UPDATE: I've confirmed with the head of Macphun that anyone who buys Luminar from today (10/19/17 going forward) will receive a free update to Luminar 2018. Yesterday, October 18, was a busy day for the photography community with some major announcements from Adobe. Turns out that the folks at Macphun were working on something too. They announced initial plans for Luminar 2018 and their own response to the Adobe announcements. Luminar Takes on Lightroom The big news is that Luminar will ship a digital asset management tool as well (the … [Read more...] about Macphun Luminar Announces Plans to Support Lightroom Users
Apple
Apple’s Automator – The Ultimate Workflow Tool
Imaging Workflow Beyond Lightroom & Photoshop Most of the time, photo-imaging workflow can be completely managed within the familiar applications of Photoshop, Lightroom, Bridge, Photo Mechanic, etc... but occasionally it becomes necessary to go beyond the capabilities of these programs to automate more complex series of steps that involve multiple applications. Such was the case for me, when my friend Eduardo Angel asked me for a particular workflow solution – he wanted to have something he could drag a bunch of images onto, that would … [Read more...] about Apple’s Automator – The Ultimate Workflow Tool
Athentech Unveils Two New Version of Perfectly Clear (Including a Free Version)
NOTE: Athentech, the makers of Perfectly Clear help support Photofocus. The company also works closely with Photofocus as many of its new features and presets are designed by Photofocus authors. ---------------------------- Athentech, makers of Perfectly Clear Complete just unveiled two new products and confirmed some big news. We wanted to let you know about these changes as they're great news for photographers. A free version of their time-saving plugin A streamlined version called Perfectly Clear Essentials for Landscape, … [Read more...] about Athentech Unveils Two New Version of Perfectly Clear (Including a Free Version)
ACDSee for Mac Beta is a Free Download
ACDSee is a robust photo editor as well as a blazing fast image organizer. Newer versions of the product have been for Windows machines, but now the company is just about ready to roll out a major update for Mac users. For a limited time, you can try out ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac as a Public Beta. This is your chance to test the software out before it ships and to offer input on the product. Try the Beta ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac Beta now supports: • powerful database improvements • a better, more stable browsing experience (no … [Read more...] about ACDSee for Mac Beta is a Free Download
Macphun Ships Luminar Neptune — an Important Free Update with New Features (now on Mac & PC)
Macphun, who’s been known as a Mac-only developer up to know dropped a surprise this morning. They’re immediately shipping a free update to their Luminar customers (called Neptune) that adds some great new features. They've also announced their entry into Windows software. In July, Macphun will be launching a “public beta” of Luminar for PC to give Windows users access to their software. I’m New to Luminar… What’s the Big Deal? I’ve written a very detailed review of Luminar here. I stand by my review. It’s very useful software for … [Read more...] about Macphun Ships Luminar Neptune — an Important Free Update with New Features (now on Mac & PC)
iOS 11 Photos – A New Image Format?
In the past few days since Apple’s keynote at WWDC June 5th, a bunch of articles have popped up around the web about a new image format coming to iOS. Indeed, Apple plans to fully adopt the HEIF image standard on iPhone and iPads running iOS 11. What is it, how does it work, why change everything? Keep reading… What is HEIF? HEIF is short for High Efficiency Image Format and is a new image “wrapper” just like a JPEG or a TIFF. With the new “wrapper" comes a new compression algorithm, or codec, known as HEVC. We know HEVC in the video world as … [Read more...] about iOS 11 Photos – A New Image Format?
Create Keynote or Powerpoint Templates with Ease in Photoshop
I was recently asked to create a Powerpoint template for someone and soon realised that with a few Photoshop techniques creating, editing and creating individual assets was a breeze. To keep the whole thing as flexible as I could I used Artboards, Smart Objects and Create Assets. In this video I show you how to make three slide template, a main slide, a 'blank slide' and a slide for an image. Should you wish to create more then this technique allows you to do it in seconds. I hope you find it … [Read more...] about Create Keynote or Powerpoint Templates with Ease in Photoshop
Quickly Delete Apple Live Photos in Lightroom
I shoot a lot of images on my iPhone. It’s the camera that’s always with me when I stumble upon something interesting. In 2015 Apple introduced Live Photos at the iPhone 6s release, which creates a video showing the moments right before and right after you take a picture. These “sidecar” video files are 2 seconds in length and are embedded into the photo on your phone. While it was a cool idea, and I was excited for them when they were first released, but they’re become a bother every time I import photos from my iPhone into my Lightroom … [Read more...] about Quickly Delete Apple Live Photos in Lightroom
Free Presets & Exclusive Software Bundle for Photofocus Readers
Free Presets We've released a bunch of freebies lately to help you get more out of your software. This post gives you access to all of them in one convenient place. Photofocus LOOKs for Perfectly Clear Complete V3 Inspired Style presets for Macphun Luminar 44 Free Presets for Photomatix Free Presets for OnOne Super Deal on Perfectly Clear Complete (version 3) Perfectly Clear Complete started shipping this AM. We've got an exclusive bundle that saves you a bunch of money Perfectly Clear Complete v3 ($129 … [Read more...] about Free Presets & Exclusive Software Bundle for Photofocus Readers
Less Than One Day to Save on Macphun Luminar
If you're a Mac user looking for a great deal on a desktop photo editor, be sure to check out this sale that's about to end. Luminar is an easy to use editor that also work as a Photos for Mac extension as well as a plug-in for Lightroom and Photoshop. Here's our complete review. It also made our Photofocus products of the year list for 2016. What is Luminar If you're new to Luminar, here's a quick overview. The software is currently Mac only. https://vimeo.com/191486476 What's in the Deal You'll get Luminar + Bonuses for … [Read more...] about Less Than One Day to Save on Macphun Luminar
Creating Custom Presets with Macphun Luminar
Have you checked out Luminar yet? It's a cool new app from the folks at Macphun and it makes it very easy to create your own preset recipes. With more than 30 filters to choose from (plus blending modes) a preset can go a long way. Customizing Presets Remember, a preset in Luminar is merely a starting point. Different photographers will desire different looks. Plus a preset may work great on some photos, but need a little tweaking for others. Once you select a preset, you have the ability in Luminar's Side Panel to use Filters controls … [Read more...] about Creating Custom Presets with Macphun Luminar
Luminar from Macphun | A Photofocus Hands-On Review
Get 15 free Luminar Presets here! I’ve spent the past 2 weeks using a brand new photo editing tool called Luminar from the folks at Macphun. It’s a brand new photo editing tool that approaches the task of editing in a new way. The application offers customizable Workspaces that help guide you through image editing. The tool is targeted at photographers of all levels, offering easy starting points for beginners but advanced features like layers, masking, blending modes, and brushes for the most demanding pros. Who Can Use … [Read more...] about Luminar from Macphun | A Photofocus Hands-On Review
Moving from Apple Photos to Lightroom – The WHY and the HOW!
So you've decided to step up your photography game and get Adobe's Lightroom to manage and edit your photos, eh?! This guide will help you get your photos from Apple's Photos into Adobe Lightroom. As of the date of this publication, there isn't an everyday tool or utility that transfers an Apple Photos Library to Adobe Lightroom, like there is an Apple Aperture Library to Adobe Lightroom tool. While this gets your images into Lightroom, this, however, does not go over editing within Lightroom. There are a load of resources here on … [Read more...] about Moving from Apple Photos to Lightroom – The WHY and the HOW!
Apple Enhances Photo Organization, Camera with iOS 10
While Wednesday's announcement of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus was deeply catered to photographers, you don't need to upgrade your device to get all the new features Apple is offering. iOS 10, which will be released Sept. 13, introduces a new reign of organizational capabilities for your photos and videos, along with some long-desired features. RAW! That's right — iOS 10 introduces RAW image capture, which means your workflow can be streamlined more than ever before. Third party apps can take advantage of shooting in RAW once … [Read more...] about Apple Enhances Photo Organization, Camera with iOS 10
Apple’s Photos: The Hidden Power Tools
Apple's Photos for Mac was a combination between the previous generation's iPhoto and Apple's discontinued professional software, Aperture. Good thing is that everyone with a new-age Mac can get Photos for free! While free may not get you all the crazy powerful tools that you'd find in Photoshop, thanks to some hidden tools that were donated from Aperture, at least you can make some decent global edits to the photos you have. Get Started Obviously, you'll need to get some images into the Photos app in order to start-- either import straight … [Read more...] about Apple’s Photos: The Hidden Power Tools
Sharing Photos on the Apple TV with Lightroom
Since the introduction of the Apple TV app store on the new Apple TV, there’s no shortage of ways to view your photos on your TV. Companies you’ve come to know and love have built great apps (like Apple’s iCloud Photo Stream, Flickr, 500px, etc.) but have never really fit into my workflow. I use Lightroom to manage my image library, so I have to export the images I want to share, then upload them to whatever service I’m using. Adobe has a better way. Earlier this week, Adobe launched Lightroom for the Apple TV. Through the power of Lightroom … [Read more...] about Sharing Photos on the Apple TV with Lightroom
Mac User? Time to Update Your Raw Support (6.05)
If you're a Mac user, a two new camera updates have recently shipped (we're up to version 6.18). OS X El Capitan provides system-level support for digital camera RAW formats. In order to use these files, youcan access them through Photos, Aperture or iPhoto on your Mac. You can also browse at the system level looking through folders. Supported by Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 6.18 Canon EOS M10 Canon PowerShot G5 X Canon PowerShot G9 X Leica SL (Typ 601) Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II Sony Alpha ILCE-7S II Sony … [Read more...] about Mac User? Time to Update Your Raw Support (6.05)
A First look at DroboAccess
If you’ve got a network-attached Drobo like a 5N or a B810n, one of the biggest problems was accessing your data outside of your local network. Unless you run a separate server like I do, remote access wasn’t possible. Knowing that this has been an issue, Drobo is proud to announce DroboAccess which aims to simplify remote file access and file sharing. It’s essentially letting you create your own personal “cloud” with end-to-end encryption. To be fair, for years Synology has offered a Quick Connect website to log in and remotely access your … [Read more...] about A First look at DroboAccess
Google NIK Collection: Good News & Bad News
Did you see the NIK software announcement from Google? Truth be told, I’ve always wanted to play with and use NIK software but it was never an expense I was willing to part with. Like many of us, funds are limited and I couldn’t justify buying something when I need a new camera body first. When a friend shared with me the news from Google that NIK software was released for free, I was excited. I downloaded it right away and then came across some negative aspects of the free download. Good news, yes the software is indeed free. It’s the same … [Read more...] about Google NIK Collection: Good News & Bad News
Macphun’s Aurora HDR Pro Update Has Me Impressed!
By now most of you have heard of Aurora HDR from Trey Ratcliff and the team at Macphun, and if you haven't, well it's a joint project by Trey and Macphun to create an application tailored to exactly what the most prolific HDR photographer in the world would want out of software. Over the course of an entire year they worked together to create an app for photographers of all skill levels that would produce incredible images. You can run it as a plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and Photoshop Elements, OR you can run it as a complete … [Read more...] about Macphun’s Aurora HDR Pro Update Has Me Impressed!
Adding Video Background to Keynote Presentations
I recently attended an Adobe event and saw Rufus Deuchler presenting about mobile apps. As interesting as this talk was I was transfixed by the presentation he was giving because it has a moving background. I pondered the fact that Adobe might be releasing some new presentation software where this was a feature, but when he switched from the presentation to an iPad I caught a glimpse of the presentation software, to my surprise it was nothing more than Keynote. As a Keynote lover I thought Id explore this more fully. Heres my conclusion and … [Read more...] about Adding Video Background to Keynote Presentations
How to Show the iCloud Drive Icon on iOS
When Im on the road, I find myself using Apple Pages, Numbers, and Keynote on my iPad and saving files to iCloud Drive to keep my photo business organized. Whether its a budget, proposal, or slideshow... I've got them synced across my phone, tablet, and desktop (Windows users can sync too). Now that iCloud Drive is easily accessible on my MacBook Pro and iMac, its really easy to add other files to it just like I would with Dropbox. You can never have too many cloud services! But I was having trouble accessing files on my iPad because there … [Read more...] about How to Show the iCloud Drive Icon on iOS
Quick Tip to Free Up Space for Photos on Your iPhone
Have you tried to delete images or video on your iPhone to free up space, only to find out that you never seem to gain any free space? Apples Photos app has a built-in trash folder to save you from immediately deleting your photos or videos. Its set to auto-delete after 30 days, but its really easy to manually delete. Heres my quick tip: Step 1 Inside Settings > General > About, we can see how much space we have remaining on our phones. Step 2 Inside the Photos app, click on Albums in the lower-right corner. Step 3 Find the album … [Read more...] about Quick Tip to Free Up Space for Photos on Your iPhone
Canon EOS Utility vs. Mac’s new OS El Capitan
It's OS upgrade time for Mac users. Yosemite bows out as El Capitan takes the stage. Last year at this time the move to Yosemite from Mavericks caused consternation among Canon photographers who relied on the EOS Utility as I reported last November first here on Photofocus. It took Canon a month to officially release the fix. Test... 2.0, 3.0 The notice came this morning in the form of a banner on my MacPro. Upgrade to El Capitan was its gist. Having learned from last year's snafu, I updated only the MacPro in the post production suite. A quick … [Read more...] about Canon EOS Utility vs. Mac’s new OS El Capitan
A First Look: The Apple iPhone 6s Plus
On Friday, September 25th, Apple released the next addition to their industry-shaking smartphone, the iPhone. Customers who were fast enough to preorder either the iPhone 6s and/or the iPhone 6s Plus either queued up in front of their local Apple Store or had a courier deliver their unit(s) to their doors. For the past year, I've used an unlocked 128Gb Silver iPhone 6 Plus and have been exceptionally pleased with it. So, when preorders for this next generation of smartphones went live, I stuck with what I knew and ordered an unlocked 128Gb … [Read more...] about A First Look: The Apple iPhone 6s Plus
Apple’s New iPad Pro – Laptop Killer or Just a Bigger iPad?
Apple took the lid off their long-anticipated large-format iPad this week and as people line up for and against the new tablet I sat down with Jeff Carlson to discuss what the new technology means to photographers. Carlson is the author of the book, The iPad for Photographers, which is currently in its third edition with Peachpit Press. Key Features of the iPad Pro The iPad Pro is due to arrive in November, but at Wednesdays event, Apple gave us a long look at the new member of the incredibly popular iPad line. With its 12.9-inch screen … [Read more...] about Apple’s New iPad Pro – Laptop Killer or Just a Bigger iPad?
What’s New with the iPhone 6s and Why Does it Matter to a Photographer?
Apple just announced the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with a redesigned 12 megapixel camera. For those of us who rely on their phones as a behind the scenes camera or use this as our backup camera, this is a good thing. Processor and Physical Improvements Sure, many will pay attention to the megapixels, but it's what you do with them that matters. Apple promises that the new phone has a new image signal processor that works with iOS 9 to provide better temporal and spatial noise reduction. They also utilize an improved local tone mapping option … [Read more...] about What’s New with the iPhone 6s and Why Does it Matter to a Photographer?
Why Shooting Raw Matters
I just wrapped up teaching several workshops at Photoshop World. I led a night sky timelapse workshop. Shooting raw was absolutely essential to getting great results. The range of detail needed to capture the Milky Way just couldn't be captured with a single JPEG exposure. I continued to be amazed at how many people still don't shoot using a raw file format. Sure, I understand that certain types of shooters insist they need the faster buffer speeds they get when shooting JPEG (though the speeds of most modern cameras make this argument … [Read more...] about Why Shooting Raw Matters
Photofocus Podcast July 25, 2015 — Q&A with Brian Matiash
This week's podcast is in our classic Question and Answer format. We gathered up your questions from blog posts and social media and got some straight answers. Photofocus editor sits down with columnist and Sony Artisan Brian Matiash. Get the show here or get it on iTunes Don't forget to post a review on iTunes. Your Questions Get Answers with Brian Matiash Brian is a photographer and a published writer. He is a regular contributor to Photoshop User Magazine as well as a new member of the Photofocus team. He's spoken at the … [Read more...] about Photofocus Podcast July 25, 2015 — Q&A with Brian Matiash
Mac User? Time to Update Your Raw Support (6.05)
If you're a Mac user, a few new camera updates have recently shipped (we're up yo version 6.05). OS X Yosemite provides system-level support for digital camera RAW formats. In order to use these files, youcan access them through Photos, Aperture or iPhoto on your Mac. You can also browse at the system level looking through folders.Supported by Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 6.05 Supported by Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 6.05 Canon EOS M3 Fujifilm X-T10 Fujifilm XQ1 Fujifilm XQ2 Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) Nikon 1 … [Read more...] about Mac User? Time to Update Your Raw Support (6.05)
