Welcome to my technology blog!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCb0shXPKeA
In this episode special guest Mordy Golding shows us 5 Tips for Drawing in Adobe Illustrator CS5. These tips are great for beginners and even experienced AI users that may be new to CS5.
Check out Mordy's Fridays with Mordy and Design Responsibly.
See more of my Adobe Creative Suite Videos on my Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and get the App here. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see:
photo compliments of iStockphoto.com
Facebook has been growing by leaps and bounds and with over 500 Million Users it's no longer just for kids nor can it be ignored. I've noticed that more and more companies are not only staking out a presence on Facebook, but they are even using their Facebook Pages in lieu of their corporate sites when they advertise on TV and in print. All of these screen grabs (Pepsi, Gerber, Carnival, etc.) were from the last frame of their respective TV commercials…
One thing I came to the realization of last year was that while we may flatter ourselves in thinking that our customers love to come to our sites on a regular basis, chances are the vast majority don't visit your corporate site each day. Think about it. You probably go to most corporate sites when you either have a problem or you're ready to buy something new. It's probably not your daily hangout. You probably don't think to go there to "connect" with the company. On the other hand people go to Facebook EVERY DAY with the sole purpose of connectingt with others. While I definitely appreciate those of you who come here and read my posts, I know that there are millions of people out there that will NEVER come here. In 2010 I had the goal of "being everywhere." What that meant to me was expanding beyond my own .com and placing my content in more places. I was very happy with the results. I now have over 8,000 Twitter followers and over 3,000 Facebook Fans (Likes). I also have over 3 Million views of my YouTube content as well as millions of downloads of my content on iTunes. In most cases many of these users would never see my content on the other/opposite sites.
Besides the obvious reason of there being a potential audience of 500 million users, Facebook makes it easy for companies to have DIRECT contact with customers without resorting to spam, opt-in policies, building microsites, etc. Also existing Facebook users are more likely to check out their favorite brands on Facebook.com than they are to visit those same corporate sites on a regular/daily basis.
The other benefit is that while many of these companies have their own "forums" for direct communication, users don't have to setup logins for multiple sites. Just log in once to Facebook and visit any company you want and post on their wall. I think that another reason why companies are putting themselves on Facebook is that it's much easier and faster updating a Facebook Page than it is going through the usual red tape, legal, political fronts getting the main corporate site updated. Usually the larger the corporation, the harder it is to get something on the official company website. Sometimes I think the US Congress moves faster! Companies tend to be a little more lax and "casual" when it comes to their social media presence and that's actually a good thing! It feels more "friendly".
Adobe's Digital Publishing Suite (currently in beta) is being well received by the Magazine Publishing industry. However, I've heard time and time again from customers as I present it, "what about us?" Usually this means that they have a project in mind that goes beyond a magazine and they don't have to budget to pay a relatively high monthly hosting cost. Also at the same time these customers don't have the resources to build their own custom Apps and distribution model.
Maybe it's an interactive brochure, a portfolio, a newsletter, a company dossier, etc.? We're entering a world that is moving beyond "static" content and desktop computers. Adobe PDF revolutionized the way companies distributed documents in the 1990s. While it's still a great solution, let's look forward for a moment. What's next?
First of all there has to be a universal way of getting the document onto tablets. With PDF you can be pretty sure that over 90% of the world has the Free Adobe Reader or ways of viewing a PDF. With Tablets/iPad, not everyone is going to want to or need to build a custom App. The current Adobe Preview Tool in the App Store is great because anyone can download it and view your Adobe .ISSUE files. However, loading documents into it currently requires iTunes and syncing if you're not using our hosted solution. Clearly there is a need to make this better and easier. Once we get past the "App" need, what do you want?
Give me some examples of how you would use a solution like this. What kind of documents would you publish?
Sound off in the comment section and make your case as to "what" you want to publish to the iPad?
Continue reading “What Do You Want To Publish To Tablet Devices (iPad)?”
Hi Everyone! My name is Scott Diussa and I’m the Field Operations Manager for Nikon Professional Services. I want to thank Terry for the opportunity to share with you something that I have been talking to photographers about more and more in the past year or two. If you have been a DSLR still image shooter for a long time and you are making your way into the world of creating multimedia projects with your DSLR that shoots HD video then you have been experiencing quite a learning curve. Now, I’m not say that learning curve has been solely based around how to actually shoot the video footage with a camera that wasn’t originally designed for this purpose, I’m talking about the fact that now you have to be an audio expert just as much as a video expert! It’s sort of like when digital photography first came out, people could shoot the images but had no idea that they now had to be their own photo lab! But, things change and the more you learn the better you get so I’m going to talk to you today about some of the basics of audio and how they relate to DSLR video that I think will help you from here on out with any of your multimedia projects.
First of all, before I went to school for photography I went to school for audio engineering. There I learned a lot, actually too much to retain. But, even thought that was in the late days of analog audio the principles of things such as microphones and levels and editing still remain the same today. This isn’t any different than a photographer coming from film to digital photography. Camera bodies, apertures, shutter speeds and lenses still do the same thing as they did when film was king. So, as you can see there are ways of relating some theories about audio to photography and that’s what I plan to do here to make understanding the relationship between the two easier. So, let’s get started…
There are just as many microphone choice and price ranges as there are lenses in photography or even more so… It can be a pretty overwhelming task to choose the right one. But, as any good photographer knows, you can’t just have one lens that does it all. Sure you can have one that does a lot but there isn’t one single lens that does it all. This is exactly the same for microphones as well. Also, when it comes to lenses… you get what you pay for. It’s the same with microphones. Of course, there’s always the thought of… get what you need to get the job done… within reason.
There are two main types of microphones available that you will need to understand some basic about, dynamic and condenser.
Dynamic mics are more durable, less sensitive and don’t require any extra power to work. They deliver what known as a “mic level” signal which requires a device such as a mixer at the other end to amplify the sound to “line level” which is what a DSLR camera mic input needs. So, most mics that hook up to a DSLR camera are not dynamic mics.
Condenser mics are a bit more fragile (but not too bad in some cases) and require either a battery or what called “phantom power”. “Phantom power” is delivered to the microphone by a mixer and DSLR cameras don’t work this way. So, mics that you will get that work well for a DSLR camera will require a battery. These mics deliver “line level” output that the camera likes in order to deliver good quality sound. There are other variables in play here, too, but let’s keep it somewhat simple today.
Now that we know we are most likely going to be using mics that require their own power source which type of mic will we need? Just like lenses, it all depends on the shooting situation. If you are going want a “wide angle” type of sound then you would want a stereo mic. If you want a more “telephoto” sound then you would want a shotgun mic. Those are the two main types of mics that you will use on a normal basis. So, if your multimedia piece needs to portray a sound moving from left to right then a stereo mic would allow the sound to go from left to right. If you are needing to capture the sound of a single voice then a shotgun mic will do a better job of picking up that voice and ignoring the competing sound off to the sides of the subject.
Another type of mic that is commonly used in any sort of video interview situation is a “lav” mic. You’ve seen these on every news person on TV. It’s the small mic clipped to the lapel of a shirt that is somewhat un-noticeable. You can have either wired or wireless versions of these microphones. Wireless versions can be expensive but there is a new one coming out by Samson that looks very interesting…
Continue reading “Guest Blog featuring Scott Diussa: Basic Audio for DSLR Video Shooters”
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6TeU-OVXR4
Once again I'm addressing a question from my Facebook Fan Page. In this episode I'll show you how to work with both object layers and pixel layers in the various Adobe Creative Suite 5 products. See how to use layers in InDesign CS5 and then see how to composite with Layers in Photoshop CS5.
See more of my Adobe Creative Suite Videos on my Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and get the App here. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see:
photo compliments of iStockphoto.com
Last week I told you about a great new home improvement gadget, the U-Socket that allows you to charge multiple USB devices via newly designed wall outlet. However, what if you want to charge multiple USB devices while you're on the road? After all I'm finding more and more of my devices (phone, bluetooth headset, iPod, iPad, camera GPS, etc.) now charge via USB power.
I do like the Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger, but it doesn't play well on the higher voltage abroad. For this reason it's no longer in my travel bag.
I found this wall charger that charges up to 4 devices (including the iPad) at once. It also can handle 100-240v input, which means I can use it abroad with the appropriate adapter. I like that it has a blue LED to let you know whether or not it's getting power. In my limited testing it works great and has charged everything I've thrown at it. However, make no mistake about it, this thing was cheaply made 🙂 While it make resemble an AirPort Express, they used a lighter weight plastic. However, it looks like as long as you don't beat it up to badly it should last for a while.
The other advantage that this charger gives me is not having to carry multiple USB adapters with me. I can carry one instead of 3 or 4.
You can get it here for $17
Why stop there? I also found this one by the same company (XTG) for your cigarette lighter socket in your car.
You can get it here for $12.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2H-3Gf_fL8
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M5u6ES7BBo
I love the competition and it's already making AT&T make some changes to their pricing. Now that the battle is in full swing, which of these 1st wave Ads did you like best?
I've spent quite a bit of time reviewing GPS based Geotagging solutions for my Nikon DSLR cameras. You might remember my most recent review of the blueSLR solution, which involves attaching a bluetooth module to your Nikon DSLR and using your iOS device to run their App. The folks over at Foolography saw that review and asked if I would take a look at their solution. Since I have a passion (or geeky interest) in this area I jumped at the chance.
One of the issues with a GPS device on your Nikon DSLR is that it's not built-in. This means that you either have a module that attaches to the 10 pin terminal port (on the higher end DSLRs) or the GPS port on the side of the body (yes you can have one that doesn't attach and do it later in post, but I hate those solutions). These modules either attach via a cable, which means the module itself has to either sit on the hotshoe (not electronically, just for placement) or on the strap. The potential problem with these types is that as you walk around you're going to bump it and either knock it around or even possibly break the cable/port going into the module (I've done that). The Unleased Dx000 as you can see in the picture above fits very snuggly against the camera body. The only problem in the case of the D7000 is the port door hangs open.
When I first saw this product I almost jumped out of my chair until I realized that this was only one half of the solution….
While the module that plugs into your DSLR is in fact the smallest I've seen, there is another piece you need to actually Geotag your photos as you take them. You need a compatible Bluetooth GPS receiver. Luckily there are quite a few to choose from. I received the Holux M-1000C for review. This (Holux M-1000C) module is the actual GPS receiver. It pairs with the Unleashed Dx000 wirelessly via Bluetooth.
Once you pair the Unleashed Dx000 with your Bluetooth enabled GPS receiver, you then just turn on the GPS receiver and your camera. Mine came already paired and ready to go. I charged the Holux via USB and took it out to test it. Per the instructions I turned on the Holux and my D7000 with the Unleashed Dx000 attached. Once the Holux M-1000C locked on to a satellite the Nikon D7000 picked up the location from it wirelessly. At this point I put the Holux unit in my jacket pocket and started shooting.
Click the above photo in Lightroom to see where this shot was taken/geotagged on Google Maps
This solution worked as advertised. The accuracy seemed a bit off but that may very well be to the placement of the Holux device in my pocket instead of out in the open. For example, when I took the shot above I was outside on the sidewalk across the street. However, when you click the shot above to see it on Google Maps you'll see that it places me (the green arrow) just inside the building. For this reason you're probably going to want the GPS module more out in the open. It would be nice if someone developed a GPS bluetooth hat 🙂
When I went inside the convention hall the module continued to transmit my last known location to the camera. However, this doesn't work indefinitely. After so long the GPS module will no longer transmit your location if it doesn't get an update. It's hard to say when it stopped, but my guess is about an hour inside. This is fine if you're ducking in and out of locations, monuments while shooting, but it's not suitable for prolonged indoor geotagging.
Battery life was great on both units. I kept the Holux on the entire day and the battery was still going strong until I turned it off for the evening. Also there was no significant drain on the D7000, which I did turn on and off as needed throughout the day.
Yes you can also attach a compatible shutter release for those long exposure shots.
There isn't a Nikon compatible GPS that I flat out don't recommend (although the Nikon branded GP-1 would be on the bottom of my list in terms of features). They all do what they say they do. It really boils down to the features you're looking for and form factors. I look at each solution as having a place depending on the kind of shooting you're going to be doing most. So here are my recommendations:
For the all day landscape shooter
If you're out and about all day then battery life will be a concern. While these newer bluetooth units offer better form factors they do pose a potential concern for the additional battery life you'll need in your iPhone/iDevice or your Bluetooth GPS receiver. So if you're out and about from sun up to sun down I would still recommend the Solmeta N2. It's my favorite all around unit that works with all of my Nikon bodies.
For the on location shooter
This is the person that will be shooting both inside and outside, but they will be shooting inside a lot! Monuments, museums, and other buildings where there isn't a clear view of the sky. For this shooter I would go with the blueSLR solution. Because it gets its GPS location data from your iPhone it stands the biggest chance of geotagging shots that the other solutions will miss! Also with the blueSLR solution you get the benefit of a wireless shutter release from your iPhone including time lapse photography.
For the photowalk photographer
If you are doing a lot of walking with your camera, say on a photowalk and you don't want to have to worry about constantly looking out for the GPS attached to your camera body, then hands down I would go with the Unleashed solution. I like the fact that you turn this on and forget about it. The flush mount design is awesome and again it's smallest on camera solution that I've seen. Prices start at 125 Euros for the Unleashed module and about 63 Euros for the Holux GPS receiver.
The good news is that you can't go wrong with any of the solutions above. Pick the one that's right for you!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeVm2Ndc5E4
I got an interesting request from my Facebook Fan Page where Craig Marks asked "what are the 5 things that I do to every picture?" I thought it was such a good question that I decided to make it this week's episode of the Adobe Creative Suite Video Podcast. Now of course it would vary slightly between portraits, landscapes, product shots, etc. so I decided to start with the 5 things that I do to every portrait and see where it goes from there. Thanks Craig!
Also if you get my App you'll see a bonus clip where I take things even further:
See more of my Adobe Creative Suite Videos on my Adobe Creative Suite Podcast and get the App here. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see: