Free Lightroom Plugins from onOne Software

OnOne Software has another freebie with a new set of Lightroom presets optimized for Lightroom 3.0. PerfectPresets is three volumes of presets for Lightroom’s Develop module. PerfectPresets were created by Photoshop Hall-of-Famer, Jack Davis and onOne Vice President of Marketing, Mike Wong.
These presets expand the creative control that photographers have when processing their images.

• Over 190 free Lightroom Presets to simplify and speed up your workflow.
• Quickly correct color and tone.
• Easily add creative effects.
• Save time by streamlining your workflow.
• Supports all versions of Lightroom 

All  free products from onOne Software.

Lightroom Tip of the Month

I use the Recently Modified folder as a way to keep organized in Lightroom. It is found in the Smart Collections of the Collections panel. The default setting adds photos that were modified in the previous 2 days. Lightroom will then automatically remove them when they are past the 2 day category. Here's the tip....if you double click on the Smart Collection you can change the 2 day limit to however many days you want. I find this an easy and effective way of keeping track of what I am working on.

Digital Tip of the Week

Shooting 'tethered' is where your camera is connected to a computer or laptop, which allows you to shoot straight into the computer. One very big advantage is seeing a large 'preview' of your image on the computer screen. This helps greatly in evaluating composition, posing of models, lighting, etc.

But, in the field I like using a High Quality Portable DVD Player to see a large preview. It has a 7 inch screen, is lighter in weight and costs less than a laptop. Granted it does not have any software for image editing, but if you are just looking for a larger 'preview' this may work for you.
Just connect the DVD player to the AV output connector on your camera and you are ready to go. With the cable connected, whatever use to appear on the cameras' preview screen, now appears on the DVD players' screen.

Be sure you have the correct cable for connection. Take your camera and the player with you to Radio Shack when you buy the cable, to make sure it all works.

One last thing, make sure the screen of the player is 'high quality' or you will be disappointed with the resolution.

Digital Tip of the Week - High Speed Flash Sync

With normal flash sync, the shutter must be completely open when the flash fires to ensure even exposure. If the shutter speed is too fast we get a 'slit' of flash exposure.

With high speed sync the flash unit fires in a series ultra fast bursts. The bursts happen so quickly, the light appears to be continuous, matching the 'travel' of the shutter.

This allows you to shoot at a much faster shutter speed when mixing flash and ambient light. You can really darken down your ambient lit backgrounds while lighting your subject with flash.

Not all flash units provide this feature, so check your owners manual.

Digital Tip of the Week

Balance the brightness of your LCD display. This simple test enables you to ‘balance’ the display brightness of your camera so you may use it to better evaluate your images in the field.

· First step is to shoot a tight bracket of exposures of a sunny daylight scene in 1/3 stop increments.

· Next, view the images on your calibrated monitor.

· Find your best exposure from the bracket and compare that image on the monitor with the same image on the preview displayed on your camera.

· Adjust the display brightness to get as close a match in brightness as possible.

Now you're all set to 'chimp' with more accuracy.

Digital Tip of the Week

Give yourself an assignment list. Before you head out on your next photo walk, create a shot list. Give yourself some techniques or themes to concentrate on while out shooting. Having pre-planned a few themes (door knobs, fences, reflections) or techniques (peak of motion, decisive moment, camera movement), you will never be without something to shoot.

Digital Tip of the Week

Do not use the in-camera noise reduction feature. It really slows down the speed at which your camera can write the image to your memory card because the noise reduction is 'processed' before it writes the image. I recommend using Imagenomic's Noiseware for post processing to reduce noise with your computer.

Digital Tip of the Week

Use Custom Function (C.Fn on Canon) settings to customize your camera operation. I use C.Fn 13 on my 5D, which enables me to change Auto Focus points with a turn of the dial without taking the camera away from my eye. Look in your owner's manual to see the possibilities. Work smarter, not harder.

Digital Tip of the Week

Need macro capability, but do not want the expense of a dedicated macro lens? A convenient option is the Canon close-up lens. Canon makes the 250D and the 500D. Officially, they are called close-up lenses, but filter is a more accurate description, because they screw into the front of your lens where a standard UV filter fits (so they fit Canon or Nikon or whatever). The numbers 250 and 500 indicate the maximum working distance in millimeters when the lens is focused at infinity. They are offered in various filter sizes ranging from 52mm to 77mm. Depending on size the price will range from $75 to $145.

Digital Tip of the Week

Gel your Flash. Speedlights notoriously have a bluer, colder appearance compared to daylight. 5500K (daylight) vs. 6500K (flash).

Adding a warming gel (CTO) will solve this mismatch by lowering the color temperature (CT) of the flash. The CTO's come in 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and Full. The 1/4 CTO lowers the CT by 1000K and the 1/2 lowers the CT by 1700K.

The 1/4 is about all you need for a good balance. You can add more or less to get the custom look you want.

The real "Tip"here is you do not have to buy full sheets to get the gels. Rosco and Lee Filters both make 'swatchbooks' with every type of gel and diffusion that they offer. The size of the samples in these swatchbooks are exactly the right size to cover the front of your speedlight. Most of the Pro level camera stores stock them.

Did I mention the swatchbooks are free. And remember to set your white balance to daylight for this set up.

Digital Tip of the Week

Add some afternoon "warmth" to your shots by changing your White Balance (WB) setting. When shooting outdoor portraits or sunny landscapes, try changing your WB setting from 'daylight' to 'cloudy'. This adjustment is like putting a slight warming filter on your camera. The camera thinks you are shooting under cloudy conditions so it 'adds' amber to the image to compensate for the bluer light of a cloudy day. The result is richer, warmer pictures. If you want a more dramatic effect, select the 'shade' WB rather than 'cloudy'. It will add even more warmth to the image.

Digital Tip of the Week

Many of today's digital cameras have sensors that are smaller than full frame 35mm. This creates a FOV (field of view) factor for your lens. The result is a 50mm lens effectively becomes an 80mm lens on a Canon (1.6 factor) or a 75mm lens on a Nikon (1.5 factor). You end up shooting with a longer focal length than you think. Longer focal lengths require higher shutter speeds to minimize camera shake. Rule of thumb, use a shutter speed equal to or greater than the 'effective' focal length of your lens.

Digital Tip of the Week

Use your Histogram to see if you have 'clipped' any highlight detail. You do not want to see the histogram bunched up against the right side of the display. A small space between the histogram and the right side indicates you are not 'blowing' out the highlights. If necessary, use exposure compensation to 'move' the histogram to the left a bit. Use 1/3 increments to find the 'sweet spot' for the histogram.

Digital Tip of the Week

Set your camera to Second Curtain Sync or Rear Sync, as it is sometimes called. This setting fires the flash at the end off the exposure, rather than the beginning (default setting). When you set the exposure to capture some ambient light, any motion or action is recorded first, then the flash is triggered freezing the subject 'over' the motion. There is less 'bleed' of the motion into your subject.
Give it a try...it rocks!

Digital Tip of the Week

Shoot in the AdobeRGB 1998 color space. Most of today's output printers match up better with the sRGB color space. So, why shoot in the larger color space of Adobe RGB? As new innovations in printers reach the marketplace, it will soon be possible to reproduce the larger gamut of the Adobe RGB space. By shooting in the the larger color space your images are ready for the next generation of printers.

Digital Tip of the Week

Test Your Camera's Flash Sync Speed. Today's digital cameras are boasting some pretty fast sync speeds, some as high as 1/250 of a sec. But it is a good idea to actually test how accurate that sync speed is. For example, I have found my Canon 5D performs better and gives me more consistent exposure results when I shoot at a sync speed of 1/160 of a second, rather than the manufacturers 1/200 rated sync speed. Test your camera to insure you are getting the best possible performance.

Digital Tip of the Week

When shooting in RAW, do not shoot your memory card full, leave room for one or two images. Not all RAW images are the same size, but your camera calculates how much room is left on the card based on the average size of the RAW files, not the actual size. You can corrupt the entire card and lose all of your images if you shoot until the card is full. Play it safe, leave room on the card, do not shoot it full.