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Ready and raring to go…

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The new mic has been set up and all accessory components are also in place.  I recorded a test podcast tonight to basically do a sound check and hear the audio quality.  I must say that a condensor microphone has far and away better quality than anything I had tried via USB or stereo mini connection.  I guess it would be with a diameter more than 10x that of the rinky-dink ones in Best Buy and Wal-mart, and that requires its own power supply source!

The latest podcast should be out tomorrow with the new audio gear in place – the subject:  Photoshop selection methods.  Should be a fun subject to explore and I’ll be showing three different techniques to use in concert with one another for obtaining the best selections you can.

Creative Presentations

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The aforementioned tutorial is now recorded and up for your viewing pleasure. Lots of content here including multiple layers, layer masks, gradients, keyboard shortcuts, and marquee selections in place, so hopefully a helpful tutorial all around. In the interests of providing a web-based version and a downloadable version, I am going to embed the flash one with this post, and provide a link to download either a WMV version or a Quicktime version. Fair warning, but the Quicktime version has a short feedback issue from when I re-recorded the intro vocals…will attend to that today (hopefully), but if you skip over the first ten seconds, a new musical intro is also in place (yup, I’ve been busy…new vocals, new musicals, and new tutorials!) So, without further ado, here’s today’s tutorial:

Mac Version

PlayPlay

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

After a flea market and a fair…it’s time to flop

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Today, bright and early, my wife dragged me out of bed to attend the mother of all garage sales, the Jr. league’s annual sale event in downtown Charleston.  For those of you that may not know, the Jr. League is a non-profit group of women who’s mission is to…

“The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.” – from their website here

As one of their charity efforts here in Charleston, they have a garage sale, or flea market of things they have donated over the last year.  Proceeds go toward charities and funding of the organization itself.  In the interests of promoting these efforts, (and to see if we could find some good deals), Tracy and I braved the crowds…and walked away having donated $27, and collecting for our own uses probably over $150 worth of goods in the way of end tables, coffee tables, and a Vivitar flash (two guesses at my contributing efforts…:) )

So, after a return home to recoup, eat, and re-gain our energies, my wife went to tre-charge by taking a nap while I tackled the end tables that needed some minor sanding.  By 4pm, it was time to do the new arrangements.  After moving each piece of furniture about fifteen times, we (meaning she) found a new setup she likes enough.   Next were the requisite weekend jobs of grocery shopping, walking the dog, and other odds and ends.

Once all was said and done, the last day of the Coastal Carolina Fair was in full swing, and we decided to head over for at least an hour or so to eat some yummy fair food.  Funnel cakes, tacos, pizza, pretzels, and about 10 Tums later, we are now home again, and fully tuckered out.

So…the tutorial will have to wait until tomorrow.  Sorry all, but the traffic was horrendous – it took us an hour to go 10 miles!   Be on the lookout for a new one tomorrow though,  on a cool technique for creative digital presentations of your photos…it’s done I’ve just not had time to produce it yet (oh, and one other thing – going back to the flash presentations for the time being – the wmv files aren’t logging on my analytics account…)

An amateur audio adieu and adios

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Funny store I thought would be worthy of sharing on the blog today…

As a blogger about photography, the last position I thought I would do is find myself in is spending my hobby monies on audio equipment, but… since I never really do things halfway, I decided to invest in some additional audio accessories. Until recently, my techno-phile tendencies were limited to two Windows-based PC’s, a Linux box that acts as a file/print server, and a Canon DSLR with a complement of a solid tripod, 3 accessory lenses, replete with multiple CF cards and gear bags.

A month ago, I added a Macbook Pro to the tool belt, and quickly saw the benefits of adding a peripheral keyboard and additional audio tracks, so saved some monies to bring that into play. Now, as I crawl up the underside of that learning curve, I decided it would be silly to keep recording the audio tracks on inferior gear ($20 combo headset/microphone).

So, I entered the audio realm full bore. First off, a Samson condenser mic. (This came with the keyboard actually as my birthday monies combined well to cover the cost.) After that, another wave of funds covered the accessories to both mount the microphone to a wall with two goosenecks serving as my “poor man’s boom”, and connecting cables to patch the audio to the computer. Filled with exuberance, I plugged the mic in and got set to record my first video podcast with new tracks and audio setup.

Much to my chagrin, the mic did not work.   After about ten minutes of troubleshooting, and a phone call to B&H to confirm my suspicions, I learned that condensor microphones require a dedicated power source, often referred to as phantom power supplies. Another investment on the order of roughly $40, and I am just about there.  However, the powersupply is another day or two away from arrival, so my next podcast will still have the popping “p”s and “b”s, but I am happy to say, it will be the last recorded at the “amateur audio level”…

So….in my next podcast (coming out tomorrow), I will bid an amateur audio adieu and adios!  (You  had to know the alliteration would return eventually!)  In any case, be on the lookout for another podcast soon – digital framing!  Enjoy the weekend all and happy shooting!

Centering Objects

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Just a quick video podcast today, I ahd a few ideas on what to do, but the hours in the day ran short on me yet again, so, in time for the weekend, here is one on how to center objects inside of Photoshop. I used text here, but it really would work with any object you want to have completely centered across an entire image area. Check it out – it’s only 3 minutes total! Thanks for watching, and don’t forget to tune in next week when my new audio equipment will finally be up and running – microphones, cables, phantom power supplies, wall mounts and all!

Feed Update

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A new podcast will be up in just a little, but in the interim, I am posting a feed update for the Blog, so feel free to skip this read as there’s not much here…

<a href=”http://www.podcastalley.com/”> My Podcast Alley feed!</a> {pca-baa5dca41ce9144deeea552894608be2}

The Debate over LCD Screen Resolution

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Had been doing some reading lately and was noticing the Canon vs. Mac debate taking and interesting turn.  It seems the Nikon bodies have always sported a higher LCD resolution on their bodies, which allows for sharper picture previews than their Canon counterparts, on similar screen sizes.  I’ve not really looked at the numbers side by side, but this raises an interesting question.

On the one hand, any increase in resolution that helps you with review, possibly to even re-shoot without having to go back out and re-creating the scene later would seem like a good thing.

On the other hand, there does seem to be a long standing tradition regarding using LCD’s to review or “chimp”.  I’ve heard some people say that the LCD screen is really intended for menu selections and settings, and quick checks for nothing more detailed than basic composition, white balance, and histogram checks.

I can see the merits of each argument, and am grappling with the subject myself…so, I’ll pose the question here:  Is screen resolution important to you?  It’s pretty obvious that screen SIZE can make a difference, but if resolution is important too, then that kind of begs the question of what purpose the LCD screen serves in your processing.?  Would you consider it just another tool in the arsenal for photographers, or would you frown on people that zoom in on the LCD screen to see how sharp things are?  I can see how it could be an effective tool, but at the same time, how great would any decision be that is based off what you see on a 3″ screen versus a 19″ or better monitor?

What are others thoughts here?

Life Lessons (and a tutorial)

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The last week has been an interesting one… I got a call at work saying that my wife was at the doctor’s office and they were transferring her to the hospital as a precautionary measure for some elevated blood pressure levels. Needless to say, the next few days I was not thinking much about getting a new podcast tutorial out. After getting every test known to mankind done, the good news is that she is fine and will be sticking around for a while. The bad news is that she needs to go on some blood pressure medication and she has now joined the ranks of Vytorin membership (although her dosage is lower than mine).

That was Wednesday and Thursday.

Friday was pretty much a “recovery day” and I attended to the typical daily minutia that was not taken care of on Wednesday and Thursday.

Saturday, I had a photo assignment for a real estate agency, so I headed out to Daniel Island and shot the property from every angle you could think of. On the way back, I stopped off to get some pumpkins for carving today at one of the local farmer’s market vendors. The pumpkins and flowers made for such vibrant colors I couldn’t help but take some pictures there too.

So, now it’s Sunday and I’ve settled down in to do the post processing from my shoot yesterday, look at my fantasy football setup for the day, and record a tutorial for the blog!

It’s a quickie today, but something that has a lot of uses, and is so easy once you know how to do it, you’ll find yourself playing with Photoshop more and more as a result. The subject is creating backgrounds, and it’s pretty cool. Check it out: Creating Backgrounds in Photoshop

In the meantime, here’s one of the better shots that came from the pumpkin outing:

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Tuesday’s Tutorial – Creating Actions in PS

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While I don’t have a regular schedule for releasing content, tutorials or otherwise, the alliterative bonus of having a tutorial on Tuesdays tastes terrific to tongues. And…since i posted it before midnight, it technically was released on Tuesday, even though it’s 11:20pm! Well, what was neat about this was that on my weekly visit to Photoshop User TV, Matt Kloskowski showed how he created an action for curves adjustments in LAB, and this same technique is what I used for the sharpening aspect of my work flow. While I also have the LAB action assembled, I had split that up into three different ones (one at 3 hashes, one at 2 hashes, and another at 1 hash). Check out the video on their weekly blog post here: Photoshop User TV. I gotta admit though, it was kind of cool though to see a technique I use also be showcased in the tip from the likes of Matt Kloskowski. So, in keeping with the use of layers adjustments as a means of applying different effects repeatedly for evaluating images, my tutorial follows the same theory, but applies it to sharpening rather than curves.

It’s kind of long (12 minutes) because I went through every step, AND I left a mistake in intentionally to show how you can edit an action while you are recording it! Take a peak at it here: Creating a Sharpening Action in Photoshop

As for consolidating the curves adjustments from 3 to 1 using this technique, I actually will pass on that because for me, I am usually pretty close in my “guesstimation” of what will work, and I just want the action to do that for me, not multiiple layers of different curves adjustments. Sharpening is tougher though, so I think it’s more valuable as a method in that regard. We’re all different though, and that’s what makes the world go around, so if you like it, go for it! Enjoy and have a great Wednesday. Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t give Matt the courtesy of a link to his site on Lightroom Killer Tips. Check them out too…I am always learning from this guy…

Canon News and Reviews (with a few rebates)

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As an admitted Canonite, I’ve not done much in the way of noting new products Canon has released since the 40D and 1D Mark II have been released. Despite the absence, there has been quite a bit of activity from Canon, including some new point-and-shoot reviews, paper releases, and, (wait for it) the announcement of their fall discounts. In the interests of full disclosure, here is a rundown of some of the latest news from Canon’a Press releases and other sources (in no particular order):

Polished Rag and a Coated Bond Paper are released at the NYC PhotoExpo

Two new “L” lenses expected at PhotoExpo Show: 200mm f2.0 IS and 800mm f5.6 IS

Free Paper Profiles for Canon imagePROGRAF Printers release

New Selphy ES2 Compact Photo Printer

Canon SD870 IS Review

and, of course, Canon’s Fall 2007 Rebates:

85 1.2 II – $125
16-35 2.8 II – $100
70-200 F/4 IS – $75
17-40 f/4 – $50
70-200 2.8 IS – $125
50 1.2 – $100
EF-S 17-55 IS – $70
70-200 f/4 – $40
100-400 f/4.5-5.6 – $100
24-70 2.8 – $80
EF-S 10-22 – $50
85 1.8 – $25
50 1.4 $20
60f/2.8 macro – $30
580 EX II Speedlite – $50

The good news?  They’re all instant from authorized resellers….

The bad news?  No bodies are included this year…

A link to the PDF files is here