Microsoft is readying to launch its latest version of Windows on July 29, 2015. This time, upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8 systems to Windows 10 will be free. Microsoft will do this for even pirated copies of earlier versions of 7 or 8 although the upgraded version will still be an … [Read more...]
Quad HD (QHD) Displays and Photoshop
Addendum July 19,2015: For a moment I thought this patch stopped working, then I discovered that in order for it to work you must tweak your display settings in "Change the size of all items" under "Personalize/Display" in Windows 8. I chose medium size although it works with the larger end but does … [Read more...]
Stitch Panoramas Even From Video Files
OK, panorama stitching has been around for quite some time and there are excellent pieces of software out there. Do we need another one? The answer may be: "Yes, if you want to stitch from video." I stumbled upon this software from Microsoft; it is called Image Composite Editor, or ICE. I think they … [Read more...]
JPEG Voodoo: Or, Does JPEG File Size Matter
Would you say the above photograph has any compression artifacts? Compressed too much, not enough, or just right? What exactly is "just right" anyway. This post will explore the concept of compression, why and how do we do it, and how aggressive should we be in either reducing the file size or … [Read more...]
Free DxO FilmPack 3, Limited Time
I have learned today on PetaPixel.com that DxO is giving free licenses to DxO FilmPack 3 until August 15. If you want to try adding film look to your digital photographs this may be the time to try it for free. This is a fully functional version of FilmPack 3, if you like it DxO expects you to … [Read more...]
Working With a Canon G1X Mark II
A few years ago I purchased a Canon G1X, a large sensor compact camera. I was very pleased with its image quality and enjoyed its portability. After I gave it as a gift, I found another one on ebay and purchased it. Recently I received as a gift the new and improved Canon G1X Mark II. In the last … [Read more...]
Free Software for Photographers
Fair warning: I found out that getting off Zoner Photo mailing list to be a royal pain and that they shared my e-mail with Cnet to create an account for me. This, I know for a fact since I used a unique e-mail address. Beware of the potential problem, sorry for any inconvenience I might have … [Read more...]
Use Your Passport: Create Camera & Light Profiles
(Fair warning, long post but worth every word you read!) Your ColorChecker Passport I mean. I think a lot of photographers purchased this very useful piece of equipment but are yet to use it. They probably carry it in their gear bag hoping one day it will suddenly make sense and they will become … [Read more...]
Creative Censor (CC)
I have been using various versions of Photoshop and other products in Adobe's Creative Suite, beginning with the original CS and the last version of CS6. As you probably know, Adobe recently moved to a subscription model and called it the Creative Cloud (CC). Individual products in the CC are … [Read more...]
Free Cloud Storage, Big!
Cloud storage seems to be the new frontier, there are quite a few alternatives. Most start you at a small capacity for free and give you opportunities to increase that by inviting others to use the service. I have been a fan of DropBox for quite a few years now and it works very well for me and I … [Read more...]