Review Archives

December 1, 2008

Adobe Photoshop CS4: Straight Dope Review

Adobe Photoshop CS4 & Bridge CS4 Pro Photo Show rating, 7.5/10
Links throughout the review will take you to video’s that show features in action.

The Hot:

The new adjustment panel puts you in control and makes adjustment layers a whole new animal. You can add an adjustment layer then edit it in real time from the adjustments panel (think Lightroom or Aperture panels) I’ve added screenshots below.
Content Aware Scale allows you to change the aspect ratio of an image. It’s amazing, and I find myself using it all the time (far more than I expected). For example, I can convert an image from and 8×12 to and 8×10 format without cropping off the edges. While it’s not perfect, it does work well on most images
The interface still looks similar, but new integration and panel styling makes things a bit tidier.
New 3d manipulation features. I can’t offer much personal experience in the world of 3D, but the 3D engine has been totally revamped.

November 18, 2008

Gavin Seim, ProPhotoShow, Review

Cheap 8GB Compact Flash Cards: CPPOTW

Transcend 8GB 133x Compact Flash Card for 23 bucks (at publish time)

This weeks Cool Photo Product Of The Week is a sweet deal. Most of us use compact flash card’s in our cameras and with my new 5D MK II on order, I know I’ll be needing more of them. The price of memory just keeps coming down which is really cool.

I just picked up This Transcend 8gb card for less than 23 bucks. I’ll list it below so you can see the current price on Amazon, but these are a bargain. It’s possible to get cards slightly cheaper still, but these ones have great ratings, and you don’t have to hassle with any rebates.

If you use 4GB cards they make those too. Right now their under 15 bucks. Transcend 4GB Compact Flash
Have a great day… Gav

September 26, 2008

Gavin Seim, Nature, Portrait, PPS Photography Tips, ProPhotoShow, Review, Weddings

Become a Better Photographer in 90 Seconds – 24 One Line Tips

By Gavin Seim: (updated 09/11): I often hear from photographers asking me to look at their work and tell them how to be better photographers. In ten seconds I can usually tell them how to improve because we often overlook simple things. There’s nearly always something we can improve, no matter how much experience we have.

Most rules are universal to photography of any style or any experience level. Of course these rules are meant to be broken, but general concepts help us stay on track and we should only break rules for good reason. These are some tips I keep in mind with my own work. Hope they give you a few reminders. When your done here some join us in the forums to get some personal feedback. OK let’s roll.

One primary subject. If you have more, you’ll have distraction.
Omit needless objects. Getting them out will clean up your scene.
Slow down. Many images are ruined because of RTC (Rush To Click).
Tonal control is essential. Use the Zone Scale, Burn & Dodge.
If a background detracts from your scene, change or carefully blur it.
See Light. Where’s it coming from, how can you use it.
Learn the rules photography. Then you’ll break them for good reason.
Don’t just center things. Use the rule of thirds & others. They work.
Eyes. Watch close, keep them sharp. They hold emotion.
Use the Magic Hour. Around sunrise/sunset, light happens.
Keep it sharp. Watch your shutter speed & subject movement.
Space is valuable in a frame, keep clutter away with comp & tonal control.
Harsh sun can be bad. Learn to manipulate it and find good light.
Shadows are critical. Without them the light gets ignored.
Great images start in camera. But don’t underestimate careful editing.
Use fresh ideas, but also go for those old reliable images.
If the weather is foul, it doesn’t mean the photos will be.
Lines lead the eye. Pay attention to where they go and intersect.
Change hours. Different times of day will transform a scene.
Think about shadows and dimension. Flat light is usually boring.
Motion Blur can be very powerful, but use it carefully.
Take time to really LOOK at your subject before releasing the shutter.
Study. Photography has 150+ years of history. Go learn about it.
Remember… Slow down, refine, simplify. Analyze your scene.

seim-bridge-600x400 — This award winning image has a lot going for it. Notice the balanced intersecting lines, bold colors, and simplicity of the scene. It leads the eyes and tells a story.

Focus Blurring was an effective tool here. The light at the ceremony was great but I wanted the focus on the couple. I used a Lensbaby to give me the soft edges and then some work in post production to make the viewers eye go right where I wanted. The blue could have also been done in post, but I enjoy the Lensbaby.

silver waves of grain — Silver Waves of Grain: Motion blur was used heavily in this 5 min+ exposure. This gave a ghostly feel to the fields and clouds, completely changing the feel of this scene. Then detailed tone work was done to add depth and dimension. You can click the image to read a detailed article on f164.com about how it was made.

Seim-Studio-1 — Watch the details. Look To the Wind, is one of my early (and more recognized) HDR portraits. The space gives it a bold cinematic feel and the simplicity of the deserted beach adds strength to the scene. Looking back however I could have watched my lines more. The way the horizon cuts at the shoulder is not ideal. It's still a great image, but if I was doing it over I would try being higher with the camera for an even more powerful composition.

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September 22, 2008

Cool Gadgets, Gavin Seim, Review

Lightsphere Review: Cool Gadget Of The Week

by Gavin Seim. Updated: For this weeks CPPOTW I want to talk about something really simple and useful. Many of us photographers use hotshoe flashes for light on the go. I use a Canon speedlights myself and though their great flashes, the light is still really harsh. The Lightsphere is quite simply a diffuser for that harsh light. It helps me have control.

It’s made by Gary Fong. I’ve never met him personally, but a lot of you know of him. I’ve tried more than one diffuser, and the Lightsphere (often called a Fong Dong) has worked the best. Many photographer will vouch for this, and I’m no exception. Yes you can tape a Tupperware container to a flash and probably get a similar result, but the Lightsphere is well designed and just works. For me, saving fifty bucks is not worth the headache every time I use my flash.

It’s simple and straight forward. Put it on your flash, and get better light. It’s kinda like a tiny softbox for your flash. The bottom line it that it works good. You can one up for around fifty bucks. I have both the clear and cloud versions myself (either will work fine), as well as most of the handy accessories and top pieces that help me gain further control of my light. I can light pretty big area with just a single on camera flash using this simple tool.

The classic model (pictured) has always worked great for me. There’s a new universal model now that uses a Velcro strap. I have both styles and both work well and are secure. The new version being universal is a tad more clunky, but I find it easier to attach and generally like it better.

The bottom line is that it works well and does what it’s supposed to without hassle. Besides all this it’s looks so weird that it’s become a great conversation starter. You can find it here on Amazon.

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September 8, 2008

Gavin Seim, ProPhotoShow, Review

Nik Silver Efex Pro – Straight Dope Review!

Nik Siver Effects Pro = 4/5 stars

UPDATED: 04/10.

We’ve worked out a deal with Nik and you an save 15% on any of their products with promo code PPS.

I finally got a chance to play with Nik’s new Silver Efex Pro. It’s a Photoshop/Aperture plugin for making Black & White images from color one’s. Here’s the straight scoop! The interface follows Nik’s fairly clean and simple window style that graces the rest of their plugin’s. When it open’s you’ll be greeted by your image; a sidebar on the right that gives you control over the effects being added; a sidebar on the left with some easy preset effects, and a few other tools around the screen that control the preview, etc.

Overall I liked the plugin. It suffers the the problem I find with most PS plugins, that causes me to stick with actions and presets for most images. When you open an image in the plugin you have to wait a few seconds and then use the tools in another window. Essentially PS goes away for that time, and when you commit those changes you are returned to your regular work environment. There’s nothing really wrong with this, it’s just not great for a workflow with large quantities of images, but more designed for those great images you want to spend extra time with.

I did find what’s inside to be simple and effective. There’s various preset options for making B&W images fast. You have color tones, film type, color filters etc to give you full control over making a nice piece of art. There’s also the ability to add some great looking grain effects is so desired, and the plugin; like many Nik products includes the U Point option that allows you to easily control effects on specific portions of the image (See Viveza)

BOTTOM LINE: I won’t be using Silver Effects for my everyday B&W images, because presets in Lightroom and actions in PS do most the the B&W effects I need, with more speed. I can also get most of the effects that the Silver provides by using the built in tools that PS provides (though with a bit more work)
All this said I think Silver is a good tool for getting great B&W effects on those images you want to spend some extra time with. It’s also great for trying out various effects with a lot of control and precision. I knocked off a half star because, Silver, at $199.00 costs twice what it probably should. Still if you have 199 to spare, and want a great tool for really fine tuning B&W images then pick it up (you can of course try Nik’s short 15 day demo).

Gavin Seim

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