Trey Ratcliff On Creating HDR Images

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Go here to find out more about Trey, Photomatix Pro (the software he demos in this video), and a bunch of other software he recommends when shooting/processing HDR images.

Aperture 3.0 Versus Lightroom 2.0 / 3.0

Now that Apple has come out with a 3.0 version of Aperture, the competition between Adobe Lightroom and Aperture is heating up. From my perspective, there really hasn't been any competition until now.  I bought Aperture the moment it was announced, weeks before it was released, before I had heard anything about Lightroom. My early experience with Aperture was horrendous, as were many other users. The program was slow, buggy, and poorly supported. There was, in fact, a mini rebellion among many first adopters about all kinds of issues, including how much the program cost. When Lightroom came out -- and came out as a FREE (did I say FREE) demo -- many frustrated Aperture users, me included, took it for a test spin, migrated, and never looked back.

Until now.

While I haven't taken Aperture 3.0 for a spin yet, I plan to. In fact, while I haven't touched Aperture since version 1.0, I plan to upgrade to 3.0. That's because I want to use Aperture's wedding album / book making functions, which is sadly lacking in Lightroom. And while I'm at it, I also plan to try out some of the new features that people like Chase Jarvis and Joe McNally have been raving about. In advance of purchasing the $99.00 upgrade, I've spent some time watching the tutorials Apple has posted, which are great!

So what, exactly, are the pros and cons? How do these two titans compare to one another? Here's where you can find a few great reviews and feature-by-feature comparisons. The first piece, by Matt Kloskowski, is the best because it includes many real-world comparisons from people who have actually used both programs.

5 Reasons To Stay With Lightroom (And Not Switch To Aperture)
By Matt Kloskowski

Five Reasons For Switching From Lightroom 2 To Aperture 3
By Marco Davi

First Impressions Of Aperture 3
By Thomas Fitzgerald

Apple Aperture 3.0 Awesomeness
By Chase Jarvis

Aperture 3 Was My Idea
By Joe McNally

Apple's Aperture 3 Causing Significant Memory Leak For Many Users
By Seth Weintraub

PhotoTools 2.5: Wow!

I just finished upgrading to PhotoTools 2.5. I was impressed with 1.0, and used it all the time. 2.5 turns a "must have" Photoshop plugin into a "can't-live-without it" one. It's full of dazzling filters, effects, and presets (which can be easily stacked on top of one another) along with powerful editing tools that are well-designed and easy to use. The entire program is, in fact, a work of art. The PhotoTools home page is located here. A bunch of very helpful PhotoTools video tutorials is located here. OnOne, the company that produces PhotoTools, also has a bunch of other great software products, and more video tutorials to go along with them. Another one of my favorites is FocalPoint. I haven't upgraded that one yet, but plan to. If you're serious about photography, and are looking for ways to speed up your work flow and, at the same time, increase the quality of your finished images, the onOne suite of programs is worth checking out. They also offer a 30-day free trial period...

Before & After Photoshop, Viveza, PhotoTools

Here's an example of a before and after photo I recently tweaked using Photoshop CS4, Viveza 2, PhotoTools 1.0. I love Photoshop and the amazing plugins that put it in overdrive...

Super Cool Password Protection Program: 1Password

Here's another super cool software program for Mac users: 1Password. Along with providing ironclad protection for your passwords (and automatically generating strong passwords for you), 1Password also provides a place to store other sensitive information, such as bank and credit card numbers, software serial numbers, and more. It's also beautifully designed and easy to use. Check it out!

Kelby TV

Your one-stop source to learn everything about Photoshop, Lightroom, Nikon, and photography in general, including an endless stream of easy to understand tips from pros who know what they are talking about. Go here to pick from hundreds of fast-paced, informative, user-friendly programs.

Skitch

Now this is cool. I use it all the time. Skitch!

Download YouTube Videos To Your Computer

Want to download YouTube videos to your computer, iPod, or PlayStation Portable, here's what I use: TubeSock.

Viveza 2

I first reported on Viveza in March of 2009. Viveza 2 arrived a couple months ago and I finally got around to upgrading. The creators of Viveza have added a lot of cool features to an already "must-have" plugin. Scott Kelby, Editor of Photoshop User Magazine describes Viveza 2 as "a time-saver and 'game changer' for anyone who makes a living at photography. Mind-blowingly easy and incredibly accurate!" I concur. You can find out more by going here.

Data Rescue 3

In the past I have used Disk Warrior and TechTool Pro to attempt to resurrect hard drives gone bad. Recently, I heard about Data Rescue 3. I haven't purchased this software yet, but plan to. If you have any experience with it, let me know what you think. It is available for both Macs and PCs.

Product Description:

"Data Rescue 3 is the best digital data recovery software on the market for recovering files from a problem hard drive or that have been previously deleted. Data Rescue 3 is for computer data recovery and works when other tools fail. Data Rescue 3 is also completely safe to use since it does not attempt any risky repairs to the drive it's scanning. Data Rescue 3 is the safest, most powerful software for data recovery. Data Rescue 3 is the same software used by many data recovery services! Data Rescue 3 has saved our customers from having to use a data recovery service, which can cost thousands.

"You will need to save your recovered files to either an internal or external hard drive (USB or FireWire), removable media device (such as a Zip or MO) or a networked drive.

"Q: Why is Data Rescue 3 different than other products on the market?

"A: Focusing on data recovery, instead of hard drive repair, Data Rescue 3 will work in more cases, recover more effectively, and deliver your files in better condition than other utilities you may have tried in the past. Data Rescue 3 analyzes your entire hard drive looking for your data, then it meticulously re-assembles your files and stores them to a different location."

AppZapper for Mac Users

I came across this little jewel last night, downloaded it, took it for a spin, and was so impressed I bought it and started "zapping" (getting rid of) lots of old, unused programs and their corresponding (and often very difficult to find) files. Extremely easy to use and did exactly what it promised without mucking anything up. It's also beautifully designed and inexpensive: $12.95. All Mac users should have this: AppZapper for Mac Users.

50 Photo Apps For Mac Users

50 Mac-friendly applications for various areas of photography: organizing, post-processing, geo-tagging, panoramas, HDR images, uploading/sharing images, and more.

Dreamweaver CS4 YouTube Tutorials

Dreamweaver CS4 YouTube Tutorials
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