Jumat, 26 September 2008

Picasa 3 beta

Picasa is a software application for organizing and editing digital photos, originally created by Idealab and now owned by Google. "Picasa" is a blend of the name of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, the phrase mi casa for "my house," and "pic" for pictures (personalized art) source Wikipedia.

Picasa 3 is the latest incarnation but is still in Beta which means they want feedback from users. I didn't know Picasa 3 was out until some one told me. Installing the new one is painless if you have an older version. You download the new one and get rid of the old short cut on your desk top, that's it.

There are some great improvements, I love the blemish tool; even an idiot such as myself can use it. Over all, a better product, the price is right, but the sharpening tool still sucks.

Picasa isn't my major editing tool but I often use it for family snapshots. I've recommended it to many, many people who don't want to get into heavy editing.

The improvements to Picasa 3, which I downloaded a couple of days ago, are nice indeed. But, again, the sharpening tool needs improvement!

The only tools I can see that have been added are a better crop tool and the "blemish" tool. I like the blemish tool, it works well.

Read about all of Picasa 3's new features here...

Senin, 15 September 2008

Ansel Adams Effect in Photoshop

Here is a photo I took a couple of months back but just got around to converting to black and white. I really like the way the clouds provide drama over the serene river. If you look closely, you'll see the canoeists paddling downstream.  What a gorgeous day it was. 

To help achieve this drama I used one of the many simple techniques used in Scott Kelby's book, the photoshop book for digital photographers. Great book. I used the Channel Mixer in Photoshop to boost reds by 160%, greens by 140%, and reduce blue by 200%.  Then made the output monochrome.  It was that easy.

Kamis, 11 September 2008

Nikon D90 Review

The Nikon D90 is the upgrade to and next logical step up from the D80. And, much like the D80's similarities to the D200, the D90 pulls some of the D300's best bits; a newly designed 12.3megapixel sensor that, while not a direct transfer, is mightily similar - making for some of the highest quality, low-noise images throughout the entire ISO100-6400 range. Anyone familiar with the Nikon line-up of late will know that this can only mean good things. Thinkcamera.com have just posted their review of the D90 along with the kit lens.

image

Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5
Buy a Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP

Features

12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS imaging sensor
5.8x AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens included
D-Movie Mode; Cinematic 24fps HD with sound
3-inch super-density 920,000-dot color LCD monitor
Capture images to SD/SDHC

Sony Alpha A900 Reviews

We have a few reviews of the new Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 below. The Sony A900 has to rank among the most anticipated digital SLRs in recent memory. It does indeed have a full-frame 24.6 Megapixel sensor, image stabilization, and superb build quality. It also features an enormous optical viewfinder that shows 100% of the frame, an ultra-sharp 3-inch LCD display, 5 frame/second continuous shooting, great battery life, and much, much more. About the only things the A900 doesn't have are a built-in flash and live view.
a900

Rabu, 03 September 2008

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion--New from O'Reilly

The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion

Sebastopol, CA—Have you ever bought a new camera, only to be so overwhelmed by all the buttons, gizmos, and gadgets, that you don't touch it for months? You wind up using your old point-and-shoot camera simply because you don't know enough about your new camera to be comfortable with it. If you've ever been caught in this situation, don't worry--with O'Reilly Media's new Companion series, you'll be wowing people with your new photos in no time.

The newest book in this new series, The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion ($24.99) is not a typical camera guide. Rather than just showing you what all the buttons do, this unique book teaches you how to use various Digital Rebel features to make great photographs. Through easy-to-follow lessons, this book gives you a complete class on digital photography, tailored specifically for people who use this camera.

With the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D Companion in your camera bag, you have the perfect field reference for taking stunning pictures of any occasion or place, any time. You get valuable creative tips and technical advice for capturing professional-looking images of people, landscapes, action shots, close-ups, night shots, and more.

This book will allow you to:

  • Get to know the Digital Rebel XSi/450D and how it works
  • Take creative control and go beyond automatic settings
  • Learn the basic rules of composition
  • Know when to let the camera work for you
  • Photograph fast-moving objects, and learn to capture decisive moments
  • Discover ways to use a flash indoors and outdoors
  • Learn the advantages of different lenses, and the best time to use them
  • Understand the options for shooting RAW, and whether it's right for you

There are plenty of photography books, but only this companion guide teaches you how to take high-quality digital photos using the camera model you own. Professional photographer Ben Long includes plenty of full-color examples to show you what's possible once you graduate from snapshots and focus on the pictures you've always wanted to take.

Each book in this Companion series gives you the best advice on how to take the best pictures possible in a variety of situations. And they're portable and attractive enough that you'll want to take them along with you!

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