Over at Macworld, I offer four suggestions to make iPhoto usable again.
Category Archives: Software
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.
iTunes 11 Thinks Different about iOS Devices
Apple released iTunes 11 today, which sports a revamped interface—and a slightly new way of interacting with iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches. Over at TidBITS, I detail what’s new and different: iTunes 11 Thinks Different about iOS Devices.
Instagram Halloween Costume Shoots and Displays Photos
This is great: Eric Micotto made an “Instagram” Halloween costume that shoots photos. He’s capturing shots using a Nikon D800, which are saved to an Eye-Fi wireless SD card, then transmitted via Wi-Fi to an iPad running ShutterSnitch stashed on the back of his costume.
A Nice Dropbox Update for iPad
I hate seeing the little number on the App Store icon that indicates software updates are available, so I try to keep my iPad’s software updated regularly. Today, I saw a welcome addition to the mobile version of Dropbox:
“Full-size photos used when printing and saving to the camera roll”
Whenever possible, I want every app to use the full-sized version of any photo (or give me a very clear indication of how I can choose a size), so this is good news.
Watch my Photo Club Webcast
The replay of my Peachpit Photo Club webcast is now live. See how to wirelessly transfer photos from any camera to the iPad — live! Watch as I edit photos in iPhoto for iOS! Marvel at how I can start the presentation without realizing that I hadn’t yet shared my screen with the rest of the webcast! (Whoops. Thanks to my wonderful editor for breaking in and pointing that out. It’s just the first couple of minutes.)
I had a great time doing this presentation — enough to consider doing this type of thing more often. Maybe a few Google+ hangouts going into more depth on some features? Let me know in the comments if that’s something you’d like to see.
Google Acquires Snapseed Developer
Very interesting: According to The Verge, Google is buying Nik Software, creators of the excellent photo-editing app Snapseed. The folks who work directly with Snapseed are moving from San Diego to Google’s Mountain View, CA headquarters to work on Google+.
I’m guessing an Android version of the app is almost completed internally, and Google will focus its efforts on offering a top-flight image editor based on Snapseed. But I also hope this doesn’t mean the iOS and Mac versions wither as a result.
[If you don't already own my book, here's a sample chapter that explains how to edit photos in Snapseed.]
Modern Photo Convenience
My daughter’s daycare starts the school year by asking parents to bring in a bunch of photos—of family members, friends, house, and other things that help express who each kid is. The photos are sometimes trimmed and turned into a collage, then mounted on a long wall for everyone to see.
If you’re like me, you can see where this is going. Photos… printed on paper? I never print photos anymore, and don’t own—nor have the desire to buy—a photo printer. And, of course, because I wasn’t paying attention, the daycare needed the photos today.
This is why I love living in the modern world. It turned out to be no problem.
I pulled the images together that I wanted (some from Lightroom, some lying about on my Mac desktop, some already on my iOS devices) and uploaded them to Walgreens, a national drugstore chain that has several locations near me. It turned out to be more convenient for me to do this on my Mac today, but I could have easily also used the Walgreens for iPad app, which I discuss in the book.
I uploaded the image files, chose how many copies of each print I wanted, and placed the order. I specified that I wanted to pick up the prints at a Walgreens just a few blocks away from the coffee shop where I was working this morning. The total cost was about $2, and I paid with a credit card online.
Less than 30 minutes later, I received an email telling me the prints were ready for pickup. A short walk later on the way to lunch, I had the prints in hand, and they look great. At no point did I have to worry about printer ink, dropping off negatives or digital files, or even working with an in-store kiosk.
Laminar app [was] free this week
[Update: The free deal apparently expired on June 29.]
I haven’t used it yet, but it’s worth checking out: Laminar, a photo-editing app for iPad, is free this week at the iTunes Store. According to my friend Jim Heid, some people refer to Laminar as “Lightroom for the iPad.”
iPhoto for iOS: Essential Features for Photographers
Peachpit has posted my latest article, which covers features of iOS for Photographers: iPhoto for iOS: Essential Features for Photographers. If you’ve already downloaded the addendum to the book, there’s no new information, but it is a great intro to what photographers can appreciate about iPhoto for people new to the program.
It also gave me a chance to spotlight one of my favorite features of iPhoto, which also happens to be mostly useless. Here’s a hint:
