Power WACOM tips Unleashed

 Seminars, Team Digital, Tips & Tricks, Wacom, workflow – smarter & better  Comments Off
May 092012
 

tips and tricksFrom last night’s seminar :

Brent says ~ “If you think of the switches on your stylus as just being left or right keys, you will turn it into little more than a mouse of a different shape. It’s far better to work out the most common tools you use, or tasks you do, in a particular application, and then adjust the preferences to achieve that efficiently.”

Photoshop CS5
€” front switch to Alt/Opt. This means that whenever I have the Clone or Healing brushes selected I can front switch & tap (the same as Alt-click on a mouse) to set my sample point. When I have a brush I can front switch & tap to sample the colour.
€” back switch to X. To toggle between foreground & background colours easily when painting on a Mask

Lightroom 4
€” front switch to D. This means I can choose an image in the Library and then directly open it in the Develop module
€” back switch to K. To activates the Adjustment Brush (M for the Graduated Filter might be preferred by some people) for local adjustments

Premiere Pro CS5.5
€” front switch to V. This gives me the Selection tool
€” back switch to C. This accesses the Razor tool for slicing up footage or tracks
Yes, you can turn your touch-ring into a jog/shuttle wheel :grin:

 

 

Canvas Size Problem

 Printing, Problem Solved, Team Digital, Tips & Tricks  Comments Off
Oct 212011
 

Have you had canvases that haven’t printed to the size you expected?

Since Canvas is generally thicker than the media type being selected in the print driver, the actual image can print smaller than its Photoshop dimensions. This really shows up when you are trying to get an exact image edge on a canvas to put it onto a pre-cut stretcher frame.

Whilst its not an exact science €”there can be other variables like brand of canvas, humidity, media selection, etc. €”this solution will help.

• In the Epson print driver, choose €œPaper configuration €

• In the “Paper Configuration” section, locate the “Paper Feed Adjustment” and drag the slider to the right.
There are too many variables to give hard and fast figures, but the compensation required will usually be around + 35 but it it can be as high as +55

Enjoy :)

 

 

iTeaser Night Tip for iPads and iPhones

 Apple, Apps, Events, iPad, Seminars, Software, Team Digital, Tips & Tricks, ¡Teaser  1 Response »
Jun 032011
 

Closing App’s on the iPhone and the iPad. A lot of people don’t know that just by moving on to another app doesn’t shut down the current app . Try it for yourself and see how many app’s you have open, the current record is about 40. Anyway this is how you shut down apps. This doesn’t delete the app from the iPhone or iPad, it will simply close it, this will return precious processing power and will also use less battery power.

To close the iPhone or iPad app, you must open your task bar. Do this by pressing down the home button at the bottom of your iPhone or iPad twice in a row. The home button is the round button you use to close iPhone or iPad apps. When you double click the home button, a task bar will appear showing your most recently used apps.

Touch one of the app icons and hold your finger against it until the icons begin to shake. A red button with a minus sign will appear at the top of the icons. When you see this button, you can release your finger and then simply tap the button for any app you want to close.

So if you’ve got more than 40 open let us know, let see what the record will be.

Fake Anti-Virus software ‘MacDefender’ – don’t be fooled.

 Software, Team Digital, Tips & Tricks  Comments Off
May 262011
 

While Apple Macintosh computers enjoy very little (almost zero) trouble from viruses there is some malicious software(malware) on the internet at the moment that targets Macintosh computer owners.

The recent ‘Mac Defender’ fake anti-virus malware is software that tries to install itself on your computer, and then ask for your credit card details, under the guise of offering to remove a non-existent virus infection. This type of software, really common in the Windows world, is sometimes called a Trojan horse. While not technically a virus, as it can’t spread itself automatically from one computer to another, it can still trick the unsuspecting.

Apple have released a Support article on their website with their response to this recent malware and along with instructions on how to remove it. Better still, avoid installing it in the first place.

Just follow this link for Apple’s advice.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4650

In general a high degree of caution and common sense should be exercised when using the internet.

Some Quick Tips:

Only install software from origins you know.

Don’t type in your username and password to install software you haven’t asked for.

Importantly, don’t give out your credit card or other sensitive personal information on the internet.

Avoid doing financial transactions over the internet from internet cafes and on public wi-fi hotspots.

Check your computer for viruses regularly, especially if it is behaving strangely.

Commercial Anti-Virus software:

Intego Virusbarrier

Sophos

Donationware Anti-Virus software:

ClamXav

 

Fake Anti-Virus software 'MacDefender' – don't be fooled.

 Software, Team Digital, Tips & Tricks  Comments Off
May 262011
 

While Apple Macintosh computers enjoy very little (almost zero) trouble from viruses there is some malicious software(malware) on the internet at the moment that targets Macintosh computer owners.

The recent ‘Mac Defender’ fake anti-virus malware is software that tries to install itself on your computer, and then ask for your credit card details, under the guise of offering to remove a non-existent virus infection. This type of software, really common in the Windows world, is sometimes called a Trojan horse. While not technically a virus, as it can’t spread itself automatically from one computer to another, it can still trick the unsuspecting.

Apple have released a Support article on their website with their response to this recent malware and along with instructions on how to remove it. Better still, avoid installing it in the first place.

Just follow this link for Apple’s advice.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4650

In general a high degree of caution and common sense should be exercised when using the internet.

Some Quick Tips:

Only install software from origins you know.

Don’t type in your username and password to install software you haven’t asked for.

Importantly, don’t give out your credit card or other sensitive personal information on the internet.

Avoid doing financial transactions over the internet from internet cafes and on public wi-fi hotspots.

Check your computer for viruses regularly, especially if it is behaving strangely.

Commercial Anti-Virus software:

Intego Virusbarrier

Sophos

Donationware Anti-Virus software:

ClamXav

 

Updating copyright metadata templates

 Team Digital, Tips & Tricks, workflow – smarter & better  Comments Off
Jan 012011
 

N.B. for Adobe Photoshop CS 3-5 and Lightroom v2-3

Well its that time of the year again :
2011 has ticked over, and your copyright metadata templates for Photoshop &/or Lightroom need to be updated to reflect this.

Adobe ® Photoshop metadata template update

  • open Bridge
  • choose Tools–> Edit Metadata Template
  • in the Edit Metadata Template dialogue box, key in a suitable name in the Template Name field
  • scroll down through the list until the Copyright field is located and change the year to 2011
  • click the [Save] button

Whilst this has created a new copyright template, it hasn’t been applied to any images. This new template is accessible from both the Append Metadata and Replace Metadata sub-menus within Tools.

Adobe ® Lightroom metadata template update

  • open Lightroom
  • from the Library module, in the RHS pane, pop open Metadata
  • locate the Preset section and click its drop down — choose Edit Presets :
  • the Edit Metadata Presets dialogue box often first appears with all fields blank. Click the Preset drop down and choose the name of your current copyright template. The relevant fields will now be populated with data
  • scroll down through the list until the IPTC Copyright section is located
  • in the Copyright field, change the year to 2011
  • at the top of the Edit Metadata Presets dialogue box, click the Preset drop down and choose Save Current Settings as New Preset :
  • in the New Preset dialogue box, key in a suitable name and click the [Create] button
  • back in the Edit Metadata Presets dialogue box, the name you have just chosen should now display in the Preset field
  • click the [Done] button

Whilst this has created a new copyright template, it hasn’t been applied to any images. On your next import, choose this Preset so Lightroom remembers it in future.

Wishing you Health, Happiness and Prosperity for the coming year :grin:

Moving your iPhoto catalogue to an external hard-drive

 Team Digital, Tips & Tricks  1 Response »
Dec 292010
 

N.B. Only for iPhoto ’11 and iPhoto ’09

Recently, I’ve been hearing people complain that their Macs are ‘getting full.’ Obviously the simplest solution is ‘to stop filling it up with photos!’ but this seems to fall on deaf ears :???:
The second choice then, is to use an external hard drive as iPhoto’s image library.

iPhoto by default, utilises your main hard-drive, sharing space with your MacOS system files & all files associated with all users. Whilst digital data may be out-of-sight, out-of-mind, it IS real €” occupying physical space on a drive. One of the first things to do beforehand, is some basic housekeeping, to de-clutter iPhoto and delete what’s not really necessary any more. This may free up some drive real-estate but is a very short term solution at best.

Now its time to think about an external hard-drive. Ideally you’ll want something that uses the fastest port your computer provides. Shop around for known brands. The cost per Mb is cheapest in the 1-2Tb range, though these do obviously require a greater initial outlay. You may also want to consider RAID options or even something as sophisticated as a Drobo storage system.

Interestingly, in a recent Photoshop class I conducted, there were several insurance assessors. When discussing external hard drives, they each chimed in that whilst laptops are frequently stolen, the external hard drive is usually left exactly where it was. It has no value to most opportunistic thieves.

OK so once your new external hard drive is connected and being recognised, you’ll obviously BACK UP FIRST — though no doubt you all have a stringent back up régime in place already. :shock: Yes? No? nearly?
hmpf : good thing we’re only going to Copy the library initially then, rather than actually Moving it. This means that in the event of a mistake €” ranging from human error to Acts of God €” we don’t actually lose any data. Once we’re absolutely certain, in a weeks time or so, that the iPhoto library has survived the relocation intact, we’ll delete it from the main hard drive.

Yasu Software

 Apple, IT, Software, Team Digital, Tips & Tricks  Comments Off
Jul 292010
 

Rob Findlay our Mac consultant on OS X Maintenance with YASU
Mac OS X features many embedded routines and program’s for self maintenance and the “File System Repair” programs that were so necessary in the old OS 9 days are largely a thing of the past however occasionally cache files get corrupted or permissions are incorrectly set by installers or updates. A simple donation-ware utility like Yasu can be a quick tuneup for a Mac that is misbehaving or running slowly.
Using Yasu
Once selecting which options you want to run and hitting the return key, if you’re logged in as an administrator, you’ll be prompted with an authentication dialog. Enter the password for the current administrator account and click €œOkay € (or hit the €œReturn € key). If you are logged in as a non-admin level account, you’ll only be allowed to perform the standard user options. Additionally, no authentication dialog will appear when you click €œRun € (or hit the €œReturn € key).
Important Note: Yasu can take a long time to run. It may seem as if the application is not doing anything, but rest assured that it is. It should be left alone to complete the tasks you have chosen to perform. It is recommended that you not run other applications while performing maintenance with Yasu. Also, you should be aware that if €œRestart € or €œShutdown € when finished is selected, your workstation will do just that once all tasks have completed.
Once you’ve authenticated as an admin (if the tasks you’ve selected call for it), Yasu will present a €œrun panel € and begin performing each selected task, letting you know what’s going on. Once all tasks are complete, Yasu will perform which ever option you’ve selected in the finish menu.

Here are my preferred settings for a general tune-up. (these will be remembered next time you launch it).

I run YASU once a month generally at the same time I clean my laptop’s screen & case.
Get YASU from http://jimmitchell.org/yasu/
And please if you use it, Donate. It makes the world go around.

DSLR Video tips by Michael Fletcher Part B

 Cameras and Lenses, Canon, Tips & Tricks, Video  Comments Off
Jun 172010
 

PICTURE STYLE

This is one of the most important settings. There are a number of ideas for the best settings to use so it is a matter of working out what you prefer by testing different settings. One setting for one condition may not suit another.

The idea is to capture as much information from the initial footage from the camera so it can be used for better results in the post production stage of your editing. This will result in a flat looking un-saturated image, which looks unappealing but will have more detail in the shadows and highlights. This image will allow a better end result in post production.

Select Picture Style

Select User Def. 1

Press INFO button on camera

Change Picture Style to Neutral

Scroll down to Sharpness — Use Setting from 0 to 2 (Reduces artefacts)

Scroll down to Contrast — Set to range of 3 to 4 stops to left of 0 point

Scroll down to Saturation — Set to range of 2 to 3 stops to left of 0 point

Color Tone leave as is — 0

So It looks like this

The results were extremely interesting

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