CoolPhotoIdeas

Information about Photography: Ideas, gifts, prints and novelties!

Posted in: Technology

VSCO FILM 03 for Lightroom released

We're big fans of the VSCO presets for Lightroom - which emulate the look of various films - here at CoolPhotoIdeas. Admitedly if used wrongly they can be a bit too Instagram, but used wisely they can give your shots an authentic film look.

The latest pack offers yet another selection of film-emulating presets to give images the feel of the likes of Polaroid and Fuji films. There's also new custom camera profiles for Fuji, Canon and Nikon.

VSCO Film 03 is said to utilize Lightroom’s 2012 process, as well as RGB curves, to result in even greater realism in film emulation and control of color tones.

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Instagram launches its filter-filled photo feeds on the web

Since Instagram was launched in 2010 (it feels much longer doesn't it) it has been firmly focused on mobile - for quite some time that was to only way to use and access the service. But last year Instagram added the ability to see profiles from instagram.com, not it's also added the ability to browse your Instagram feed on the web.

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Will.i.am to launch 14 megapixel iPhone attachment

Will.i.am is best known as a musician and TV talent show judge, but he's also carving out a niche as something of a tech icon. He trialled holographic tech on TV elections coverage, has had his music broadcast from Mars… now he's got his eyes on photography.

Next week Will.i.am is due to launch a camera attachment which boosts the photographic ability of the Apple iPhone.

The device is said to be a dock which replaces the iPhone camera with one featuring a 14-megapixel sensor, but which still uses the iPhone screen an operating system to control it.

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Kodak iPhone app released for film photographers

Film photographers are often forgotten in the digital age, but Kodak has released an iPhone app to help photographers find and use the firm's range.

The KODAK Professional Film App aims to teach photographers not only how to shoot different types of film, but also where to source it and have it processed.

Describing the app a spokesperson said: "Need a lab to develop it? Use the KODAK Professional Film App to do all this and more. For example, are you in the UK and looking for KODAK PORTRA Professional 160 film?

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Eyeist launches photography review service

Eyeist has launched an online photography review service which will see experts review users work and provide private guidance and feedback on their images.

With an interface which built from the ground up, paying users can submit up to 30 images and get comprehensive feedback within 72 hours, schedule a private, 20-minute live session with an Eyeist Reviewer.

The team of over 50 reviewers, including Photo Editors, Publishers, Photographers and Photo Agents will also help you get your presentation, portfolio, or book organized.

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OddPrints.com helps you print photos for unusual-sized frames

Photo labs are all very good for printing standard sizes such as 6"×4" or 7"×5", but if you've got an unusual-sized frame you wan to put a photo in, it can all get a bit tricky.

Trying to help you out is the recently-launched website OddPrints.com. Users upload their image and select the size they would like to get it printed.

The site then resizes the digital file and produces it as part of a standard-sized print, from a 6"x4" to a 10"x8". The file is then downloaded and can be taken to any photo lab to be printed.

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Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB Class 10 Wireless Memory Card

We've been fans of Eye-Fi wireless memory cards for quite a while now, but recently (thanks to a shooting with a D800) we've found them somewhat restrictive.

Luckily for us Eye-Fi has announced a new Eye-Fi Pro X2 16GB, Class 10 card that increases both storage and speed capabilities while retaining the wireless features we love.

The new 16GB card provides twice the storage capacity of the prior Pro X2 card, while the Class 10 performance delivers ultra-fast read and write speeds. And best of all, the price has stayed the same.

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Adobe announces Photoshop Elements 11

For photography fans on a budget, Photoshop Elements is often the image-editing software of choice (it costs a fraction of Photoshop CS) and Adobe has just released version 11 introducing a redesigned UI.

Costing £79, Photoshop Elements 11 is designed to be a complete solution for editing, organizing and sharing photo creations.

The user-friendly interface includes Quick, Guided and Expert editing modes; one-click options and big, bold icons to help users get the most from their shots.

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Apple reveals iPhone 5 … which means new "most popular" camera

When Apple release their new iPhone, it's a big deal for photography, because the iPhone is the most popular camera in the world … so let's take a look at the iPhone 5.

The 8-megapixel camera features the tap to focus autofocus we've seen before along with face detection and an LED flash but the camera now boasts 40 per cent faster photo capture.

There's also better low-light performance and improved noise reduction, with a spokesperson for Apple saying: "You can snap more shots with more detail and clarity than ever before."

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Photoshop Touch Is Now Retina-Friendly on the iPad

Photoshop Touch is one of our favourite photo-related iPad apps, and it's only going to get better after Adobe announced it was releasing a Retina-friendly update.

In addition to letting you see your images "like never before", Version 1.3 also allows users to work on high-resolution images (up to 12 megapixels) and add two new Effects: Shred and Colorize.

There's also smoother animation and scrolling in the organizer, tutorial browser, and file picker and a three-finger tap toggles between 100% view and fit screen

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SmugMug puts prices up … annoys many photographers

Many professional photographers use SmugMug to store, display and sell their images. Unfortunately many subscribers have just seen their annual feed hiked.

Users were notified by email that the package structure had changed from Basic, Power and Pro to Basic, Power, Portfolio and Business -- and that along with this, prices had changed too.

What had been the Pro ($150) account has been split into Portfolio ($150) and Business ($300), with users able to set prices and make profits with only the Business account, (they had previously been able to do this with the Pro account).

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Compare the sensor size with CameraImageSensor.com

One of the biggest factors in determining the image quality a camera is able to produce is the size of the sensor. But despite this, it's sometimes hard to know how big a sensor is in any specific camera.

Well it used to be, but the newly-launched website CameraImageSensor.com hopes to solve that by letting users visually compare sensor size of any camera in its database.

Users simply tag a selection of cameras and are then presented with a diagram showing how big the image sensors are, along with technical specifications.

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Engineers create 50 gigapixel camera … yes 50 gigapixels

Even the 36-megapixel Nikon D800 has got nothing on this. Engineers from Duke University have created a prototype camera that can capture up to 50 gigapixels of data -- that's 50,000 megapixels.

The camera’s resolution is five times better than 20/20 human vision over a 120 degree horizontal field and is actually created by synchronizing 98 tiny cameras in a single device.

"Each one of the microcameras captures information from a specific area of the field of view," said researcher David Brady.

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Seagate Backup Plus Drives Automatically Upload Photos to Flickr

We all know that backups are important. But how many of us can honestly say we have our photos securely stored in multiple locations?

Well Seagate hope their latest hard drives will help you sort out your personal photo storage issues -- because they automatically upload and download photos from Facebook and Flickr.

The Backup Plus external drives - which are available in sizes from 500-gigabtyes to 4-terabytes - claim to protect and share your entire digital life with minimal fuss.

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MacBook Pro with Retina display will make your photos pop

The MacBook Pro is a popular laptop choice for photographers. And it's only going to become even more popular after the announcement it's now available with a Retina display.

The Retina display - which has already featured on the iPhone, iPod and iPad - has a resolution of 2880-by-1800. That's over 5 million pixels (3 million more than an HD TV) and an impressive 220 pixels-per-inch.

This is said to produce an amazingly sharp display which makes text, graphics and more importantly your photos, look their best.

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Facebook Camera iOS app launched

Not long ago Facebook splashed the cash and snapped up Instagram for a billion dollars. Now, showing their commitment to photography and mobile, the website has also launched the Facebook Camera app.

The free app - which was in development well before Facebook bought Instagram - allows users to post multiple images to Facebook in one go, edit them on the spot or add filters and tap to tag friends in the images.

A spokesperson said: "Facebook Camera is an easy way to share photos on the go. You can post multiple photos at a time, and see your friends’ latest photos in a single feed."

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Scott Kelby's Lighting Recipes released as free iPad app

Lighting can make or break a photograph, yet most of us pay surprisingly little time ensuring we are getting it right. However, this iPad app aims to change all that.

Scott Kelby's Lighting Recipes sees the pro photographer going through 20 shots from his portfolio and discussing the lighting setups which enable him to get the impressive images he consistently does.

The commentary is added to by lighting diagrams and gear guides which are presented over 45 minutes and are packaged in 13 lessons.

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1-Bit Camera: Take Your iPhone Pics Back in Time

Cameras are constantly getting bigger and better, take the iPhone camera for example, it's got 8-megapixel sensor and is capable of taking some spectacular images… normally.

However, if you want to give your iPhone snaps a somewhat more retro-digital feel you could always download the 1-Bit Camera app and enjoy a 1-bit dynamic range and 150 kilopixels.

Sure your images -- which can still be shared on social networks -- look like they have come from a 1980s, but that might just make them stand out from the Instagram hoards.

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Facebook buys Instagram for a billion dollars

We've told you before about how much we like Instagram here at CoolPhotoIdeas, but it turns out Facebook likes it even more -- they've just bought it for $1bn.

The deal for the photo-sharing application was recently announced on Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg who said the companies would compliment each other.

He added that rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook they would work to build on Instagram's strengths and features.

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The camera which lets you 'frame' shots with your fingers

Would-be photographers the world over have held their finger to their faces to frame a shot before taking a picture -- but now their digits could actually become a camera.

Boffins from the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences in Japan have shown off a camera with attaches to a finger and transform a humble hand into a camera.

Users (after assuming the rectangular fingers pose) then frame the shot they want to take, moving their hands away from their face to zoom in.

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