One of my most popular videos right now is my How To Get Started with Lightroom 4 video. I figured it was time to make the Lightroom 5 version and here it is. In this episode of Adobe Creative Cloud TV I’ll show you how to get started using Lightroom 5. This is for beginners, first time Lightroom users, and folks who are self-taught and may be missing things. We’ll cover the 10 things beginners ask about the most. Definitely check out the last thing which is how to move your photos from one drive to another.
Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?
See more of my Adobe Creative Cloud Videos on my Adobe Creative Cloud TV and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:
As a photographer I’m always looking at the latest and greatest lighting gear. Most of the lighting I buy is geared towards professional photographers and videographers. However, today I’m reviewing a product that is geared towards non-professionals. Just about everyone takes pictures and videos with their smartphones and point-and-shoot cameras. However, most amateurs rarely think about lighting until after the fact. Also most smartphones and small cameras don’t really do well in low light settings. Therefore, off camera lighting is nice to have, but rarely convenient or cheap. This is where the Kick LED Full Color Video Light comes in. Beyond being a nice, small, light-weight, bright, battery powered LED light, it has a built-in WiFi network. You can control it with the free Kick App for your iPhone and Android smartphone. Not only can you control the brightness, but you can also control the color too. There are even special effects such as strobe effects and effects that will continuously change the hue. You can even use the camera on your device to sample the color of the walls or lights around you to have the Kick automatically emit the same colors.
Rather than tell you more about it, I’d rather show you in this video:
Sample photo taken before adding the Kick lightSample photo taken after adding the Kick light
One of my most popular videos right now (it’s getting the third most views daily) is my How To Get Started with Adobe InDesign CS6 video. I figured it was time to make the Adobe InDesign CC version and here it is. In this episode of Adobe Creative Cloud TV I’ll show you how to get started using InDesign CC. This is for beginners, first time InDesign users, and folks who are self-taught and may be missing things. We’ll cover the 10 things beginners ask about the most.
Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?
See more of my Adobe Creative Cloud Videos on my Adobe Creative Cloud TV and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:
I’m finally getting to my CamRanger Review. This is a product I saw several months ago and always wanted to do review of it. I get the question all the time: “Is there a way to wirelessly shoot to my iPad?” I’ve covered many ways that the iPad can fit into a digital photography workflow here and another wireless solution here, but at the time CamRanger wasn’t out yet. CamRanger offers a complete wireless camera control solution for your Nikon or Canon DSLR. It’s a small lightweight box about the size of a smartphone that plugs into your compatible DSLR via a supplied USB cable. It creates a wireless network on its own and therefore doesn’t need a computer or other wireless hotspot. You can connect to it with your iOS devices (such as an iPad or iPhone), Android devices, or a Mac or PC. For my testing I used an iPad Air. Set up was very easy and only required about a minute of reading the instructions. I tested it with my Nikon D600. Once it was set up I was able to work in either direction. I was able to use the iPad to control most aspects of my camera including picking focus points, ISO, shutter speed, f/stops, white balance, etc. and I was able to take shots using the camera and have them show up as I was taking them on the iPad. The latter mode is probably the one I’d use the most out in the field because I really don’t need the remote control functions as much as say a landscape or wildlife photographer would.
Rather than continue to write about it, I recorded this short video of how it works:
The Bottom Line
CamRanger works exactly as advertised. It has a range of 150 feet and a battery life of about 5-6 hours. It allows the most control over your DSLR than any other solution I’ve seen and it allows you to shoot directly to your mobile devices. Many of the newer Nikon and Canon DSLR are actually coming with optional wireless connectivity. So if you have a new camera you probably have more options to choose from. However, if you’re working with a slightly older model like the Nikon D700 or Canon 5D Mark II for example, then this may be your only option. CamRanger comes with all the cables, chargers, etc. necessary to get started including a pouch to easily put it on your camera strap or belt.
Lightroom 5.3 is now available as a final release on Adobe.com and through the update mechanism in Lightroom 5. The goal of this release is to provide additional camera raw support, lens profile support and address bugs that were introduced in previous releases of Lightroom.
Release Notes
Newly added support for Tethered Capture in Lightroom 5.3
Canon EOS Rebel T4i / EOS 650D / EOS Kiss X6i
New Camera Support in Lightroom 5.3
Canon EOS M2
Canon PowerShot S120
Casio EX-10
Fujifilm XQ1
Fujifilm X-E2
Nikon 1 AW1
Nikon Coolpix P7800
Nikon Df
Nikon D610
Nikon D5300
Nokia Lumia 1020
Olympus OM-D E-M1
Olympus STYLUS 1
Panasonic DMC-GM1
Pentax K-3
Phase One IQ260
Phase One IQ280
Sony A7 (ILCE-7)
Sony A7R (ILCE-7R)
Sony DSC-RX10
New Lens Profile Support in Lightroom 5.3
Mount
Name
Apple
Apple iPhone 5s
Canon
Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
Canon
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
Canon
TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011E
DJI
Phantom Vision FC200
Nikon
Nikon 1 NIKKOR AW 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6
Nikon
Nikon 1 NIKKOR AW 10mm f/2.8
Nikon
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G
Nikon
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Nikon, Sigma
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM A013
Sony
Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM
Sony
Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM
Sony
Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II
Sony
Sony E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS
Sony
Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS
Sony
Sony E 20mm F2.8
Sony
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
Sony
Sony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA
Sony
Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA
Bugs Corrected in Lightroom 5.3
Issues when upgrading catalog from previous versions of Lightroom.
Incorrect photos are displayed after switching away from a Publish Collection.
Catalog optimization did not finish, and was not optimizing the catalog
Feather of clone spots is set to 0 after upgrading catalog to Lightroom 5.
Auto White Balance settings are not saved to Snapshots.
Sony 18-55mm lens is detected as the Hasselblad 18-55mm lens for lens correction.
Increased Update Spot Removal history steps when in Before and After view.
Slideshows start playing automatically even when the Manual Slideshow option is enabled.
On certain images, red eye removal behaved incorrectly
Incorrect White Balance settings applied when synching Auto WB from source to targets
Video playback stops when dragging on the scrubber.
Errors when publishing photos to Flickr through the Publish Service.
Option + drag on Edit Pin behavior is functioning incorrectly.
Black border appears around the exported slideshow video.
Catalog containing images processed with PV2003 were adding a post-crop vignette when catalog upgraded to Lightroom 5.
Pressing the “Reset” button while holding down the Shift key caused Lightroom to exit abruptly.
Output Sharpening and Noise Reduction were not applied to exported images that were resized to less than 1/3 of the original image size.
The Esc key did not exit the slideshow after right clicking screen with mouse during slideshow playing.
Import dialog remained blank for folders that contain PNG files with XMP sidecars.
Metadata panel displayed incorrect information after modifying published photo. Please note that this only occurred when metadata was changed after the photo was published.
In the metadata of exported files, the application is listed as 5.0 instead of the actual Lightroom version (such as 5.2, etc.).
An Error Occurs When Playing a slideshow having an image Flipped Horizontally or Vertically.
Added Camera Matching color profiles (Natural, Muted, Portrait, Vivid) for the following Olympus cameras:
As you may know Adobe announced a deal for photographers to get Adobe Photoshop CC, Lightroom 5, 20GB of cloud storage and a Behance Prosite (professional customizable online portfolio – see mine here) for $9.99/month. However, with that deal you had to be a previous owner of Photoshop CS3, CS4, CS5 or CS6. Unfortunately this excluded Education, Elements owners and Suite customers. If you wanted this deal, but didn’t meet the qualifications, you’re now in luck! That’s right from NOW through (UPDATE) 12/2/201312/8/2013 9PM PST 12/31/2013 you will be able to sign up for the Photoshop For Photographers Deal no matter if you’ve ever owned Photoshop or not! This is your chance to get in on the best deal for Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 as the price of $9.99/month is the price! It’s not an introductory price that goes up in a year, it’s the price. There are no plans to raise it in a year.
As you may know Adobe announced a deal for photographers to get Adobe Photoshop CC, Lightroom 5, 20GB of cloud storage and a Behance Prosite (professional customizable online portfolio – see mine here) for $9.99/month. However, with that deal you had to be a previous owner of Photoshop CS3, CS4, CS5 or CS6. Unfortunately this excluded Education, Elements owners and Suite customers. If you wanted this deal, but didn’t meet the qualifications, you’re now in luck! That’s right from NOW through (UPDATE) 12/2/2013 12/31/2013 you will be able to sign up for the Photoshop For Photographers Deal no matter if you’ve ever owned Photoshop or not! This is your chance to get in on the best deal for Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 as the price of $9.99/month is the price! It’s not an introductory price that goes up in a year, it’s the price.
Nikon has announced the Nikon Df. Imagine a classic SLR camera but instead of it being filmed based, it’s all digital on the inside. This Full Frame (FX) DSLR definitely has a sexy look to it. It’s hard not to smile and have a nostalgic feeling when you look at it. On the inside it’s all digital.
16.2MP FX-Format Sensor and EXPEED 3 Image Processor
The 16.2 megapixel full-frame (FX) CMOS sensor and EXPEED 3 image processor work in tandem to produce overall high image quality with notable detail, dynamic range, color accuracy, and low-light sensitivity to a native ISO 12800, which is further expandable to ISO 204800. This still image-only camera is also well-suited to working with moving subject matter with a top 5.5 fps continuous shooting rate using either the viewfinder or when working in live view.
AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Special Edition Lens
Included with the silver Df body is the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G Special Edition lens; a fast normal-perspective lens that features a complementary design with enhanced knurling on the focusing ring to emphasize the manual shooting capabilities of the camera. When using autofocus, a Silent Wave Motor (SWM) is integrated into the lens to enable fast, precise focusing that is equally quiet and smooth. One aspherical element is also incorporated into the optical design to help minimize chromatic aberrations and maintain high image sharpness and clarity.
39-Point Multi-CAM 4800 AF Sensor
Benefitting the exceptional image quality is an apt AF system that employs 39 distinct AF points, including nine cross-type sensors, to quickly acquire focus in a range of lighting conditions, from -1 to +19 EV. An intelligent Scene Recognition System, typically reserved for exposure metering, benefits the focusing performance by analyzing and identifying subjects to suit panning and tracking-based shooting styles. Depending on the situation, 9, 21, or 39 point arrays can be selected from and seven centrally-located points are compatible with f/8 or faster lenses, extending the auto focusing abilities of the longest lenses used in conjunction with teleconverters. When using this phase-detection focusing method, selectable AF-area modes include: Single-point AF mode, Dynamic-area AF mode, 3D-tracking mode, and Auto-area AF mode.When working in live view, a contrast-based AF system is employed to acquire focus precisely and can function in continuous, full-time servo mode to better-suit working with moving subjects. Four distinct AF-area modes are available when using the contrast-detection focusing method: Face-priority AF, Wide-area AF, Normal-area AF, and Subject-tracking AF. Additionally, benefitting working with manual focus when in live view, the image can be magnified up to 19x for critical examination and easier focus confirmation.
Scene Recognition System
The intelligent Scene Recognition System with 3D Color Matrix Metering II utilizes a 2,016-pixel RGB sensor to evaluate and analyze all aspects within a scene, including brightness, contrast, subject distance, and the scene colors, to quickly determine an accurate exposure and white balance setting to best render the scene at hand. The information gathered is also checked against onboard reference images to ensure consistency from image to image in regard to exposure, white balance, i-TTL flash settings, and subject-tracking AF performance.
Other Camera Features
Picture Control modes can be directly accessed via a dedicated button and allow you to set predefined looks to imagery in-camera, and include Landscape, Monochrome, Neutral, Portrait, Standard, Vivid, and user-customizable settings.
Active D-Lighting helps to preserve both highlight and shadow details when working in contrast-rich scenarios, such as backlit lighting. Utilizing the EXPEED 3’s processing power, a more controlled image will be produced with brightness values closer to how they are naturally seen. This mode is suitable for working with moving subjects.
Built-in HDR works to extend the tonal and exposure range of a single image by recording two separate exposures and blending them together in order to gain greater highlight and shadow details with an extended range of mid-tones. The smoothness of the edge where the two separate exposures meet can be adjusted for more apparent softness to benefit images with a greater range of encompassed exposure values. This mode is best suited for working with stationary subjects.
The accessory terminal supports the use of the optional WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter to enable remote, instant transferring of photos to Android and iOS mobile devices for sharing online. The GP-1A GPS Unit is also supported, which automatically adds locational information to images’ metadata for geotagging applications.
Spot White Balance enables precise, selective control of the white balance setting by simply pointing and metering a pure white portion of the scene in order to set the proper color balance when working in live view.
One memory card slot is available and accepts SD, SDHC, and SDXC type memory cards, including UHS-I SDHC and SDXC cards.
An in-camera virtual horizon can detect both rolling (horizontal inclination) and pitching (forward or rear inclination) directions and display an electronic level on the LCD when working in live view. The rolling direction of tilt can also be displayed within the viewfinder.
Supported languages: Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
The Bottom Line
I guess the first thing that came to my mind when I saw this camera was “hey, Nikon just came out with a ‘designer’ DSLR”. It looks nice, the specs are decent, but it’s not on my wish list. It’s on my “would be nice to have” list. The price is probably the biggest stumbling block. It’s more than a D610 and less than a D4, however the specs don’t really make it worth the extra bucks for me and since I have both a D600 and D4, I don’t really have a need for one in the middle. Could I sell my D600 and Df? Sure. However, then I’d lose the ability to capture DSLR video, that’s kind of a deal breaker for me. If you’re strictly into still photography AND you’re looking for a cool looking full frame DSLR this is it. You can pre-order yours here.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. What do you think of this camera? Are you ordering one? Sound off in the comments below…
In this episode of Adobe Creative Cloud TV I show just how easy it is to edit video in Photoshop CC even if you’ve never edited video before. Adobe Premiere Pro CC is Adobe’s award-winning, industry standard video editor. However, there are many Photoshop users out there who aren’t professional video editors, but know how to use Photoshop. That’s why Photoshop has a very capable video editor built right in that takes advantage of all your Photoshop skills.
Are you missing out on my Bonus Content?
See more of my Adobe Creative Cloud Videos on my Adobe Creative Cloud TV and get the App below. It features EXCLUSIVE CONTENT that no one else gets to see. This episode has a BONUS CLIP that is available only in the App! My iOS App is a Universal App for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. I also have an Android version on the Amazon App Store:
Young photographers just starting out always ask me which DSLR should they buy. Of course the answer to that question greatly relies on your budget. Also the great news is that it’s hard to go wrong with any of today’s DSLR products. I’m a Nikon shooter so therefore I’m familiar with Nikon’s product line more so than say Canon’s or Sony’s. Nikon just introduced the D5300. I’ve owned both a D5000 and a D5100 and this line is a great fit for those just starting out. What generally separates the entry level cameras from the more expensive pro level cameras usually has to do with the quality of materials and sensors, but also the number of buttons and external controls. On entry level models there are less buttons, therefore requiring the shooter to go into the menus to change settings more often. However, many times the entry level cameras introduce features that have not yet made it into the pro line. For example, the Nikon D5300 is Nikon’s first DSLR to offer built-in WiFi and GPS. I’m actually stunned that in 2013 these features aren’t on all cameras just like WiFi and GPS are on ALL smartphones. Nonetheless, they’re finally here. The D5300 also offers a swivel out LCD. Not a revolutionary feature by any means and has been around on previous models and lower end cameras for years, yet not really on pro level DSLRs yet.
The D5300 is a great choice if you’re just starting out. You can pre-order the body here (even in red) or the kit here.
