December 23, 2007

Merry Christmas PPS World!

We here at PPS would like to give a big shout out to all our listeners and readers all over the world. You’ve all been so great since we started about a year and a half ago, and this continually growing community means a lot. If enjoy PPS you can always let us know if the comments, or shor your appreciation by linking to us, voting on podcast alley, or rating us on itunes.

You are appreciated, and we just wanted to say thanks. To do this I thought PPS should give you a small gift, so Gavin made a special Photoshop Action just for the occasion called Christmas Glow. It’s a nice effect that will make that Christmas tree photo look great, along with anything else that you want a nice smooth effect on. It’s great for portraits, even for a landscape effect, or just about anything else.

It’s not a big gift, but I know most of our PPS’ers have Photoshop, and it’s something we could give to you all. It should work on CS2, and CS3. For earlier versions just try it and see, it’s free after all!

Next… We have a special discount for those of you who want more Photoshop Actions, or Lightroom Presets You can get 20% off anything over at Seim Effects by using promo code pps2007 at checkout. It’s the biggest discount we’ve offered over there, and it’s an exclusive for PPS readers. You can save you quite a bit off the normal price. It’ll be good thru Dec 31st, so if you’ve been on the fence about getting some great effects now is the time.

christmas-glow-sample.jpg

Here’s to another great year of photography, ideas, collaberation and fun… Gav and the whole PPS team

Update… I updated the action to V1.1. I added a comp layer into it that will help keep things balanced when adjusting the glow effect, and made some other minor changes to make it a tad better for you. Feel free to download the updated version.. Gav

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December 10, 2007

I found an article recently over at L7Photo.com written by Kerry Garrison who is a also PPS’er. Anyways it’s all about shooting in manual mode. It talks about the things to consider when shooting manual, and how to get the most out of it.

It might surprise you to know how many pro’s stay away from manual modes. While I find automatic, or semi auto shooting modes are great for a most shots, I have also found that sometimes manual will get you just where you need to be. Check it out for some good manual shooting tips.

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December 8, 2007

Click Button To Listen, PPS #40 Bridal Show Planning, Tips, and Photography Marketing Ideas
To download mp3 podcast, right click above link, and “Save As”
Podcast subscription feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/prophotoshow
Todays Hosts…
Gavin Seim ~ Seim PhotographySeim Effects
Dennis Zerawis ~ DZ Pics Photography

 

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Show Notes and links…
Today we discuss bridal and trade shows, and ideas for setting up a great booth including marketing materials, photo presentation and the works. Even if you don’t shoot wedding you’ll get some good tips for doing shows.

DXO is getting bad press about using invasive DRM on Optics Pro 5. Gavin has launched his Lightroom Presets Power Workflow Collection.
The The HDRI Handbook is available available and is full of tips on shooting HDR photography

We also talked about getting inexpensive easels to display your work on, and Gavin like the Economy Folding Easel from Dick Blick Art Supply. It’s a touch over the ten bucks Gavin originally though, but still a great deal.

Dennis’s pick of the week was Professional marketing and selling techniques for wedding photographers.
Gavin’s pick was Collages press printed books for proofing and inexpensive albums.

Lastly here a few few photo’s of a few of my past bridal show setups.

img_1309.JPG

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December 8, 2007

dxov5.jpgOptics Pro, is a popular photographers worflow tool from DXO Labs that allows you to batch edit images. It’s receiving a lot of anger due to the anti piracy methods, or DRM (digital rights management) they have used in the latest Version 5 of the software.

The idea of these systems is to prevent people from stealing the software by downloading it for free online. Companies vainly think they can prevent this activity by adding intensive licensing systems. The reality is that it simply does not work! Hackers crack the DRM, and then make the cracked software available free. Yep that’s right! We could go out and download free copies of most of the major software we buy, and often the anooying DRM will have been removed thereby making it more enjoyable to use. Yet companies like DXO still don’t get it. They choose to distrust the customers who do want to support them and make the user experience of their product a bad one. The afore mentioned hacking, and stealing of software is of course not legal, and I am a believer that when a developer makes software he should get something for his time, so I do not condone pirating software, but something does need to be done.
It seems that DXO Labs has used a very invasive DRM on this version that can cause all sorts of problems. Pace the company who develops the DRM even tells us in it’s own FAQ of a myriad of problems that can be caused if their system decides you might be a pirate. There’s a good Forum thread over on DPReview where people are talking intensively about this problem, and the problems that Pace Interlock DRM can cause. It seems that along with all the irritation the system, it can actually cause damage to your computer system as well.

On a lighter note DRM however has gotten invasive that the consumer tolerance for it is low, This is a prefect example and DXO is paying for having missed the consumer satisfaction boat in such a big way. For many users of Optics Pro, the solution is to simply not buy it anymore.

Hopefully because of consumer outrage like this DRM will gradually fade away, just as it is staring to do in the entertainment industry. Will DXO be around to see it? That is not yet certain. We have offered to allow them to comment, and if they do we’ll let you know what they intend to do about this problem. If they were smart they would probably apologize to all these paying customers, and stop messing up their product with DRM. That however remains to be seen.

Lastly, our recommendation to those in the DRM bussiness is to start planning for a new job. To companies that use the systems like DXO, Adobe, and many others. We say we’re tired of this and you better get rid of it.

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December 6, 2007

Cintiq Overview, from Wacom:

Wacom introduces two additions to the Cintiq family to give you options for working directly on screen. The Cintiq 12WX and the Cintiq 20WSX join the Cintiq 21UX as versatile interactive pen displays that combine the advantages of an LCD monitor with the natural feel and superior performance of Wacom’s patented, professional pen technology.

The Cintiq family of interactive pen displays continues Wacom’s tradition of delivering world-class productivity tools that make using a computer as natural as possible. By using a pen directly on screen, you work more quickly and naturally. All products in the Cintiq family share Wacom’s most advanced pen feature-set to provide world-class precision and control. This pen sophistication, combined with the ability to work directly on screen, make Cintiq products key to a digital experience that is closer to working with traditional materials and tools than ever before.

Pixel-level pen accuracy provides highly precise cursor control. The Cintiq Grip Pen features 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity on the pen tip and eraser for precise image editing, accurate brush control, and selective application of effects and filters. The result is an amazingly smooth, responsive on-screen experience that mirrors a traditional pen-on-paper feel. Additionally, the cushioned, contoured barrel of the pen has been designed to minimize grip effort for hours of comfortable use.

All products in the Cintiq family have textured, scratch-resistant surfaces and are completely flat edge-to-edge, allowing the hand to glide over the entire surface easily, and also have adjustable stands that allow you to angle or pivot the display to achieve optimal working angles. Strategically-placed, programmable ExpressKeysâ„¢ and Touch Strips let you zoom, scroll, and activate keyboard shortcuts for even greater speed.

Visit the Website here.

Click here to view the Cintiq Comparison Chart.

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