This is the last full week of 2019. We usher out the year with articles on the iPhone, what to do with that new camera and more. Happy almost new year.
A guest post from TheDigitalStory podcast creator Derrick Story on Capture One as an alternative to Lightroom. Chris Anson reveals how to make shaky videos stable. Managing Editor Bryan Esler starts a series on that new camera you received for Christmas, then Nate Torres has some simple tips for making better iPhone photos. Finally, I review Epson’s FastFoto scanner.
Is Capture One Pro 20 a viable alternative to Lightroom? - (Editor’s Note: We welcome this guest post from Derrick Story, creator of TheDigitalStory Podcast. Derrick is a writer, photographer, teacher and podcaster. You can follow his weekly shows on TheDigitalStory.com, as well as read his blog posts, check out his workshop schedule and find links to his social accounts, including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. TheDigitalStory show is also available where ever you download your podcasts.) Even if you have thousands of images cataloged in Lightroom, there’s nothing wrong with keeping tabs on what’s happening with other software. There’s no harm in looking, right? One application that’s been getting a fair amount of attention is Capture One Pro. And the latest release, version 20, seems friendly to Lightroom photographers considering a change. New features like a simplified color panel, more friendly crop tool, and even a keyboard shortcut that matches Lightroom for switching from a single photo to thumbnails (G) have been designed to ease the transition from one platform to the other. But is Capture One Pro truly a viable alternative? Let’s take a look at a few strengths of each application to help us decide. Capture One Pro 20 strengths RAW Processing. The hands down winner, in my honest opinion. Layers and luminosity masks, so easy, so powerful. Fully configurable workspaces — very customizable Outstanding color tools, especially for portrait work. Almost magical exposure controls, especially Contrast, Highlights and Shadows. More flexible catalog management ranging from temporary sessions to managed catalog to the referenced approach that Lightroom users are already familiar with. Lightroom strengths HDR and panorama processing. Won’t find those in Capture One Pro. Cloud integration with outstanding mobile apps. Again, not in C1P. More training, third party plugins, bigger ecosystem. Price. Yes, believe it or not, I think Lightroom is more affordable for users who want to stay current. Better integration with Photoshop and the entire Adobe ecosystem. So if you’re dissatisfied with Lightroom, the place to start, I think, is why you’re looking for a change? If it’s price, then there’s really not that much difference between the two. And in fact, Capture One Pro will probably cost you a bit more. If speed is your issue, you might be happier with C1P for certain activities. But to tell you the truth, I don’t see a huge difference in my day to day work when using either app. So I think the two determining factors are software gravity and feature list. Software gravity applies if you have a huge Lightroom catalog and you want to migrate it to another application. That feels like a lot of work. My inclination would be to start the new year with Capture One Pro and evolve your Lightroom catalogs into archives. Many people will find that an unsatisfying solution. Features are a different matter. I really like the RAW processing and catalog management in Capture One Pro. So I use it for my professional work. But, the features that are important to you could be much different. You might want to review those lists at the top of the article. You also might want to listen to the podcast that I published on The Digital Story that covers this topic. Hopefully, it will bring a bit of clarity to your pros and cons list. Either way, like I said, it doesn’t hurt to look. Ready to get started with Capture One Pro 20? Be sure to check out the 2019 Limited Edition Styles kit, which includes 145 styles in 13 packs! Get started today at captureone.com.
Stabilizing iPhone video in DaVinci Resolve 16 - In this video, I’m going to show you how I stabilize my iPhone footage in DaVinci Resolve 16 (DR16). With DR16 open, I’ll create a new project, drag and drop the video from a Macintosh folder into DR16, create a timeline and then show you the variations for stabilizing. They will include Perspective, Similarity, and Translation. I’ll also show you the Camera Lock option. Camera Lock assumes a locked-off shot and does its best to simulate that locked position as it stabilizes the footage. There are also controls for Smooth and Strength that you’ll want to explore. Watch the video If you’re interested in trying DaVinci Resolve 16, here’s a link to the free version, which has amazing features. The download is at the bottom of the page. Many people find that the free version is all they need.
In-depth review: Epson’s wireless print/Polaroid scanner - During the early part of my career, I made Polaroid test photos of practically every shot I made commercially on film. I saved 6,000 of them, more or less. Some were flat, some curled while some of them had black tape on them leftover from identifying film sent to the lab. There were bags and storage boxes full of 4×5 and medium format Polaroid prints. Over the course of several months, each one got scanned using the FastFoto FF-680W compact print scanner, loaned to me by Epson America. Easy setup Setting up the FF-680W was easy. I began by removing the abundance of tape from parts that Epson doesn’t want to move during shipping. I installed the Epson FastFoto software from the Epson website. Once the FastFoto scanner was power up and the software running, it couldn’t have been easier. The software automatically connected to the scanner over Wi-Fi. The next step is to set a folder to receive the scans. There is an option to add info to the names of the prints before they are scanned. I chose to go by a number since I did not want to spend the enormous amount of time it would take to sort the Polaroids by job and look up the data in my database. I had over 6,000 Polaroids to scan, after all. Once the software has the info it needs, it displays the Start Scanning screen with a visual reminder to load prints face up in the scanner. All that’s left is to load up some prints — they have to be the same size — then click Start Scanning. Fast and quiet This scanner lives up to its name. It’s fast. It goes through a stack of photos in seconds making a flat uncorrected scan along with one that the software auto-corrects. When the stack is scanned, the software politely asks if the job is finished or if more are to be scanned. The scanner holds the scans in memory then, when finished, transfers them wirelessly to the designated folder. This is not fast because two 32MB files are created of each one when scanning, and have to be saved over Wi-Fi. I chose to scan at 600 pixels per inch to get as much detail as possible. If you are scanning so you have a catalog of your photographic prints, this is overkill. If the print is the only one you have because the negatives have gone missing, the higher resolution is a good choice. This size file can make an 8.5×11″ inch print from a 4×5″ Polaroid. The scanner is relatively quiet. The only noise is the transport of each print through the machine. It is not loud at all. Take a look at this 30-second video to see and hear for yourself. Scanning batches The input tray holds about 25 Polaroids. Additional prints can be added while the FastFoto is scanning. If the tray runs out, the scanner stops and a screen pops up with a count of print scanned so far during the batch. There’s an option to add more prints or tell it that you are done scanning. Clicking that button starts the transfer process of moving the scans from memory into the destination folder. Again, the transfer takes time. When it finishes, load more prints and continue the process. I found that scanning a hundred or so prints was just about the right amount. While the scans were transferring, there was enough time to prepare another stack of Polaroids or photographs for the input tray. Keep it clean Photographs, prints or Polaroids, are paper products and they carry dust. Occasionally the software sends a notification reminding that it’s time to clean the FastFoto scanner. Epson has made this simple too. Remove all the prints from the input and output trays, then open the scanner. I used canned air to blow out any dust that had collected. I was careful to make sure the glass in front of the sensor array was spotless. 6,000 Polaroids later … I’m not going to fib about this. It took time. The Polaroids had been stored in plastic bins and bags for a couple of decades. Some had tape on them from being attached to film boxes identifying the shot inside. Some were torn. Some were sticky. I had my doubts that the FastFoto scanner could handle them all. For the most part, it did a remarkable job with minimal jams. Considering the state some of those Polaroids were in, jams were rare and easily cleared by opening the scanner the same as opening it for cleaning. I now have 12,000 files of my 6,000 Polaroids. Remember the scanner saves two versions, one simply as scanned and one autocorrected. Not a one-trick wonder If all this scanner did was photos it would be invaluable for anyone who has a large collection of prints of all sizes up to 11×14″ (actually a bit larger according to the A4 spec). Since the scanner can scan letter/legal paper it also is a great all-around scanner for documents of all sizes. So once the photo scanning project is complete the Epson FastFoto FF-680W lives on as a Wi-Fi document scanner. Every rose has a thorn or two Overall I really like this scanner. It is reasonably priced for all it does at $599.99. High for a document scanner to be sure, but add in the ability to scan continuous-tone photographs in both black and white and full color and this is a real value. Its footprint is much smaller than that of a flatbed scanner and in today’s cramped offices that is a big deal. OK, that’s the rose part. Now for the thorns. The FastFoto application does not offer 16-bit scans, which means the depth of the scan is not optimal. Epson supplies software that can scan in 16-bit and is used for scanning documents. But why not add that to the FastFoto app? The other thorn is that
You’ve got a new camera. Now what? Part one - So you were one of the lucky ones this year who got a new camera for Christmas. Now what? One look at that several hundred-page manual in front of you can be enough to send you to the loony bin. Where do you start? Below are a few things that really helped me when I got my first DSLR. These are the basic principles of using your camera; understanding things like exposure, composition and more. The exposure triangle Aperture, shutter speed and ISO come together to form what is called the exposure triangle. But what do these three things mean? Aperture If you were to look at the lens while changing this setting, you would see that the hole of the lens shrinks or gets larger. This refers to the aperture. This does a number of different things, but in this instance, it’s increasing or decreasing the amount of light that is allowed to reach your sensor. At a lower number, like f/2.8, the lens opens up, bringing in more light. At a higher number, like f/22, the lens is nearly closed, decreasing the amount of light. Why would you want to change your aperture and bring in less light? It all depends on your use case. If you’re photographing a single individual, shooting at an f/2.8 aperture is great. But if you’re photographing a small group, you’ll need to bump up to something like f/5.6. Why? Aperture also plays a role in determining the depth of field of your photograph. At a wider aperture like f/2.8, you’ll achieve a narrow depth of field. This will help to blur the background, making your subject stand on his or her own. In a sense, it lessens the area that is in focus. At a more narrow aperture like f/11 or f/22, you get a wider depth of field. This is great for landscapes because it allows your entire scene to be in focus. Shutter speed Shutter speed also plays a role in the exposure triangle, as it determines how long your shutter is open to receive light. With a faster shutter speed like 1/500s, which is great for fast-moving action, you’re giving your camera less time to collect light. This means for a darker photograph, but one that’s sharper, having no motion blur. With faster shutter speeds you can more easily freeze motion. With a slower shutter speed, you’re expanding the time your camera can receive light, which leads to a brighter exposure. But while this is great for a brighter exposure, it’s not so great for fast-moving subjects, as they can often be blurred. ISO ISO comes from back in the film days, when you would purchase a kind of film that had a specific ISO. Today, we do this right on our cameras. We’re able to change ISO on-the-fly. In the film days, ISO told the camera’s light meter how much light the film needed. In a digital camera, ISO controls the sensitivity of the sensor to light. Increasing your ISO brightens up your image, which essentially lets you work with lower light conditions. On the other side of the spectrum, you might want to lower your ISO if you’re in a very bright room, or outside, as you don’t need as much light present. There are a few caveats when using ISO. First and foremost, bumping up your ISO can result in noise (a grainy, texture) being more prevalent in your image. It can also result in a loss of detail and sharpness, depending on how high you go. Personally, I try to stay under ISO 3200, but that decision is largely based on the type of camera you have. Use cases If you have a static, single subject that you want to emphasize, you might want to go with a wider aperture like f/2.8. This also means you’d be able to go with a faster shutter speed and/or lower ISO and isolating the subject by blurring the background. If you have multiple subjects, but still static, you might want to take your aperture to f/5.6 or f/8 so everything’s in focus front to back. You would then have to compensate for this by lowering your shutter speed and/or boosting your ISO. If you’re photographing a high-action sport like football, hockey or swimming, you’ll want your shutter speed to be higher, typically around 1/500s or higher. Outside this typically isn’t a problem, but indoors you’ll need to open up your aperture and/or boost your ISO, depending on the situation. Whatever setting you decide is primarily based on two things. One, your subject(s). How many are there? Are they moving or are they static? Two, your environment. Is it dark out? Do you need to separate your subject(s) from the background? Are you able to use an accessory like a speedlight to help bring more light into the space? Shooting modes Every camera comes with four modes that you can choose from when you take a picture. Your camera might’ve also come with an Auto mode, but let’s be honest — you didn’t get a new camera for Christmas to keep your camera on Auto! Here’s a roundup of what each mode does: Program mode (P) Think of this as a glorified Auto mode. Program mode sets your aperture and shutter speed, but gives you control over ISO, exposure compensation and white balance. Aperture priority (A or AV) Aperture priority lets you put your focus on the depth of field of your camera. This allows you to set the aperture and ISO, while the shutter speed is calculated automatically. This is the setting I recommend for new DSLR users, as it really lets you learn about your camera without having to worry about something complex like your shutter speed. A word of caution: Slow shutter speeds often cause blurry results especially when hand-holding the camera. Shutter priority (S or TV) Shutter priority lets you control the shutter speed of your camera, while it automatically picks an aperture setting.
Mobile Mondays: Seven ways to take great pictures with your phone - Photography has changed quite a bit since the days of our grandparents’ driving down to the local drugstore with their rolls of film from the most recent holiday or vacation. Now that everyone has a high-resolution camera in their pocket, the art of photography has become more accessible than ever. But phone cameras have clear limitations, and if you’re not aware of them, then you’ll never understand how to take great pictures with your phone. 1. Understand composition — it’s every good photographer’s best tool Before diving into how to take good photos with your phone, it’s better to understand the most basic principle for taking interesting photos using any kind of camera. Of course, that principle is composition. It doesn’t matter how exciting your subject matter is; your phone camera, when used incorrectly, will suck the intrigue straight out of the scene if you’re not taking into account your photo’s composition. And what is composition, exactly? Think of your subject matter as a movie. You’re the director of that film. You’re not just taking a photo — you’re telling a story. And if your photo isn’t telling a clear story, then no one is going to find it particularly interesting. The fastest trick to good composition is always being aware of your foreground (front) middle-ground (middle) and background (back). Think of all three components as layers to your story. You want to play with all three, find a unique dynamic between them all, and start from there. If you’re missing one or two layers, your photo is going to fall flat. 2. Do not use digital zoom, EVER! Understanding the limitations of your technology is the only way to understand how to take great picture with your phone. For example, if you find yourself zooming in on your subject, you’ve already made a grave mistake. The fact is, the camera sensors inside most of our phones are too small. They tend to only capture a specific focal point. Zooming in on a subject just blows up each pixel and makes them blurrier in the process — it’s not using true optics to enlarge the image. However, many new phones on the market have multiple cameras and cleverly use stereographic technology to combine the sensor input from both into one image, allowing the operator to optically zoom to a degree. And by all means — if you have one of those devices, then zoom in on your subject matter. These phones should tell you when you are leaving the boundaries of true optical zoom and crossing into digital zoom. With that said, heed their warnings and stop when your zoom goes digital, or face the blurry, noise-ridden photo it produces. 3. Stay away from the front-facing camera Learning how to take good pictures of yourself is an art form. There’s a reason that portrait photography is a highly regarded form of a photography — it’s hard to master and there’s a lot of intuition that makes a great photo into an amazing photo. However, you can learn how take good pictures of yourself using your phone. But the process may not be as obvious as you’d think. The front camera is stuffed in between a microphone, a speaker, and a myriad of other hardware. It’s most often an afterthought. Instead, you should use your back camera for self-portraits. They’ll look the cleanest, be of the highest quality, and will have a much deeper color and contrast than that of your front-facing camera. Learning how to take good pictures of yourself using your back camera can be a bit tricky, but you’ll get the hang of it. Try investing in a portable tripod and using your camera’s timer. 4. Shoot for your medium Every professional photographer understands their medium before they even shoot their first photograph. They take the time to know where their pieces will be displayed, what they’ll be displayed on, and who will be viewing them. All of this goes into their composition — photography is never a one-size-fits-all industry. These days, we take photos for a variety of reasons. And learning how to take good pictures for Instagram is completely different from taking photos that’ll appear in a personal album. If your focus is on Instagram, then you need to understand that platform. 5. Get out of the stock camera app If your goal is to take great photos with your phone, then you need to stop using the camera app that your phone came with. It probably has a ton of tools to finesse your photography, but at the end of the day, it’s an afterthought by a phone company. Instead, research stand-alone camera applications. Applications like VSCO are great tools for controlling every aspect of your phone’s camera. There are many photo editing apps for photographers and bloggers that work great. Things like focus lock, and fine control over your exposure and camera shutter are what will take your photographs from “good” to “great.” You may be overwhelmed by the myriad of settings on these apps, but you’ll soon understand what works through trial-and-error and be well on your way to professional phone photography. 6. Be mindful of your formats You just shoot a photo and it’d saved to your phone, right? Sort of — but there is something more to consider if quality is a concern. Most modern phones will let you shoot in RAW format, which is a completely uncompressed file format that is perfect for taking professional quality photos. You may not realize it — but our phones commonly compress our photographs right as we’re taking them. They do this to save on our already-limited storage space. But if you’re at all worried about quality, then you’re going to want to have full control over how your photos are compressed. So, if you have the option, shoot in unadulterated RAW format and compress them under your own terms or you’re going to lose out on quality before you even view your
