by A.J. Wood

FollowFriday – Week of 05/07/2010

Twitter Follow Friday

Following the footsteps of my good friend Glyn Dewis, who took a note from Chris Brogan, today marks my first #FollowFriday or #FF blog post. For those who enjoy sharing their favorite tweeps with others, I highly recommend using Twitter Lists (I really need to organize mine better), and also the Mr. Tweet service. You can see my running list of recommendations on Mr. Tweet. In addition to listing Twitter ID’s, I will also be posting user website info. Here is today’s #FF selection:

@GlynDewis – he gets the top spot for the idea. You should follow him because he’s a PHENOMENAL photographer, an Adobe Community Professional and all around good guy. We met at Photoshop World in Las Vegas a few years ago, and Glyn is a true inspiration for those folks who want to pursue their dreams. Some folks are all talk. Not Glyn.

@HauteShotsVegas – Stacy creates incredibly sexy images that empower her clientele. Love love love what she does. A fine example of boudoir photography done well.

@LRSecrets – Gene has quickly become the expert in all things Lightroom. Another Adobe Community Professional, I use his Lightroom Secrets website whenever I need a reference. (Surprise, I don’t know it all)

@LearnwithBetsy – Betsy’s website is a great learning center for both the hobbyist & professional photographer. She provides a wealth of information including PPA coverage, CPP certification info, and product/service reviews.

@xequals – “Image Workflow Technology Business” that sums up what you’ll get on the XEQUALS website run by Brandon. Another fine resource for Lightroom presets, technology coverage and reviews.

Alrighty, that wraps up today’s #FollowFriday listing. Be sure to check back each week as I’ve a ton of people to talk about.

in Recommended / Twitter 1 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Aperture 3 vs Lightroom 3 (beta 2) – Feature Comparison Review

This is feature comparison review of Aperture 3 vs Lightroom 3 (public beta 2). While it is not my intention to be overly favorable of Lightroom, my opinions reflect those of an Adobe Community Professional & Lightroom enthusiast. There are definitely things I like in Aperture. That being said, what follows are my thoughts & observations about both products. Keep in mind, Lightroom 3 has not been officially released, and the findings here will be updated when LR3 ships.

PROGRAM INTERFACE

While suited to the same task, Aperture & Lightroom utilize different approaches to managing & adjusting images. This is apparent when viewing the layout of each program’s interface.

Aperture’s interface is divided into two primary areas–The Inspector & Viewer. The Inspector features three primary tabs for working with images–Library, Metadata & Adjustments. Images display in the Viewer in either a Grid, Filmstrip or Single Image view. The Viewer window remains constant when moving between Inspector tabs. The Inspector can be toggled on & off, and Aperture can be put into a full screen mode.

Lightroom’s interface is divided into modules coinciding with a digital workflow–Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print & Web. Within each module reside a left-side navigation panel, right-side adjustments panel, center image view area, and bottom film strip control. Images display in the center image area regardless of module, all panels can be toggled on & off individually, and Lightroom can be put into a full screen mode.

Comment – In terms of UI (user interface) I prefer Lightroom’s module approach. Having the UI align with the tasks at hand, leaves a lot of guesswork out for new users. I also prefer LR’s implementation of keyboard shortcuts. “C” for compare view makes more sense to me than OPT+O. Many of Lightroom’s keys have a root in the actual command.

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in Adobe 7 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Adobe Software Updates – Camera RAW 5.7 & Lightroom 2.7

Adobe has released updates for both Camera RAW 5.7 & Lightroom 2.7. Lightroom users, you did install the Camera RAW update right? The following link to the camera raw support page provides the appropriate download links for both Mac & PC computers. Here are some additional tips when updating your software:

Camera RAW 5.7 – This update applies if you run Photoshop CS4, or Photoshop Elements 7 or 8. You’ll want to install this update if you also use Lightroom to ensure file compatibility. Download Mac or Download PC

Lightroom 2.7 – This update simply installs on top of your current version of Lightroom. There is no need to use your installation CDs UNLESS you’re upgrading from version 1 (but then where have you been?) Download Mac or Download PC

The latest camera support has been added to these updates, and a full list is available on the camera raw support page.

Known Issues According to the Read Me file:

  • Burning exported images to disc is not available for the Lightroom 64-bit Windows application.
  • Upgrading a Lightroom 1 catalog during a catalog import can create multiple temporary copies of the catalog while upgrading.
  • Lightroom performance can be impacted when the Window’s Recycle Bin contains thousands of files.
  • Lightroom may not automatically launch an import dialog when a memory card is attached to a Windows Vista computer. Please select the Import button in the Library and select the attached card reader to begin the import.
  • Lightroom 2.7 will not automatically migrate plug-ins located in the following directory: C:Program
  • FilesAdobeAdobe Photoshop Lightroom 2Modules. Any plug-ins in this folder should be moved to: XP: C:/Documents and Settings/{your_username}/Application Data/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules/ | Vista: C:/Users/{your_username}/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules/

Lightroom 2 Bugs – Fixed

  • Slideshow playback on Windows could cause Lightroom and/or the computer to crash.
  • The camera raw cache limit was increased to 200GB
in Adobe / News 0 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Adobe Photoshop CS5 Video Tutorials

UPDATE 07/22/2010 – Come back each week for Tip Tuesday video tutorials, written tutorials, or subscribe to my unfiltered YouTube channel.

In case you missed it last week, I posted some Photoshop CS5 videos along with the rest of the Photoshop Nuts over at TipSquirrel. Here’s a breakout of the posting schedule:

TUE, April 13 Bridge Improvements Mike Hoffman
WED, April 14 Content Aware Fill Janine Smith
THU, April 15 Refine Edge & then HDR
Yours Truly
FRI, April 16 Bristle Brushes, Mixer Brushes Tim Shelbourne
==== ========== ====
MON, April 19 Scrubby Zoom & then CS Review Yours Truly
TUE, April 20 Lens Correction & ACR Justin Seeley
WED, April 21 Content Aware Healing Janine Smith
THU, April 22 Puppet Warp Justin Seeley
FRI, April 23 Layer Management Mike Hoffman

The response to the videos has been great! Thanks to everyone for getting the word out, and I’ll be posting more CS5 coverage over the next few weeks.

in Tutorials 2 comments