Austin Kleon wrote, “…validation is for parking, not for artists.” However I’m not referring to validation as a creative. Photographers need to regularly validate their image archive to ensure it hasn’t deteriorated. A lot of things can go wrong: file corruption, bit rot, missing images and more. In ye olde days of film we could … Read more
I love black and white photography. Some of my favourite photographers, like Elliot Erwitt, are best known for their B&W images. In photography’s early years B&W was the only option. If you wanted colour it had to be hand painted onto the print. However colour photography has always driven the market for professionals and consumers. … Read more
Adobe Bridge is often overlooked as a professional multimedia browser. It works like Mac Finder and Windows File Explorer. You can view items on your computer, connected hard drives or network drives and navigate through your folder structure. However Bridge supports hundreds more file types including images, audio, PDFs, movies and more. It’s a bridge … Read more
Many of us are now in self isolation, working from home or under shelter in place orders. I wish you the best and hope that you’re OK knowing this will eventually end. It could be a good time to catch up on Continuing Professional Development. I have a backlog of training earmarked for later and … Read more
First off, What is DNG? Well it’s not Dolce & Gabbana as a photography student once asked me. DNG (Digital NeGative) is a digital photography file format created by Adobe Systems. It contains all the data captured by cameras that offer raw format output. OK, What Is A Camera Raw File? Most of the time … Read more
Maybe that title should be “photography misunderstandings“. Digital photography gave us more opportunities, freedom and power. As with any superpower it comes with great responsibility. Assumptions can lead to the spread of misinformation. In that vein, if what follows has any errors please let me know on LinkedIn. Opening A JPEG In Photoshop Recompresses … Read more
In the world of Digital Asset Management (DAM) there are two distinct types of programs: the File Browser and the Catalog application. Creatives and corporate clients who manage their own image collections need both. Here’s why. File Browser A File Browser can also be called an Image Browser or a Media Browser. The Mac Finder and … Read more
Last month I wrote about the 15th anniversary of the Australian Professional Digital Imaging Guidelines (APDIG). Each of my co-authors had their own reasons for volunteering to create the guidelines. For me, the obsession with digital standards began in the late 1990s. Digital vs Film When I approached existing commercial photography clients about using digital … Read more
I’m a long time user of Media Pro, a visual cataloguing application by Phase One. Starting as iView over 23 years ago it’s one of the longest running DAM apps of its type. It’s also one of the last standalone, single user digital asset management programs. Designed for creatives it’s used mostly by photographers. Like … Read more
As a visual communicator I’m hypersensitive to images that have been badly Photoshopped. Here are some common mistakes in no particular order and how to avoid them. 1. Distorting An Image When Transforming It. A photo has a set aspect ratio and when rescaling it using a tool like Transform it’s easy to accidentally make … Read more