It seems that these days I get most of my information from John Nack, well here is some more great news, Adobe Configurator is available now. You can download it now at Adobe Labs.
Configurator lets you create your own panels in Photoshop. It is very, very cool.
Just download Configurator and install the application.
After the program has been installed and launched you will get the following screen.
The next step is to just drag and drop items items into your new panel.
I created this panel with a couple of tools that i use all the time when doing prep work for comic book production. I doubt I will use this panel, it was just to see how easy it is to do. After I saved the panel I exported it Photoshop CS4 Plug-In Panels directory and when I launched Photoshop CS4, there it was.
And when I opened the new panel, it had my tools ready to go.
This technology is going to seriously change the way I use Photoshop. Being able to make custom panels, and even better to be able to share the panels will help customize Photoshop in a way that was unheard of before.
I just read on John Nacks Blog that pixel Bender is now available for download from Adobe Labs. The first question you might have is, “What is Pixel Bender ?”
Pixel Bender
Pixel Bender is a new technology from Abobe that “delivers a common image and video processing infrastructure which provides automatic runtime optimization on heterogeneous hardware.” What that means to you is that the Pixel Bender language can be used to create image processing algorithms in a hardware independent manner. The means that filters and effects can be created outside of the application using the XML-based language. According to Adobe, there are many advantages to Pixel Bender technology”
Low learning curve — Pixel Bender offers a small number of tools that are sufficient to write complex image-processing algorithms.
Parallel processing — Pixel Bender allows the same filter to run efficiently on different GPU and CPU architectures.
Supports all bit-depths — The same kernel runs in 8-bit/16-bit/32-bit within the application.
Support by multiple Adobe applications — Pixel Bender is integrated with multiple Adobe applications. It allows you to develop filters that are portable among various Adobe products.
What does Pixel Bender mean to you?
According to John Nack, and I have to take his word for this because I haven’t had a chance to run it yet, Pixel Bender will:
Run filters really, really fast on your graphics card.
Pixel Bender also runs cross-platform in After Effects CS4 & Flash Player 10.
The filters people write for Flash will also work in Photoshop.
Welcome to the first installment of my 2008 Gift Guide. This year I am looking at items that can be purchased on a budget since everybody I know is on a tight, real tight budget.
First up is my favorite Flash.
The Nikon SB800
While the SB900 is Nikons Latest and Greatest external flash and it is a doozy and well worth having especially if you use the newer Nikon cameras with the full frame sensor (FX), but it does have some negatives including the price, size and overly sensitive temperature monitor cutoff.
I recommend getting the SB800 instead before it disappears forever. At $200 less than the SB900, the SB800 is more afforable and will do just about everything the SB900 will especially on the DX sensor cameras. The SB800 can be used as a Master in Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS). The SB800 can be used as a stand-alone Speedlight, wireless Speedlight Commander or wireless remote unit. The advanced wireless control provides fully automatic and independent control of an unlimited number of SB900, SB800, SB600 and SBR200 Speedlights. The SB800 is also a great flash that can be used off camera attached to a radio trigger or in it’s built in slave mode.
I have set the RSS feed from this blog to be mirrored over on the product pages of my two books on Amazon.com. If you happened to read this entry there while looking at either the Sony A700 digital Field Guide or the Sony A200 Digital Field Guide, then welcome. I hope you check back often.
This is not something out of Star Wars or a new Lego kit for the holiday season, but the new RED DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) System. Pick a sensor and build a system around it. From Engadget.com
The system starts with your choice of the professional Scarlet or “master professional” EPIC brains which can then be bunged into about 2,251,799,813,685,248 possible camera configurations, RED only half-jokingly chides. The brains are built upon Mysterium-X and Mysterium Monstro sensors which start at 2/3-inch and end at a whopping 6×17-cm — when a new sensor comes out you just upgrade the brain. Scarlet will launch in 4 choices ranging from $2,500 (and possibly less) to $12,000 with a variety of lens mounts (yes, Canon and Nikon) capable of shooting 3K @120fps on up to 6K @30fps. Epic will offer similar mounts with capabilities spanning 5K @100fps ($28k) to 9K @50fps ($45k) — a 28K system hitting 25fps is expected in 2010 for $55k. Still image resolutions will range from 4.9 megapixels to a freakish 261 megapixels.
261 megapixels? Gonna need a lot of harddrive space to deal with that much info.
One of the advantages to being part of the NPPA (National Press Photographers Association) is the News Photographer magazine that shows up every month. The first column I read every month is by Mark Loundry and is called Common Cents. Mark finishes off each column with The Good, The Bad & The Ugly to do with photography in the last month. Most months there is more Bad and Ugly than Good, but it is a great read and a good indictor on which way the photograph profession is headed.
One of the entries from the September 2008 column included in The Bad is:
East End Management, reps for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, for the agreement that they are foisting on photographers that demands free Web usage from the photographers work.
One of entries from the Ugly was:
The Gathering of the Vibes, A grateful Dead inspired music festival in Bridgeport, CT, for their copyright grabbing photo “release.” A newspaper covering the event would actually have to get written permission from the organizers to use their own images in their own paper.
Both these concern me because I do a lot of concert photography and it seems that the rules are getting more restrictive and the releases are getting downright ridiculous. It seems that venues, promoters and artist management companies have forgotten that to get great images of their performers, they need to use proffesional photographers. Take away the access and any revenue and there is no point in photograping your act.
Back in the magazine there was no Good in the month of September.
For more on the NPPA, go to their website here: www.nppa.org
This is from the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) 2008 awards.
Best Digital SRL Entry Level: Sony Alpha 200
Easy to use, easy to carry and offered at a very attractive price with its 18-70mm zoom lens, the Sony Alpha 200 is a dream camera for beginners who want to start enjoying all the benefits of D-SLR photography. Its 10.2 megapixel sensor delivers top quality images up to ISO 400 and beyond, and the autofocus system is fast and accurate. The large LCD screen gives a clear, bright display when reviewing images, and both the in-camera image stabilisation and the anti-dust system are very effective in use. A superb, low-cost camera that’s easy to use, and a worthy winner of this award.
Nikonrumors.com is now calling the image fake. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. I still believe that Nikon will release a new DSLR soon, but with the declining economy, it might be a better idea to hold on to it till next year.
The Nikon rumor mill is gearing up in anticipation of the Nikon announcement due later this month. According to Nikon Rumors website, the Nikon D3x will be based on the Sony 24.5 MP sensor used in the Sony A900.
Nikon has used Sony sensors before but after the negative reviews of the High ISO performance of the Sony A900 I am not sure why Nikon is going this route. The D3 (and the D700) made great gains in converting photographers from other camera manufactures due to the great high ISO performance.
