photography

Solved: Damaged SD Card Problem

"You might some day discover that the SD card in your digital camera appears to be damaged," John Carter gets our attention!   "You put it your computer and the computer says that the card has to be initialized. But you know there are hundreds of photos on it that haven’t yet been transferred off the SD card. Not to worry. There’s a free solution to recovering photos from what appears to be a damaged SD card.  A recent article in Digital Photography School describes the application and how to use it."
All of our PMUG photography buffs thank you, John.

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They Know Where You Are

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     Here's info on a serious privacy issue.  Jim Hamm sends this link to an investigative news video that demonstrates how your camera and your smartphone can show everyone where the picture was taken.  Jim comments, "What's the problem with this, you ask? Well, say you've taken a picture of an expensive diamond ring to sell on eBay and you post it to the site and await the bidding. In the meantime, Joe the crook, gets the location of your house from the picture and steals the ring. Ouch!"  The GPS location on the photos you post can show everyone where you've been.  Watch the video, then share the info with your kids, too.

Calling All Photography Enthusiasts

        Attention all PMUG people who are into photography.  John Carter to the rescue!  Not only is he giving a free SIG on February 4 on Digital Photography (see it listed on your iCal), but he's found some must-see websites.  Read on to see what John has to say:
        "Barrie Smith (not a PMUG member) posted an interesting software review in Digital Photography School. The software is called Snapshot by LateNiteSoft. In their own words, 'Snapshot brings the power of a photo lab to your computer. Printing your digital images has never been easier.' Add humor to your photos with speech bubbles and flair with borders. Snapshot is fully integrated with iPhoto, Aperture, and Lightroom.  See the full DPS software review here.
        "Another review of a free iPhone/iPod touch/iPad app comes from Darren Rowse (not a PMUG member) in his post to Digital Photography School. The app is called Instagr.am (clicking on this link brings up iTunes and accesses the iTunes store). At first, Darren thought it might be just another social networking app, but he discovered that it’s a fun way to share photos - with the kicker that the people you share with have to be signed up with Instagr.am too. So in a sense, it’s another social networking tool.
        John concludes, "For iPod Touch and iPad owners, you need to have access to a WiFi hotspot to share photos, but you can take photos anytime and share them later when you are connected to the Internet."

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Photography and the iPad

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"Here’s a neat article in Digital Photography School that talks about using an iPad to improve your photography skills," John Carter informs us.  "I don’t have an iPad or an iPod Touch. I’m not sure if I’ll ever own an iPad, but I’m getting pretty darn close to dipping into my savings for a 4th Generation 32GB iPod Touch. My Classic 80GB iPod is proving too cumbersome to use."

Prizmo for Photos

        Prizmo for Mac! John Carter passes along some new info.  "Now you can use your digital camera to get 'scanned' images of documents, and no matter how badly shaped they are, you can straighten them up with Prizmo. Better yet, if you take photos of a page from a book or magazine, you can even run it through the built-in OCR and turn that image into editable text. Wow!
        "So, you've taken some photos and found that your lens introduced some warping effect? Straighten that image with Prizmo! This should be great for those super wide-angle or fish-eye lenses that invariably introduce warped images.
        "For the stingy among us, the price tag on this app is only $39.95. That's a far cry from the $129 for ReadIris Pro. One user review says Prizmo actually works better than another so-called professional OCR app."

Pictures Around Prescott

Have you discovered Granny J and her Walking Prescott blog? She takes pictures, and pictures, and pictures! De Prez Allen Laudenslager alerted us to her blog, and I wrote to ask if she uses Mac. Her reply, "Yes, I produce my blog on a Mac with a lovely HUGE screen running OS X 10.5.8," and "No, I don't belong to any local photography group. BTW, of the local bloggers that I know they're all Mac users." She gives us these links to local bloggers Foolswoode, Dagny's Desk, and Airstream Chronicles.

Now, adding to our info comes this from Jim Hamm this morning.  And De Prez has lined up one of Granny's friends to speak to PMUG.

Jim adds, "As I read Granny J's blog--and viewed her many pictures--I found that she is 80+ years young and has a way with words. And takes darn good pictures, too. Then, there's three other blogs to take a look at, as well. People like to express their thoughts--a creative talent urging to get out, I suppose--and a blog is one good way to do it.

"When viewing the 'Airstream Chronicles' blog take a look at the 'Image Galleries' then click 'Prescott' in the drop-down box for some images of Whiskey Row early in the morning, and of the Courthouse all lit up for Christmas.

"Each blog has its own distinctive style and means of expression. As time permits, browse around a bit."...Jim

And this morning, De Prez announces, "I asked Jenny if she would like to speak, but she begged off since she feels she only uses the simple stuff. I told her that many of our members would like to hear about that since many would be encouraged to try those simple solutions themselves.

"She referred me to the blog Airstream Chronicles, also local, and the author, Rich Charpentier,  agreed to speak at the February meeting. More details later."

Save Money on Photoshop

     Looks like a good deal.  Art Gorski tells us we can preorder Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for $75 (after rebate) and get free shipping from Amazon.  Use this link to help support the great Macintouch website. This page on Amazon has a list of features comparing Elements 6 with the New Elements 8.  The "newest version of the #1 selling consumer photo-editing software . . . combines power and simplicity."  The item will be released 10-23-09.  
     Also take a look at Macintouch which today includes an updated Snow Leopard Compatibility List,  reviews, and articles that may be helpful. 

SIG: Fundamentals of Photoshop

Good news for PMUG members with interest in Photoshop! John Carter has scheduled a SIG on Fundamentals of Photoshop to be held at the Founder's Suite on January 8 from 10am to noon. He notes, "This may be a one-time only SIG, or it may turn into a series depending on member interest and my ability to stay one step ahead of everyone. This SIG is in addition to the Basic Mac SIG.

"Please note that the PC group has already done this program for their members. This program is for Mac users. Nothing new may be covered in this program from what the PC group covered. CS4 will be emphasized with flashbacks to CS3 where there are significant differences."

Also, John reminds us, "For anyone interested in attending a 6-month free online class in Photoshop, see here. That class is held every Thursday from 11 am to 1 pm. There is a 1,000 login limit, so log in early if you want to attend."

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Warning About Facebook

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A stunning problem is brought to our attention by Bill Williamson. Facebook can use your photo in ads. Today's article, http://www.komando.com/tips/ reveals some troubling information. By using third-party applications offered on Facebook you give their developers access to your profile. That includes your photos. Social ads on Facebook have some access to your data. To avoid some scary problems read the whole article. Kim Komando tells you how to opt out and protect yourself.

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Importing Your Photos

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Thanks to Allen Laudenslager for writing about a recent experience organizing his photos:

"I moved some files into the iPhoto library using Finder, and when I opened iPhoto I couldn't see just those photos. After a lot of trial and error, I moved the files to a temporary folder under Documents, opened iPhoto and used the File/Import option to collect the photos. Now I can open them in iPhoto and use all the capabilities of iPhoto to edit them."

Note: when you install the '09 version you find the Welcome tutorial, but also take a look at the additional short video tutorials at http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/?sr=app#iphoto

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Art Takes Good Pictures

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New PMUG member Art Gorski takes good pictures. He’s just published 143 photos from his iPhoto picture albums and 2 iMovie videos to his MobileMe gallery directly from those iLife applications. http://gallery.me.com/agorski He’s got good looking relatives shown on still photos (those are all your relatives, Art?) but do not miss the narrated movie of his trip to the Grand Canyon. Thanks, Art, for the e-mail informing us of your latest fun with Mac.