Monthly Archive for September, 2006

Negative Space - Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Published
by
Chris
on September 20, 2006
in Digital Photography Tips & Info
. 0 Comments

I talked last week about using focus lock to ensure your subject was in focus while still maintaining control over your composition. This week I will discuss using negative space in your photographs.

Negative space is the space around your subjects in your photographs. The space of nothingness in your photographs is just as important as the space that is taken up with your subject. Negative space provides balance in a photograph and also provides a place for your eyes to rest. Studying and including the negative space in your composition can help strengthen the composition and add more emphasis to your main subject. Consider each of the following images and how the use of negative space adds to the image.(Click on each image to view a full sized version of the image.)

As you can see, It is not always necessary to fill your frame when composing a photograph. Incorporating negative space in your photographs can add stability to your photographs while helping to define the subject within your image.

Until next week, happy shooting.

The digital photography tip of the week is written by the PCIN Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Chris is a long time photographer and is currently the President of the Niagara Falls Camera Club. You can see more of his photography at his Photo of the Day website.
If you have a tip to send Chris, or a question about digital photography he can address in the newsletter, send it to chris@pcin.net.

PlayStation’s serious side: Fighting disease

Published
by
Graham
on September 20, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From CNN:

Kids aiming to persuade their parents to buy the PlayStation 3 have some new ammunition — donating their PS3’s down time to researchers could help cure Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or mad cow disease…

“It has so much horsepower and, of course, when you’re playing a game all that horsepower will be used for the game. But there are a lot of times during the day when somebody’s not playing the game,” said Sony’s Richard Marks. “It seemed like a good idea to be able to use that horsepower for something else that is, in this case, good for mankind.”

Sony worked with Stanford University’s Folding@home project to harness the PS3’s technology to help study how proteins are formed in the human body and how they sometimes form incorrectly.

Gallery of operating system user interfaces over the years

Published
by
Graham
on September 20, 2006
in Recommended Web Sites
. 0 Comments

From DownloadSquad:

It’s easy to forget all of the computing operating systems that existed before Windows, Mac OS, and the various flavors of Unix / Linux. But if you ever feel like taking a walk down memory lane and checking out some screenshots of some of the oldies, check out the Graphical User Interface Gallery over at Guidebook.

It’s interesting seeing screenshots of some of the old software I used many years ago. Check it out!

Curbing the CO2 that comes from PC use

Published
by
Graham
on September 18, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From TechRepublic:

You’d never guess it, but your PC puts about 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.

Computers have become, indirectly, a significant source of greenhouse gases, according to Kevin Klustner, CEO of Verdiem, a start-up that has devised software for curbing electricity consumption by PCs. That electricity often comes from coal-fired plants that release carbon dioxide.

Often, the power gets expended for no good reason.

“Thirty percent of the energy consumed by a personal computer is wasted because people aren’t in front of it,” Klustner said.

A Chip That Can Transfer Data Using Laser Light

Published
by
Graham
on September 18, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From the New York Times:

Researchers plan to announce on Monday that they have created a silicon-based chip that can produce laser beams. The advance will make it possible to use laser light rather than wires to send data between chips, removing the most significant bottleneck in computer design.

As a result, chip makers may be able to put the high-speed data communications industry on the same curve of increased processing speed and diminishing costs — the phenomenon known as Moore’s law — that has driven the computer industry for the last four decades.

ACDSee update ACDSee Photo Manager

Published
by
Chris
on September 15, 2006
in Computer News and Digital Photography Tips & Info
. 0 Comments

ACDSee Systems has updated their popular image viewing software. ACDSee 9 Photo Manager is now available. Watch here for a full review in the coming weeks.

ACD Systems Releases ACDSee 9 Photo Manager –
the Company’s Fastest and Easiest-to-use Photo Management Software To Date

Faster viewing, organizing, enhancing and sharing capabilities significantly increase the speed and ease with which photo enthusiasts can manage their digital photos VICTORIA, British Columbia – ACD Systems International Inc. (TSX: ASA), makers of ACDSee™ photo management and creative editing software and Canvas™ technical illustration software, announced the release of ACDSee™ 9 Photo Manager for photography enthusiasts. With the release of ACDSee 9, ACD Systems once again sets the industry standard for both speed and usability in a digital photo management software.

With the release of version 9, ACDSee continues to be the fastest and most powerful software available for viewing, organizing, enhancing and sharing digital photos. Impressive new features in ACDSee 9 include Quick View mode, desktop Showroom, the Shadow/Highlight tool, Private Folders, Auto Categories, Calendar Events View, and more.

The Quick View mode in ACDSee 9 allows you to see your photos onscreen instantly – whether you’re opening an image attachment to an e-mail, or double-clicking on a JPEG from Windows Explorer. ACDSee continues to lead the industry with innovative advancements in photo viewing. ACDSee Showroom brings photo memories right onto the desktop. All a user has to do is set a folder path to their favorite shots, then sit back and watch. A sleek movable window appears that displays their photos in sequence or random.

ACDSee 9 also has a powerful new editing tool called Shadow/Highlight that saves photos you would’ve probably deleted. The Shadow/Highlight tool provides stunningly easy, instantaneous, and effective automatic photo correction for photos that are either too dark or too bright. In ACDSee 9 users can also fix red-eye with a single click using an improved red-eye reduction tool.

Private Folders protect personal photos in a secure area so only the user with the password can view them. If you have photos or files that you want to remain confidential, just move them to a Private Folder, set a password, and ACDSee Photo Manager keeps them under lock and key.

ACDSee 9’s Auto Categories takes the pain out of organizing your photos by doing it for you. When Getting Photos from any device, ACDSee now automatically matches your photos up into convenient categories based on their camera information, IPTC data, ACD database information, and file properties.

The Calendar Events View automatically organizes your photos based on the date they were taken. That means your photos get displayed in an organized event list, which you can personalize with a unique description for each event.

“The major industry trend in photo software is toward creating simpler and faster applications combined with increased power and effectiveness. ACD is leading the trend with its newest release of ACDSee 9, a program that is easier-to-use than any previous versions without compromising the company’s commitment to adding innovative features and time-saving solutions,” said James Latham, vice president of Marketing for ACD Systems. “ACDSee 9 is an excellent combination of our legendary speed and some exciting technological innovation. An example is ACDSee 9’s Auto Categories feature, which makes it much less time-consuming to organize photos; or the new Shadow/Highlight tool - a powerful feature for instantly correcting poorly exposed photos.”

System Requirements
Hardware

  • Intel Pentium® III / AMD Athlon processor or equivalent (Intel Pentium® 4 / AMD Athlon XP or equivalent recommended)
  • 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM recommended)
  • 100 MB free hard drive space (1 GB recommended)
  • High Color display adapter at 1024 x 768 resolution (1280 x 1024 recommended)
  • CD/DVD Burner – for creating CDs and DVDs

Software

  • Windows® 2000 or Windows® XP
  • Microsoft® Internet Explorerâ„¢ 5.00 (6.0.0 recommended)
  • TiVo® Desktop Software – to publish images to your TiVo
  • Microsoft® DirectX® 9.0 – for Microsoft DirectX file format support, and to create slide shows and screen savers
  • QuickTime® 6.0 – for QuickTime file format support
  • Ghostscript® 8.0 – for PDF support
  • Windows Media® Player 9.0

Pricing and Availability
The full version of ACDSee 9 Photo Manager is available in English for $39.99 (USD) via electronic software download and $49.99 (USD) in select retail locations. Upgrade licenses from previous versions of ACDSee are available for $29.99 (USD). Volume licensing for ACDSee 9 is available with discounted pricing starting at five user licenses. For more information visit our website at www.acdsee.com.

About ACD Systems
Headquartered in British Columbia since 1993, ACD Systems International Inc. (TSX: ASA) is one of the world’s leading developers and marketers of digital imaging software, including the renowned ACDSee image management tool and Canvas, an advanced cross-platform technical illustration and graphics program. ACD has delivered value to a global marketplace through Internet distribution and partnerships with manufacturers and developers. ACD has millions of consumer and business users, and over 33,000 corporate customers including many Fortune 500 companies. For further details, please visit www.acdsee.com.

ACD, ACD Systems, ACDSee, and FotoSlate are trademarks or registered trademarks of ACD Systems Ltd. in Canada, the United States, or certain other jurisdictions. Trademarks of ACD Systems Ltd. are used under license by ACD Systems of America, Inc. Canvas is a trademark or registered trademark of ACD Systems of America, Inc. in Canada, the United States, or certain other jurisdictions. Trademarks of ACD Systems of America, Inc. are used under license by ACD Systems Ltd.

Poll: Online movies aren’t catching on

Published
by
Graham
on September 14, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From CNN:

You won’t find Vanita Butler sitting in front of her computer watching a full-length movie or television show, even though she’s an avid viewer of video on the Internet.

The 43-year-old saleswoman from Newark, Ohio, said she sees the Internet as more of a tool — for catching a news story or highlights from a NASCAR race. When she has time for entertainment, she and her husband prefer the television set.

“It’s a little bit more of an intimate environment,” Butler said of watching television. “We can sit and do it together.”

Butler is a typical consumer of video over the Internet, according to a new AP-AOL Video poll, which found that only one in five online video viewers have watched or downloaded a full-length movie or television show.

Focus Lock - Digital Photography Tip of the Week

Published
by
Chris
on September 13, 2006
in Digital Photography Tips & Info
. 0 Comments

I wrote last week about furthering your photographic abilities by joining a local camera club or taking a course at a community college. As I said last week, I found them to be helpful in my own photography.

This week I offer a tip to aid in focus and composition. I had previously wrote about using the rule of thirds as a guideline to your composition. One inherent problem in doing that though is that your subject ends up being off center, where your camera likes to focus. If you have selectable focus points, this is not an issue, however, if your camera only focused on the center area, then you need to use a different method for focus.

Of course you can manually focus, but with smaller viewfinders in today’s cameras or no manual focus ability on many digital point and shoot cameras, you have to utilize the focus lock feature of your digital camera. With this feature you can point your camera at your subject, press the shutter button down half way until it is in focus, and then while holding the button down, recompose your shot to place the subject where you want it in the frame. Shooting this way will ensure your main subject is in sharp focus, while retaining the ability of better composed photographs.

One word of caution though, some cameras also lock exposure at the same time they lock focus, and concentrate their exposure algorithms at the center of the frame, which could affect you overall exposure. Your camera may allow you to turn this feature off, so check your manual. Otherwise, you may have to provide some exposure compensation to attain a good exposure. Good thing for the instant feedback of digital!

Until next week, happy shooting.

The digital photography tip of the week is written by the PCIN Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Chris is a long time photographer and is currently the President of the Niagara Falls Camera Club. You can see more of his photography at his Photo of the Day website.
If you have a tip to send Chris, or a question about digital photography he can address in the newsletter, send it to chris@pcin.net.

Adobe releases Photoshop Elements 5 and Premiere Elements 3

Published
by
Chris
on September 13, 2006
in Computer News and Digital Photography Tips & Info
. 0 Comments

I received the following press release from Adobe today. I will post a full review on the product once I receive a review copy.


Adobe Takes Home Videos and Photos to New Level with Landmark Release of Photoshop Elements Plus Premiere Elements Software Bundle

Integrated Photo and Video Functionality Offers More Ways to Make and Share Creations Just in Time for the Holidays

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sept. 12, 2006 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced two milestone upgrades to its digital photo and video products for consumers, Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 5.0 for Windows® and Adobe Premiere® Elements 3.0 for Windows. The unique integrated functionality of the products allows users to do more with their photos and videos, whether adding impact to photo slideshows with video effects and transitions, providing dramatic pauses to videos with freeze frame effects or creating professional-looking printed CD/DVD labels and covers.

Available separately or together in a single retail package, Adobe Photoshop Elements software, the new version of the No. 1 selling consumer photo editing software*, adds more creative ways to organize, edit and share digital photos. For video enthusiasts, Adobe Premiere Elements, the No. 1 selling consumer video editing software*, offers a simplified user interface that makes turning home videos into professional-quality DVDs even easier.

*Source: The NPD Group (October 2005 to April 2006) based on units sold.

“The rise of portable media devices and the popularity of social networking Web sites means that photos and videos will be captured and shared more than ever this holiday season,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions Business Unit at Adobe. “Combining stunning photography with high quality video footage allows customers to tell a story with impact. Adobe’s new products combine to make rich media productions not only achievable, but easy and intuitive.”

Dynamic Sharing that Inspires Creativity

Photoshop Elements gives consumers ways to infuse personality and imaginative flare to photo and video creations. Consumers can drag and drop photos into flexible layouts and frames that mimic virtual scrapbooks. An interactive Adobe Flash® based photo gallery service, called Adobe Photoshop Showcase, allows photos to be shared for free, or upgraded to an extended sharing service via a Web site. These online galleries can take the form of a winter scene with falling snow or a spinning photo carousel. The new Map View allows consumers to drag photos to any location tied to an online Satellite map. Quick and easy fixes can be made to enhance photos with new tools such as the black-and-white converter and the new Adjust Color Curves controls (see separate press release for details).

Radically Simplified User Interface

Adobe Premiere Elements offers the perfect combination of ease-of-use, control, and creative possibilities so both novices and enthusiasts can produce videos they will be proud to share with friends and families. The new Monitor window provides easy editing in one convenient location, allowing users to experiment with exciting new drag-and-drop effects and transitions such as stop-motion capture. Adobe Premiere Elements makes it easy to import video clips from nearly all digital media devices and share video creations on burned DVDs or portable devices (see separate press release for details).

Adobe Offers Complete Line of Products for Every Level

Photoshop Elements software is part of a complete family of Photoshop products that meet the needs of a diverse spectrum of digital photographers: the free Photoshop Album Starter Edition software for the novice digital camera user; Photoshop Elements for the digital photography hobbyist; and Photoshop CS2 software for the professional or the most demanding amateur photographer. Similarly, Adobe Premiere Elements is available for the video enthusiast and Adobe Premiere Pro for the professional or advanced amateur videographer.

Pricing and Availability

Adobe’s digital imaging and digital video products will be available in October 2006 at www.adobe.com and other major electronics and online retailers including Amazon.com, Best Buy, Comp USA, Circuit City, Fry’s, Staples, and Office Depot. Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 plus Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 for Windows is available as a bundle in the United States and Canada at an estimated street price of US $149.99. Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 and Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 for Windows are available separately for an estimated street price of US $99.99 each. Information about the other language versions, as well as pricing, upgrade, and support policies for other countries is available on www.adobe.com/products/psprelements/ . For more information, customers can call 1-800-492-3623.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com .

###

© 2006 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe Premiere, Flash and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Windows is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For additional information on Photoshop Elements 5.0, please view the separate news release at http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200609/091206PhotoshopElements.html

For additional information on Premiere Elements 3.0, please view the separate news release at http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200609/091206PremiereElements.html

Study: Promising future for power-line broadband

Published
by
Graham
on September 12, 2006
in Computer News
. 0 Comments

From TechRepublic:

The demand for using traditional electrical lines as a medium for broadband technology in the residential sector is rising worldwide and will continue to grow, according to a study by market research firm In-Stat.

Broadband service over power lines (BPL), which allows an Internet connection to be established through a standard electrical outlet, is seen as a potential rival to coaxial (coax) and twisted-pair wiring, the fixed-line technologies most commonly used for cable and telephone service, respectively. Incorporating BPL into a residence or business requires no additional wire installation.