KPG October Meeting Follow-Up

I presented the 5:30 portion of October's Killbuck Photo Guild meeting covering two subjects - saving images for digital projection at the monthly meetings and the iPad. I wanted to post some of what I covered here on the blog for anyone that missed it.

Saving Your Images for KPG Digital Viewing

When saving images for submission to be shown digitally at the meetings, there are a few things you need to follow to make sure your image will look as good as possible:

•  save your image with the largest dimension equaling 2000 pixels
• make sure the resolution is set at 72 pixels per inch
• save the image as a high quality jpeg file
• if you're decreasing the size of the image a great deal, you may need to add a little sharpening to counteract the size decrease.
• try to remember to use the naming convention we introduced tonight - it will help Mia with photo organization for the meetings and the website

At the meeting I showed how to accomplish this using Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, iPhoto, and Aperture. I also created some Photoshop Actions and a Lightroom Export Preset to make it even easier for you. You can download those on my Downloads page. If I didn't cover the application you use and you're having trouble, just send me a message and I'll help you figure it out.

As for the naming convetion, this is what we're using going forward:

yourname_Mon_#_web.jpg

your name = your name

Mon = the month of the meeting (three letter abbreviation)

# = the image number for the month (should be 1, 2, or 3; if it's a bonus image use 4 or B)

web = include this suffix if you'd like the image to be included on the KPG website; if you don't want the image to be included on the website, leave it off.

Then make sure you email your images to killbuckphoto-1234@email.phanfare.com.

The iPad

I'm not going to cover everything I said, but I'll list the applications and accessories I mentioned during the meeting. In case you missed the meeting and wonder how I like the iPad... I don't like it, I LOVE it!

1. Photos app (included with the iPad)
2. Camera Connection Kit - import photos/videos from SD card or camera/iPhone via USB cable
3. iBooks app - for viewing pdf or epub files, including ones you create
4. Keynote - Apple's version of Powerpoint, for creating and viewing slideshows on the iPad
5. Pages - Apple's version of MS Word for the iPad for creating epub files or invoices
6. TouchUp - brush in/out adjustments with your finger, including sepia, contrast, color, brightness, saturation, tint, and more
7. Photoshop Express - basic image editing including rotations, color changes, filters, effects, and borders
8. Easy Release - model release forms can be signed on the spot right on the iPad
9. LightTrac - determine when the sun is going to be at a certain angle from your location
10. StarWalk - amazing app that helps you find constellations and the path of the sun
11. Square - swipe or enter credit card numbers for instant payments
12. VGA Dock Connector - hook up your iPad to a VGA display for showing others; doesn't work with all apps
13. Mail, Calendar, Contacts - carry you're info with you everywhere, on a beautiful display that's easy to type on

Here's a few more apps that I really like that I talked about to a few other people after the presentation:

1. Netflix - stream movies right to the iPad
2. ABC Player - watch ABC television shows with a fewer commercials
3. Epicurious - a great cookbook for your kitchen

And just a few more that photographers may find interesting:

1. Digital Photographer Magazine app - just like the print version, except on your iPad, and cheaper (at least on a per issue basis)
2. SmugMug - if you have a SmugMug, you can view your images there
3. ShutterSnitch - wirelessly transfer images from your camera using an eye-fi card to the iPad
4. Camera-A and Camera-B - use your iPhone camera as a remote camera for the iPad
5. DSLR Camera Remote Pro - use the iPad (or an iPhone) as a remote for your DSLR camera

If you have any specific questions about either of these topics, just drop me a line using the contact link above.

Webinar Follow-Up

To those of you who participated in my Aperture 3 webinar - THANK YOU! I hope you found it beneficial. Feel free to leave a comment below on anything you liked, didn't like, or any question you might have.

If you'd like to view the storyboard video or the edited movie, it's online at my MobileMe Galleries. You'll need a login and password to access it (remember how easy it was to create those in Aperture?):

user = webinar

password = Aperture3

Aperture 3 Webinar Today!

Today is the day! Join me live (it's not too late to sign up) for a free webinar, produced by New Media Webinars, Aperture 3 for Final Cut Pro Users. Click on the ad to the right and it will take you to where you need to go. Webinar starts at 1pm ET / 10am PT.