When digital
cameras became commercially available, the memory
cards used to store pictures were very expensive.
Photographers could not afford multiple or
high-capacity cards, so they wanted more images
to fit on a single, smaller card. Smaller file
sizes would also enable consumers who lacked an
understanding of digital imaging to attach photos
to email with minimum technical headaches.
With these two scenarios in place, manufacturers
turned to an Internet-friendly format, JPEG. It
was a proven technology, and one that was
familiar to many users. A JPEG file looks for
areas where pixel detail is repeated, such as the
color white on every key of your computer
keyboard. The file then discards repeated
information and tells the computer to repeat
certain color values or data to re-create the
image. The drawback is that a JPEG file is lossy,
so every time you modify it and re-save,
additional compression is applied to the image.
Newer digital cameras, generally the pro models,
offer newer formats, usually called raw. These
raw (or native) formats have several benefits
over shooting to JPEG. The images are usually
captured at a higher bit depth, which means that
the pixels contain more information about the
color values in the image. Most raw files have a
depth of 10, 12, or even 16-bits per channel
instead of the 8 used by JPEG. This raw format
also has a greater tonal range, resulting in
better exposure for shadows and highlights.
The image on the left is how the camera captured
a JPEG. Making adjustments to the image is
possible, but will lead to more degradation in
image quality. The image on the right is a
properly developed raw file. Working with raw
files gives you access to greater control over an
image.
The raw file captures the
unprocessed data from the camera’s image
sensor. While your camera may contain settings
for sharpness, exposure, or lighting conditions,
the raw file stores that info as modifiable
information and captures the original
(unmodified) data that came through your
camera’s sensors. Each manufacturer treats
the format differently, using a proprietary
format. Fortunately, Photoshop and Aperture
frequently update their raw technology to support
the newest cameras on the market.
Because the raw data is unprocessed, you must
essentially “develop” the image data
within Photoshop or Aperture. You can choose to
adjust several options related to the image, as
well as the lens and lighting conditions. You can
“tweak” the image after shooting it
(as opposed to JPEG, which is limited to the
settings you had when shooting).
Starting with Photoshop
CS2, Adobe introduced a new feature called
data sets. This allows you to create a set
of data that applies variable text, variable
visibility settings, or pixel replacement
for art layers. This is a great feature for
use with templates, especially those for
lower-third titles.
By harnessing the power of data sets, you can
dramatically speed up the production of
repetitive graphics. In fact, by feeding in a
text file, hundreds of lower-third graphics can
be generated in a few clicks. The advantage of
this method is that a producer or production
assistant can gather all of the needed names and
titles into a single text file (easily created
with any word processor). This file can then be
loaded to generate as many graphics as needed.
While the process is a little tricky at first,
it’s pretty easy to get the hang of.
Read the complete article over
at Layer Magazine for
free...
You gotta
love free fonts... I found a great article
over atdesignm.agoffering 50
free fonts. These are cleared to use on
commercial projects.
"Designers
love to have a lot of quality fonts available to
them, and fortunately there are some very good
free fonts out there. In this post we’ll
feature some of the best free fonts that can be
used in your commercial designs."
Here are the fonts. If you’re
looking for more, check out these other sites:
Brush strokes,
cloning, and most manual tools from the
toolbox do not record properly with
actions. Instead, use an alternative,
such as a Gradient Fill layer (Layer
> New Fill Layer > Gradient)
instead of the Gradient tool.
• To play a single step of an action,
double-click it.
• If you make a mistake in an action,
click Stop. Delete the incorrect steps by
dragging them into the Actions panel’s
trashcan. Choose Edit > Step Backward as
many times as needed. Then click Record and
start again from the last good point.
• Button mode lets you launch actions
quickly—just click an action and it
runs. You can access the command from the
Actions panel submenu. You’ll need to
disable Button mode to access recording and
editing features.
• Choose Playback Options from the
Actions panel submenu. Specify that you want
the actions to play back an action
accelerated. Photoshop can process faster
than it can redraw the screen.
• Be sure to back up your custom
actions to two locations: the default
location and a secondary backup location.
This way, a reinstall or upgrade won’t
blow away your custom actions.
• To create an action that will work
better on all files, set the rulers set to
measure using percentage.
• Use File > Automate > Fit Image
to resize an image for a specific height or
width.
One misperception we hear time and time again is
about resolution. For the record, video graphics
are not 72 dpi. First off, dpi stands for dots
per inch (as in printing). Photoshop measures
graphics using pixels per inch (ppi).
The resolution of this photo has been reassigned
from 300 ppi to 72 ppi. The Document Size (in
inches) has changed for printed output. The pixel
dimensions and file size remain unchanged at 1920
x 1080 pixels (for a 1080 HD video project).
When dealing with video graphics, resolution
doesn't matter. The same HD video file can play
back on a laptop, a television, or on a digital
projector, and the total number of pixels won't
change. To see this clearly, stand really close
to a big-screen HD TV; the picture looks soft.
Now find a smaller display with an HD signal; the
picture looks clearer. This is because HD is HD;
the bigger the screen the larger each pixel is
displayed, but again resolution doesn't change.
Figure 9.2 The enlarged area shows the individual
pixels that make up the butterfly image.
Setting Photoshop to Measure in
Pixels
Out of the box, Photoshop is set up for a print
workflow (biased isn't it?). This is easy to fix
with a simple preference change. You can set
rulers and other tools to measure using pixels by
default (which will make designing for the video
screen easy).
Launch Adobe Photoshop.
Press Command+K to call up your Photoshop
preferences.
Adobe Bridge has
lots of uses; this video looks at five of its
best: Contact Sheets, Web Galleries, Ranking,
Reviewing, and Browsing Animation Presets. You
can also visit the websitewww.peachpit.com/videomacin order to
download sample files.
A fascinating
documentary onRay Harryhausenwho is a
prolific stop motion animator. Some of his
work you may have seen includesThe 7th
Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the
Argonauts, andClash of the
Titans.
Just got an email from
the Center for Environmental Filmmaking
which is offering a $1,000 prize.
They are running a contest for filmmakers to
create a short, funny video for YouTube which
communicates a clear message that strongly
motivates a specific behavior change (for
example, driving a fuel efficient car, turning
down thermostats, or donating to a conservation
cause).
Submissions must:
Be humorous!
Address a critical environmental issue
Be an original production
Reach a broad audience beyond just
environmentalists
Be less than 4 minutes
Submissions are due by March 1, 2010. The winner
will be announced at American University on
Tuesday, March 23 at the DC Environmental Film
Festival.
If you're into digital
photography and live in Northern California...
join me on Monday, January 25. I'll be attending
the TWiP / SmugMug 2010 Town Hall Meetup. The
group is organized by Frederick Johnson
(@fredeickvan) and is a group for photographers
looking to share knowledge and learn.
Here are the details.
Location
San Jose Library (West Valley Branch)
1243 San Tomas Aquino Road
San Jose, CA 95117
Also, Frederick promises –
"I'll be giving one lucky member a *HUGE* prize
(you know me). You won't want to miss this
meeting."
I
have seen this first person.. and it is AWESOME.
Tons of real-time performance in Premiere Pro and
64-bit Operating Systems. It can also be tied to
a really fast graphics card for better
performance. The app runs INSANELY great and will
hopefully propagate through other Adobe apps like
Photoshop and After Effects.
"You've never seen a training camp like this!
Photoshop World is the ONLY Photoshop and digital
photography conference designed to put you at the
top of your game with fast and furious classes
from the world's leading experts. Photoshop World
is where Photoshop users go to learn hard and
play even harder!"
Here's a new class I am
teaching in New York and Washington, DC. I
promise to cram in lots of practical advice
to get results.
Social
Media for Business Professionals
Washington,
DC:Tuesday, March
9th, 2010 –Register New
York:Thursday,
March 11th, 2010 –Register Time:6-9pm
Cost:$199
When used
correctly, social media tools can help you reach
potential customers and keep your current clients
engaged and interested. In this informative
session you'll learn practical advice that can be
implemented immediately. Such as: - How to use
Twitter to share your latest news and keep in
touch with your best customers - Learning how to
set up a corporate page on Facebook to share
video, photos, and information - Keeping your
business leads up to date with LinkedIn -
Creating enjoyable blog posts and content for
your readers
Target audience:This class is
for business professionals looking to increase
business opportunities through social media
tools. The workshop focusses on practical ways to
establish a social media presence that is both
effective and maintainable.
My son thinks
it's cool that I used his picture in one of the
lessons
If you haven't tried our new
training apps, what are you waiting for?
How about our
sale!
Understanding Photoshop Quick Fixes is$.99|iTunes–Web Demo
Understanding Photoshop Creating Panoramic Photos
is$1.99|iTunes–Web Demo (prices good through
February 1)
These apps are a lot of work, but I want to see
them succeed. We've lowered the prices
temporarily so more people will try them out.
Tell your friends and try them out (the feedback
has been overwhelmingly positive).
Includes
training videos edited specifically for the
iPhone or iPod Touch.
Offers easily
viewable screens, with zooms and close-ups of
the action.
Every lesson
includes hands-on files that you download to
your computer. There’s no need to merely
watch, you can try out every technique on your
own.
Test your
knowledge with interactive quizzes. Score
yourself as well as check your answers with
video responses.
Search
throughout the application by keyword and your
own bookmarks.
A quick
reference guide is also included to help you
build your Photoshop knowledge.
Interact with
the trainer with comments and a Twitter
client.
Creative Cow's NAB Party
Announced– Join Me & Dread
Zeppelin on Monday Night. Details here....
tickets will be free - but limited. It's
AWESOME!
"Well, it's official. Monday night, April 12,
2010, at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay
Hotel and Casino finds Creative COW: YEAR 10 in
full swing with a closing set by the legendary
Dread Zeppelin. We are celebrating because 2010
marks the 10th year of Creative COW, and who
better to welcome COW members to Las Vegas than a
reggae-based band of killer musicians playing Led
Zeppelin hooks with an Elvis impersonator leading
the band?"
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 Filed in:
Business| Apple
We've got another episode
of MacBreak Work! Rich Harrington shows Alex
how to use Mail Merge in iWork '09. This is
a great way to create several customized
documents from a database.
Here are links to get the free episode.
Our friends
atthe Peachpit User Group
Programare making a
special offer for all Mac User Groups who are
interested delivering both great information
on video production and a great price on a
Peachpit book to their members.
Richard Harrington and Robbie Carman are both
Apple Certified Trainers and have an extensive
background in video production. They talk with
publisher Nancy Aldrich-Ruenzel about their new
book Video Made on a Mac: Production and
Postproduction Using Apple Final Cut Studio and
Adobe Creative Suite, explain who it is written
for, and reveal why the Mac is their platform of
choice for professional endeavors.
MacBreak Work is back! In
this new episode we cover how to align items
in a presentation. You'll also learn cool
new transitions in Keynote ‘09.
Here are links to get the free episode.
Do you ever need to size
video for web or multimedia? Instead of
wasting time processing those clips with
your video compression software
– use After Effects. You can get
cleaner scaling and much faster processing
times using AE.
To make things easier... I have made a template
project to save you several steps. You can
download it here.
These
templates are designed to convert an HD source to
a variety of output formats.
Select either
the 1080 or 720 source folder.
2 Locate the correct target format and open the
template.
3 Import a QuickTime movie of your HD source.
4 Highlight the layer called Replace Me.
5 Hold down the Option/Alt key and drag your
replacement footage onto the solid layer to
swap.
6 Change the comps duration to match your
footage layer’s length by choosing
Sequence > Settings.
7 Add to the Render Queue and render to
taste.
Thanks a
lot to Frederick Johnson and Alex Lindsay
for having me on This Week in Photography.
It's a great show al about photography and
related technology. From taking photos of
the family to understanding how cameras work
to testing state-of-the-art equipment,
you'll hear it all on This Week in
Photography.
You can hear it
oniTunesor on the web
–http://www.pixelcorps.tv/twip124 A wrap-up of
CES and some of the cool, photography-related
product announcements...an interview with HDR
expert Tray Ratcliff...and a special guest host,
digital-imaging expert Richard Harrington, joins
the fray.
This short film was
shown to me yesterday byAlex LindsayandFrederick Johnsonwhen I was
visiting forThis Week in
Photography. It's a beautiful
documentary about a man who loses his dog to
cancer. The whole piece was produced with a
Canon 7D. What I like about it is that the
filmmaker truly shows an intimate moment (and
one I can relate to as a dog lover). The
smaller cameras these days (that can shoot in
lower light) are letting us tell stories we
never good before.
I
presentLast Minutes
with ODEN
I head to the
Editors Retreat event in Miami tomorrow
(this is my sixth time going - it's that
good). Lots of great networking and training
events for all. I'll have some resources
(and hopefully one of my sessions posted
this week). Hope to see some of you at the
event.
An
intensive, interactive environment for TV, video
and film editors that fosters creativity and the
exchange of ideas at the highest level.
This is a funny video (thanks to John Nack for
pointing it out). For those not in the know,
b-roll is typically stock footage that helps
illustrate what a video project is about. It
covers up the A-roll (or talking head and
narration parts). For those in the video
industry, you'll love the "That's not B-roll"
line.
The folks
over at This Week in Photography have a
great post on resolutions for the new year.
These are goals every photographer should
strive for.
"Now,
I just have to commit the time and passion
required to become a great photographer. In that
spirit, I think we should all try to keep these
10 New Years Resolutions. Now, everyone say after
me:
1. I will learn how to use my camera.
This seems like an obvious point, but we are all
guilty of skipping our camera manual and just
fiddling with settings. Ah, this one works right?
Spot-metering? Why not. Hey, what does that
button do? Seems to make things darker. Hmm. I'm
going to admit something to you that I ask you to
keep hush-hush. I haven't actually read my 5DMKII
manual. I know. Horrible! I'm guilty of arbitrary
button pushing and royally messing up shots
because I don't really know how to use my camera.
Let's all become technical experts of our cameras
this year. Deal?"
When
shooting a scene, you'll typically favor getting
multiple shots. This process is referred to as
getting coverage. Just as a single photo can say
so much, combining multiple angles together can
tell the story better (letting you show
interesting details or emotions). This process is
important because it allows for more flexibility
in editing. You can choose to condense, action,
cover mistakes, or even direct the viewer's
attention with a variety of shot types. These
shots have a language of their own. Knowing the
most common shot types lets crew members talk to
each other.
Wide
Shot (WS)– A wide
shot (also called an establishing shot) is useful
to show the entire subject. With a person, this
usually means seeing from the top of their heads
to the bottom of their feet.
Always nice
to find a free resources. Here are a
thousand+ free fonts – The folks at
Brands of the World have a ton of great
fonts up for download (all totally free).
Always
nice to have one of my books get a 10/10
review – go team! Thanks to the folks
over at MyMac.com for a detailed review of
our Aperture 2 book.
"Aperture 2:
Professionally Manage Digital Photographs goes
into every little things that Aperture can do for
you. While you can easily see and use the sliders
in the interface, it is not obvious by looking at
them that using a modifier key will improve the
tools' functionality. They are also describing
features like round-tripping to an external
editor, such as Photoshop. And if your camera RAW
file format is not yet recognized by Aperture,
did you know you can use a free DNG converter
from Adobe to be able to edit it in Aperture
without having to wait for Apple to update the
software? I point this out, because historically
speaking Adobe has been faster to implement RAW
decodes for new cameras than Apple ever was."
See the whole review here.
Get the book here.
You can capture video for an After Effects
project using Premiere Pro. Learn how to quickly
switch applications to pull in new footage from
tape. To download sample files, visitwww.peachpit.com/videomac.
AJA
Video Systems, a leading manufacturer of
professional video interface and conversion
solutions, announced today the release of AJA
DataCalc. AJA DataCalc is a free storage
requirement calculator designed for video
professionals and is available now as a free
download from the Apple iTunes
Store here.
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