Welcome

I’m frequently asked to deliver IPIX files for real estate virtual tours.  IPIX previously had a very unfriendly licensing structure for their Interactive Studio.  There was a “Project License” that lasted a month or a yearly subscription.  After some lengthy discussions, they offered me a license in perpetuity and are now selling the software for a one time price.

The IPIX Real Estate Wizard is a very inexpensive and easy and  to use system that combines two circular fisheye images.  You can purchase a set of 5 Keys for $20 which will unlock the software for five images.  A fair price in my opinion.  However this did not work for me because I use a much more complex system to create a better virtual tour.

My system for creating iPIx VR tours combines 25  full frame fisheye images for each view.  The images are made vertically on a Really Right Stuff nodal point tripod head. The head  wasn’t “really right”  for a Sigma 15 Degree fisheye, so I cut off the front with a hack saw.  There are five stops in my sequence and each

Today, there are numerous ways to stich and deliver 360 virtual tours, but if you need to make an ipx file for real estate clients who use iPix, Interactive Studio or the Real Estate Wizard are your only options.

HDR and Photoshop

HDR (High  Dynamic  Range Imaging) can be daunting to start with, but once you start you’ll never stop.  There are very few times when I don’t shoot an exposure bracket  so that I have HDR options; even handheld.  I don’t always merge the images into a 32bit file, but I usually combine bracketed exposures in some manner to expand and manipulate dynamic range.

Digital Imaging author and trainer, Colin Smith, has a number of tutorial videos out that are a good place to start your HDR training.  He did the tutorial videos for Photomatix, which is a must have application for HDR.  Colin’s PhotoshopCAFE website has lots of other useful digital imaging videos.

ImageNest- Mac Printing Layout Software

ImageNest Discount Coupon:

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ImageNest is a software Rip for Mac printing that does printing layout and a number of other picture layout tricks very well.  ImageNest works on all printers with Mac drivers : Epson, HP, Canon, etc.  We reviewed  the first version of BlueCubit’s ImageNest here.  There  are so many new printer layout features in ImageNest 2.0, that the new printing layout features deserve  a  review.  I think this is the perfect  iPhoto printing utility.  Apple’s iPhoto printing leaves a lot to be desired, and Bluecubit gives iPhoto users the image layout tools they need for picture printing.

Product manager, Joshua Lubbers has graciously offered to give a 10% discount on all of Bluecubit’s Mac Image Layout Printing  software.

Use this link and code: ImageNest Discount Coupon Code: 10dis

ImageNest 2.0 Top 5 New Features

DNG Printing- ImageNest can easily print outstanding contact sheets from all the major file types, but it really shines for DNG printing of contact sheets.  DNG files have an adjusted JPEG file imbedded in them along with the RAW date and XMP data.  When you make edits to the RAW image in an editor such as Adobe’s Lightroom and push those edits into the DNG file, the adjustments are saved as XMP Data and A JPEG is created.  ImagNest is one of the only ways to access and print that adjusted DNG Jpeg preview.

Metedata Annotations- If your contact  sheet printing, then you likely need to print text, file numbers, names, dates, location or other metedata.  A contact sheet isn’t of much use without the information you need to access the file you or your client want to use. ImageNest allows you to print metedata on all four sides of each image in the printing layout.   Printing text metedata  in the layout is a major power feature that is useful in so many ways.

PDF Creations- Layouts aren’t just for printing, they can be saved as PDF files.  This is an absolutely killer feature of ImageNest. After spending some time creating a wonderful layout of your pictures, you can save it as a PDF.  Contact sheets with file numbers and metedata annotations can be emailed for review.  Because the layout or contact sheet is in a PDF, viewers with Adobe acrobat can put notes about the files they like on the PDF and return it to the photographer.

Image Borders (Frames)- Image frames allow you to layout pictures with borders.  The picture borders can be different  colors and widths.  Image frames are a simple way of really dressing up a print layout.  I regularly use them when  on black and white image layouts.

Soft Proofing- This is a professional  printing feature that armatures could use as well.  It’s designed to help professional photographers who need to soft proof for CMYK printers, but it’s also useful for proofing machine prints.  If your having prints made on a Fuji Frontier or Noritsu machine printer like Costo & SmugMug uses, then you need a way to check color and density before you send the SRGB  files.  The profiles for these printers are available through drycreekphoto as well as most major print vendors.  Imagenest can be used to layout images for these services too.

Those are the five major new features of ImageNest 2.0.  Version 2.0 also has a much improved interface with many improvements under the hood.    64 Bit processing is enabled, but many Mac printer drivers are not running 64Bit yet.  ImageNest is committed to speed and will likely be using CUDA multicore GPU Image processing in their next major release.

This is defiantly the simplest picture layout RIP on the market.  It’s a simple to use  Mac printing layout utility that really doesn’t have a competitor.  under the hood  ImageNest comes in a number of versions based on the size of the layout or printer.

17 Inch $199
24 Inch $399
44 Inch $599
Wide Format $799

Use this link and code for a 10% ImageNest discount:

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Apples new iPad might be just the trick for photographers on the go.  I’ve used a number of portable computers and media devices to download and edit images on the fly, but they have all come up short(or BIG).  Most don’t have enough features or they are too big for an editorial photographer to tote around.  The iPad won’t do it all, but it might work well for viewing and transmitting images.  The big backlit display, wireless connections (802.11G & 3G) , and operating system are the key features that make it unique.  I have all of this on my laptop, but it’s 5.5 pounds and eats batteries.

Compact Flash (CF) and SD cards have become so cheap that there is usually no need to download to a portable media device with a built in hard drive to free up space. It is a good idea to have multiple copies of your files at all times.  In the past, I’ve used a number of small devices  to download and backup images on the fly, but lately I’ve resorted to either setting up a full tethered laptop or just shooting to dual cards in camera.  The iPad should open up some new options that will improve my workflow.

There’s built in WiFi, which might work well with a Eye-Fi (see Eye-Fi post). There’s also  two adapters for connecting cameras: USB and SD.  I’m hopeful that I can work out a tethered shooting scenario with the USB.  I really just want a backlit big screen to view the images as I work.  This may require recording Raw plus jpeg and viewing only the jpegs on the fly.  I can record RAW separately and download them when there is more time.  I think  I can get it to wirelessly pop up a display of the images I’m shooting for my crew and client to see.

I’m excited to see Apple’s iPad because I think it might be just the thing to keep in my bag when I’m on the run.  I’m looking forward to creating a few workflows for photographers using the device. I expect a whole slew of Apps to come out that will help photographers use the iPad as a portable media device.  One way or the other photography wise, the iPad is another groundbreaking device from Apple that’s going to be popular.

Litepanels 1X1 Kit

LED lighting will play a crucial role in the evolution of photography. I’ve dreamed of a specific light my entire career and LED technology makes that light possible. The light would be small yet bright, dimmable and with adjustable color. This light would run cool and quite on battery power. That’s exactly what LEDs can do.

LED lights are quickly replacing all forms of lighting. In most cases it’s just a better technology. Just look for a flashlight or camping lantern and you’ll see what I mean. My friends at 360s.com have developed a light engine that will be manufactured for mobile operating rooms. This LED light source replaces traditional incandescent systems, and it lasts over 4x longer than other lights using similar battery packs . I’ve been playing with one of these “light engine” prototypes and I love it. It’s shows incredible potential as a photographic light: bright, cool, adjustable, and small.

Look for manufactures of all sorts of photography lighting to move to LED sources in the coming years. As I said before, it’s simply a superior photography technology. I’m curious weather or not these lights could be “pulsed” like a strobe. An LED light that could turn on for a 1/4000 of a second would replace the need for standard on-camera flash and studio strobe systems . At the very least, manufacturers will replace modeling lights with LEDs and compact flash units will become hybrid lights.

The move to hybrid cameras that shoot both stills and video is driving a need for continuous lighting. Also, strobes can’t keep up with the frame rates that are possible with today’s cameras.  HDR imaging also requires a continuous light source because shutter speed adjustments are necessary for exposure changes (changing the aperture changes pixel alignment).

Strobes are available and usable in far brighter ranges than LEDs, however I find this unnecessary. An LED equivalent to a 6400 watt second  strobe would blind everyone on the set. For portrait work, I’m often using 1600WS lights on their lowest settings and sometimes adding neutral density to dim them down. Modern DSLRs do an excellent job at higher ISOs like 400-800, so the need for all the power has really diminished.

Litepanels MicroPro

There is already an abundant selection of stage lighting and architectural lighting available in LED. There are also many on camera video lights and ring lights for macro work. Larger arrays of LEDs for studio and location lighting are available, but the selection is limited. I do expect  there to be a vast selection of adjustable color LED lights with available within two years.
Many of these lights are controllable by a stage lighting communications protocol called DMX

Here are a few LED Lighting resources:

Litepanels – Video
Kometled
Pdngearguide
Arri
Switronix
Enfis