Friday ‘Photoshop Insider’ News Stuff
Hi folks, and happy Friday!
Before we kick into things; a big thank you to Tim Wallace for his excellent guest post on Wedneday, and for directly posting answers to so many folks comments. It’s really great when a guest blogger brings that personal interaction, and it was an honor having Tim share his wonderful work, and give us a behind-the-scenes peek into his world. Cool stuff!
If you’re a landscape photographer, then the two most important times of the day for you are Sunrise and Sunset, and I just picked up an app for my iPhone that you’ll want to check out called Focalware. Among other things, it shows you the exact time for that day’s sunrise and sunset based on your iPhone’s built-in GPS. You can watch a demo of it right here, or buy it online at the iTunes App Store by clicking here (it’s $9.99). A very slick little app, and a landscape photographer’s new best friend.
- Good news for everybody who already bought the Spiral-bound editions of my “Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers”—it just came in last night, and I’ve already started signing copies so we can start shipping them out to you right away! Now, I have good news and bad news: The good news is—the spiral bound edition was a HUGE hit and we only have a few left. The bad news (for some of you anyway) is that since there’s only a few left, we’re reserving them for sale to NAPP members only, so if you’re a member, you can buy one of the remaining spiral-bound editions at the NAPP member web site. (Note: Since it requires an entire press run to create more spiral editions, the only way we’ll have more of this title in spiral bound is if in the future the publisher reprints the book, and we order a certain amount to be spiral bound).
- This you gotta see: Our in-house Video guru, Jason “The Scriv” Scrivner put together a hilarious little clip showing some of the hilarious “lower third name titles” Jason has snuck into Photoshop User TV over the past year or so. They totally cracked me up. Here’s the link (way to go, Jason!).
- A big thanks to the Lightroom Lab blog, who did a review of my new Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers, and called it their “Favorite Lightroom reference book.” Here’s the link to their review.
- Joe McNally has a great post going over at his blog called “Random thoughts in the cold,” which includes some cool photos, and a cute take-off on my “12-24mm VR” rumor conspiracy. If you’ve got a minute, give this a read—it’s good stuff.
That’s it for today folks. Have a kick-butt Friday. 
Thanks Scott, this looks really cool. It’s a bit more spendy that some others. I bought Photo Calc, which not only does sunrise/sunset, but ref material, exposure settings etc.
Still, while the overall features seem less, the interface looks better than photo calc for dealing with sunrise/sunset information on varied locations, time and positions. I may just have to buy this one too. I spend so much on the app store
Gavin
Can I get the same results using an I Touch…..?
Ken in KY
Cheers Scott that sun calc looks awesome pity its just for apple related products. I will have to stick to using my gps.
Have a good weekend.
Rich
Focalware is an APP. for the iPhone, even Windoze users are allowed to buy one!
Like Gavin I use Photo Calc but this app looks interesting. Will definately give it a go (if there is a demo version). Cheers for the heads up.
Kevin
Happy Tuesday!, crap i thought is was thursday.
cheers, rd
Thursday? I thought it was Friday!!!!
Hi Scott. Focalware is indeed a great APP for photographers. Photocalc is quite good, I have both, but does not provide Sun Azimuth and Elevation, essential information for all serious photographers.
I’ve got PhotoCalc which is great… but I can see using this app even more! Works as advertised and is very quick too.
Thanks Scott!
Are you out of your book already? I can’t find it on the NAPP website?
Is it me or have I not looked at your blog since tuesday – Could be me I thought it was Friday. I gotta tell my wife we don’t get paid today.
You are signing my book, today? Great. Will you be numbering it 1 / 1000? limited edition like?
And I didn’t even have to ask for it to be personalised!
Actually I developed Focalware while shooting architectural assignments around the country. Often I would have one day only to shoot several exteriors. I was missing interior shots while waiting around outside for the sun to move 20 degrees. Focalware is spot on and I can have more time for interior shots or more exterior ones.
Wedding photographers have found this useful as well.
Hi Scott,
I want to buy your spiral bound book but for the life of me I can’t find it on the NAPP website. Can you send me in the right direction within the site?
Thanks,
David
photoshopuser.com
I am a NAPP member and as much as I’d like to own the spiral bound version (autographed and everything) it’s double the price that Amazon charges for the plain-Jane version (according to the NAPP site it’s listed at $64). I like Scott and all he does for us and his autographs will someday be way up there with Babe Ruth (maybe they already are) but I think I’ll save $30 and buy the regular version.
Maybe I’m just a cheapskate.
I didn’t see the offer for the book on NAPP’s site because I always go to the login page – it is posted on the main page:
http://www.photoshopuser.com/
Mark
The Jason Scriv link takes you to a log in for Facebook.
Scott- don’t get cramps signing all our books!! Oh well, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it
So I am replying to last Friday’s post, sorry.
But a big thank you for the great Bar- Bat
Mitzvah photos. I have a newly aquired, beautiful granddaughter who will be making Bat Mitzvah in the next year and I want to make the photos she deserves, but have NO experience with this ceremony.
Thanks.
Suzy Q
Check out SoLuna. Sunrise/set, moonrise/set, pictures of phases of moon for today, and then pix for 3 other phases. Also, civil twilight, naut twilight and astro twilight times included. And, it’s $9 cheaper!
I don’t have an iPhone but maybe I should get one, I could really use one of these at times when I’m trying to work out where the hell we’re going to put the car…lol
Did a shoot of a classic DBS today in really harsh light and decided in the end to shoot it straight into the sun just to be awkward, it worked out well in the end with some lighting and reflectors etc.
Cheers guys, have a great weekend
Tim
hi scott,
i just got finished reading your digital photog.book. i haven’t bought a camera since i was in the air force in the early 80’s(a cannon AE1 and most of the lenses to go with it) i was wondering if you could give me some advice about which point and shoot digital camera i could purchase. i don’t have alot of money right now, so i think something in the $200.00 range would be the right amount to spend now.
i know that sooner of later i will buy another cannon, but right now i want to get my feet wet using something i can learn on.
i was looking at a fujifilm s8100fd, and have read that it is a good starter camera for digital photog. do you have any other suggestions?
thanks for writing a great “how to” book. i also have the same sense of humor you do.
i’m a physician assistant in the orthopedic end of medicine. so i understand you completely.
btw , a good title for your intro chapter in your new book that would get everybody’s attention:
DIGITAL SEX……….how you can get a piece of the action.
keep on shooting straight,
carol k.
Love the compilation “the scriv” put together, good fun.
Is Focalware really worth $9 more than other iPhone apps like Sunrise, SoLuna, Sol: Daylight Clock, Darkness or SunMap? Anybody seen a comparative review of “Sunrise/Sunset” apps?
Of course you can always go to the iPhone-optimized Weather Underground site and get the weather conditions, forecast, RADAR along with sunrise/sunset times for free.
Focalware is not just a sunrise/sunset app. Its main purpose is to show photographers the position (azimuth and elevation) of the sun throughout the day. This information is vital to photographers that need a certain sun angle on a shot or need to know when the sun will shine over the top of a building. Many of the other apps that you are comparing us to don’t show sun path information.
Professional photographers and cinematographers probably spend more on every other tool in their bag than for something like Focalware. SunPATH is a popular sun position calculator and it costs $99.
Scott, I am so pumped that the spiral bounds CS4 for Photographers is shipping, I have been eagerly anticipating my copy — pretty much since the day I ordered it!
Scott, agree with the review your LR2 book is great. I got it just after it was published and it is dog eared from use. I only wish LR2, itself, was as good as your book. How about a post about when Adobe is going to fix the issues with the brush and gradient tools in LR2. This has been by far the worst Adobe product I have used and sounds like others have the same problems based on Adobe forums. What are your thoughts on this?
Starmap is a much better app for the money. Set location and time you want. Click Ephemeris and then Sun. You get all the details. Sunrise, Sunset, Transit (high noon), Altitude (how high in the sky), Azimuth (compass direction) and a whole lot more. Or you can use it to see what the Sky will look on any given night. Very cool.
Thanks for posting this info. I just want to let you know that I just check out your site and I find it very interesting and informative. I can’t wait to read lots of your posts.