a rough situation is Ben from Adaptalux, who’s shared a 15-minute video showing how you can capture abstract macro photographs using little more than a few lights, a few sheets of paper and a little bit of creative thinking.
Throughout the 15-minute video, Ben walks through a number of different setups and other variations you can experiment with to capture the macro abstract photographs, but the basic tools you’ll need on hand include a camera, a close-up capable lens, a tripod (not necessary, but will very much simplify the process), at least one light source, several sheets of white paper, paper clips (or bobby pins) and a flat surface that’s either transparent or translucent.
While Adaptalux lights are unsurprisingly mentioned in the video, any lights should do and if you have a few gels sitting around, you can get extra creative by mixing up colors.
If you prefer a non-visual explainer, Adaptalux has also published an accompanying blog post on its website that details the process. You can find more tutorials on Adaptalux’s YouTube channel, where it offers up a complete playlist dedicated to ‘Macro Photography Tutorials.’
For photographers, one of the most important components of their computer is the processor (CPU). When considering how software such as Adobe Lightroom performs, maximum single and multi-core CPU performance is critical. This makes Intel’s announcement today that it is releasing the world’s fastest mobile processor particularly exciting for creatives on the go.
The 10th generation Intel Core H-Series introduces half a dozen H-Series mobile processors, including four which can surpass 5 GHz frequency from a single core in Turbo performance mode. These chips are built using Intel’s 14nm Comet Lake architecture, rather than the 10nm process that Intel teased at CES earlier this year. The top of the line processor, the Intel Core i9-10980HK, has a base clock speed of 2.4 GHz and can reach 5.3 GHz speeds at its maximum performance. This processor, along with the 5.1 GHz i7-10875H, delivers 16 threads across 8 cores and include a 16 MB Intel Smart Cache.
Another pair of new i7 processors, the 10850H and 10750H, can reach 5.1 and 5.0 GHz respectively. These processors are both 6-core CPUs with a dozen threads. Rounding out the new lineup are the Intel Core i5-10400H and i5-10300H. These four-core CPUs have eight threads and have maximum speeds of 4.6 and 4.5 GHz respectively.
You can view a comparison of the six Intel 10th generation mobile processors in the chart below:
Image credit: Intel Corporation. Click for a larger view.
What do all these numbers mean for creatives? On the photography side of things, Photoshop and other photography applications heavily utilize your computer’s CPU relative to the GPU. Software such as Photoshop is getting better at using a computer’s GPU to accelerate certain tasks, but the CPU is particularly important. Further, the maximum frequency of CPU chips is more important than the number of cores for most photo editing tasks. All else equal, a faster CPU results in better performance when importing, processing and editing image files.
Thus, the new 10th generation Intel i9 processors represent a very powerful CPU for CPU-intensive applications such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Lightroom, for example, is optimized to utilize multiple cores for handling tasks, so Intel’s eight-core chips are exciting. The quicker your computer’s CPU can work through tasks, the less time you must spend waiting.
For video editors, Intel has published specific performance gain numbers. When compared to a similar Intel chip from three years ago, the top-of-the-line i9-10980HK can render and export 4K resolution video up to twice as fast. The i7-10750H fares well too, exporting 4K video up to 70 percent faster compared to its predecessor from three years ago. It will be interesting to see how the new chips perform in the real world when rendering 4K and even 8K video.
This image shows the wafer of Intel’s 10th generation H-series processors. Image credit: Intel Corporation
Of the Intel Core i9-10980HK, Intel states that it features ‘unparalleled performance across the board with up to 5.3 GHz Turbo, eight cores, 16 threads and 16MB of Intel Smart Cache. The unlocked 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10980HK processor powers the ultimate laptops for gamers and creators, allowing further customization, optimization and tuning of the CPU’s performance.’
Additional features of the Intel 10th generation chips include Intel’s proprietary Speed Optimizer one-click overclocking feature, Thermal Velocity Boost and Adaptix Dynamic Tuning. For a full breakdown of all the key features in the new Intel chips, you can download a PDF briefing by clicking here.
FeiyuTech has unveiled the Feiyu Pocket, a small 4K gimbal camera that bears a very striking resemblance to DJI’s Osmo Pocket.
Externally, the Feiyu Pocket appears to be a carbon copy of the Osmo Pocket with the only noticeable differences being a lack of an expansion port (Feiyu opted for a single integrated USB-C port on the side) and a slightly larger screen compared to the Osmo Pocket (1.3in compared to 1in, respectively). Aside from the branding and those differences, the two units are essentially identical in both shape and size, complete with a 360-degree rotating head and two buttons on user-facing side for controlling the camera.
Moving onto the internals and detailed specifications, things do start to differ a bit more. Rather than the F2 lens with an 80-degree field of view on the Osmo Pocket, the Feiyu Pocket features a slightly slower F2.8 120-degree ultrawide lens. The Feiyu Pocket also uses a 1/2.5” CMOS sensor instead of the 2/3” sensor inside of the Osmo Pocket, but both cameras output 4K (3840 x 2160 pixel) video at up to 60 frames per second. The Feiyu Pocket outputs only 8.5MP stills though, compared to the 12MP stills possible with the Osmo Mobile.
As for stabilization, the Feiyu Pocket uses a similar three-axis gimbal to the Osmo Pocket, but also throws in what FeiyuTech is calling six-axis ‘hybrid image stabilization’ that appears to combine the three-axis optical stabilization as well as another three-axis digital compensation.
FeiyuTech says the batter is rated for up to 3.5 hours of runtime when capturing 4K video at 30 fps and up to 4.5 hours when shooting 1080p video at 60 fps. the internal battery is charged using the integrated USB-C port and FeiyuTech says a 10W charger will recharge the device from empty in 80 minutes. As for storage, an integrated MicroSD card slot can support cards with up to 512GB of storage.
The Feiyu Pocket offers multiple shooting modes, including a 360-degree POV all-follow mode, a motion timelapse (hyperlapse) mode, multiple auto-panorama modes, a dedicated beauty mode for selfies and an intelligent sync motion mode that will sync the gimbal with your hand movements. The Feiyu Pocket syncs with FeiyuTech’s Android and iOS app to offer liveview and controls for changing the various settings of the camera.
Despite being very similar in shape, size and specs, the Feiyu Pocket comes in at $ 249 (Adorama, B&H), a whipping $ 120 cheaper than the DJI Osmo Pocket. Y
The Glimpse project has released a new fork of the GNU Image Manipulation Program often referred to as ‘GIMP,’ called Glimpse image editor. This free, open-source image editing software is building upon the legacy of the GNU Image Manipulation Program to make free image editing software more user-friendly and accessible. If you’re unfamiliar with GNU Image Manipulation Program, it is a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop, offering much of the same core functionality.
GNU Image Manipulation has remained an important tool for many users, but over time, it has seen fewer updates and improvements and has lagged behind modern photo editing software. By forking, Glimpse Image Editor can build upon a stable foundation but reinvigorate efforts to improve the usability and functionality of the software.
Screenshot from Glimpse image editor
There are three primary reasons for the Glimpse project forking. First is the name of the GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP. The name ‘GIMP’ was chosen nearly two decades ago as a reference to a scene in the cult classic movie, Pulp Fiction. However, many people find the name offensive. At worst, the name is ableist and reduces the reach of the program, especially in educational settings. There have been many user complaints and requests for the GNU Image Manipulation Program to be renamed, but the team in charge of the project has opted against a major change.
Secondly, the dedicated user interface design team for GNU Image Manipulation Program hasn’t met since 2012, resulting in fewer usability improvements and slower development of updates.
Finally, GNU Image Manipulation Program made the decision to remove its built-in mechanism to support third-party plug-ins. To help deal with this, Glimpse will include useful third-party plug-ins pre-bundled.
The Glimpse project is quick to point out that the intention is not to replace GNU Image Manipulation Program, but rather, to provide a rebranded fork which is more appropriate in professional and educational settings. On GitHub, the Glimpse project says the following of Glimpse image editor, ‘The aim of Glimpse Image Editor is to repackage the GNU Image Manipulation Program to make it more appealing to the wider computer-using public, and also to better tailor the program for school and workplace deployments.’
Of course, it is about more than just the name. As of now, Glimpse has been focused on removing the pre-existing ‘GIMP’ branding. Over the longer term, the team aims to revise the graphical user interface and improve overall functionality and usability. Ultimately, in terms of both the name and overall goals for Glimpse, the team hopes to make free image editing software more accessible.
As of now, you can download and install Glimpse on systems running Windows 7 or newer and modern variants of GNU/Linux. Support for macOS is in the works. Glimpse can be downloaded from Snapcraft and from Glimpse directly. If you are interested in learning more about the project and finding out how you can contribute, click here.
The post File Management Tips to Create a More Efficient Photography Workflow appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.
As you gain more clients, this also means that you’ll have to start implementing a more efficient workflow so that you can work quickly and get your images to your clients. In this article, we’re going to explain some file management tips to help you stay organized session to session.
What is a photography workflow?
A workflow is a process in which a photographer has a file management system in place that helps them to get images edited and processed faster and more efficiently.
Basically, it’s a way to organize your images so that you can get them to your clients much faster. The way that a photographer manages their workflow can be different from person to person depending on what they photograph, their workloads, and what the end goal for their clients is.
In time, you’ll be able to implement these file management tips so that your workflow is quick, and you’re able to deliver the images to your clients faster. You’ll also access the images on your hard drives quicker when you need them because they’ll be nice and organized.
Uploading the images
The first of the file management tips regards uploading your photos to your computer. Some like to go straight into Lightroom or the editing program and upload the images directly.
However, I recommend that you first upload your images onto your actual hard drive. This can be directly onto your computer’s hard drive, an external hard drive, or both. Uploading to both is the best option since sometimes computers can shut down or stop working and you wouldn’t want to lose your photos!
Make sure to copy the images from the memory card rather than moving them. Doing this means if the upload didn’t go smoothly, you still have all of the images safe on the memory card.
Here are the steps to organize the Upload of your images onto your computer or external hard drive:
Create a folder with the year 2020
You can now create separate folders for the types of sessions you do. However, this is not required and it depends on how you want to manage your files.
Create a folder and name it according to the shoot date, last name of your client, a dash, then the location or something specific. For example 2020.03.06 Burns Family – Secrets Resort Puerto Vallarta
The location is optional, but it does help keep the information to the session together. It’s also good for searching later on when you want to find a location photo to post on social media or otherwise.
Renaming the images
Renaming images can seem like an added step, however, keeping the naming simple with numerical sequence, adds more organization in the end.
It’s tough when looking for an image by the original image name of IMG_ when it would be much quicker to remember the name and then look for an image that way.
Rename with the last name, a dash, then the sequence number, for example, Burns-0001. Use more than three zeros so that you can safely number the images when you have more than one hundred images.
If you have more than a thousand, use another zero. This can keep all of your images organized and you won’t get jumping numbers from 01 and 11.
When you import the images into your editing program, the renaming stays and will get saved the same when you’re finished editing. This is really helpful especially when the family wants a particular photo to order. They can simply use the sequence number and you can quickly find the image in the edited folder.
Importing into Lightroom
Now that you’ve organized the session into the yearly folder, session folder, and have renamed the files you’re ready to import into Lightroom.
Some photographers like to import the images straight from the memory card into Lightroom but creating the folders seems easier in Finder than in Lightroom. However, with time, you can choose how you want to import the photos that help your workflow work for you.
Choose the “add” option a top to import the photos.
There are two different options to choose from when importing. You can simply add the photos, which is the simplest choice seeing that we’ve already backed them up onto your hard drive in the desired folders. Or the COPY option, which will create a duplicate of your image into a specific folder on your desktop. This usually creates a copy in another place and can take up unnecessary storage on your computer.
Check the box Add to Collection and this window will popup. Name it with the year and shoot date so your catalog stays organized as well within Lightroom.
We’ll go with the ADD option today since we have put the originals in the specific folder we made earlier.
Check the Collection option and put them into a Collection with the date and name – just like we did in the source folder.
This will make it easier to find the folders in the left sidebar while editing without making multiple duplicates or without getting lost in the Import or Folders section.
Now we’re ready for editing!
Organized editing
In Lightroom, editing can seem like a lot of work. However, you’ll want to go through this process so that your workflow is quicker and editing time is minimized.
Use the color tags to choose your favorites. This is how I personally tag the photos using the number keys:
Number 9 is Blue for chosen images
Number 8 is green for additional editing – usually when I have to swap out ahead or do some major editing.
After you’ve used the color of your choice for the chosen photos, at the bottom of the screen is a Filter option. Choose the blue square (or the colors you’ve chosen), so that all you see are the photos tagged Blue.
The great thing about using the filter and colors is that if you missed a photo somewhere, you can turn off the filter and go back and choose more photos to edit or tag.
Here at the bottom right-hand corner, you can toggle the color filter to show or not show.
Alternatively, you can untag a photo and it will hide it from view. Then you can just edit the blue-tagged photos without additional clutter.
Using the color tags in the toggle on/off filter modes keeps your photos organized, in the same folder, and easy to edit.
Exporting your final images
The final of the file management tips is exporting your final images.
After you’ve edited your photos it’s now time to keep them organized so that you can find the final edited photos with ease.
Go into the Library window, with the color tag filter ON, choose all of the images you’ve edited with the Select All option, and click Export.
We have only the blue tagged photos highlighted. Toggle the color filter on, select all images with that filter and then hit Export.
Choose the same folder your images are in, but create a subfolder with the words EDIT (or you can choose whichever name is best for you). This will create a folder within the original source folder on your hard drive.
This keeps all of the images from that session in the same location, which makes it easier to find later on.
As you can see, the edit folder appears in the family session folder with the RAW files. The final jpeg images are named the same for easier referencing.
In conclusion
These file management tips will help you categorize and catalog your sessions so that you have a more efficient photography workflow from start to finish.
When you search for the images you can now do so with the name or date. Makes looking for images much simpler when you have your files organized.
Do you have any other file management tips to better organize your workflow? Share with us in the comments.
The post File Management Tips to Create a More Efficient Photography Workflow appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jackie Lamas.
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