Tech At Hand Dot Net » Digital Photography

Tips: Using Adobe Lightroom Version 3 – Sharpening Tool

Dexter Panganiban — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:36:30 +0000

This post is for Photo Enthusiast and for newbie in photography.

I would like to discuss the photo enhancement by using Adobe Lightroom Version 3.0. As a disclosure, I just learn the use of Adobe Lightroom Version 3.0 in Digital photo post processing. UMIF introduced the basic through our seminar and it’s up to us students to learn more about the advance (I only enroll for Basic Photography). Let me discuss what I have found today about the sharpening option as shown in this post.

{ Slider }

An explanation from Adobe site as follows :

Amount – Adjusts edge definition. Increase the Amount value to increase sharpening. A value of zero (0) turns off sharpening. In general, set Amount to a lower value for cleaner images. The adjustment locates pixels that differ from surrounding pixels based on the threshold you specify and increases the pixels’ contrast by the amount you specify.

Radius – Adjusts the size of the details that sharpening is applied to. Photos with very fine details may need a lower radius setting. Photos with larger details may be able to use a larger radius. Using too large a radius generally results in unnatural-looking results.

Detail – Adjusts how much high-frequency information is sharpened in the image and how much the sharpening process emphasizes edges. Lower settings primarily sharpen edges to remove blurring. Higher values are useful for making the textures in the image more pronounced.

Masking – Controls an edge mask. With a setting of zero (0), everything in the image receives the same amount of sharpening. With a setting of 100, sharpening is mostly restricted to those areas near the strongest edges.

{ Source }

{ Sharpening Tips }

While doing the adjustment try to press the “alt key” while sliding the sharpening slider tools, you will see a black and white photo highlighting the changes your are making in the photo.

{ Original vs Post Processed Photo }

Here is the two version of the photos I showed in my previous post.

Post Processed Photo of Nerebi

Original Photo of Nerebi

Minor changes can be seen from the photo but framing (learning about rule of thirds) and sharpening tool did it’s part.I am still a newbie when it comes to photography and post processing but learning new each day is a great indication of improvement. Do You have any other tips for this particular slider ? I would be willing to hear about it. Be my friend in @ Flickr .

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I Just Graduated From UMIF 2011 Basic Photography Class

Dexter Panganiban — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 07:58:56 +0000

I would like to thank UMIF Riyadh Saudi Arabia for teaching us the Basic Photography, now I can say that I can use my camera in manual mode. Special mention to Professor Ronnie De Vera for giving us tips which is really easy to understand. I learn a lot from the 4 day session that we’ve made. I learn the functions of Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed, the three main important factors to consider in photography. I also learn that every photos that a photographer uploads must always be the best, because it will reflect the type of photographer you are. Now I could start learning more about photography since I know the basic. Imagine I waited for 3.5 Year after buying my DSLR Canon EOS 400d to learn the basics.

I also learn how to take still life photos with DOF in manual mode.

I also learn how to use Lightroom, and do the post processing (pp). They only did the Adobe Lightroom introduction.

Here are two photos taken during out door shooting.

Model : Neribe Doloricon , Saudi Arabia Pop Icon Season 3

I hope to share more photos in the future. Hope you like the above photos of a newbie photographer.

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UMIF Riyadh Basic Photography Lesson Started Yesterday

Dexter Panganiban — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 08:27:41 +0000

After years of owning my Canon EOS 400D Camera I finally decided to attend a seminar being conducted here in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. I enrolled in Ultra Media International Foundation (UMIF) Riyadh Basic Photography 2011 with my son. Yesterday we were thought by Ronnie De Vera,UMIF Instructor, about the Shutter Speed, ISO and Apperture . It is only yesterday that I have understood the meaning of this three most important jargons of SLR camera. I usually use the P-Setting. I and my son will try to understand on how to use my Canon camera in proper way using manual mode.

Picture captured from http://umifriyadh.multiply.com/

I love the tips that is being given by the instructor. The photography seminar cost us SAR 300 which includes membership fee and snacks. It is great that my son attendance is free. We are having our seminar in Elite International School in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.

The whole seminar will have 4 indoor session plus 1 outdoor session with model. I hope I could learn a lot from this seminar and perhaps I could make a new blog that will only have great pictures. I am also interested to learn the Post Processing Methods of the Pictures. I normally don’t do post processing, but because of this seminar I think I have to follow the instructor and learn about Post Processing of my shots.

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera , Number 1 Canon Camera in Flickr

Dexter Panganiban — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:32:32 +0000

I have been a canon user for almost 4 years and I am one of the satisfied user of Canon EOS 400D. But my camera is now going old. I am looking for information about the best canon camera nowadays and this canon camera came number 1 in flickr. I am referring to Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera with Canon EF 24-105mm IS lens, there are lots of photographer fascinated and satisfied with the works of Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Hope someday I can replace my EOS 400 D with this one, as of this time my camera came # 7 from Flickr users ( among canon camera ).

Most Photos Taken in the Last month and uploaded in flickr came from Canon EOS 5D Mark II

EOS 5D Mark II number in Flickr

Canon EOS 5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera with Canon EF 24-105mm IS lens

Here is the Canon EOS 5D Mark II Specification

Canon – 21.1 megapixel – CompactFlash – Microdrive – 4.3 x optical zoom – ISO 25600 – 28.8 ounce – Optical Viewfinder – SLR

Canon’s update to the wildly popular full frame EOS 5D. The EOS 5D Mark II has a 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor with DIGIC 4 image processor, a vast ISO range of 100-6400, plus EOS technologies like auto lighting optimizer and peripheral illumination correction. It supports Live View shooting, Live View HD videos, and more. It can shoot up to 3.9 fps, has 9 AF points plus 6 AF assist points, a 98% coverage viewfinder, a 3.0-inch Clear View LCD and a rugged build.

Key features / improvements ( From dpreview.com )

21 megapixel CMOS sensor (very similar to the sensor in the EOS-1Ds Mark III)
Sensor dust reduction by vibration of filter
ISO 100 – 6400 calibrated range, ISO 50 – 25600 expansion (1Ds Mark III & 5D max ISO 3200)
Auto ISO (100 – 3200) in all modes except manual
3.9 frames per second continuous shooting
DIGIC 4 processor, new menus / interface as per the EOS 50D
Image processing features:
- Highlight tone priority
- Auto lighting optimizer (4 levels)
- High ISO noise reduction (4 levels)
- Lens peripheral illumination correction (vignetting correction)
RAW and SRAW1 (10 MP) / SRAW2 (5 MP)
RAW / JPEG selection made separately
Permanent display of ISO on both top plate and viewfinder displays
AF micro adjustment (up to 20 lenses individually)
Three custom modes on command dial, Creative Auto mode
Image copyright metadata support
98% coverage viewfinder (0.71x magnification)
3.0" 920,000 dot LCD monitor with ‘Clear View’ cover / coatings, 170° viewing angle
Automatic LCD brightness adjustment (ambient light sensor)
Live view with three mode auto-focus (including face detection)
No mirror-flip for exposures in Live View if contrast detect AF selected
Movie recording in live view (1080p H.264 up to 12 minutes, VGA H.264 up to 24 mins per clip)
Two mode silent shooting (in live view)
New jump options in play mode
HDMI and standard composite (AV) video out
Full audio support: built-in mic and speaker, mic-in socket, audio-out over AV (although not HDMI)
IrPort (supports IR remote shutter release using optional RC1 / RC5 controllers)
UDMA CompactFlash support
New 1800 mAh battery with improved battery information / logging
New optional WFT-E4 WiFi / LAN / USB vertical grip
Water resistance: 10 mm rain in 3 minutes

The price range from $ 3,000 to $3,300 .

Will I be able to buy this one ?

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Sony’s new Alpha DSLR-A230, A330 and A380 Specification Comparison

Dexter Panganiban — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:22:00 +0000

Sony’s new Alpha DSLR-A230, A330 and A380. Thanks to Crave for making a schedule as shown below to show the difference of the new Sony Camera that was out to the market. Will this compete with Canon and Nikon Market ? Well Who knows.

So Here is the comparison :

Model	A230	A330	A380
Sensor	10-megapixel CCD		14-megapixel CCD
Sensitivity range	ISO 100 – ISO 3200
Viewfinder	95 percent coverage 0.83x magnification	95 percent coverage 0.74x magnification
LCD	2.7-inch fixed	2.7-inch tiltable
Live View	No	Yes
Continuous shooting	2.5fps
Autofocus	9 points
Dimensions (W x H x D)	5.0″ x 3.8″ x 2.7″	5.0″ x 3.8″ x 2.8″
Weight (ounces)*	15.9	17.3
Replaces	A200	A300	A350
Price	$549 (with 18-55mm lens) $749 (with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses)	$649 (with 18-55mm lens) $849 (with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses)	$849 (with 18-55mm lens) $1,049 (with 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses)

*add about 1.8 ounces for battery and card

So if you don’t have DSL camera would you try this one based in the specification and Price ? and what will you choose among the 3 new models ?

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Covering Literary Contest of My Son

Dexter Panganiban — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:20:33 +0000

I have tested my new Sigma 70-300mm F/4-5.6 APO DG Macro Interchangeable Lens and I must say that I am really satisfied with the result of the photos. I have covered the Literary contest of my son in their school, and I have been shooting at about 25 – 30 meters away from the stage. So here are my pictures

Here are more RIS Literary Contest Pictures , Those picture are not edited and was directly uploaded in flickr from my camera. It is taken under a roof in a basketball court. It is great to have Flickr Pro Account ( I got 1208 photos to date ) since you can easily upload all pictures that you take and at the same time it can be protected by copyrights law.

Sigma 70-300mm is great for outside shooting if your far from the subject. Although sometimes there are bit delay in the focus but anyway in total it is great. I will make my full review of that lens later. By The way for those of you who don’t know yet I am using Canon EOS 400D

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Samsung Released Omnia 3G Smartphone

Dexter Panganiban — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:39:23 +0000

SamSung is also entering the world of Touchscreen Handset, and their latest phone is Samsung’s Omnia, it is 3G Windows Mobile 6.1-based Touchscreen handset, the SGH-i900 -aka Omnia.

The Omnia was first seen back in April at a European trade fair, but it hasn’t been known exactly when Samsung would make its frontal assault on the iPhone available in the UK, despite officially unveiling it to the world in June. [ reghardware.co.uk ]

Here are Samsung’s Omnia: 3G iPhone rival specifications :

Based around a 3.2in, 240 x 400 display, the Omnia also packs in a GPSpick-up, FM radio, A2DP wireless stereo, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi and a choice of either 8GB or 16GB on-board storage. Users can up that capacity with Micro SDHC cards.

The handset has quad-band GSM/GPRS/Edge connectivity plus 3G HSDPA for data downloads of up to 7.2Mb/s.

On the back is a five-megapixel camera with image stabilization, autofocus, and photography flavors of the month face and smile detection.

Full pricing details weren’t provided yet, I don’t know when it will be available in Philippines or Saudi Arabia but it is officially on sale on all UK networks including Vodafone, O2, Virgin Mobile, 3 and T-Mobile. According to Samsung, a 16GB version is available exclusively on Orange for a limited period of time.

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Canon EOS 50D Released

Dexter Panganiban — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:25:06 +0000

Ok I might be late for this one, But since I am a Canon EOS 400d Camera User and this is what I use with my Photo BLog [ Digital Photography & Pictures to Remember ] which I seldomly updated , I would like to tell you guys that Canon has released the successor of Canon EOS 40D , which is Canon EOS 50D. after a year of 40D’s release. Below is a table that shows the released dates of Canon EOS Model.

Past Canon Announcement Dates

Canon Model No.	Announcement Date
EOS 10D	Feb 2003
EOS 20D	Aug 2004
EOS 30D	Feb 2006
EOS 40D	Aug 2007
EOS 50D	TBA

I can say that a camera body is a great investment, But you have to be prepared for the lenses

Here are the Canon EOS 50D Full specifications

Specifications for Canon EOS 50D

Sensor	22.3 x 14.9 mm CMOS sensor RGB colour Filter Array Built-in fixed low-pass filter (with self-cleaning unit) 15.5 million total pixels 15.1 million effective pixels 3:2 aspect ratio
Image processor	DIGIC 4
A/D conversion	14 bit
Image sizes	4752 x 3168 3456 x 2304 2353 x 1568
File formats	RAW (.CR2; 14-bit) JPEG (EXIF 2.21) – Fine / Normal RAW + JPEG (separate files) sRAW1 (7.1 MP) sRAW2 (3.8 MP)
Lenses	Canon EF / EF-S lens mount 1.6x field of view crop
Dust reduction	"EOS Integrated Cleaning System" Self-cleaning sensor unit (filter in front of sensor vibrates at high frequency at start-up and shutdown – can be disabled) Dust Delete Data – Data from a test shot is used to ‘map’ dust spots and can be later removed using Canon DPP Software
Auto focus	9-point TTL CMOS sensor All points cross-type for lenses of F5.6 or faster Center point additionally sensitive with lenses of F2.8 or faster AF working range: -0.5 – 18 EV (at 23°C, ISO 100)
Focus modes	One shot AF AI Servo AF AI Focus AF Manual focus
AF point selection	Auto Manual
Predictive AF	Up to 8 m
AF assist	Stroboscopic flash
AF microadjust	+/- 20 steps Adjust all lenses by same amount/individually adjust up to 20 lenses
Metering	TTL 35 zone SPC Metering range: EV 0.0 – 20 EV
Metering modes	Evaluative 35 zone Partial (9% at center) Spot metering (approx. 3.8% at center) Center-weighted average
AE lock	Auto: One Shot AF with evaluative metering Manual: AE lock button
Exposure compensation	+/-2.0 EV 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments
Exposure bracketing	+/- 2.0 EV 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments
Sensitivity	Auto ISO (100-1600) ISO 100 – 3200 0.3 or 1.0 EV increments H1 (6400) and H2 (12800) expansion
Shutter	Focal-plane shutter 100,000 exposure durability 30 – 1/8000 sec 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments Flash X-Sync: 1/250 sec Bulb
Aperture values	F1.0 – F91 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments Actual aperture range depends on lens used
White balance	Auto Daylight Shade Cloudy Tungsten Fluorescent Flash Custom Kelvin (2500 – 10000 K in 100 K steps)
WB bracketing	+/-3 levels 3 images Blue / Amber or Magenta / Green bias
WB shift	Blue (-9) To Amber (+9) Magenta (-9) to Green (+9)
Picture style	Standard Portrait Landscape Neutral Faithful Monochrome User def. 1 User def. 2 User def. 3
Custom image parameters	Sharpness: 0 to 7 Contrast: -4 to +4 Saturation: -4 to +4 colour tone: -4 to +4 B&W filter: N, Ye, Or, R, G B&W tone: N, S, B, P, G
Image processing	Highlight tone priority Auto lighting optimizer (4 settings) Long exposure noise reduction High ISO noise reduction (4 settings) Auto correction of lens peripheral illumination (vignetting)
colour space	sRGB Adobe RGB
Viewfinder	Eye-level pentaprism 95% frame coverage Magnification: 0.95x(-1 diopter with 50 mm lens at infinity) Eyepoint: 22 mm Interchangeable focusing screen Ef-A standard (2 other types optional) Dioptric adjustment: -3.0 to +1.0 diopter
Focusing screens (optional)	Ef-A (Standard Precision Matte – included) Ef-D (Precision Matte with grid) Ef-S (Super Precision Matte for easier manual focus)
Mirror	Quick-return half mirror (transmission:reflection ratio 40:60) Mirror lock-up (once or multiple exposures)
Viewfinder info	AF points Focus confirmation light ISO sensitivity Shutter speed Aperture Manual exposure AE Lock Exposure compensation amount AEB level Spot metering area Flash ready Red-eye reduction lamp on High-speed sync FE Lock Flash compensation amount ISO speed (while changing) WB correction (while changing) Highlight tone priority icon * B&W mode icon Warnings Maximum burst for continuous shooting Buffer space
LCD monitor	3.0 " TFT LCD 920,000 pixels 7 brightness levels 160 ° viewing angle Dual anti-reflection
LCD Live view	Live TTL display of scene from CMOS image sensor 100% frame coverage 30 fps Real-time evaluative metering using CMOS image sensor Best view or exposure simulation Silent mode Grid optional (x2) Magnify optional (5x or 10x at AF point) Three AF modes – Live mode/Quick mode/Face Detection Histogram Remote live view using EOS Utility 2.0 (via USB or WiFi/Ethernet using WFT)
Record review	Off On (histogram via INFO button) Display mode same as last used Play mode 2 / 4 / 8 sec / Hold
Playback modes	1. Single image with exposure, file number, storage slot 2. As 1 but also image count and quality 3. Detailed exposure information, thumbnail and luminance histogram 4. Less detailed exposure info., thumbnail, luminance and RGB histograms
Playback features	Optional blinking highlight alert Optional AF point display Magnified view (up to 10x) 2×2 or 3×3 thumbnail index Jump (by 1, 10, 100 images / by screen or date) Delete / Protect
Flash	Auto pop-up E-TTL II auto flash FOV coverage up to 17 mm (27 mm equiv.) Guide number approx 13 m / 43 ft (ISO 100) Cycle time approx. 3 sec Flash compensation +/-2.0 EV in 0.3 or 0.5 EV increments X-Sync: 1/250 sec
External flash	E-TTL II auto flash with EX-series Speedlites In-camera flash configuration (currently only 580 EX II) Wireless multi-flash support PC Sync
Shooting modes	Auto Creative auto Program AE (P) Shutter priority AE (Tv) Aperture priority AE (Av) Manual (M) Auto depth-of-field Portrait Landscape Close-up Sports Night portrait Flash off Camera user settings 1 Camera user settings 2
Drive modes	Single High-speed continuous: 6.3 fps Low-speed continuous: 3 fps Self-timer: 2 or 10 sec (3 sec with mirror lock-up)
Burst buffer	Large/Fine JPEG: 90 frames (with UDMA card) RAW: 16 frames
Orientation sensor	Yes
Auto rotation	On (recorded and LCD display) On (recorded only) Off
Custom functions	25 custom functions with 74 settings in 4 groups
Menu languages	English German French Dutch Danish Portuguese Finnish Italian Norwegian Swedish Spanish Greek Russian Polish Czech Hungarian Romanian Ukrainian Turkish Arabic Thai Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese Korean Japanese
Firmware	User upgradable
Portrait grip	Optional WFT-E3/E3A Optional BP-E2N battery grip Optional BP-E2 battery grip
Connectivity	USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Video out HDMI connector N3 type wired remote control PC Sync flash terminal Communication terminal on base for WFT-E3/E3A
Storage	Compact Flash Type I or II (inc. FAT32) Supports UDMA cards Canon Original Data Security Kit supported ("Original Image Data") No CF card supplied
Power	Lithium-Ion BP-511A rechargeable battery (supplied & charger) Supports BP-511 / BP-511A / BP-512 / BP-514 CR2016 Lithium battery (date/time backup) Optional AC adapter
Wireless connectivity (optional WFT-E3/E3A)	Mounts on base of camera and also acts as vertical grip Has its own BP-511A battery Wireless 802.11b / 802.11g Wireless security: WEP, TKIP/AES, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK Wireless methods: Infrastructure or Ad Hoc Wired ethernet (100 Base-TX) Transfer: FTP, PTP (remote control by computer), HTTP (view / remote fire) USB host capable: External hard drives, flash drives USB comms: GPS devices (records coordinates and altitude in image header)
Dimensions	146 x 108 x 74 mm (5.7 x 4.2 x 2.9 in)
Weight	No battery: 730 g (1.6 lb) With battery: 822 g (1.8 lb)

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2008 Philippine Blog Awards Nominations

Dexter Panganiban — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:48:15 +0000

I just want to thank those who nominated my blog under Technology Category for the 2008 Philippine Blog Awards . I just submitted my Entry to the judges today. They will actually ask you to provide 5 best post related to the category where you are nominated.

Well I just found out that my site was not Purely Technology but most of my post deals with Blogging , SEO and Other Things related to Technology. Since I would like to make this blog in Focus to Technology. Starting today most of the Visible post from this blog will have more weight in Technology and Making Money Online, I prefer to move my future SEO post and Blogging Post to my other Personal blog in the making.

Some of you knows my other blog already but I will first try to put more content on that blog before I can shout out here the URL. But if you want to know it now, Why don’t you search my name in Google and you may find it

It really feels good when somebody nominates you in this kind of event.

BTW I know that Fitz of Ready to Be Reach nominated this blog [ Thanks Man.. Much Appreciated ] . Does anybody here nominated this blog also ?

Again Thanks for the Nomination and Good Luck to All of Us.

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No More Hidden Post

Dexter Panganiban — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:29:29 +0000

For the last months I had been doing some SEO post that is sometimes totally irrelevant about Technology, SEO and Blogging but most of the time relevant to Philippines and my Family . I have been hiding all this post thru my Random Post Category via a Plug-in. Maybe for some few readers they have manage to see this post since it is still appearing in the recent post if you are in the post page.

I must admit that those post that was included in that category give more visitors and new friends for this blog. And I am happy to announce that all those post from Today will be shown in my sidebar and there will be no more hidden post for this blog.

Of course most of the time it is off topic.All my post under Random Post Category will be included. I might add other categories in the future.

Most of those blog post includes Philippine Current Events and some Keywords that I am testing to optimize in order to get new visitors and of course possible clicks from ads from search engine visitors. Remember I am giving free E-Book on How to Earn from Current Events.

BTW those post will not be shown in the feeds. So it is only provided in this blog. But If there will be lots of request to include it in feeds I can also do it.

So that’s it for now and Happy Blogging to all of You. It also reminds me that I am blogger and I am not a News or Tech reporter.

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