May 2 2013

Adobe Demonstrates Early Lightroom for iPad App

This should come as no surprise: Adobe is working on a “Lightroom for iPad” app. What is unexpected is that a very early version exists enough to demonstrate the concept, which is exactly what Tom Hogarty did on Scott Kelby’s The Grid program. Cnet reports:

Adobe Systems plans to release high-end photo-editing software for tablets. The new app would be a close relative to Adobe’s Lightroom software for PCs and serve as a cloud-connected companion to the program.

Tom Hogarty, Adobe’s group product manager for Lightroom, demonstrated an early prototype version of the app Wednesday on the Grid, an online show from Photoshop guru Scott Kelby.

Adobe has done a good job with PC-centric photography software, but the company needs to better incorporate Internet connectivity and mobile devices into photography workflow, Hogarty said.

The article cites Photosmith and its ability to apply metadata and then sync it with Lightroom, but also touts the Adobe app’s capability to edit raw files. I’m impressed that the demo was done on an iPad 2, which includes just 512 MB of active memory. The third- and fourth-generation iPads contain 1 GB of memory, but still, apps that work with raw formats such as PiRAWhna are slow because the memory and processing demands are so high to work with raw files.f

It’s definitely an engineering hurdle, but with tablets gaining in popularity and PCs dropping, Adobe needs to plant a flag and embrace the future. I would be surprised if Apple isn’t working on an Aperture for iPad, or some utility that syncs with Aperture; more likely, that app will be an expanded iPhoto.

Apr 18 2013

Second Edition Home Stretch

Just a bleary-eyed update to note that the second edition of my book is getting close to being submitted to the publisher! Everything is due Friday, and there’s still a lot to do between now and then (corrections, a few photo reshoots, etc.; I “package” books, which means I deliver a print-ready version to the publisher all laid out and proofed). But it’s getting closer. Expected release is mid-May, possibly earlier for the ebook versions.

Ipadphotogs 2e layout indesign2

Pre-order the second edition from Amazon here: iPad for Photographers: Master the Newest Tool in your Camera Bag (2nd Edition)

Apr 13 2013

DSLR Camera Remote Discontinued

Dslr cam remote discontinued2
I started updating Chapter 3 (“The iPad in the Studio”) for the second edition of The iPad for Photographers, and discovered that OnOne has discontinued DSLR Camera Remote, their product for controlling a camera tethered to a computer via the iPad. The product was discontinued on March 12, and support will end on May 12, 2013. From the site:

The decision to discontinue the DSLR Camera Remote was made, in part, because it is a difficult product to maintain. To support new cameras, we need software development kits (SDKs) provided by Canon and Nikon. These SDKs allow us to update our software but are often delivered only after a long delay. Additionally, the DSLR Camera Remote is difficult to support. It basically glues together desktop server software, USB camera connection, Wi-Fi networking, and iOS devices together. All of the components create many potential failure points for our users. We spend a great deal of time helping our customers with network and camera issues that are unrelated to our software, to enable DSLR Camera Remote to work in their environment.

Since onOne Software’s strength has always been image processing—building software to help you make your photos look great, we want to focus our energy on that strength. Fortunately, the DSLR and mobile worlds have evolved since we first started to offer the DSLR Camera Remote. Now, there are many more options available! to solve the same problems that the DSLR Camera Remote was originally designed to address. You may want to consider the alternative options listed on the right.

If you still use the app, you can download the server software that runs on a PC.

This certainly puts an unexpected kink into my process of updating the book, but I’m not concerned. It leaves more room for me to talk about remote wireless tethering using CamRanger and CameraMator devices. The book goes to the publisher next week, so I’m on that coffee-fueled deadline treadmill that wraps up book projects. The published book is scheduled to arrive mid-May!

Apr 12 2013

Macworld Reviews the Seagate Wireless Plus

Over at Macworld, Roman Loyola reviewed the Seagate Wireless Plus Wi-Fi hard drive. Although he doesn’t mention this specific purpose, the Wireless Plus finally delivers on the promise of being able to transfer files from the iPad so you can back up the photos you import. See “Seagate Wireless Plus Appears” for more detail. I’ve been using the drive and like it.

Apr 2 2013

Neighborhood Blossoms

Walking around the neighborhood, I took advantage of the fact that the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and haven’t yet been blown off by the wind or rain. This was shot with a Nikon D600 and then, at a nearby café, I used Nikon’s WU-1b wireless adapter to transfer the image to my iPad. I then did some minor adjustments in Snapseed and uploaded it.

The Nikon app that communicates with the WU-1b is just an iPhone app, so it doesn’t take full advantage of the iPad’s screen. But it does have a really nice feature: I can selectively transfer images. (I think ShutterSnitch has this capability, too, but I need to test it out.)

Neighborhood Blossoms

Mar 20 2013

Available Now: Canon EOS M: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Canon EOS M Great Shots sRGB 150pxI’m hard at work on the second edition of The iPad for Photographers, but in the meantime I’m proud to announce that the book I just completed, Canon EOS M: From Snapshots to Great Shots, is now available! Over at jeffcarlson.com, I wrote about why this title is especially important to me as a photographer.

Here’s a secret: If you really want to learn about something, write a book about it. Even if you know the material—in my case, digital photography—it’s another thing to turn around and teach that knowledge. You’ll gain a deeper knowledge, guaranteed.