Adobe Lightroom 1.0 out of beta

After a year of beta testing on their product Adobe has released Lightroom 1.0 to the public. If you are interested in purchasing, now is the time. Until April 30th you can get it for $199, after that it will be $299.

Review by bigpicture.net: Designed for professional photographers, the software allows users to import, manage, and present large volumes of photographs. Significant changes since beta 4.1 include: new advanced key-wording tools in the Library module, an improved import dialogue with more flexible file handling; an improved Key Metadata Browser; Virtual Copies and Snapshot tools in the Develop module to present multiple versions of the same image; Hue-, Saturation-, and Luminance-adjustment tools; and Clone and Healing tools to eliminate dust spots.

Lightroom features include extensive workflow support; professional editing tools such as white-balance correction, exposure, tonal curves, and black-and-white conversion; non-destructive editing; flexible viewing and comparison tools; an interface featuring task-oriented modules; automatic tracking of image changes; fast, high-quality printing; and presentation capabilities such as the assembly of contact sheets, online Web galleries, and slide shows.

The software utilizes Adobe Camera Raw technology and supports more than 150 native Raw file formats, as well as JPEG and TIFF. Once imported, files can be converted to the Digital Negative specification (DNG).

Winogrand show at the PAM

The partnership between the Phoenix Art Museum (PAM) and the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) in Tucson continues with a new exhibit featuring Garry Winogrand's work. His image Park Avenue, New York shown to the right.

Garry Winogrand: Four Edges and the Facts (review by Richard Nilsen for the Arizona Republic)

...Few of the pictures have titles, and for those that have them, the titles tell us very little: Park Avenue, New York, for instance, for the scowling monkey, or Apollo 11 Moonshot, Cape Kennedy, Florida. That picture shows a crowd of people from the back watching - and photographing - a rocket launch, while one small woman in the foreground looks in the opposite direction and makes a picture - we can never know of what - with her Kodak Instamatic....

But it isn't just the world by itself. As Winogrand insists, it is the world wrung through a camera lens. The act of making a picture changes the world.

The Richardson picture helps explain the subtitle of the show: "Four Edges and the Facts." Winogrand knew that the four edges of a picture frame are a cookie cutter that slice out a bit of reality's dough and separates it from its context and remake the facts. No doubt there were a bevy of reporters listening to Richardson's comments, but because they don't appear inside the image frame, they cease to exist. This is what Winogrand means when he talks about seeing how something looks in a picture. It is changed. Utterly and inutterably.

The show runs until 5/20/2007.

How cool is this?

Check out Jeff Han's demonstration from the 2006 TED (Technology Entertainment Design) event in Monterey California. This has amazing possibilities for design, photography and mapping applications. All I want to know is when can I buy one. Thanks to Don for the tip.

Jeff Han is a research scientist for New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Here, he demonstrates—for the first time publicly—his intuitive, "interface-free," touch-driven computer screen, which can be manipulated intuitively with the fingertips, and responds to varying levels of pressure.

Fun with fonts

While cruising through the web this morning I found a couple very useful websites. James Dempsey a contributor to Macworld has his own blog called Creative Guy. It is full of helpful tips on all aspects of design. He had one post that led me to another great site Urban Fonts. Although Urban Fonts sponsored his post, I think their site is a very well done and it can be a valuable resource when searching for new fonts. They have thousands of fonts for free download for Windows and Mac platforms. I have spent hours in the past looking for a good free font download only to end up frustrated and empty handed. These are not your typical free downloads. They are fresh and fun that could come in handy when in need for a design project.


Created with Disney themed script downloaded from Urban Fonts.



For licensing information about fonts check out this page.

Rick Gayle added to For Sale gallery

We are pleased to announce the addition of new local talent to our For Sale Gallery. Rick had five different categories that he is offering of his images. All of them are sleek and polished and would fit several commercial applications. They would be a lovely addition to a home setting as well. To see more check out Rick's gallery.

Rick's feelings about his photographic involvement can be simply summed up by the following quote; "Since the age of 12 I've been attracted to light like a moth. Light is all a photographer ultimately has control over and the way he molds it's qualities helps define objects and tell stories. For me that is and always will be my venue for exploration and source of excitement."

Make your child's art a masterpiece

I have always loved child art. There is something so charming about the freedom of expression that people later in life have to train themselves to relearn. Most proud parents will tack up their favorite pieces of art that their child made on the refrigerator or bulletin board. Why not make it a lasting piece of art for your home? Simply scan the original and format the file to be able to blow up to a poster size. To add another dimension to the work you can print it on metallic paper or canvas. Matting and framing the finished piece can make it look like you have your own Matisse in residence.

Seeing Red

Since it is Valentine's Day, we thought an analysis of the color red would be appropriate. We all know that the color red can invoke powerful emotions out of the viewer. That is why it is used to represent love and passion. Smart advertisers use this knowledge to incorporate red in to their logos and ad campaigns to grab their audience's attention. This article from the New York Times reviews everything from how we see the color red to how we react to it.

....Dr. Nicholas Humphrey, a philosopher at the London School of Economics and the author of “Seeing Red: A Study in Consciousness.” “If you want to make a point, you make it in red.”

Whatever the primary spur to the evolution of our rose-colored retinas, we, like most other animals with multichromatic vision, have learned to treat red with respect. “In the evolution of languages,” Dr. Humphrey writes, “red is without exception the first color word to enter the vocabulary,” and in some languages it’s the only color word apart from black and white. It’s also the first color that most children learn to name, and that most adults will cite when asked to think of a color, any color.

Big prints require big files

Now Lexar makes it a little easier to save those big files.

Digital Photography Review: Fremont, Ca., February 13, 2007 – Lexar, a leader in advanced digital media and accessories, today expanded its professional product line with the introduction of a 133x speed-rated Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC™) flash memory card designed for professional and high-end amateur photographers who demand the freedom and flexibility to quickly capture a large number of high-resolution images with SDHC-enabled digital cameras. Delivering a minimum sustained write speed capability of 20MB per second, Lexar Professional SDHC cards allow photographers to capture more images while spending less time changing memory cards.

The trick is making sure your camera is compatible with your brand new shinny 4 GB SDHC card. Cameras that accept SD media will not accept SDHC technology.

Weekend Project

All of us mark the passage of time. Whether it is to count how many days until your birthday or plan a vacation we all rely on calenders. Why not make one of your own? It is a simple project all you need is some Photoshop or Illustrator time and some creativity.

Make 5 rows of 7 boxes each. You can customize it how ever you want. Add the days of the week at the top, or keep it flexible. Colorize each box, add a decorative border, lay down a picture as your background, make circles or fun shapes instead of boxes, have fun with it. The best part is you can make it whatever size you need to fit your space. If you are a busy person with a lot of activities you can make large boxes to fit all of your appointments and special occasions to remember.

By adding a dry erase laminate on to the print you can erase and reuse the calender it however you need to indefinitely. Plus it is unique to you and your personal taste and life style.

For color scheme ideas check out Adobe's kuler or another very cool site Colour Lovers.

How to create a great window display

Your window to the world is people's first exposure to your business. It is your chance to make a bold statement that will draw in customers. If done wrong, you can go unnoticed. This article by Eric Fairbanks of TRIO Display has some great points about using that space to maximize your sales potential.

The window display is often your best chance to make a good first impression. The window display gives walk-by traffic a chance to see what you sell and how you sell it. It is often your first chance to brand—to create emotional association with your retail store in the mind of your potential customer.

If your retail store is in a strip mall or your main drive-by traffic is that literally—motorists—you need to go big with a graphic display in your window. A large poster-size or bigger image will draw attention and attract customers from far away. You can’t get subtle in this type of window display—say it loud and say it proud.

All things Adobe

Lots of new and exciting things are coming out of Adobe recently. To keep updated on their latest releases check out their Adobe Labs page: http://labs.adobe.com/

Adobe Labs is your source for early looks at emerging products and technologies from Adobe.

In Labs, you'll find early access to downloads, samples, documentation, release notes, tutorials and more. Labs also includes forums and a wiki, where you can ask questions, discuss, and share your feedback with Adobe.

Also if you are fan of Lightroom you can also check out any news and developments at a new site: http://lightroom-news.com/

New images added to For Sale gallery

As the weather changes (yes the weather does change in Arizona) our gallery of artists hit the roads to capture the sensual beauty and romance of Mother Nature. Our very own Christine Taft, an award winner in her own right, has posted some new images that truly inspires and awes the heart and soul.

Her newest work ranges from the breathtaking majesty of Easter Snow (a piece that she has already sold – Congrats!) Golden Water, First Light, Living Water, and Flying High to the mesmerizing and entrancing Pink Lady, Purple Lace, Rising Up and so many more.

Simply beautiful and so simple to view, just go to Christine's gallery and enjoy!

Who needs cloning?

Yet another very useful feature of Photoshop CS2, the vanishing point tool. Photoshopsupport.com has a video tutorial that shows you how to remove objects from images using this tool. They also have many other tips and tricks for CS2 users. Thanks to Lifehacker for finding this post.