Tag Archives: ipad

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 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.

Jan 29 2013

128 GB iPad Is Great for Photographers

Apple announced today that the fourth-generation iPad with Retina Display will be available in a 128 GB model, doubling the former top capacity model for just $100 more. The Wi-Fi model costs $799, and the Wi-Fi + Cellular model costs $929. Both will be available starting February 5 in black and white. No other specifications for the iPad change.

The capacity bump is significant for photographers who want to store and review a lot of images in the field. Apple is also targeting this configuration for other professional users, emphasizing areas that need lots of storage such as architecture and music editing and creation. (See Adam Engst’s take in TidBITS: “Apple Aims New 128 GB iPad at Professional Users.”

Jan 15 2013

Meet Me at Macworld/iWorld Feb 2!

The Macworld/iWorld conference is coming up fast this month, where I’ll be giving a presentation about using the iPad in photography (“TT834: The iPad for Photographers: Rate, Tag, Edit, and Publish Photos from the Field”). It’s on Friday, Feb 1 at 2 p.m:

Tired of lugging a laptop on vacation or on location just to manage your photos? The iPad has become the next essential tool for your photo bag. Learn how to import photos from your camera — using the iPad Camera Connection Kit or wirelessly with an Eye-Fi memory card — and work with them on the iPad. Sort the promising shots from the creative accidents, assign ratings, and tag the photos with keywords for import into Lightroom. Edit the ones you’re most excited about using iPhoto and other iOS tools, and then share them online with your friends. The iPad lets you take advantage of all this during moments of downtime, without having to wait until you return to your Mac. Jeff Carlson, frequent Macworld speaker and author of The iPad for Photographers (Peachpit Press), shares his expertise so you can wrangle photos on the iPad without difficulty.

If you’ll be in San Francisco then and want to hear me speak, ask me questions, or just see what’s new and cool in the Apple world, you can get a free Expo pass or 50% off an iFan pass using this link: https://2013.macworldiworld.com/portal/registration/mwspeo13.

Jan 1 2013

Meet iPhoto for iOS

20130101-142337.jpgLooking for more detail about editing photos on the iPad or iPhone with Apple’s iPhoto for iOS? My friend Lisa L. Spangenberg has published a new ebook, Meet iPhoto for iOS. I find myself using iPhoto quite often when editing photos on the iPad. The book is only $5, and available from the iBookstore, Barnes & Noble (Nook format), and direct from Peachpit Press.

With this practical and invaluable guide, you’ll learn how to polish and share off your photos. Learn how to get images onto your iOS device; work with photos, albums, and events; edit and adjust photos; and share your finished work.

Dec 6 2012

Me and the Book in the New York Times and Chicago Tribune

Apparently it’s Jeff-in-the-Media Day!

Nick Bilton at the New York Times wrote a great overview article about using the iPad with photography: The iPad as a Hand-Held Darkroom.

Jeff Carlson, author of the book “The iPad for Photographers,” sometimes bypasses the iPad camera connection kit in favor of an EyeFi SD card and an app called ShutterSnitch ($16). EyeFi cards, which range from $40 to $100 depending on speed and memory size, can connect directly with your iPad wirelessly. Mr. Carlson said that although EyeFi offers a free app, ShutterSnitch is much faster and has a more advanced interface.

Mr. Carlson said he sometimes captures RAW images with his digital cameras. These are uncompressed and large files, often used by professional photographers because they preserve more of the image quality than standard JPEG files. To handle these files he sometimes uses the apps piRAWnha or Photoraw, both $10. But his favored application is Photosmith ($20) an advanced tool that can wirelessly transfer pictures to your desktop computer for printing or editing later.

It was awfully nice of him to link directly to the book on Amazon, too.

I was also interviewed a few weeks ago by Liz Granger at the Chicago Tribune, who included a couple of points from me in her good overview article A decent holiday photo — is that too much to ask?.