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+ Exciting News For LucisArt Fans! (06/08/2008 - 13:06:25)

Exciting News For LucisArt Fans!

I'm very excited to announce that Barbara Williams from Image Content Technology LLC has confirmed some major new changes to the Lucis stable will be arriving imminently. I'll go into more detail shortly, but first a few words about LucisArt 2.

"LucisArt 2 is incredible image-processing software that professional photographers and digital artists have been using for years to quickly and easily create beautiful artist effects.

Creativity: With LucisArt you will quickly and easily explore the creative potential of your image. Once you see a version of your image that you like you may be able to determine how to approximately duplicate that LucisArt artistic effect using other methods. But that is time consuming. And you would not know that the LucisArt version of your image was even possible except for LucisArt revealing it to you. Use LucisArt multiple times or in conjunction with other image processing methods to even further expand the variety of artistic effects.

Time savings: Professional photographers need to quickly repair images and create salable artistic effects. LucisArt lets you quickly explore your image and see what it could become. You will create artistic effects in a few minutes that would take much longer to even approximately achieve with other image processing methods (if those artistic effects could be achieved at all). This could save hours of image-processing time for professionals processing a few dozen images.

Effectively no learning curve: The LucisArt controls are intuitive and easy to use. There is no manual. Create your first LucisArt image in as little as 5 minutes.

Value: Professional photographers are looking to differentiate themselves from their primary competition - their customers. In addition to the time savings, professional photographers could charge for adding LucisArt special effects and secure artistic image sales from customers no longer interested in purchasing realistic photography."

Please check the link here for examples: http://www.lucisart.com/lucisart-2-effects-features.htm

OK, so now we move onto the exciting new developments. Users of LucisArts, whilst loving the results they could achieve, would be the first to acknowledge that it had a rather dated interface. Not only has this been completely revamped, it has been totally updated and a host of new features and levels of control have been added.

"What are the differences between LucisArt 2 and the soon-to-be-released LucisArt 3?

LucisArt 2 has special effects that were developed from presets taken from the full Lucis algorithm. LucisArt 2 is very powerful software. However it is now older software- the preview window is very small and the zoom controls need improvement. The Macintosh LucisArt 2 will not work in Photoshop CS3 on an Intel Macintosh computer. LucisArt 2 is not guaranteed to work in Photoshop CS4 or Elements 7 when they are released.

LucisArt 3 does not have the breadth of special effects that LucisArt 2 has. LucisArt 3 focuses on one thing only- accurately enhancing image detail. Enhancing image detail was the special effect customers used the most in LucisArt 2. LucisArt 2 has 12 presets for enhancing image detail- seven presets in the Effect Exposure and 5 presets in the special effect Whyeth. LucisArt 3 will have an Enhance Detail slider that can be altered in increments of 2 intensity levels. This is up to 125 settings for a typical 8-bit image and up to 16,000 settings for a 16-bit image.

LucisArt 3 will allow you to enhance image detail to any level- from subtle to extreme. LucisArt 3 will allow you to create DHR effects from a single image and repair image exposure.

The Windows LucisArt 3 will work in Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Elements 6 on a Windows XP computer or Windows Vista computer. The Macintosh LucisArt 3 requires an Intel Macintosh computer. If needed a free or low-cost upgrade will be provided to LucisArt 3 owners so LucisArt 3 will operate in Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Elements 7 when they are released.

Both LucisArt 2 and LucisArt 3 only process 8-bit RGB and grayscale images. LucisArt 2 retails for $189 for the downloadable software and $219 plus shipping and handling for the CD. LucisArt 3 retails for $279 for the downloadable software and $309 plus shipping and handling for the CD. Special LucisArt 2 to LucisArt 3 upgrade pricing will be available until 10/31/2008. Please visit the online store for details.

Click here to see a draft of the LucisArt 3 User Interface and and overview of its planned capabilities. This software is currently underdevelopment so this information is subject to change.

When LucisArt 3 is released (estimate 9/1/2008) LucisArt 2 sales may continue for an unspecified amount of time. LucisArt 2 sales may be discontinued without notice."

And now onto Lucis Pro 6.

"What are the differences between the soon-to-be-released LucisArt 3 compared and the soon-to-be-released Lucis Pro 6.0

LucisArt 3 is basically the Enhance Detail slider and the Mix With Original Image slider in Lucis Pro 6.0. So both programs allow you to enhance image detail with a slider that can be altered in increments of two intensity levels. This is 125 settings for an 8-bit image.

LucisArt 3 will process 8-bit images. Lucis Pro 6.0 will process 16-bit grayscale and RGB images. So the Enhance Detail slider in Lucis Pro 6.0 has 16,000 settings for a 16-bit image.

LucisArt 3 will have demo software and will not have a dongle. Lucis Pro 6.0 will not have demo software and will be protected by a dongle.

What are the features of the new Lucis Pro 6.0?

Please note that the following description assumes that you are familiar with LucisArt 2. Lucis Pro 6.0 is an Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 and an Adobe® Photoshop® Elements plug-in.

NEW: Shift and view the entire content of your RGB or grayscale image using two sliders, one which enhances image detail and features and one which smoothes image detail and features. Each slider can be altered in increments of two intensity levels. That’s 125 settings for an 8-bit image and 16,000 setting for a 16-bit image. LucisArt 2 had just twelve presets from all the possible Lucis settings.

NEW: Process the grayscale information in each RGB channel separately using split channel mode. How these grayscale images overlap determine image detail and color. Changing these grayscale images creates shifts in detail, accents, and color. It is another way to add drama or surrealism to your image.

NEW: Time-saving color control. Lucis Pro processes intensity information. So there are color shifts when processing color images. These color shifts may or may not be desirable. Lucis Pro has a color assign slider so you can assign a percentage of the original image’s color to the Lucis Pro image. With LucisArt 2 you had to use layers in Photoshop to correct any color shifts.

NEW: You have the option to increase or decrease the Scan Lines*. Increasing the number of Scan Lines eliminates radial artifacts that sometimes occur, especially when you are smoothing an image (something the LucisArt 2 could not do). Decreasing Scan Lines creates radial artifacts, which was the basis for the special effect Plaid1 to Plaid 3 in LucisArt 2.

NEW: Improved user interface. Adjustable preview window and improved zoom controls.

NEW: Process 8-16 bit grayscale and color images in a variety of formats.

NEW: Faster image processing and less memory use.

NEW: Macintosh- Intel Macintosh and Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop Elements 6 compatible.

NOT NEW: Windows Vista, Windows XP and Photoshop CS3 Photoshop Elements 6 compatible.

NOT NEW: There is a Mix slider so you can mix the Lucis image with a percentage of the original image, just like LucisArt 2.

*A note about Scan Lines: During Lucis Processing each pixel is compared to every other pixel along Scan Lines. Increasing the number of Scan Lines removes any radial artifacts that can be produced by the Lucis processing. With LucisArt you cannot increase the number of Scan Lines so if artifacts are produced you can’t remove them. Lucis Pro 6.0 lets you increase the number of Scan Lines so the radial artifacts can be removed. Setting the Scan Lines to the lowest values (1-4) created numerous radial artifacts which create an interesting artistic effect. This is the basis for the LucisArt special effect Plaid."

OK, so if this has whet your appetite (and believe me, it should!), then I have another bit of good news for readers of this blog.

Barbara has very kindly given me a code to pass on to you that will give you a $70 saving when you buy the beta when it becomes available on the 18/08/2008! (It should be noted that this is a limited offer and is subject to change or cancellation without notice). To benefit from this offer, you should enter the following code in the checkout at the time of purchase: BAW1234

There are of course options to upgrade at a discount, if you already own a licence for one of the previous versions and you should visit http://www.lucisart.com for details on pricing.

If you haven't already experienced the amazing results you can achieve with this fantastic piece of software, I strongly recommend you visit http://www.lucisart.com/lucisart-2-demo.htm and download the demo. I guarantee you'll be amazed.

Now this isn't a shameless plug; I only rave about products that I have used myself and stand behind 100%, as is the case here. If you'd like to see one of my photos that I used LucisArts 2 on, please check my Gallery and take a look at the Cathedral photo.

Until next time!

Photoshop Actions

For those of you that enjoy taking photos and want to bring out the best in them, then you should go and visit Jodi at www.mcpactions.com.

Jodi creates actions that you can use in Photoshop and they really are superb. Besides saving you a lot of time, the results are quite possibly better than those you could achieve without them; unless you're a real whizz with Photoshop.

I've read a lot of training books on Photoshop and have watched a lot of online training; most, if not all, has been extremely valuable and I have learnt a heck of a lot, but these actions really do make the whole process so much simpler.

You can see two of the images I used her actions on in my portraits gallery, called 'Brona ~ Black and White' and 'Sandra ~ Black and White'. Two very different shots and both looking very nice (at least, I think so!). To see some great 'Before & After' shots, visit her site and take a look for yourself. She has a few freebies there for you to try out and there are many different sets for different purposes you can buy.

You can also check out the Flickr MCP Actions group at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/mcpactions. It's still a pretty small group, so why not join? We'd all like to see your work with these fantastic actions.

That's all for now, but why not add your comments and let me know what you think of them or if there's something else you'd like to see here.

'Til next time, keep shooting!

Mike.

The MacBook Pro

Well, my MacBook Pro arrived and I have to say that I'm extremely impressed. It's a fantastic piece of kit and the screen is superb. It's the brightest screen I've ever used when turned up to full brightness and features a light sensor which not only automatically adjusts the brightness depending on ambient lighting, but also illuminates the keyboard. Now this may sound like a gimmick, but once you've used it and then go back to a keyboard that isn't illuminated, you immediately appreciate this feature.

It's fast, quiet and is up and running five minutes after taking it out of the box; when I say that, I also mean it's connected to your wireless network. No technical knowledge required.

I'm also pleased to say that I made the right choice in going for the 15.4" screen instead of the 17". The 15" really is still pretty big and seems to be fine for photo editing; OK, the 17" would have been better if it was just going to live on my desk, but I do travel quite regularly and having already carried this one in my backpack along with my Nikon and various accessories, I know that I'll be grateful for not having to lug an extra half kilo around an airport all day. Of course an external display is always an option for use when at home, and can be bought from £150 upwards. The laptop is provided with a DVI to VGA cable, so it can even be hooked up to your TV, although I would only really recommend doing this if you have an HD TV. The MacBook Pro will automatically adjust your resolution if you don't own an HD TV, but obviously you lose a considerable amount of sharpness.

The other thing that I have quickly discovered I can't know live without, is the much publicised trackpad. Using two fingers to scroll up and down, rotate images, zoom in and zoom out is amazing. You can also move backwards and forwards through web pages, swiping side-to-side with three fingers, which is superb. Drag and click, as well as right-clicking is also a snap, all done without having to click a single button! Once you've been using these gestures, even for a short time, you find yourself automatically trying to do them on other machines and getting annoyed when you remember it won't work on these!

Now that Apple are using Intel processors, you also have the option of utilising BootCamp. This is a simple to use tool that allows you to set up a version of Windows on the computer, in addition to the Mac OS X. This way, you can choose to boot into Windows should you have software that won't run on the Mac.

All in all, I'm extremely pleased with it. The only gripe I have, coming from a desktop machine, is that writing DVD's takes an age, but then again, this is a laptop with an 8x drive, not a 16x you get in a desktop PC and I'm quite happy to live with that.

OK, so as you can see, I'm extremely pleased with this new tool and would unreservedly recommend one to anybody looking for a machine of this power. It's easy to get to grips with the Mac operating system, even more so if you invest in a book such as 'Mac OS X Leopard - The Missing Manual' by David Pogue. It's an excellent book that explains in a very straightforward way, just how to get the most out of this incredible software.

Until next time.

I've Taken The Plunge...

...and ordered a MacBook Pro. I completely rebuilt my PC, including deleting then recreating the RAID Stripe, which seems to have resolved the issue, so I sold it. I guess I'll never know if there really was an imminent failure on the way, but was basically fed up with the machine and Vista.

I'm still working on the smaller MacBook, but the 13" screen is just too small for any photo editing, so I haven't really got much in the way of work done recently. Once the MBP arrives in the next week or so, I'm hoping to get back up to speed.

So, in the end, I opted for the 15.4" model, rather than the 17". This was for a couple of reasons; firstly, I travel quite a lot, so the smaller size should make quite a difference, especially as I'll be carrying it in the same bag as my camera equipment. Believe me, when you're traipsing around airports all day, half a kilo makes a big difference! Also the performance ratings in various magazines and online reviews indicate that the 15" model is actually slightly faster; not so much as to make a big difference, but it's faster nonetheless and the battery life is slightly longer. If I rarely travelled, I would have gone for the 17" with higher resolution, but I can always get an external display if I find that the screen isn't quite large enough. I'll let you know when I've had a chance to work with it.

Incidentally, as an English guy living in Germany, I was pleasantly surprised to find that www.apple.com/de offer a free upgrade to and English keyboard and documentation, so that's pretty cool. They also throw in a free laptop case, worth about €70, although I have no idea how long this particular offer might be running for.

So that's why there hasn't been much activity here recently. Once I've had a chance to do some work with the new machine when it arrives, I'll post an update with my thoughts on it, particularly with regard to the 15" v. 17" question.

Until then...

Take a bite of the Apple?

OK, so it's taken a little while longer than anticipated to update this, but better late than never. In my defense, I have been quite busy. So now I have a little update for you and a couple of useful links.

Firstly, I've been working on a group of family portrait shots with a difference. The client is one of the top hair stylists in Germany and he wanted something a little out of the ordinary to brighten up a large expanse of white wall in the living room of his home. He was quite specific in his description of what he wanted, but it still left much imagination required on my part. (He's Spanish-speaking by birth, but also speaks fluent German and very little English; I speak no Spanish and very little German, so getting a detailed brief was quite tricky!) There was an element of trial and error involved, but as luck would have it, out of the four ideas I initially presented him with after the shoot, he chose one, so that made life a lot easier.

He asked for the figures to be black and white, but the backgrounds to be very bright. With this in mind, I did a shoot with the family and got him to choose the shots he wanted there and then on the laptop. You can see the results in the Portraits section of my gallery. I’m actually quite excited to see how they look printed on canvas. I have had one of my still-life shots put on canvas by www.postermix.de and I was extremely pleased with the results. It’s not cheap, but when you take delivery, you can see immediately that it’s worth it.

I was in Croatia visiting family last week, so there should be some interesting shots coming soon, although there is one already in the gallery called ‘Husky,’ that was taken whilst there. I was walking in the park and simply asked his owners if I could take his photo. Not only did they approve, one of them held his leash whilst the other stood behind me, talking to the dog to ensure he looked towards me. Just goes to show, many people are actually very approachable when asked. It’s always worth a try, as you could end up with more than you were hoping for. I got the nicest couple of shots of the day. Don’t be too shy or embarrassed to ask...

Am off to Madrid this week for a few days, so hopefully will be able to get some great shots. Really could do with picking up a carbon fibre travel tripod at this rate!

Had catastrophic issues with my PC over the last couple of weeks. I keep getting messages in POST (Power On Self-Test) that there has been a problem with one of the RAID drives. I’ve run all the diagnostics that Dell have asked me to, even a few of my own, but not only do they take an eternity to run, they say that there are no faults found! Vista tells me that a RAID drive is in imminent danger of giving up the ghost and that I should backup immediately (which of course I do every day), whilst Lightroom frequently tells me that I need to free up 20Mb on my main drive so that it can backup the catalogue; I have 180Gb free on that drive! I’m very seriously considering dumping the PC and getting a 17” MacBook Pro. My girlfriend recently bought a MacBook, which I’ve been using a lot, and I’m extremely impressed; very fast boot up times, logical OS, excellent design and proven reliability. It’s taking a while to get to know all the keyboard shortcuts, but I’m very surprised at how quickly a 12-year Wintel veteran can adapt to the Mac camp. If you’re a PC user thinking to upgrade for whatever reason, you could do worse than to at least look into the Mac alternatives out there. You may be pleasantly surprised. In the interim, take a look at www.apple.com; they have all their products online, along with some great demos of their operating system (OS X Leopard), programs and hardware. Well worth a look.

Lastly, Adobe have launched the Adobe Media Player. This is a free download and links to a whole load of free watchable media via the wonderful world of the Interweb. Marvellous. Some of the media isn’t available if you live outside of the USA, but much it is, specifically a whole bunch that’s for Photoshop users. If you’d like to pick up some free hints and tips, it’s the ideal way to find them. Just install the player, then look in the catalog for Science & Technology or even more simply, do a search for ‘photoshop.'

OK, until next time, take care and have fun!

Welcome to the blog!

Let's face it, it was inevitable. I was going to do this one of these days, so here it is. My humble attempt at trying to funnel my inane internal ramblings into something even mildly interesting for those that end up here through some freakish techno-accident.

All that aside, welcome. This is where I shall be adding links to favourite sites, resources, tutorials, reviews, etc, as well as hopefully adding more than a little input of my own. I hope that you, dear reader, will find it useful, if not interesting.

To start us off, why don't you head over to NAPP, the National Association of Photoshop Professionals? they have a whole heap of tutorials, tips and all of the back episodes of Photoshop TV. If you're into Photoshop, you really should consider signing up. It's not expensive, but it really is useful. here's the link: www.photoshopuser.com.

I just got hold of one of the AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm 1:3.5-5.6G ED VR lenses and I have to say that so far, I'm extremely impressed. Especially with the VR (Vibration Reduction) technology. This helps compensate for any slight movements you make while taking shot, helping to ensure lack of blur. This is extremely useful at the 200mm end of the range. I have already taken several hand-held shots in overcast conditions and come home with perfectly sharp and blur-free photos. I'll be posting some examples for you here soon.

Until next time...

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