25 Apr, 2008
Automator provides a graphical interface with which to define complex workflows that use either Mac OS X actions (such as Core Image or Core Video) or application actions (such as Finder or Aperture). Automator allows you to develop workflows that span applications, where performing the same functions manually would require you to work with each application.
Automated is bundled with Mac OS X and has been updated in Leopard. The screenshot below shows a typical Automator workflow, and is the workflow that is built as part of this article.
Note that this article is equally applicable to iPhoto, and Automator also includes a number of actions for iPhoto. The Mac OS X workflow actions are installed as part of the Mac OS X installation, where the application workflow actions are installed as part of the application installation. I was particularly impressed with the number of actions added by Microsoft Office 2008, across the Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Entourage applications. It seems that not all third-parties bundle actions with their applications, so it is good of Microsoft to provide such comprehensive support.
This article will guide you through a fairly basic workflow example, that will create a PDF contact sheet from a selected Aperture project. I have tried to demonstrate the core features of Automator, and provide a good starting point for you to explore further.
Automator can be used to streamline complex imaging workflows, automating the import, backup and export workflows associated with digital photography.
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25 Apr, 2008
Many people have turned to Rob Galbraith’s Compact Flash Performance Database when looking for new CF cards for their camera. Rob evaluated literally dozens of CF cards across most of the popular camera models from Canon and Nikon. It was a valuable source of information, and would help with the ‘is the SanDisk Extreme actually quicker than the Ultra ?’ questions. However, there have not been any updates to the database for quite a while.
Today, Rob has relaunched the database, with new features including sortable tables and test data for the Canon EOS 40D, EOS-1D Mark III and EOS-1Ds Mark III and the Nikon D300 and D3. An archive is also available for older camera models.
The new Card-to-Computer transfer speed page shows the performance of popular CF card readers when connected to a Mac laptop and desktop. Is Firewire 800 actually quicker than USB 2 ? (well, yes, but you knew that.)
The CF/SD Performance Database is a valuable asset to both amateur and professional photographers, and is recommended to anybody shopping for a new CF or SD card.
24 Apr, 2008
The recently released version 1.1 of the BorderFX plug-in provides compatibility with Aperture 2 and includes a number of new features. To quote the plug-in author,
An Aperture export plug-in that allows you to add borders to images when you export them.
This statement simplifies the BorderFX plug-in, which offers a powerful and flexible environment in which to add borders during the image export process. The BorderFX plugin is available for download from the Aperture Downloads page. For further details, head over to the plug-in authors site.
For the remainder of this article I will be covering the installation and configuration of the plug-in, and include a number of examples of the plug-in in action.
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23 Apr, 2008
Over the last few weeks I have been documenting the various adjustments available in iPhoto 08. Many people do not really make full use of the adjustments offered by iPhoto. With iPhoto 08, Apple has introduced image adjustments that were usually only previously found in professional image editing applications.
Each of the following articles concentrates on a specific set of iPhoto adjustments.
I hope you have enjoyed following this series of articles and that it will inspire you to start experimenting more with the adjustments. I will hopefully be revisiting the iPhoto adjustments in future articles, perhaps concentrating in more detail on one or two specific features.
22 Apr, 2008
This article is the last part of a series where I have covered the image adjustment features of iPhoto. Many users do not make full use of the adjustments offered by iPhoto. With iPhoto 08, Apple has introduced image adjustments that were usually only previously found in professional image editing applications.
Sharpness & Reduce Noise
The Sharpness & Reduce Noise tools allow you to adjust the edge and noise definition of an image.
Sharpness - Increasing the sharpness above the default increased the edge definition, giving the image a more crisp appearance.
Reduce Noise - Increasing the reduce noise above the default removes the peaks and troughs from the image textures, smoothing out the image.
For most image editing requirements, these adjustments should provide you with a very complete set of color adjustment tools. It should be noted that these tools operate on the whole photo. I have been in situations where I only wish to adjust a part of the image. In these cases, a more advanced image editing tool, such as Apple Aperture or Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop is required.
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22 Apr, 2008
The Aperture SDK (Software Development Kit) was announced a few weeks ago to much excitement in the Aperture community. Apple have today released the SDK and made available for download from Apple Developer Connection.
The SDK allows third-party developers to create Edit Plug-ins that can be integrated into the Aperture workflow. Two types of plug-ins are available for Aperture, Edit Plug-ins and Export Plug-ins. Edit plug-ins allow the Aperture adjustments to be extended to third-party image editing software and tools, similar to the plug-ins available for Photoshop. Export plug-ins allow Aperture to export images to third-party applications and services; examples include iStockPhoto and Picasa. The SDK supports development of Edit Plug-ins.
Apple included a sample ‘Dodge & Burn’ plug-in when they released Aperture 2.1 that showed the capabilities of the new plug-in architecture. There was some debate on forums regarding the requirement for Aperture to generate a TIFF file that is passed to the plug-in, rather than being more seamlessly integrated into the Aperture adjustments. This creates a break in the non-descructive editing workflow, requiring the plug-in to load and save a new version of the image. It will be interesting to see how developers overcome any hurdles that this may introduce.
A great site to bookmark is Aperture Plugged In, a site dedicated to the plug-ins available for Aperture.
Apple has already started to include plug-ins on the Aperture download page. The following demo plug-ins are available for download:
Other plug-ins known to be in development include:
For initial comments on the available plug-ins, Ian Wood has a great post over at Inside Aperture. Ian makes some good points regarding the increasing cost of plug-ins and the rather poor plug-in interface design of the initial plug-ins.
For people wishing to get their hands dirty, the SDK can be downloaded from Apple Developer Connection.
Hopefully we are seeing the start of an exciting time ahead for Aperture.
21 Apr, 2008
I have always been pretty poor at storing my compact flash cards, typically in the little plastic boxes they came in, and spread across my various photography bags. I have been searching for a sturdy case for multiple compact flash cards for a while, but have always been dissuaded due to the poor reviews they received. They were either not very strong or it was virtually impossible to insert and remove the cards.
Pelican have recently launched a range of tough storage cases for memory cards, including SD, mini SD, XD, Memory Sticks, and Compact Flash. I have always been a fan of the Pelican cases, and their gradual move to retail products has brought with it their expertise with strong, light and rugged cases.
The Pelican 0940 Memory Card Case measures 4.20″ x 2.30″ x 0.56″ (10.7 x 5.8 x 1.4 cm) and can store up to 4 compact flash cards. It is small enough that you could have it at hand in your jacket or camera bag. It is made from the same polycarbonate resin that have made Pelican famous. An additional liner tray is included for added storage (in place of 2 compact flash cards).
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17 Apr, 2008
I have always had an interest in the features that can be produced using specialist Tilt Shift lenses. Available from both Canon and Nikon, they allow the photographer to make tilt and shift adjustments relative to the image plane. However, these lenses are very expensive unless you will be specializing in this area. Even the cheaper Lensbaby is still expensive if, like me you only want to experiment with the techniques. However, there is a cheaper alternative using Adobe Photoshop.
Tilt shift photographs can produce some interesting results, making the image seem like it is in miniature.
Even though the effect is produced entirely in software, it can produce some amazing results. I have included some links to galleries at the end of this article. You will be amazed at what can be produced, and it shows that I have a long way to go …
This article was inspired by the great tutorial from Receding Hairline. Many thanks for the great work you have put into producing that article.
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16 Apr, 2008
Over the coming weeks I will be publishing a rang of articles covering each of the available Mac hardware platforms and looking at their applicability to digital photography.
We cannot all afford Mac Pro’s, so I will be trying to aim the discussions towards the target market for that particular platform. So rather than give any bias towards the more expensive Apple models, I will try to provide the key strengths and weaknesses for that platform.
The main areas I will be focusing on are:
- Performance and Capacity - how well does the hardware manage with the more intensive requirements of applications such as Aperture and Photoshop
- Expandability - can the hardware be expanded to accommodate increased performance or storage requirements
- Screen Size and Quality - if a screen is provided, how well does it perform when editing photos
If you are currently looking for a new Apple, I hope we can help to provide some good arguments for and against the various options you have.
11 Apr, 2008
In the previous article ‘iPhoto - Emailing Your Photos, we covered the method for sending photos using Mail directly from iPhoto. This feature is also available in Aperture, and whilst it will not be as widely used, it is worthwhile including.
We first need to set up our email preferences. Unlike iPhoto, these can be found in the main application preferences. Also unlike iPhoto, there are a wider number of options available. Start by opening the Aperture -> Preferences… menu and selecting the Export tab.
The Email images using drop down allows you to choose between the default Mail, Microsoft Entourage, Eudora and America Online. The other options are only available if the respective application has been installed on your Mac.
The Email Export Preset drop down allows you to choose from a wide range of image formats and sizes, including JPG, PNG, PSD ad TIFF. Aperture has included 3 defaults for emails, Email Small, Email Medium and Email Original Size, and these would typically be used.
Clicking the Edit… button allows you to adjust the default Aperture set of export presets.
To send a photo as an email, you simply select the photo from your library and choose the File -> Email… menu. This will create a mail message with the selected photo(s) embedded using the image settings selected earlier. As with iPhoto, multiple photos can also be selected.
With Aperture 2, Apple have further integrated Aperture into Mac OS X, giving an even more seamless experience.
