I just launched a huge Lightroom presets collection over at seimeffects.com. The set has over 50 cool presets in, covering everything in the workflow process from corrections to sassy creative color effects in a very broad variety.
If your looking for a good set of creative presets then check out power workflow presets. This set has been months in the making and has some killer effects. If you like Lightroom you’ll like Power Workflow, and there’s also a video over there that shows them in action. Check it out.
Update… The issue we were having with the site seem to be resolved. All links should work now. If you have further problems feel free to contact.
Looks like adobe sent out the latest update to Lightroom. 1.3 for Mac or Win (a free update for LR owners) is now available on Adobe’s website.
It’s primarily a Camera Raw support update, and also gives compatibility for Leopard users.
Heres what John Knack said about the update on his blog… Lightroom 1.3 improves compatibility with Mac OS X Leopard, fixes some bugs, and adds an option to render 1:1 previews during import. New cameras supported in Lightroom, Camera Raw, and the DNG Converter include the following: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III, Canon PowerShot G9, Nikon D3, Nikon D300, Olympus E-3, Olympus SP-560 UZ, and Panasonic DMC-L10. The applications also now support the sRAW format produced by the Canon 1D Mk III, 1Ds Mk III, and 40D.
It’s a BROADCAST everyone. For the past year or so tech guru’s have been debating about what to call these internet shows that we produce. Podcast is a pretty bad name because it infers that the program is related directly to ipods, and it’s also an unknown word for many.
Scenario of you talking to a friend. (note that this a a simulation and people (especially girls) may still think your nerdy and uncool, even though you do a broadcast)
Yes I’m pretty in to technology. I also do a podcast about it. What Friend is Thinking… What the heck is a podcast??? must be some little group of friends that he talks to.
Maybe this would be better.
Yes I’m in to technology, and I also do a weekly broadcast about it. What friend is thinking… Cool this guy must be on his toes and have something going.
~ Check out Gavin’s 3 day HDR workshop coming Fall 2009.More details here.
So you’ve probably heard about HDR photography, and you may be wondering what you can do with it and why it’s so cool.
By Gavin Seim: This is not a short article but it will explain a lot about HDR photography and why its so amazing. Today we’re going to talk about the editing techniques I used to create “Look To The Wind” the bride on the beach image that you probably have heard mentioned on Pro Photo Show, and maybe seen on the net. Also below are some additional links for things relevant to HDR.
HDR is a method of taking multiple images and combining them in a high dynamic range file. Lets say you take three images of the exact same scene, at various exposure levels. Standard images are only around 8 bits each, basically meaning that their ability to correctly expose dark scenes while keeping bright scenes from getting overexposed is limited.
So to make an HDR you might take one image that’s underexposed, one image over, and one with correct exposure. Then using software you can combine the shadow and highlight details from all the images into a single image is called an HDR, It’s the combined bits of these images, and is usually a 32 bit image when converted. What does 32bit mean to you? It means it can contain far more light. Even though the actual resolution of the image is not increased the details inside it are much higher. The HDR Photography technique is most often done with nature or still life images, but I have been doing extensive experimenting with this technique in portraits as well with good results, as we’ll see today.
So lets look at an example. In this image I took three shots of the bride on the beach using continuous shooting mode with auto exposure bracketing. This along with a model holding as still as possible, and a fairly wide angle scene made “Look To The Wind” Possible possible (click for a larger version) You can read more about HDR portrait techniques in my HDR portrait article.
There a a few ways to take the three images and make an HDR from them. First take your images in unedited raw form. You could do it with jpegs, but raw will give you the best results. Don’t correct the raw files before converting to HDR. There is a very basic tool in Photoshop for converting the images called Merge To HDR (File/Automate/Merge To HDR) This allows you to select you images, and it will combine them into and 32 bit image. You then can use tools to adjust the levels, and curves of the image mix to try and get a good result.
MONTEREY, Calif.–Adobe Systems has committed to shipping a beta version of its online image-editing tool, Photoshop Express, this year, and said it will be complete in 2008.
“By late this year, we anticipate having a beta version,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president for Adobe Creative Solutions, speaking at the 6sight digital imaging conference here. And next year, the online service will be “available to anyone,” he said.
Loiacono showed Photoshop Express running on an Adobe server connected over the Internet, he said. But when the average person experiences the software, it likely will be through partners such as Shutterfly or Photobucket, he said.
Unsurprisingly, Loiacono left unmentioned Flickr, which said in October it will use Picnik’s online photo-editing tools.
Photoshop Express is a profoundly important project, and Adobe’s schedule indicates that its repercussions are near-term and not academic.
For Adobe, the project is the spearhead of a transformation from a seller of boxed software to a provider of services in an increasingly rich Internet experience. And for the industry overall, it signals that Internet technology is maturing enough that companies are willing risk extending the brand of respected PC software to the network.
Photoshop Express, as its name suggests, isn’t a full-fledged version of Photoshop proper or even of its hobbyist-oriented sibling, Photoshop Elements. The intent is to reach a much larger audience than the company currently reaches with its higher-end boxed software products.
Looks like adobe sent out the latest update to Lightroom. 1.3 for Mac or Win (a free update for LR owners) is 
