Ask Dave, June 11th - Raw Conversion

Ask Dave, June 11th
I get tons of questions each week, I respond as quickly as possible, and I might just answer them here too. If you have questions you can email me at Learn@DaveShumway.com.

Question:
From... Justin and Todd
How do you convert your RAW images?
What do you use to be sure your camera/monitor/printer all look the same?
What are your RAW conversion settings?

Answer:
Well first off I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3, on Apple computers, with color calibrated monitors.
Now to what you want... my settings.
The easiest way is for me to just publish a version that folks can download and use at will (if you like it, remember where you got it). The file is .zip, so you will need to uncompress it and then import the file, "toShare.lrtemplate," into Lightroom. I did not include "White Balance" or "Calibration;" because they vary greatly depending on camera/ISO/the actual scene/etc.

Often I need to warm an image from what the camera gives me, and I also choose the appropriate calibration (weather that is eyeballing it or using a ColorChecker Passport).

Almost every image gets a few tweak from those basic settings, and at this point I can almost edit by numbers when I first look at a RAW image, and even in the field as I am shooting the shot. I have sharpening and noise reduction presets for different cameras/subjects/ISOs; but the included settings are good (ish) for something like a 7D @ISO400 for wildlife.

Occasionally I will adjust individual color saturation and luminance to mimic certain films; but that is not the "norm."

I have posted it on my LiveBooks Site FTP:
Please click on the link below to have it download through a web browser window.
(If clicking on it doesn't launch a browser window, then you must select the URL, copy and paste it into a web browser address bar, and tap the Enter or Return key on your keyboard. The file should then begin to load.)
http://www.daveshumway.com/toShare_lrtemplate.zip

Enjoy

Ask Dave, April 13th - Lightroom Key Commands

Ask Dave, April 13th
'Ask Dave' week nine… I get tons of questions each week, I respond as quickly as possible, and this is week number nine of answering them here too. If you have questions you can email me at Learn@DaveShumway.com.

Question:
From John...
What are the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 key commands, and what ones do you actually use?

Answer:
Every Lightroom 3 key command is availible online here.

What ones do I use... not as many as I should.
Remember the commands I list here are for Mac OS, if you use a Windows box (you should buy a Mac), or know that; "Command" is "Control" and "Option" is "Alt."
Here they are, in no particular order:

• Convert to grayscale - "V"


• Edit in Photoshop - "Command + E


• Paste settings from previous photo - "Command + Option + V"


• Reset a slider - "Double-click slider name"


• Toggle between Loupe and 1:1 Zoom preview - "Spacebar or Z"


• Undo - "Command + Z"


• Redo - "Command + Shift + Z"


• Convert to grayscale - "V"


• Increase/decrease brush size - "[ / ]"


• Increase/decrease brush feathering - "Shift + ] / Shift + ["


• Remove selected photo(s) from catalog - "Option + Delete"


• Go to next/previous photo in the Filmstrip - "Right Arrow/Left Arrow"


• Set star rating - "1 - 5" (Add "Shift" to go to next photo)


• Remove star rating - "0" (Add "Shift" to go to next photo)


• Assign a red label - "6" (Add "Shift" to go to next photo)


• Assign a yellow label - "7" (Add "Shift" to go to next photo)


• Assign a green label - "8" (Add "Shift" to go to next photo)


• Assign a blue label - "9" (Add "Shift" to go to next photo)


• Add keywords - "Command + K"


• Edit keywords - "Command + Shift + K"


• Check spelling - "Command + ;"

I am sure I use more than I put in this list; but these are the ones I can think of, and use on a regular basis...

Oh I love to hold "Option" while adjusting my sharpening (do it and you will know why).

This post has caused me to order a keyboard cover with all of the LR3 keyboard shortcuts/commands on it. (Thanks B&H)

Ask Dave, March 23rd

'Ask Dave' week six... I get tons of questions each week, and I respond as quickly as possible, and this is week number six of answering them here too. If you have questions you can email me at Learn@DaveShumway.com.

Question:
From James and many others...
What are your favorite iPhone Apps?

Answer:
I am now in the middle of my second month of owning a Verizon iPhone 4, and I love the phone; but I might just love the apps more. I'll break out my favorite apps, by the folders I organize them in, and share a little bit about why I use the apps that I do. (I am not listing all of the apps, just the ones I really like/love)

Utilities:

• iHandy Level - When don't I need an extra level?
• Speed Test - Is my 3G or the hotels Wifi faster?
• MyWi - Don't tell apple; but I have this app so that I can facetime when I am on 3G (it broadcasts a Wifi network and then joins it, so the iPhone thinks that it is on Wifi not 3G.

Media:

• Netflix - No explanation needed.
• Pandora - No explanation needed.
• TED - Some of the worlds best sharing their thoughts/ideas/beliefs.
• Remote - No explanation needed.
• FLPR - When paired with the accessory it is my remote control for everything. (pick it up at Best Buy)
• Ustream - If you like to watch Ustream on the go.
• IMDb - When you just need to know who was in that movie, and what else they were in.

News/Weather:

• Snow Report - By REI, you want to know what is happening, so your only excuse for missing a powder day is that the boss would not buy into another bad case of "Powderitis."
• Mammut Safety - All kinds of great stuff for backcountry skiers.
• FOX Chicago - Hometown news.
• BBC News - World view of the world's news.
• NYTimes - No explanation needed. (iPad one is really cool)
• BGazette - From time to time it is nice to read some articles from the good old Billings Gazoo.

Maps:

• Google Earth - No explanation needed.
• GPS Drive - Motion X offers cheap, reliable, up to date driving GPS. While we wait for Google to make an iPhone turn by turn version.
• iTrailMap - Trail maps for all of my favorite ski resorts.
• Trails - Trails.com, if you are a subscriber you need this app. If you are not, you should be. Tons of great tools and guides all in your pocket.
• Ski Tracks - Simply the coolest GPS ski tracker available. Turn it on, let it run as you ski, and recap your day when you are done. All kinds of cool features.
• iMapMyRide+ - Same as above; but this one is for biking/running.

Stores:

• App Store - iTunes - Apple Store - Groupon - Pizza Hut - Patagonia - REI - Sierra Trading Post - Steep&Cheap - B&H Photo

Games:

• Audi A4 - A fun accelerometer controlled driving game.
• Touareg - Another fun accelerometer controlled driving game.
• Checkers - No explanation needed.
• Chess - No explanation needed.
• MarbleMash - A classic that is always fun to play.
• Accel Blocks - Another classic.
• iBowl - Real bowling for the iPhone.

Misc:

• Urbanspoon - Simply the best restaurant choosing app in the world.
• CheckPlease - For those friends who don't trust/can't do "simple" mental math.
• Cocktails - More drink recipes than you can afford to consume.
• Skype - No explanation needed.
• Google - No explanation needed.
• QRReader - No explanation needed.

Books:

• iBooks - No explanation needed.
• HHB - National Geographic birding book; simple, accurate, and cheap.
• Knot Guide - No explanation needed.
• Bible - Any version, any time, and free.
• Classics - the pre iBooks free book solution. (I think Apple stole iBooks feel from them)
• Kindle - No explanation needed.
• eReader - No explanation needed.
• Dictionary - No explanation needed.
• Constitution - No explanation needed.
• Spanish - I learned French; but you never know when you will need an easy to use Spanish translator.

And now for what all of you care about...
Cameras:

• ProCamera - The best camera app that I have found yet. It gives the controls needed to do a decent job cell snapping with the iPhone; but I still want one that I can manually control the exposure setting (Av-Tv-ISO).
• Camera - The iPhone stock app, it works.
• 360 - A very cool 360 pan camera. It uses video resolution, so it is quick and easy; but low resolution and often messes up some alignment when you go full 360.
• TimeLapse - It does a great job. I want it to do higher resolution and show me where it is going to crop the image; but it runs great and gives good frame rates at 720P.
• Precorder - Does what it says, pre-records. Point it at something, when the event you desire to fill happens hit record. It starts recording and also records back in time for as long as you tell it to go back in time. (think planet earth and sharks taking seals)

Photo Editing:

• PS Express - Photoshop for the iPhone; but it is very stripped down.
• AutoStitch - Full resolution panorama stitch software for the iPhone. Take the photos (use a good camera and shoot them as HDR if you want) then run the app, it does a great job putting the images together (unlimited numbers of images).
• Toy SLR - Think LensBaby for iPhone photos.
• Filterstorm - More like Photoshop than PS Express.
• 100Cameras - Tons of effects for you iPhone photos.
• Picture Effects - Much like 100Cameras; but even more options (different).
• Photo Splash - Make an image all B&W except what you color back in.
• Adobe Ideas - Great sketch pad for sharing quick ideas (even better on iPad).
• PhotoSketch - Turn you photos into pencil sketches (great for those who cannot sketch)..
• iMovie - No explanation needed.

Photo Tools:

• SmugShot - Upload to my SmugMug site.
• SmugWallet - Have selected galleries loaded onto my phone, so I can show off when I don't have an internet connection.
• SmugView - A great way to browse your SmugMug site; but it is far from ideal when you do not have an internet connection.
• PhotoCalc - Simply the best exposure calculator, sun/moon rise/set calendar, depth of field calculator, hyperfocal calculator, flash calculator and it is pared with a great "photo term" glossary.
• Exposure - Some nice exposure guides to common scenes.
• ID Release - Model/Property releases made easy. It email myself and the model a PDF copy of the signed release and embeds model/property snaps (no need for a polaroid camera and a stack of forms).
• U-Broadcaster - Ustream broadcast tool that works great on 3G or Wifi (this is how I do my live broadcasts).
• iSolunar - Sun/Moon tables and hunting/fishing predictions to go along with it.
• Sun Seeker - Know where the sun is going to be at an exactly time and place. A must have for photographers.
• Star Walk - For those of use who don't know where the stars are, or what they are called (great interaction).
• Astro - Same as above; but it is the gGogle version, not quite as nice of a user experience.

If the app name is not linked it is because I could not find it on Apple's internet directory of apps (check the app store itself).

If you have app suggestions for me, I would love to hear about them.

Happy Shooting

New 17" MacBook Pro

My new 17" MacBook Pro is all set up, and I just had to run some test to compare it to my old 17" MacBook Pro.

Both machines have been updated, they have both had about 200GB freed from the HDD, they have both had their PRAM zapped, they both had 15RAW files (200MB total) placed on their desktop, both got two more restarts, both were only connected to power, etc (they were as equal as could be).

• From a dead start the NEW 17" was able to start 9 seconds faster.
• From a drag and drop of the files the NEW 17" was able to start Lightroom 3 and be ready to import 5 seconds faster.
• Now came the real test; the 15 files were set to be imported, keywords added, my oRAWLR3X preset applied (my normal preset), and 1:1 previews loaded. This is something I do many times each day, and often is the most time consuming part of my editing process, especially if I then make some editing changes and need to re render 1:1 previews (remember I deal with thousands of images each week of the year). The NEW 17" took a total of 34 seconds while the OLD 17" took 106 seconds that is a 311.8% speed boost. I was expecting between 2-4 Xs, so 3.118 Xs is right in line; but I still ran all of the tests twice to be sure, and the results were the same.
• Lastly I wanted to compare export times to 300dpi, AdobeRGB, full quality JPG files with my other "normal" settings applied. For those who are familiar with Lightroom 3 you know that the test times should be almost identical to the 1:1 preview times, and they were... IDENTICAL.

My NEW 17" MacBook Pro is the 2.3Ghz quad core i7, 8GB RAM, AMD Radeon HD 6750M GPU w/1GB of GDDR5 memory, 500GB @7200RPM HDD, and the 1920x1200 antiglare display. If I could afford the SDD drives it would be even faster.

My OLD 17" MacBook Pro is the 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, GeForce 8600M GT GPU w/256MB of memory, 320GB @7200RPM HDD, and the 1680x1050 antiglare display.

As I spend most of my (non email/web editing) computer time using Lightroom to process, select, edit, organize, and export images these were the only tests I felt as though I should run. The results were over 3Xs faster at both ends of what I spend my time doing, and that gives me time to do other things. I have long said that time is one thing you can get more of, so...

Is a new machine that is over three times faster worth $3k? I think that depends on what your time is worth, and how often you use the machine at three times the speed. For me, I have no doubt that this was money well spent.

p.s. Remember that LR1/LR2/CS1/CS2/CS3/CS4 are not aware of quad core processors or more than 4GB of RAM, so using anything other than LR3/CS5 (or Aperture 3) will fail to yield equally impressive results.

Aperture 3

Apple has announced a new version of their popular Aperture software. Aperture 3 has over 200 new features including face detection and brush control of many settings.

I use Adobe Lightroom, Aperture's main competitor; but I am glad to see Apple come up with a new version. Competition is a good thing.

What all is new you ask... you can learn more here.

A Question for Apple...

I have a question for Apple...

Are you going to add support into Pages or iWeb for average folks to be able to create real multimedia content to fully utilize what the iPad can display?

Here is my thinking. If the iPad is going to replace newspapers/magazines/books and at the same time put our entire digital lives at our finger tips, while making the web fun; what is Apple going to do to help expedite that transition on the family scale?

I can see iBooks being a hit. (heck I may start reading books again ;)
I can see the comfort form of the internet, especially if Flash support is added, doing great things.
I can see using an iPad to have all of our digital media at our finger tips.
I can see us using iPad to control our TV's someday soon. (networks give in and let apple do subscriptions)
I can see Newspapers and Magazines getting better at web capitalization and getting folks to buy subscriptions via Apple for content. (note that magazines and newspapers will have to make the experience even more interactive than they do online currently)
I can see a Verizon version of the iPad that also has a web cam so we can chat with our friends and family around the would.
I can see this device really changing things in the future.

But I think Apple needs to make the iLife and iWork suites ready for moms/dads, aunts/uncles, and grandparents to be able to create a WOW experience for friends and family to share their lives and to be able to specialize that to the iPad/iPhone.

iWeb is easy to run and do all kinds of cool things, Pages is very easy yet helps create stunning documents. Any reason not to merge them and allow them to make content for the iPad/iPhone that mobileMe can serve up?

My Mom needs to be able to start up her Mac and make a family newsletter that in a few pages (idealized for iPad/iPhone) can share the family news in a way that could never have been done before. The content needs to be all that the iPad/iPhone allows and at the same time be easy to create. A quick newsletter layout that has photos turn to video with one click or an entire slideshow rather than just the one image that fit. A story about a game that can have audio play in the background. A question field that can display answers from others in real time (i.e. who is attending the family reunion). Grandma and Grandpa should be able to simply tap a button and play the embedded photos on the iPad/iPhone like it is a picture frame. Media needs to be able to be served up to family around the world by people who can't tell you what HTML is. I know this is all easy to do with web technology (it is what I do for a living); but Apple has a history of making this easy for average people to do. I also know that much of this can be done in iWeb for a web site; but this is not a web site for the masses this is a simple newsletter "subscription" for families (one page at a time flip the pages, no need for "site" navigation). It is all about brining a new level of WOW to families and friends all while putting more WOW into a great new piece of hardware.

While the iPad device is taking off, assuming it will, this is the time for Apple to let average people make great content for friends and families. If you have already seen what the iPad/iPhone can do for family content will you not be more willing to consider paying money to have a subscription to National Geographic for iPad?

I wont even go into the fact that small businesses could use these same features to grow in a time when small business growth has never meant more to our economy.

This is just one example, of many, where Apple has the chance to make iPad/iPhone full multimedia content creation obtainable to the common man. And I think it will just help Apple in the end.

Just a thought.

I assume Apple is already ten steps ahead of me, I just hope in thinking big they have not forgotten to think small. I could also be off of my rocker and ranting about things people don't care about too... Sorry.

iPad for Photographers

When I work on a blog post I tend to search the web to be sure that someone else has not already written something very similar. This is another time where The Luminous landscape has taken the words out of my mouth.

I have been very open about the issues I see with the iPad, and while it has shortcomings it will change things as to how the average person reads books, newspapers, and magazines. So it changes how I, as a photographer, must be prepared to deliver content.

The full essay by The Luminous Landscape is here.

Enjoy

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom - "The big move"

OK, so how many of you have started using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (LR2)?  If you have not, you should.  Most people start using Lightroom with the images saved onto their computers main hard drive, while the typical MacBookPro or iMac only has 320-500 gigabytes of storage space.  In the beginning we all think that we will have plenty of room for our images.  Then we start shooting RAW and buy amazing 21MP cameras, and all of the sudden our computer is preforming very slow, and Mac’s are not supposed to ever run slowly.  

I have been using external drives since long before the Beta of Lightroom came to the public; but I have many friends who have not.  One such friend recently had his iMac come to a halt (essentially filled the hard drive).  We then went on a search to find a way to move every image that he had in Lightroom from his iMac to a 1TB external drive without losing all the editing and organizing that was already done.

Now I know what you are thinking, it is Adobe so this should be an easy thing to do.  And I thought the same thing. I assumed that one could export the library, or move the photos and have Lightroom simply re-locate them.  Both of these will not do the trick.  We need the files moved and to still keep all of the Lightroom settings and have the file structure “Hierarchy” stay intact.  If all of your photos are in a single folder all you need to do is re-locate and then find one image (Adobe will do the rest); however if your folder”s” are organized into more than one folder (like we all do) this will not work without locating images in each folder manually (way more work than any of us have time for).  

Here is Jonathan’s report:

After weeks of searching, two weeks of adobe portal help, and three phone calls (2 Americans & 1 Indian) I have a successful method.  



What not to do: The Indian gentleman suggested moving all of the files to the external hard drive and then Re-import them. NO, NO, NO...  



As it always happens, the last call was the one that held the key to success!  A relatively easy way to move everything without losing the Hierarchy or your edits.  

The first thing that needs to be done is to make sure the entire folder hierarchy is in the “Folders” pane of LR2.  

While I had a folder hierarchy on my local mac drive, it didn't show up in folders on LR2. The reason for this is in order for the folder hierarchy to show up, at least one photo file needs to be in the top-most folder.  For me, that was the folder I named "pics".  Each Year's folder is under the folder "pics" on my local mac drive.

So, simply, I put an image (I was directed to use "ducky" in CS3 Samples because it has a bright yellow icon) into the folder "pics." So now I have a photo File called Ducky, and Folders years 2000-2009, all in my top most Folder named "pics".  I then import the file Ducky in the "pics" folder, obviously using import while leaving file in original location.  


Now, the entire folder hierarchy under "mac" HD is in the “Folders” pane in LR2 - a mirror of the hard drive.

Now, you have two options.

Note, the external hard drive (the drive you are moving to) needs to be added to the “Folders” pane in LR2 first, by simply clicking on the "+" sign and adding it.  

~ The first option is: 

In the “Folders” pane in Library section of LR2, drag and drop the folder you want moved, e.g. "pics" or any subfolder into the external hard drive located under “Folders” pane in LR2.  

This method will move all the files with the folder hierarchy intact to the external hard drive/new location.  At the same time this will delete the photo files on the local hard drive.  What we don't know is if there are additional files/photos/videos you have not imported to LR2; but exist in that folder hierarchy, will they be deleted - I doubt it; but I'm not going to gamble since LR2 doesn't even know they exist nor do I know if LR2 checks the integrity if it did move them.

~ 
The second option is the one that worked (with no fear).

Because most people export tweaked images from LR2 to another folder in the folder hierarchy.  Those exported tweaked files are never imported to LR2 - why should they be, they are JPG's/TIFF’s.  If you want to move all photos, including ones not imported, like the tweaked ones - from the local hard drive onto an external hard drive for space reasons then this is the safe way.

To make sure ALL folders/images/files are moved to the external hard drive, simply copy and paste the entire top folder (all 25K files/photos for me) on the local "mac" Hard drive to the external hard drive. Remember that you must have the entire hierarchy in LR2 so that it is maintained after the transition (see the “first thing” with questions).

Obviously, this will copy and paste all files/folders, maintaining the hierarchy as well as moving even the files not imported to LR2 - it also has the advantage that a "copy-paste" done by the computer checks the integrity of what was pasted to the original at the end of the paste. And, you guessed it, one does not delete the original files until you are sure the move and reconnection to LR2 was successful.  

Last; but not least, go back to the “folders” in LR2 and under "mac" HD, locate the “top” folder, which was copied and pasted to the external hard drive.  Right click on that folder in LR2 and choose "update folder location..."  

Choose the new location on your external hard drive, and the “top” folder in LR2 is now located under the external drive in LR2 folders and all photos/files are linked.  
--
This method obviously works for many applications, including moving between external hard drives (1TB to a 4TB in a year or two).  

Adobe does encourage one other thing, one should "save metadata to File" for all photos to create sidecars - not completely sure of the reasoning to this, but they suggest it...

There you go, Jonathan wrote this partially because he thought I would like to know and partially because he wanted a way of preserving the information.  Jonathan is not only a talented photographer and good friend; but he is also a gifted medical professional (MD).  He wanted me to share this with as many people as possible, so it goes onto my blog and wherever else I can find for it in the future.  His hope is that this will be helpful to many people who have these same issues now and in the future.  

Thanks for the information Jonathan.  If you want to check out some of Jonathan’s photos they can be viewed at http://bumpitup.smugmug.com/

Thanks for reading, and get the word out.  

Remember things change with software all of the time.  If things do not seem correct, contact Adobe and see if they have made changes.  If you find errors let us know; but we offer no warrantee to the use of this advice, nor are we available as technical support.  Sorry :)