Editing......Part 6

Continued from the 'Editing......Part 5' post on July 2nd:

12A) So you have your images tweaked, organized and ready to process with your chosen Raw Processing Software. It's time to send them on a trip down Conversion Lane to their final destination... Tiff Town! With so many choices available for processing each image, it's best to test your process settings on an average file with a good histogram and plenty of shadow and highlight. You won't be sorry that you took the extra time to choose a file to test process. Tweaking the software settings on one image to fine tune the final output will save you a lot of Photoshop time on the bulk of your files. It's also a great way to catch your mistakes ( over sharpening, Blown out highlights, too much color noise reduction, shadow noise etc... ) before the settings are applied globally to hundreds of files.

Because the Conversion Process is Non Destructive, you don't have to worry about permanently altering the Raw files when converting to Tiff. If your converted files look terrible, you can go back to the raw files, change your processing parameters and start all over again. Eventually you will discover a basic range of Color, Tone, Contrast and Noise Reduction that will get the job done on 95 percent of your images. Nevertheless, there will always be a few pictures that require special attention in the conversion process. Testing one average image from each shooting session / Job will keep you from waisting a lot of time.

Most Conversion Software will give you the option to process individual files ( Slow ) or the better option to Batch Process dozens or even hundreds of files with your preference for file naming, color bit depth ( 8, 16 and eventually 24 bit) and extension ( Tiff, Jpeg etc... ). When you are choosing to process for 8 bit color over the larger 16 bit file, it's important to remember that you are tossing out data that you may need later during the retouching and manipulation phase. And with some Raw Conversion Programs, the process time may be longer for 8 bit conversion than the larger 16 bit file. I can only assume that the software has to work harder to choose what data to throw out to create the lower bit depth.


To be continued

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Cable Down For 5 Days!

After an entire week of non- stop Grip and Grin PR photography, I have come home to a house without cable TV or Internet. Some joker cut my cable line in three neat pieces? Who knows why or how. Maybe the secret police employed by Canon Camera Inc are sending me a message. No more jokes about the Mark III! or Else! More likely one of the landscapers got a little careless with the sidewalk edger.

At this very moment I am stealing Bandwidth from some unsuspecting neighbor. I know it sounds bad but my time on his network will be brief and my desire to post on the blog is overwhelming.

Short re-cap of the week.

• 1000 + pictures taken
• 9+ gigs of CF storage used. (1/2 the job)
• Steve ( it was his client ) shot 9-11 Gigs on his end.
• 15 free gourmet meals
• 10-15 cups of Java ( actually less than usual)
• 4.5 hours of actual sleep a night ( an average for the week )
• 750 embarrassing and cheesy things said to complete strangers to illicit a freakin smile!

etc...

Tomorrow starts my vacation. I will be posting daily and adding more goofy beach pics to the Melissa's Goofy Summer Pics link on the right sidebar. Check it out daily!

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More Rumors About The 40D?

More rumors abound about the upcoming release of the New Canon 40D. I can't really tell if the Camera Enthusiast's are spreading the same rehashed news ( myself included ) or if there is any real new info to be had. But, as they say, where there is smoke there's usually fire and there is a whole lot of smoke. Most of it is probably being blown up our behinds!

Rumor List: 10.1 -12 Mega Pixel, Digic II ( 80% ) or Digic III ( Just a few people have said this! ), 2.5 inch LCD, 5 -7 Frame per sec ( who cares ) etc...

I can't imagine spending any more on a camera with those specs than I would for a new rebel XTI!
Give me a full frame 12 Mega Pixel with a 3 inch LCD and I'll be happy for a few more years.

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5 Days Of PR Shooting

I'll be hitting the sack earlier than usual tonight. Tomorrow begins a five day PR shoot for a Consulting Company at Convention locations in Raleigh and Durham. Run-and-Gun will be the order of the day, with most of the photography being photo-journalistic in nature. Our lighting weapon of choice will be the Canon Speedlite 580 Ex and more Canon 580's if needed. I spent a couple of hours making a killer accessory reflector for the strobe out of some old White cardboard.
I think the Strobist would be proud!

After Friday.............Vacation! But I'll be taking my Desktop and 20 inch Dell Monitor just in case!

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Kiva.org...... Loans To Entrepreneurs In Developing Countries

The next time some S.O.B. from the Democrat or Republican Party calls to solicit a Campaign Donation, tell them where to go ( you know where ) and do something useful with your extra cash. Kiva.org makes it easy for you to make micro- loans to the working poor in Developing Countries.

From their site:

By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence.


Twenty Five Dollars might buy you a new pair of sunglasses or a used light stand, but the same amount could help some man or woman in a developing country start a life-changing business. Each Kiva Sponsor is pre-screened and counseled on good business practices and the stats on the repayment of loans make American Borrowers look like swindlers. The micro - loans are disbursed by local Kiva Field Partners who must have an established history of accountability and credibility with Kiva.org. Each sponsored business repays their debt thru the Field Partner who is held accountable for maintaining a journal of progress for each loan recipient. When the loans have been repaid, the Field Partner returns the funds to the lender ( You ) who may withdraw his funds or re-loan.

Personal Note: I would describe myself as a hard- core, Ronald Reagan, pull yourself up by your bootstraps kinda guy. This organization has met my standards for the "Teach a man to fish" life Philosophy.

Check it out.

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Response to The Abe Vigoda Edition CF Cards is Amazing!

Who could have guessed that the Abe Vigoda Edition CF Cards would be such a hot property! I might even have to cut Abe in on the deal.

Keep those orders coming!

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