John Nack on Adobe

November 21, 2009

(rt) Photography: Amazing bird photography, Mars, & more

• Andrew Zuckerman just crushes it with his bird book. Outstanding. [Via]

• Droppin' science:
  • The Big Picture features some totally fascinating Mars pictures. [Via]
  • Check out this year's Olympus microscopy photo winners. (Many leave me nonplussed, but scroll down for the hero-flea.) [Via]

• History:
  • Have gas mask, will travel. Creepy stuff; recalls animations from The Wall.
  • On CreativePro, Gene Gable shows off the pioneering photo processing of Look Magazine (e.g. the Beatles shot by Richard Avedon). Lots of interesting pre-digital manipulations.
• This 12,000-photo time lapse is interesting even for Yankee-haters. [Via]
12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments [2]

November 20, 2009

(rt) Photography: Lightroom tips for speed-ups, more

• Scott Kelby offers a handy set of "10 Things I Would Tell New Lightroom Users."
• The Lightroom Lab shares Top Ten Lightroom Speed Tips.
• According to LR engineer Troy Gaul, "Lightroom 2.6, in addition to adding camera support, fixes a visual glitch on Snow Leopard in loupe when panning. [Via]
• Want a one-screen way to scan popular LR blogs? Check out http://lightroom.alltop.com/. [Via]

November 19, 2009

Interesting multitouch ideas: 10/GUI & BumpTop

Speaking of multitouch, the folks at 10/GUI have some interesting ideas on how to make multitouch practical on the desktop. If nothing else the ergonomic observations are spot on.

[Via]

Then there's BumpTop, which has been around for a few years & which is now available for download. It's cool, but as I've written previously, I have a hard time imagining it'll get widely adopted. Here's the demo:

[Via]

November 18, 2009

Camera Raw 5.6, Lightroom 2.6 available on Adobe Labs

Adobe Camera Raw 5.6 and Lightroom 2.6 are now available for download from Adobe Labs. These releases add new camera support for the following models:

• Canon EOS 7D
• Canon PowerShot G11
• Canon PowerShot S90
• Leaf Aptus II 5
• Mamiya DM22, DM28, DM33, DM56, M18, M22, M31
• Nikon D3s
• Olympus E-P2
• Pentax K-x
• Panasonic FZ38
• Sigma DP1s
• Sony A500
• Sony A550
• Sony A850

According to Camera Raw/Lightroom PM Tom Hogarty, "The Lightroom 3 beta has not been updated with this new camera support. If you're working with one of these newer cameras and the Lightroom 3 beta, please use the DNG Converter 5.6 Release Candidate to convert proprietary formats to DNG files that can be used in the Lightroom 3 beta."

Because this is a release candidate, we'd be glad to get your feedback via the Camera Raw User to User forum.

Fascinating slow motion water drops

Trippy!

[Via]

Coincidentally, here's a cool tutorial on milk-drop typography using Photoshop.

Documentation for the Lightroom 3 Beta is live

I'm pleased to see that documentation for the Lightroom 3 Beta is live, accessible via the Web or by choosing Help > Lightroom Help (F1) in Lightroom 3.

Lightroom 3 Beta help topics include:

What's new in Lightroom 3 Beta

Importing photos into a catalog

Exporting using Publish Services

Create a copyright watermark

Simulate film grain

Update the process version

Apply a postcrop vignette

Export a video slide show

Custom print packages

November 17, 2009

Multitouch comes to Flash

I've gotten quite a few inquiries over the years asking when Flash Player would support multitouch inputs. The answer: right now! Here's a quick video demo:

For more info on multitouch, hardware decoding, etc., check out these interviews with the FP engineers. [Via]

Incredible wildlife encounter for NatGeo photog

This is your head.
This is your camera.
This is your head & camera inside the mouth of a giant leopard seal...

Paul Nicklen gives new meaning to "stay frosty":

Amazing (even more so when viewed in high def). [Via]

November 16, 2009

"dpBestflow" aims to drive best practices

There are a million ways you can process, manage, and archive your images--but how should you? What techniques best capture and preserve your creative output?

To address these questions, the Library of Congress, working with ASMP, has just announced "dpBestflow" (Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow). Two years' worth of research have produced "real-world solutions for preserving the quality and integrity of digital images; proven best practices that have been shown to produce superior results; and guidelines for streamlined production workflows."

The site is loaded with resources, ranging from a quick reference sheet* to a detailed glossary. I haven't gotten to read the materials in detail, but the effort seems like a great response to persistent real-world issues. [Via project contributor Peter Krogh.]

* Nice to see this guidance: "Use DNG to archive raw file data... A DNG archive can be validated with a much higher level of certainty than any other image file format."

(rt) Infographics: Violent death, Hey Jude, & more

• Brutal: "In my Swedish elevator i discovered one of the worst ways to die." [Via]
• This excellent interactive infographic shows the relative size of objects, from coffee beans to atoms.
• "Hey Jude" as a flowchart. [Via]
• I love this set of fanciful theme park maps. (As a kid I used to pour over my posters of Great America & Brookfield Zoo.) [Via]

November 14, 2009

Creepy image science: Your face as a puppet

Girls will be boys and boys will be girls through this funky facial mapping/animation software. NPR's Science Friday writes:

"Like a digital video puppet, the facial expressions of one person can be cloned in real time and mapped onto the digital face of another person. Barry-John Theobald, computer scientist at the University of East Anglia, explains the technique and Steven Boker, of the University of Virginia, explains what facial cloning can reveal about human nature."

Check it out:

[Update: The embedding code seems to be spazzing out at the moment, so I suggest watching the video on the SciFri site.]

November 13, 2009

Milton Glaser on drawing

It's easy (especially for me) to get hung up on digital tools, so I found it refreshing to spend 4 minutes listening to Milton Glaser talk about drawing--especially about how, in his opinion, art schools have let digital training compromise the fundamentals.

[Via]

(rt) Photography: Historical remixes, Lightroom tips, & more

• Here's a set of strangely diggable aquatic photos from Asako Narahashi.
• History reconsidered:
  • Iconic Photo Of JFK Assassin Oswald Was Not Faked, Professor Finds. (Adobe has worked w/Hany Farid.) [Via]
  • Bizarre B&W photos: Batman + Fidel, Darth + FDR. [Via]
• Lightroom tips via Tom Hogarty:
  • PLUS (Picture Licensing Universal System) plug-in now available for Lightroom 2; would like your feedback.
  • How to create a time lapse video direct from Lightroom 3 beta: [Via]

November 12, 2009

(rt) Illustration: Retro posters, profane pterodactyls, & more

• Vintage posters:
  • Neat Russian posters from the '70s.
  • Cool 60's-style posters celebrating the International Year of Astronomy.
• Offbeat:
  • Killer! Big-Headed Papercraft Self Portrait using Photoshop + 3D. [Via]
  • View the source of this page for a bizarre Easter egg.
  • Creepy & excellent: The skeletons of Charlie Brown, Hello Kitty, & others. [Via]
  • "We did it for the show." ("America's dream family" indeed...) The shirt is now available for purchase. [Via]
• Excellent pixelated Halloween costume ("Low Resolution"). [Via]

November 11, 2009

SF PUG Thursday: Optimizing Photoshop performance

Tomorrow evening (Thursday), all-around smart/interesting guy Adam Jerugim from the Photoshop team will be speaking at the San Francisco Photoshop User Group meeting:

The talk will focus on Photoshop performance best practices to help enable users to get the most out of Photoshop with their current hardware setup. In addition, there will be guidance provided for users that plan on buying new hardware or upgrading their existing Photoshop & Lightroom systems. Information will also be provided about tools you can use to optimize your specific workflow, GPUs, and running 64-bit applications.

Our speaker, Adam Jerugim, has been part of the Photoshop engineering team for the last 10 years and is mainly responsible for performance and hardware compatibility testing. In addition to being an avid photographer, he is also working to complete his MFA in Digital Arts and New Media at UC Santa Cruz.

See the event page for more info. For a slide deck from Adam & co. on the subject of optimizing Photoshop performance, see previous.

(rt) Photography: Crushing overloads, HDR moon, & more

• This insanely overloaded truck seems like a metaphor on wheels, crying out for inclusion in a Demotivator. [Via]
• Here's a pair of striking photos from India, courtesy of Emanuele Nardoni.
• Twins Triptych: Arbus, Kubrick, and (scariest) the Olsens.
• Superfly dragonflies & avian stylings come from Conrad Tan.
• Heavenly:
  • Need to know where/when the sun/moon will rise/set for photos? Use The Photographer's Ephemeris. [Via]
  • Check out an HDR pic of the Halloween full moon. [Via Ben Hansen]

November 10, 2009

Panoramic view from a tongue

Tell me this isn't one of the weirdest things you've seen all week:

Here's some more info.

Snow Leopard 10.6.2 fixes problems with Photoshop

Good news: Apple has released a Snow Leopard update that fixes a number of problems customers have reported. The Photoshop team has been helping Apple test these fixes and can confirm the following improvements:

Affecting multiple versions of Photoshop:

• 50654: When opening and saving, applications--including Adobe applications--may sporadically crash
• 51230: Images don't open when dragged onto the Adobe program icon in the Dock

• 51220: Crash or program error occurs when using Menlo font in Photoshop and Premiere CS3 and CS4

CS4-specific:

• 51764: Only one image opens when many are dragged onto Photoshop's icon
• 51278: Cursors don't display correctly in Photoshop CS4
• 51339: Editing in Photoshop CS4 fails from 64-bit Lightroom in Mac OS X 10.6
• Cannot drag from Safari onto Photoshop icon (and other application icons) in Dock to open file

If you experience any problems, please let us know.

November 9, 2009

Thanks for the raw processing feedback

Wow--what an amazing online community: I'm overwhelmed by all the detailed & generous feedback I've been receiving in response to yesterday's query. Yes, there's plenty of brain-dead self parody out there, but I'm really pleased by the number of people eager to help make things better.

I'm kind of buried in the resulting mail just now, so sorry if it takes me a little while to reply.

(rt) Illustration: Amazing concept art, Vintage VDubs, & more

• Check out some incredible concept art from Rodolfo Damaggio.
• I love these automotive manual cutaway drawings turned into giant wall art. If the imagery trips your trigger, Bryan Hughes suggests How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive. [Via]
• Cool map to the LA Olympics... of 1932: (More info is here.)
• Tutorials:
  • Slick--How to Create Smoky Brushes and Type In Illustrator CS4.
  • Halloween+Photoshop: Russell Brown shows how to turn people into monsters.

November 8, 2009

Feedback, please: Adobe raw processing vs. others

Competition is a great thing, and over the last few years photographers have benefitted as numerous companies sought to make their raw image processing tools. Various apps have leapfrogged one another, making it possible to extract better image quality even from existing cameras.

Comparing quality can be tricky. To some extent it's subjective ("I prefer skin tone A to skin tone B"), and it's influenced by default values (i.e. the starting point each app chooses) and user familiarity ("I personally am able to get better results in X than in Y"). Add to that a possible lack of awareness of the power enabled by the DNG Profile Editor.

Over the years I've heard fans of Capture One tout the image conversion quality possible in that app. Unfortunately, I've always found it difficult to get any actual, concrete demonstrations of what they're talking about. Lately a number of people (all using fake email addresses, oddly enough) have commented here about how C1 produces "better quality," yet none of them have been able to back up their claims.

So, I ask--not to pick fights, not to start any holy wars, but out of constructive curiosity: Are you getting better results with a raw image processor besides Camera Raw or Lightroom*, and if so, are you willing to share your images (raw & processed) so that we can see exactly what you like/dislike? This sort of concrete data is precisely what we need in order to keep making progress. If you're interested in participating, please add a comment or drop me a line.

Thanks,

J.

* The Lightroom 3 beta includes an improved demosaicing algorithm, so it's the best basis for comparison.

November 7, 2009

Illustrator + Map Data = Interactive Flash

Illustrator PM David Macy points out a couple examples of converting static graphics into dynamic and interactive experiences bound with data and published through Flash. He writes, "These were created using an Illustrator plugin called MAPublisher that can import GIS data and export interactive SWF.

• First is an interactive map of US unemployment published on Forbes.com.
• The second, simpler example is a map of The Who's 1997 Quadrophenia Tour in Europe."

November 6, 2009

Photoshop.com Mobile comes to Android

Building on its great momentum on the iPhone, the Photoshop.com Mobile app is now available for Android phones. The free application offers the same great features as the iPhone version. In addition, says the press release:

Photoshop.com Mobile for Android offers features only available on Android phones. Users can automatically upload pictures to Photoshop.com albums in the background, even when the Photshop.com Mobile application is not running. Photoshop.com accounts provide 2GB of free online photo storage, which equates to over 1,500 photos. Made possible by the Android API, the new tab-based user interface enables users to view local and online content. Also, the Android Photo Browser makes maneuvering through photos fast and convenient, bringing users' complete photo collections right to their pockets.

November 4, 2009

Videos: Extending the Suite

I'm a big proponent of using Flash to extend the Creative Suite. If you've thought of exploring the possibilities, check out this pair of videos from Adobe MAX:

Come see Lee Brimelow and Mark Niemann-Ross demonstrate unexpected things you can do using Flex and Creative Suite.Grab some popcorn and your 3D glasses as we demonstrate how Creative Suite applications can be programmed using Flex and Adobe AIR,and more.

Find out about the many languages and tools available for both designers and developers to customize and automate Creative Suite for integration in larger workflows.

November 3, 2009

A pair of visual juxtapositions

• Who's a tender little death's head, then? 'Till Death Do Us Part. [Via]
• The Lions & Lambs* logo nicely pairs these moral foes.

Utterly tangential: In March, Stephen Colbert said, "I'm coming in like a lion, and going out like a lamb-fed lion."

Adobe TV: Monster creation, Web optimization, & more

You might find these recent video tutorials interesting:

The Russell Brown Show - Halloween Monster Make-Up Kit

In this special "Halloween" edition of the Russell Brown Show, you'll learn how to turn people into monsters. Russell even gives you the files you'll need to do it!

MAX 2009 Design - Photoshop CS4: Essential Techniques and Killer Tips with Terry White

Learn the must-have skills for working with Photoshop and digital images, including color correction, masking, image restoration, and retouching. Terry White will answer the most frequently asked questions on working with digital images and more.

Visual Design - Photoshop CS4: The Essentials of Image Enhancement for Web and Flash Designers

Learn essential skills for using Photoshop CS4 to produce images that look great and load fast for the web and for use with Flash Professional. We'll reveal hidden optimization tools and quick techniques for making images look their best, and more.

Visual Design - Edit Quicker and Faster in Illustrator CS4

Join Design Evangelist Rufus Deuchler as he shows how you can save time when applying and editing fills, strokes, effects and more with the new Appearance panel in Illustrator CS4.

November 2, 2009

San José Photoshop User Group next Tuesday evening

The San José Photoshop User Group is meeting next Tuesday, Nov. 10, at the Adobe SJ office (map). Pizza and drinks kick off at 6:30pm, with talks beginning at 7. The meeting will feature two speakers. As group organizer Dan Clark writes,

Jim Tierney is from plug-in maker Digital Anarchy. He will demo a range of their products, such as Primatte Chromakey, Knoll Light Factory, Backdrop Designer, Texture Anarchy, 3D Invigorator and more.

Jim McCrary was Chief Photographer at the A&M Records photo studio for many years. He shot over 300 album covers along with related publicity and advertising work. Among his many classic album covers are Carole King's "Tapestry", Lee Michaels' "5th" and Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and many others. From 1974 through 1990 he operated his own studio on La Brea Avenue in Hollywood, specializing in technically difficult photographic still-life problems, as well as difficult personality portraits.

The meeting will start at 7:00, in the Park Conference Room of Adobe Systems' East Tower, 321 Park Avenue, San Jose. To park underneath the Adobe building, use the Almaden Avenue entrance, under the East Tower. If the security guard at the parking entrance asks for an Adobe contact, use Bryan O'Neil Hughes's name. Please RSVP to Dan Clark. See you there.

(rt) Type: E.Coli as font, El Vetica, & more

• Handmade:
  • Jessica Hische has posted an alphabet's worth of gorgeous "hand-crafted decorative initial caps" on Daily Drop Cap. Her portfolio site is pretty bitchin', too.
  • I dig the hand-drawn swoops of Si Scott's typography.
• Type + Luchadores = Radness. Check out El Vetica. [Via] (Gratuitous personal tangent: You cannot handle the cute.)
• A typographical infographic: Popular Names in Popular Music, 1891-now.
• Perfect for a new Jack in the Box logo design? Dutch Designer Wins €10,000 for a Font Grown From E-Coli. [Via Marc Pawliger]

November 1, 2009

(rt) Illustration: Japanese monsters, skulls, beer, and more

• Seasonal creepiness:
  • I love these bizarre illustrations: Anatomy of Japanese Folk Monsters. [Via]
  • "I want your skulls..." Lots of cool illustrations.
  • Oh, this heart doesn't look healthy, does it? Here's more such weirdness. [Via]
• Abduzeedo rounds up great Guinness ads past & present.
• The Chopping Block crew has posted tips on using Photoshop to Prep & Color Scanned Drawings.