You may remember that Photofocus was one of the first sites to tell you about Plotagraph Pro. This amazing software offers photographers the chance to easily animate still images. This works with ANY still photo, you can animate a photo you shoot today or one from a hundred years ago. Absolutely no video is required. Since we first told you about it, they've added a bunch of new features. It's also even easier to use (here's a quick tutorial). The big news is this... because so many have asked... there's now a trial version. This … [Read more...] about Plotagraph Pro News
software
DroboPix “Corrupt” JPGs Bug
I recently posted a tutorial about installing and using the wonderful new free DroboPix app for Drobo N devices. You might have noticed JPG files that won't draw a preview in Bridge. The "bug" Double click on one of the files will open it correctly in the default Mac program Preview. If you have changed the double click to use Photoshop in the Get Info box, the file will open with this message. The files are not corrupt. They have been improperly named during import. These are screenshots I made with my iPad. Screenshots … [Read more...] about DroboPix “Corrupt” JPGs Bug
Easier Masking with Photoshop’s New Select & Mask Taskspace
Photoshop has a new update (CC2015.5) and it includes a remarkable new selection tool interface called the Select and Mask Taskspace. Selections and masks allow you to isolate your subject from the rest of a photo and are a fun way to create composites or make adjustments to only that portion of the picture. But, creating selections around things like hair and fur can be difficult. The new tools help make it a lot easier. I plan to use this tool for removing a person from the background, which I frequently need to do for the Steve Jobs … [Read more...] about Easier Masking with Photoshop’s New Select & Mask Taskspace
Photofocus Team Participates in the Big Deal
We wanted to let you know about a special deal that’s running that features a bunch of the Photofocus team. It’s called the Big Deal and you get a lot of awesome stuff including training and software.You’ll find four contributors from the Photofocus team 3 Scott Bourne ebooks DSLR Video training with Rich Harrington Photoshop training with Dave Cross Lighting training video with Joe McNally Plus great software like Perfect Eyes Macphun Tonality Photo Mechanic Particle Shop Topaz Clarity A lot of great other … [Read more...] about Photofocus Team Participates in the Big Deal
Professional Retouching: Principles & Practices with Kristina Sherk
Portraits are not only the most important pictures you make, but they can also be the most profitable. As such, portraits deserve your best effort at a perfect finish, and this webinar will help you learn the principles and best methods for helping people look their best in pictures. Kristina Sherk (www.sharkpixel.com) joins us this month from Washington, D.C. She's a photographer and retoucher with years of experience retouching, and almost as many years teaching. This is your chance to tune in Live with Kristina and learn the techniques … [Read more...] about Professional Retouching: Principles & Practices with Kristina Sherk
Instant Replay: Running a Professional Photoshoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Did you miss Matthew Jordan Smith revealing the secrets to running a successful photography business? Then watch below and Matthew will show you the techniques he's learned as one of the most prolific celebrity shooters in the world. Rich Harrington hosts this free webinar, and he and Matthew will help you learn everything from working with clients to mastering lighting to retouching for immediate turnaround. https://youtu.be/T4Xp5BDSYK4?t=53s … [Read more...] about Instant Replay: Running a Professional Photoshoot with Matthew Jordan Smith
Instant Replay: Roundtrip Workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop
Lightroom and Photoshop are the perfect combination for finishing your photographs, and used together properly you can stay organized and move quickly through your workflow. Our special guest will be Image Wrangler, Lesa Snider, and she'll share her wisdom to keep your workflow flowing. Hosted by: Rob Sylvan & Levi Sim Produced by: Richard Harrington and Photofocus.com https://youtu.be/elOEFP4vWDc?t=1s … [Read more...] about Instant Replay: Roundtrip Workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop
ON1 Announces First New RAW Processor in Years: ON1 Photo RAW
The Future of RAW Photo Editing – Coming this fall – Includes support for over 800 cameras Portland, OR – April 26, 2016 – ON1, Inc. today announced ON1 Photo RAW, the first all-new RAW processor and non-destructive photo editor to be released in more than a decade. With modern code optimized for today’s super-megapixel cameras and high-performance computer graphics systems, Photo RAW will be the world’s fastest, most flexible, and easiest-to-use RAW processor and photo editor on the market when it is released this fall. The current class … [Read more...] about ON1 Announces First New RAW Processor in Years: ON1 Photo RAW
Exploring A Port Huron Scene With Photomatix
For a while now, I’ve been itching to begin experimenting with incorporating the Photomatix software into my workflow. One bright sunny Michigan morning, I had the opportunity to do just that. I found myself driving through downtown Port Huron after a networking event, my Canon 70D camera, 18-35mm F1.8 Sigma Lens, and tripod conveniently nestled in the passenger seat next to me. As I crossed over the downtown bridge, I decided that it was the perfect time to take some bracketed shots. The morning was clear and the sun was bright. No better time … [Read more...] about Exploring A Port Huron Scene With Photomatix
What to Look For At NAB 2016
It is that time of year again. NAB is just around the corner. My inbox and social media have already been flooded with official announcements and "unofficial" leaks. What am I excited to see on the show floor? There is a lot to cover, so let's dive in. Lytro Cinema — Lytro's light field cameras caused quite a stir in the photography community a while back. And, while the consumer market was not ready for the Illium, Lytro has not been idle. I knew they had VR projects in the pipeline, but I did not see Lytro Cinema coming. … [Read more...] about What to Look For At NAB 2016
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
OFFLOAD = Peace of Mind
Your footage does not exist until it exists in at least two other places than the source. Then, and only then, should you reuse source media. The adage above is as close to a truism as one can find in digital video production. At the start of my production career, Alex Lindsay hammered it into me on every shoot. Today, it is one of the first things I teach new folks. Nowhere is the risk of ignoring this adage greater than when one is in the field, away from ample electrical outlets and clean, flat surfaces. Even when power and workspace … [Read more...] about OFFLOAD = Peace of Mind
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!
Running your Business – Tracking Mileage
When youre running your own photography business, taking photos is really only about 25% of your job. You also have to find time for editing, marketing, client meetings, website maintenance, and bookkeeping. Come tax time each April, you may be looking for a few deductions to cut your tax bill. If you use your own car for your business, its an eligible tax deduction. Its also one more thing to keep track of. While I don't run a photography-specific business, I am a professional freelancer. Ive done everything from small photo shoots, to … [Read more...] about Running your Business – Tracking Mileage
Time Lapse Photography Just Got A Powerful Update
If you're a Time Lapse fan like myself than this is an exciting weekend. Gunther Wegner, creator of LRTimelapse, (arguably the best plugin/tool for your time lapse arsenal on the market), just sent out the press release detailing the specifics of the latest update to LRTimelapse 4.5 including use of some of the awesome newest features in Lightroom CC. New Features in LRTimelapse 4.5 Added Support for the new Local Dehaze in Lightroom 6.2 / CC.2 on Linear, Circular Gradients and the Paintbrush. The number of threads used to generate the visual … [Read more...] about Time Lapse Photography Just Got A Powerful Update
Dark Circle Quick Fix with Perfectly Clear
Can I vent for a second about how frustrating it can be to retouch dark circles under the eyes? While I don't claim to be a master retoucher, I do think I can hold my own, except when it comes to those under eye circles. Matching tonality and texture has always been a difficult task for me. Remove too much and it looks super fake. Don't do it enough and it looks like a shoddy job. So usually I just end up leaving them. Enter: Perfectly Clear. I've recently been playing around with this new and handy software and discovered how amazingly it … [Read more...] about Dark Circle Quick Fix with Perfectly Clear
Apply the Right Amount of Retouching with Perfectly Clear
We have all seen beautiful portraits ruined by aggressive retouching. How can we tell if a portrait crosses the abusive retouching line? Its simple, if the persons own mother doesn't recognize them, youve gone too far. Thankfully there are many retouching programs that help us achieve pleasing results. My newest ally in the retouching battle is Perfectly Clear by Athentech. For years Photo labs and Photo Kiosks have been using Perfectly Clear (in fact 30 million prints a day on average). Its fast and does a great job at batch retouching. Most … [Read more...] about Apply the Right Amount of Retouching with Perfectly Clear
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
Perfectly Clear Skin Smoothing
Finally, a digital soft focus filter like Zeiss' Softar 2 I've been exploring Perfectly Clear 2.0 for proofing for a while now. It's great for doing a quick pass on a set of portraits to reduce blemishes, soften skin and generally enhance a take so clients could select their "hero" for final retouching. It occurred to me that some of the settings Perfectly Clear has for skin smoothing could be combined with standard Photoshop retouching techniques to achieve the effect of an old filter not used since days of shooting film... The … [Read more...] about Perfectly Clear Skin Smoothing
ParticleShop – First Look
When Corel, the people behind Corel Paint, announce that theyre releasing a Photoshop and Lightroom plugin it peaks ones interest, so I bought the Starter Pack and gave it a try. Starting image for this post comes from Fotolia Starter Pack As an online purchase the download was fast and the installation was quick and easy. The Starter Pack plugin comes with 11 different brushes and costs $49.99 (Appx 32.50 / 44.60). Full brush sets can be added for a 24.99 for me here in the UK, thats about $38, so I was in no rush to start filling my … [Read more...] about ParticleShop – First Look
Shooting Raw on a Smartphone with the LG G4
I was recently given the new LG G4 smartphone to try out by my friends at ThreeUK. Theres a lot I could write about the software, shape etcetera, but Im a phoneographer so lets get straight to the camera. Go Manual The camera is good on this phone but really comes into its own when you opt to switch to Manual mode. Here you can opt to change; White Balance Focal depth Exposure compensation ISO Shutter speed All pretty cool and opens up some great photographic opportunities, but what really got me excited was the option to shoot jpg or DNG … [Read more...] about Shooting Raw on a Smartphone with the LG G4
Organize Your Portraits and Group Shots: Using People View in Lightroom CC
This option is new to Lightroom CC, and Im still finding the right way to use it in my workflow. Basically, it gathers pictures together based on the faces it can recognize in the image. The more I think about it, the more I see some powerful uses for it. Enter the People view using the icon at the bottom of the Library screen (press T to show the tool bar) or by pressing the O key (P is already taken for flagging a picture as a pick). Lightroom begins automatically recognizing faces and stacking pictures together with the same faces; the same … [Read more...] about Organize Your Portraits and Group Shots: Using People View in Lightroom CC
Lightroom Hangout: Diving into Cinemagraphs with Rob Knight
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We kick off Wednesday 5/27, 4:00pm Eastern, 3:00pm Central, 2:00pm Mountain, and 1:00pm Pacific. 4:30pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. If you like shooting the same subjects in the same way that have been shot for a hundred years...then this hangout is not for … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Diving into Cinemagraphs with Rob Knight
Noiseless Pro Review
A look at Noiseless Pro by Macphun a standalone application that helps you reduce color and luminance noise in your images, and process raw images! [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GpKJViMw4c?showinfo=0&w=1280&h=720] … [Read more...] about Noiseless Pro Review
Say Hello to the NEW Adobe Lightroom CC!
This morning Adobe announced a major update to Lightroom! The new version is called Lightroom CC, and is a part of the Creative Cloud. (For those of you not interested in using the Creative Cloud subscription service, it can still be downloaded as a standalone application, Lightroom 6.) The new update comes with some very much anticipated improvements, so let's take a look at some of the most impressive new feature's inside of Lightroom CC:HDR Merge Yes! Finally! We can merge HDR images inside of Lightroom! Photoshop is no longer a … [Read more...] about Say Hello to the NEW Adobe Lightroom CC!
Recover Files from a Corrupt Memory Card Using Mac Disk Utility
Your memory card can be the most important piece of gear on a shoot. It stores the one thing that can get you paidbut what do you do if it becomes corrupt? Ive had a bunch of memory devices become corrupt; a brand-new CF card while shooting HDR and portraits on Zuma Beach in California, a trusty SD card in my main camera while shooting video interviews for Under Armour, and even an AJA hard drive while recording my multi-camera sports production for ESPN. They say everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. But there are steps I can take to … [Read more...] about Recover Files from a Corrupt Memory Card Using Mac Disk Utility
What can Photomatix do for you?
The Challenge of Dynamic Range My next house I did end up photographing was a small townhouse. I think those are extra challenging to photograph as you are working to be creative in tiny places to get the entire room without too much distortion. A tripod is a must even when working in such a tiny space. I went to work and bracketed each room. The realtor sent me a text saying his clients were impressed and LOVED the pictures. I breathed a sigh of relief. After that praise I looked back through some photos and decided to play some more with … [Read more...] about What can Photomatix do for you?
Android Users: Meet Lightroom Mobile
Adobe Lightroom mobile is a companion app to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5. The app is FREE if you have one of the following plans: Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan Creative Cloud Photoshop Photography Program Creative Cloud complete plan Creative Cloud Student and Teacher Edition Creative Cloud for teams complete plan Or, you can download and sign up for a free 30-day trial of Lightroom mobile. Once the free 30-day trial expires, Lightroom mobile will require a Creative Cloud membership. Extend Your Workflow Beyond the Desktop By … [Read more...] about Android Users: Meet Lightroom Mobile
Simple Portrait Processing in onOne’s Perfect Photo Suite
It's well-known that the Perfect Photo Suite is great for adding effects, replacing skies, and adding texture. But did you know that it is also a great place to process portraits? Here are a few methods you can use to process a portrait (or a group of portraits) in onOne's Perfect Photo Suite: Perfect Portrait One of the more obvious ways to edit a portrait is to use the Perfect Portrait module. Here's how it works: 1. First, open a photo into Perfect Portrait. You can do this through Lightroom (File > Plug-in Extras > Perfect … [Read more...] about Simple Portrait Processing in onOne’s Perfect Photo Suite
