OnOne Software Releases Liquid Resize Preview

OnOne Software has released a preview of the Liquid Resize technology that they purchased sometime ago. Liquid Resize is a way of resizing images in a way that is different from any other technology available. Since it is hard to explain what it does, I am going to show you. I have included a small sample video. This video shows the current Liquid Resize interface, a photo that comes with the preview and my having resized the image down by 50%, watch as the photo shrinks, it is quite interesting.

It is important to note that anyone can download the preview from the OnOne Software site. This is a very early almost alpha copy. The interface will change and the tools will change. In the end they plan to have this as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop. The preview isn’t very stable at least it hasn’t been for me. It only works reliably on images 1000×1000 pixels or smaller. If you use the keep or remove paint brush to paint areas you don’t want altered or to select areas you do want altered you will most likely get a crash.

However, this technology is very interesting and once the bugs have been worked out and the technology fleshed out it looks to be a very promising technology.

OnOne Software\’s Liquid Resize – A Demo

Infrared Photos As Promised

I have had a chance to take my Fuji A900 that I bought pre-converted to Infrared Only out for a day of photo taking. Here are some of the shots I took. Overall I feel the camera does a nice job. It is lacking some of the features I would like to have in an Infrared only camera, but all of those features are easy to take care of in post processing. The biggest missing feature is manual white balance control so that I have a better control over the picture at the time of photographing it.

My one big complaint about the Fuji A900 is that it has no viewfinder, just the LCD screen on the back. Because this can’t be seen in sunlight it is very hard to frame, zoom and make sure that you are getting the picture you want. This problem however is not limited to the Fuji A900, it will be a problem with any camera that doesn’t have an optical viewfinder.

I purchased the camera pre-converted from http://www.maxmax.com and I am quite happy with not only the camera, but their conversion. I chose the Fuji A900 because it was the cheapest Infrared only camera that they had. I am now looking to convert one of my old dSLR’s which should give me more control and even better quality pictures.

I chose Infrared only instead of Infrared and Visible for several reasons.

1. I didn’t want to have to fool with lens mounted filters.
2. I had no intentions of ever wanting to use this camera for visible light (regular) photography.
3. It allows you to see on screen what your actual image will look like.

The big problem with the lens mounted filters that is not only throws off the cameras metering (by about 2 stops for an R72 Infrared filter), it can throw of the camera focusing and you can’t see anything on the LCD screen or the viewfinder (in the case of dSLR’s). However, if you have the camera converter internally (they remove some of the stock filters in front of the sensor and replace them with an Infrared filter) these problems go away.

Well any ways here are the photos. You can click on them to see the full size images. These were all taken in Tiburon and San Rafael (North of the Golden Gate Bridge, Northern California).

Adobe Adds New Room to Lightroom

Adobe recently announced the public availability of the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 beta. This beta offers a look at some of the features that will be in Lightroom 2.0, but according to a post on the Adobe forums not all of the features that will be available in 2.0 are in this public beta. Time will tell. The improvements that are in there are quite nice.

Improvements include:

Photoshop CS3 Integration:

• Open files in Photoshop as Smart Objects.  (This way you can tweak your Lightroom adjustments within Photoshop just by double-clicking the Smart Object layer that contains your raw file.)
• Select multiple images to merge as a panorama
• Merge multiple exposures into a single Photoshop HDR image
• Load multiple files (or virtual copies of a single file) into Photoshop as separate layers in a single document

Selective image editing that rocks:

• Lightroom 2 adds a Retouch tool in the Develop module, that means you can paint regions of the image to dodge, burn, saturate/desaturate, adjust contrast, and more. And, all edits are storied in the metadata and are non-destructive.

Library Module:

• Streamlined Library layout
• Smart Collections (based on search criteria)
• Powerful Filter Bar to search and refine images
• Suggested Keywords for simplified keywording
• 10,000 pixel size limit raised to 30,000 pixels
• Output-based collections

Multiple monitor support:

• Four flexible modes for an alternate window: Grid, Loupe, Compare, Survey
• Live Loupe mode

Export functionality:

• Auto-add exported images to the Lightroom catalog
• Auto Output Sharpening for images on export

Develop Module:

• Non-Destructive Localized Correction for dodging and burning specific areas of an image
• Post-Crop Vignette
• Basic Panel Keyboard Shortcuts
• Improved Auto Adjustment
• Improved memory handling through 64-bit support on OS X 10.5 and Vista 64-bit.(Not limited to develop module)

Print Module:

• Picture Package for multi-page layouts
• Print Module output directly to JPEG
• Enhanced Print Sharpening based on PhotoKit Sharpener algorithms
• 16-bit Printing for Mac OS X 10.5

As you can see there are some very nice, useful and important additions to Lightroom 2.0. If it is true that the public beta doesn’t reveal all of the new features and improvements one can hope that we will also see much more powerful noise reduction as well as distortion correction tools.

I am totally thrilled that the 10,000 x 10,000 pixel image size limit has been raised to match that of Adobe Photoshop, that being 30,000 x 30,000 pixels. This means now I can catalog my rather large collection of panorama images.

The availability of a 64-bit native version is also good news, though 64-bit as far as I am concerned is still in its infancy and it will be a few years yet before I jump on that band wagon, however I am glad to see Adobe leading the way in 64-bit application development.

You can download the public beta from the Adobe Labs site. One thing to keep in mind is that this is a time limited beta. If you don’t have the current release of Lightroom installed your trial period will be limited to 30 days. If you have the current version installed this beta will expire at the end of August 2008.

Finally, the 2.0 beta WILL NOT import and/or convert your Lightroom 1.3.1 catalogs. You will need to re-import your images to get them in to the 2.0 beta. Adobe has done this to protect you. The Lightroom 2.0 beta is not production level software. Please make a backup of any images you plan to import in to it before you import them. Image loss or corruption isn’t likely to happen, but there are no guarantees this is beta software.

Infrared Photography

A dear friend of mine has peaked my interested in digital infrared photography. Since none of my dSLR’s can be converted (they are Pentax, every place I have checked only does Canon and Nikon and a few other brands) I decided to buy a converted Fuji A900 point and shoot to start with. It should be here next week. In the mean time I have been looking around the photo sites at what other people are doing. One photographer that blows me away is Niek Haak of the Netherlands. You can view his infrared gallery at:

http://www.pbase.com/nh/infrared

His work is just amazing. I love black and white photography especially the high contrast images. That is probably the biggest thing that draws me to infrared photography the fact that the black and white images (you can do color infrared, but I am not a big fan of it) are very high contrast, moody and impactful.

If you don’t want to buy a converted digital camera for IR and provided that your camera is sensative to IR you can try something like a Hoya R72 Infrared filter that you screw on to the front of your camera or lens. Saddly the new Pentax dSLR’s like the K10D and K20D that I have are far to well sheilded from infrared light. While you can take infrared shots with them the exposure time is measured in minutes and if you have any movement of any kind you will get a blurred shot. Another drawback is the infrared filter is dark enough that you will not be able to see anything through your view finder, this makes framing and zooming a real problem.

A camera that has been converted for IR has had several protective layers/filters removed from the CCD and an IR filter added. You can then see what you are getting on the cameras LCD or through the view finder (dSLR) as well as zoom, etc. The Fuji that I bought was the least expensive IR only camera I could find that has a 4X optical zoom. Since I generally only like IR landscape shots more zoom isn’t really something I feel a need for. I bought the camera from http://www.maxmax.com for $375.00 plus shipping if your interested, it is the Fuji A900. I bought the IR-Only version so it can only be used for IR photography which is all I plan to use it for since I have two dSLR’s. However, you can also buy it as an IR+Visible which means you can put a filter on the front of the lens and use it for regular color photography as well. The IR+Visible model of the Fuji A900 is $300 plus shipping.

Once I get the camera I will be posting more on it and infrared photography.

Pentax K20D Demo Video

While surfing some Pentax forums I came across a cool Pentax K20D Demonstration video.

Pentax Announces New K20D dSLR!

I have been a Pentax K10D dSLR owner since the camera was released. I actually pre-ordered it with only having seen a couple of sample images. I have had my fair share of issues with Pentax, including…

Pentax’s habit of announcing ship dates for products only to have those dates pass and then not make any type of announcement about a new ship date or why there is a delay.

I have had issues with their choice of in camera sharpening (detail, instead of edge sharpening like nearly all other cameras) and their decision to not offer the second more useful form of sharpening in a firmware update.

I have always felt that Pentax had a lot to offer the digital camera world but with the whole shipping date issue leaving the door open for rampant speculation, rumors and other such customer scaring things that only server to keep people unsure of Pentax’s future and their ability to compete with the two main players in dSLR cameras one has to wonder about the people that control such things.

Pentax’s market share is rather small compared to Canon and Nikon and with these kinds of marketing issues I fear that it could stay that way. It could ultimately kill Pentax. Pentax needs to be more up front with their customers show their customers that they are going to keep you informed. It isn’t like suggesting they preannounce all of their new technology, I am talking about keep people in formed when an announced ship date has been missed. Explain why and when they think it will ship. Ship dates are missed all of the time, but to keep silent or give vague worthless answers only serves to hurt a company. This customer communication is even more important when a company like Pentax is expecting people for hand over $1000 dollar or more in a camera body and lenses and lock them selves in to a long term investment with the company.

The K10D is an incredible camera and offers a lot of advanced features for a camera in its price range. However, Pentax has just announced the new Pentax K20D dSLR camera and it not only blows the K10D out of the water in most respects it is perhaps the most innovative camera to come out in nearly a decade.

Many professional photographers swear by Canon and Nikon however if you look at what these two companies have released in new cameras over the last 10 years you will see that Canon has been the only one to offer something innovative and that was simply because they released the Canon Digital Rebel, the first dSLR camera for under $1000. Beyond that the rest of the releases have been less than stellar. Both companies seem to care more about more resolution than offering features and technology that is truly innovative.

To be fare most people stick with the brand they started with because you have a large investment in lenses and other brand specific accessories like flash units and the like. The only time it makes financial sense to switch brands is when the lenses and other accessories you have will no longer work on the new camera you want to buy. Even in this regard Pentax is better. You can use Pentax lenses going back to 1960’s or earlier with their new dSLR cameras. Not so with Canon and Nikon. Resolution is nice, it enables you to do extreme cropping while still having enough image data for a good size quality print, but resolution is not the be all and end all and it looks like Pentax more than any other company understands that.

Pentax right now may have the smaller market share but they are the innovators and the new Pentax K20D proves it. What you got for $1000 with the K10D was remarkable and still is. However, what you get with the K20D for $1299 is nothing short of amazing. A new sensor designed exclusively for the K20D that gives you ISO 6400 (through a custom setting) that is as clean as the K10D’s ISO 1600. ISO 1600 and 3200 that look like an ISO 400 and 800 shot from the K10D. Improved shake reduction, improved dust reduction system, better noise reduction and image processing engine. All of this with a massive resolution increase from 10.1 (K10D) to 14.6 (K20D) that is a whopping 4.5 more MP a rather large jump and given that for probably the first time in digital camera history this resolution increase has come with an improvement in image quality and less noise instead of a decrease in image quality and an increase in image noise is nothing short of astounding.

I am not going to list all of the new stuff here. There is a lot. Instead I have compiled a list of sites that have information and even sample shots from the K20D. Also, if the K20D is out of your price range you might want to consider the K200D the K20D’s new little brother.

Pentax Imaging Press Release

http://www.pentaximaging.com/footer/news_media_article?ArticleId=10507458

Popular Photography Coverage

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/5049/first-look-pentax-k20d.html

If you click on the photo of the camera you will get a popup with sample photos including some high ISO shots.

Every Once in a While Something Just Tickles Your Funny Bone…

I was reading the Amazon.com blog the other day and came across several posts about the worst/ugliest cars produced and one of them was for the Yugo. Below is the post in its entirety. Please note the bolded quote from the young mans uncle. It is just so funny, I was rolling on the floor for an hour after that. It is even funnier if you picture the scene in your mind.

Amazon.com Blog Post Quote > Start “

Car Disgust–Yugo GVX

by Amazon.com Automotive Editors at 2:52 PM PST, December 10, 2007

Yugo introduced its unreliable, underpowered, hopelessly antiquated GV hatchback in 1986 to worldwide jeering and derision, a level of scorn that only grew as people became more familiar with the intrinsic problems with an ancient Fiat design assembled with the meticulous disregard and thorough apathy of Yugoslavia’s Zastava auto group.

The GV’s carbureted, 61-horsepower four-cylinder engine, its antediluvian suspension design, and four-speed manual transmission were part of the problem. The remainder of the car constituted the rest of the problem.

In response to the deafening lack of demand for a performance variant of the GV came the GVX–a hot-rod Yugo that thoroughly failed to meet even the dimmest expectations.

The extensive revision and customization process added alloy wheels, a stripe of metallic paint along the bottom of the side rocker panels, a sport steering wheel, and a dizzying array of engine revisions that boosted available power from 61 horsepower to, well, 61 horsepower. These modifications had all the enhancing effect one would expect from spraying Lysol into a vat of raw sewage.

According to Kelly Blue Book, a 1987 Yugo GVX with 180,000 miles and in “Fair” condition (an iffy proposition considering most Yugos didn’t leave the factory in “Fair” condition and is completely unlikely to cover 180,000 miles under its own power) is now worth $400.

The Yugo, of course, has become known as a car symbolizing tremendous awfulness of an unprecedented degree. The existence of a “sport” edition that didn’t actually add any sport makes the car all the worse.

My uncle has a classic line–he says that the Yugo’s optional rear-window defroster is useful mostly to keep your hands warm when you’re pushing it.

What has been so far left unsaid in this sordid tale is that part of me–and not a small part–thinks the Yugo is actually not a terrible-looking car. I’m ashamed to say that that I came this close to making the Yugo GVX a Car Lust instead of a Car Disgust.

–Chris H.

Amazon.com Blog Post Quote > End “

If you would like to read more of the Amazon.com blog you can Click Here.

Pentax 18-250 Lens Finally Came In…

Well, I decided that I wanted a lens for my Pentax K10D that spanned the 18 to 200 or better range and I wanted good quality. Having been told that Pentax was releasing the 18-250 at the end of October I placed my order for it Mid-October. Well as usually Pentax wasn’t close to shipping on time, but finally they got it out and Amazon.com got it shipped and I got it today. I have taken a couple of test run shots with it and I can say like with my other Pentax lenses (I only own Pentax brand lenses as I have had too much trouble with other brands and their Q.C. issues) it is a winner. Surprisingly good for a lens that covers this range. It looks like my 18-55 kit lens and 50-200 will be going in to semi-retirement.

Here is one shot. They are full sized from DNG files, Saved as JPG using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.3.

Pentax 18-250 Macro Test

Sorry for the lapse in posts…

Sorry folks for the lapse in posting. I have been dealing with some major medical problems with my mom. She has been on dialysis for a few months now, going 6 days a week. A couple of weeks ago I picked her up and got her home. She got really sick and I called an ambulance. By the time they got her in the ambulance her heart had stopped. She was technically dead for almost 30 seconds. They shocked her and got her back and she spent 9 days in the hospital. It turns out she had a blood clot from the dialysis catheter and it was infected. We got all that cleared up and then she had to go in for surgery to raise a vein in her arm closer to the surface so they can do the dialysis using it and she can get rid of the dialysis catheter. So I have been dealing with all of this plus taking care of the house, paying her bills, taking care of the animals and trying to get my own work done.

I think things will start to normalize now and hope to get back to posting here.

Thanks,

Robert

Adobe Premiere Elements 4.0… Major Bug Problems…

Well, Adobe as I am sure you know released the new versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 and Adobe Premiere Elements 4; we received our review copies but won’t be installing either one for the time being. Apparently like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom it was more important to ship the products by a certain date then to deal with bugs in the program and apparently several very bad bugs that were in the beta and reported by many beta testers including one that corrupts the project files in Premiere Elements 4 are still there. This attitude of ship now, fix later has got to stop. There is no excuse for a bug that Adobe was well aware of being in the final shipping version. I strongly urge people to not upgrade their products until the bugs are fixed, if you do please make a backup of any Premiere Elements projects before you open them, unless you want them trashed beyond recovery.