Premiere Pro Multi-Camera Editing Idea – WITHOUT Synced Cameras

For my Premiere students…

In our Advanced classes, we learn to edit a Multicamera sequence, when several cameras have been used, simultaneously.

Today, Rocketstock’s blog has a very interesting article  for an alternative use of Multicamera editing – when using a variety of clips from various shoots. I think you may find it inspiring for a new and efficient workflow. Take a look!
https://www.rocketstock.com/blog/edit-videos-with-multi-cam-sequence/?utm_source=RocketStock+Updates&utm_campaign=11a2cf663f-RS_Blog_Updates_04212017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_74052b2af9-11a2cf663f-429325757

Excellent Easy and Powerful Image Optimization Software – Photolemur!

Hi guys! So many of you have been interested in some of the amazing professional level image manipulation and improvement programs I’ve shown – but others have asked me if there’s anything out there that just works easily and effectively without a learning curve.

Have I got the software for you!

Photolemur has such tremendous ease of use, and wonderful algorithms! It uses artificial intelligence based on a huge database of adjustments that can be made to an image, along with artificial intelligence to learn your preferred settings – and instantly improves your images without any work on your part at all – or, if you choose, just a little work. In addition, it works on jpeg images AND Raw images!

Watch my demo below and check out Photolemur’s website for more information on the software, it’s various versions, and it’s availability for both Windows and Macintosh computers.

 

Having Problems with SPAM Calendar Entries on MacOS and IOS Calendars?

Lately, many of is with Macs and iDevices are finding unsolicited invitations to random events (usually SPAM sales) in our calendars. Needless to say, people have been feeling less than happy about this garbage, and it seems there’s been no way to remove these without hitting “decline” (which lets spammers know they’ve hit a valid spam location).

Although there currently appears to be no way to stop this spam, CNET has come up with some ways to remove them from your calendar without alerting spammers that you exist – and a method of ensuring these don’t get into your calendar in the future.

Check out this article at:
http://download.cnet.com/blog/download-blog/block-apple-calendar-spam-ios-macos/?ttag=e415&ftag=TREf2961de&tag=nl.e415&s_cid=e415&ttag=e415&ftag=TREf2961de

FREE On1 Plus Training Videos Available

For those who are seeking an alternative digital photography workflow, or an adjunct to their usual Lightroom/Photoshop workflow – NEW! ON1 Photo RAW is going to be the option for you. RAW won’t be available for release until November 23rd, but in the meantime, you can learn all  about what the On1 Workflow can do for you – and now – for FREE (limited videos in free option). 250x250This is a great opportunity to see what options are available to you, and take a look into On1’s own training and information site. Please click the banner for more information on On1 PLUS!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adapters you need for the New MacBook Pro – SAVE UP!

Techconnect.com has an article that lists all the various adapters necessary to use your peripherals (wired printers, external hard drives, monitors, iDevice connectors, etc.) with the new Thunderbolt 3 technology. Granted, Thunderbolt 3‘s power is amazing – can push up to 100W of power, the data transfer speed is 40Gbps, it can run two 4K monitors, and power tons of devices at once. But this power comes at a cost. Firstly – the only connective technology with which it’s directly compatible is USB-C. If you have ANY older devices, you’ll need to shell out more money for new adapters to suit your varying peripherals.

So, be ready – if you’re preparing to dish out between $2,400-$3400 on a new MacBook Pro – remember to build a few hundred more into your budget if you want to work with all your previous devices.

MacBook Pro Thunderbold 3 Adapter Guide (techconnect.com)

MacPhun Luminar – Powerful Image Editing without the Photoshop Learning Curve

Not too long ago, MacPhun introduced Aurora HDR software. While it could work well to edit single-exposure images, it really isn’t meant for that purpose. But pretty soon, MacPhun is going to be releasing Luminar, a full, single image editing software that gives you the ability to turn your images from everyday to spectacular using either the most simple tools, or choosing to use some seriously advanced image editing tools.

I was fortunate enough to get a bit of a chance to experiment with Luminar, and although I’m not allowed to disclose much (yet), I thi43452-1-gifnk you’ll be really pleased at it’s ease of use and the breadth of it’s functionality.

Luminar will be released on November 17th, and the purchase price will be $69, but if you sign up to be notified of a preorder (preorders will start on November 2nd), you’ll be able to get the software for a $10 discount ($59). To sign up for a preorder notification, please follow this link http://macphun.evyy.net/c/321616/317324/3255.

But, why preorder, when you can’t even see what it does?! So, MacPhun has created a Sneek Peek on their blog. To find out more about the ease and functionality of this program (which also works as a Photoshop Plugin), please click this link.

Please note: MacPhun software is MacOS only.

 

For Photographers who are also Mac Users

One set of my favorite plugin developers, MacPhun, has released an article on their blog about the expected changes in the upcoming MacOS Sierra. While I’m usually quite hesitant to upgrade my OS (I don’t like buying software upgrades for my existing apps – and what happened with Mavericks and it’s lack of video codecs is inexcusable), some of the revelations about the new Mac native photography apps are intriguing.

I skipped Mountain Lion, I’ve skipped El Capitan – but I might consider Sierra (after a good, long, healthy wait to the .2 update version).

Check out their article at: MacPhun

FREE Photoshop Brushes that are Truly Useful!

As my Photoshop students have already learned, brushes can be made using any set of pixels and can be manipulated almost unendingly with the Brush panel. But sometimes, it’s very helpful to have a starting point. Grutbrushes.com provides some beautifully made starting points! The detail and settings of his brushes are unique in their realism and detail in use. They work well with just a mouse, but like any brush, take on their real strengths when using a pen tablet like the Wacom brand of tablets.

Normally, I pass by a lot of the ads I see on Facebook, but a few months ago, I decided to click on one and found an excellent resource.

At Grutbrushes.com, the (very responsive) developer Nicolai has made sets of brushes, ranging from inks to calligraphy, to natural media, and more. He even provides a Photoshop Extension to open a panel in which you can organize your brushes into sets as you like them. Just recently, I used just one of his cloud brushes in a project, and created very realistic clouds. He offers a LOT of freebies, and if you sign up for his email list, you can get even more. He sells sets of them as well. His full set is a VERY reasonable $22.

Remember, all of the brushes are just starting points – Presets – from which you can use the Photoshop Brushes panel to manipulate them, resize them and alter how they work.

You all know, I LOVE Free stuff – and here, there’s a plethora of freebies along with the paid content. I think any Photoshop user will find a great deal of use and enjoyment of these. Plan on seeing some lessons on this within a few weeks.

Grutbrushes.com

 

For the love of Typography

As most of my design and graphics students know, I’m a bit of a type geek. In almost every class, even if it’s not in our regular syllabus, I try to include at least a brief introduction to Type as Design – or, Typography. 

And, you probably also know how I stress the idea of kerning – the way individual letterforms fit together, as a method of refining your work, adding a cohesive look and confirming that you’ve taken some time and put in some effort at making your type look good, as well as read well.

Today, I found an excellent infographic at Digital Synopsis.com, that may help you to make better decisions about how to improve your Headers, your Titles, and all display type. Take a look!

Nik Collection – Photoshop Plugins FREE to Everyone!

Today, Google announced that their excellent Photoshop Plugin “The Nik Collection” is going to be free to everybody.

This excellent collection includes: Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, HDR Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro and Dfine – professional level controls to refine your images. I’ve been using it for several years (along with some other plugin sets) for efficient control over my effects, sharpening, noise removal and more.

For those of us who use Photoshop on a regular basis, getting this (previously $149) plugin for FREE is a boon!

Check out their post at: https://plus.google.com/+NikCollection/posts/AFGsG2Di7EK