EPIC FAIL: My First Photo Shoot of 2022

EPIC FAIL: My First Photo Shoot of 2022

All smiles now but could have been a very different story…

Got up early today for the 3.5 hour drive to Whiteford (Gower Peninsula, South Wales) to photograph the Victorian Lighthouse.

Having arrived at the nearest car park it was then just over a 3 mile walk across boggy wetland / marsh and forest to get to the beach…

FINALLY! Look Up Tables (LUTs) in Lightroom (Install, Use, Manage)

Colour Look Up Tables (LUTs) are a Game Changer when it comes to colour grading your images in Photoshop, but what if you do more in Lightroom or maybe Lightroom is all you use; can you still use them?

The short answer is YES.

However, they do need to be installed first of all and to do so, although a simple process, doesn’t just mean clicking anINSTALL LUTs” button.

There’s just a few steps involved as well as a hidden keyboard shortcut, but I promise you that it is an easy process as you’ll see in the short video below…

In the video when going through the steps to install LUTs into Lightroom (Cloud) , I show how you need to navigate to a specific folder on your computer where Camera Raw has previously stored them.

Here’s where you’ll find the folder depending on whether you’re using Mac or Windows:

Mac

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/Settings

Note: On a Mac, you can use the keyboard shortcut of Command + Shift + G to bring up the ‘Go to Folder’ dialog

Windows

C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\CameraRaw\Settings

*Replace [username] with the actual username you use for that specific computer


Hopefully that’s now got you all sorted Importing, Using and Managing LUTs in whichever version/s of Lightroom you use, but if you do have any questions / comments then as always, feel free to make use of the comments section and I’ll get back to you..

Cheers,
Glyn

Autumn / Fall Effect: Transform your Landscape Photographs

It’s my own fault that this year I didn’t manage to grab one single Autumn / Fall photograph; I’ve spent every opportunity photographing down on the coast here in Devon or over the border in Cornwall.

Until next year though (when I WILL get some Autumn / Fall photographs) here’s a couple of ways we can use Photoshop to fake it; the first using a single Adjustment Layer and the second using a new Neural Filter.

When you see the video, which one do yo think works / looks best?

Enjoy,
Glyn

ESSENTIAL KIT I couldn't (and wouldn't) be without

Without doubt one of the most important pieces of kit I have is a U.P.S. (Uninterruptible Power Supply), which is basically a big battery that keeps my office / studio running when (not if) there’s a power cut, and protected when (not if) there’s a power surge.

History

In the past I’ve suffered because of power cuts on 2 occasions…

  1. When living at our first home, the power, well, just cut off and this caused irreparable damage to the hard drive system that I had at the time and I consequently lost years of files.

  2. When I was using a Windows based PC as my main computer and there was a power cut during an update being installed to the Operating System.

    This resulted in a complete re-install.

So enough was enough; I needed a solution.

Solution = UPS

There’s a whole host of companies that make these UPS units; all with different power capabilities depending on your needs i.e. how many peripherals you have plugged in and need to keep powered up when there’s a power cut.

The one I currently have is the BX1400UI made by APC…

This particular unit has 6 available plug sockets; 3 of which are battery backup and surge protected and the remaining 3 are surge protected only.

The idea behind a UPS is simple; when mains power cuts out, the UPS kicks in immediately meaning your equipment keeps running until the mains power returns; this ultimately means your equipment is safe.

Of course with it being a battery it can only keep things running for a limited amount of time which in my case is roughly 20-25 minutes, by which time the power should be back up and running.

However, if it isn’t then there is built in software called Powershute which will take over and safely power down the system rather than letting it run until the battery power runs out.

KEY

A: Main Computer

B: 2nd Monitor / Screen (BenQ SW321C)

C: Synology NAS 4-Bay Backup

D: G Tech External Hard-drive

E: Broadband Router

Living in the middle of the countryside, momentary power cuts are a way of life so having a UPS is not only a life saver but essential.

When it does kick in, all you hear is a feint click as it engages, but there’s absolutely no interruption to your computer system whatsoever. A percentage indicator also appears in the information bar at the top of my screen saying how long at the current usage the battery can keep things running.

Essential Kit

Having experienced the wrath of a power cut on a couple of occasions, I simply would not be without a U.P.S..

A U.P.S. not only protects your equipment, but also nowadays with doing more and more online presentations using video platforms such as Zoom, it means (if there’s a power cut midway through) I don’t just leave people wondering where the heck I went.

Instead, the unit makes me aware it’s kicked in and this is usually just for a second or 2, however if it’s going on longer than hoped, I can make people aware that I need to close things down.

Thankfully this hasn’t happened BUT it’s something we all need to be aware of if we do online meetings.

So if there was one piece of kit I would recommend you look at investing in for 2022 (if you haven’t already) it would be a U.P.S. ; the first time it kicks in and keeps you running is INCREDIBLY satisfying and reassuring.

You can check out the U.P.S. I have over on my Gear Page here (LINK)

Keep well,
Glyn

Lightroom Classic Update - December 2021

The December 2021 release of Lightroom Classic (version 11.1) provides support for new cameras, lenses, and bug fixes…

Supported Cameras Updated

Most notably, Lightroom now supports Raw processing of files from the new Sony A7IV

 

Supported Lenses Updated

CLICK HERE for the full list of newly supported lenses

 

BUgs / Issues Fixed

CLICK HERE for a fun list and explanation of fixes to identified bugs and issues.

BenQ and Permajet Discount Codes and Offers

Just dropping in with a quick one to let you know of some discount codes and offers I know that are available from folks that I’ve been creating content for lately.

Cheers,
Glyn


WeX and BenQ

BENQ5

This one is valid until 23rd December 2021 and relates to a 5% Discount off any BenQ Monitor in the SW range purchased through WeX when using the code BENQ5 on checkout:

www.wexphotovideo.com


Permajet

In this weeks video on my YouTube Channel I go through how to get the very best prints when using Canon Printers, and at the end I mention some discount codes and offers that Permajet have put together…

GLYN15

This one gives 15% OFF any of the papers in the Permajet Range

www.permajet.com

DEWIS22

When purchasing the Canon Pro 300 from Permajet, if you add this code at check-out, a 10 Sheet Sample Pack of various Photo Paper in the Permajet range is added to the order free of charge:

www.permajet.com

TRY THIS and get PERFECT PRINTS Every Time! (Lightroom + Canon Printers)

Printing can be incredibly frustrating and costly if it doesn’t turn out right.

Despite following the advice of calibrating your screen and using paper profiles, the results just don’t look good and certainly don’t match what you see on the screen.

Good News though…it might not be down to something you’re doing wrong; it may actually be an issue somewhere with the software and / or the printer.

In this video, I show you how we can fix that if you’re using Lightroom as your printing software AND Canon Printers…in particular the newer models.

Enjoy,
Glyn

DO THIS for Super Sharp Eyes (FAKE IT in Photoshop)

In this latest video (which is under 7 minutes long) on my YouTube Channel I go through a Super Fast technique for faking the look of detail, texture and sharpness in eyes.

Of course nothing beats getting it all ‘in camera’ but for whatever reason that just didn’t happen and the eyes are lacking punch, this works an absolute treat…

New Update to my Photoshop Layers and Selections Workshop Book

Following on from the recent (HUGE) update to both Lightroom and Camera Raw that was unveiled at Adobe Max, I’ve now written a FREE update to my latest book, The Photoshop Layers and Selections Workshop

The update covers all you need to know to get up and running with the new Selections and Masks functionality in Camera Raw (it’s the same in Lightroom) and is available as a PDF download in addition to the follow along images.

The update is available for FREE from the Publishers (Rocky Nook) website at the following link:

https://rockynook.com/plsw/

Enjoy,
Glyn