FREE Photography Stuff: September 2008

Free guide to
getting great outdoor lighting!

First go look at Bernie Ledsma's amazing outdoor photos (Here: Outdoor Strobist) and you will appreciate the fact that not only is he offering his advice to help the rest of us achieve the same great results with our photos, but that he has really gone out of his way to write up and illustrate a free guide!

Bernie titles himself a "strobist" because his style of outdoor portrature relies on fill flash or strobes to properly expose the main subject while maximizing the use of beautiful natural ambient lighting.

You can find Bernie's guide and gallery of images over on Yahoo's free photo sharing community Flickr.

(See our previous blog post about Flickr, the most active photo community on the internet)

So stop in, pick up his guide, and make sure you say hello and comment on his great photos!

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Originally uploaded by Bernie Led:

“A Basic Field Guide for the Outdoor Strobist” 1st edition NOW AVAILABLE! For those who may be interested, I came up with a field guide on the basics of "Outdoor Strobing", just compiled my notes, learning’s, and work flow.

I initially made the notes for myself but decided to share it each time someone would ask me how I create those images. So I am making this material available to anyone who may benefit from it.

I know the learning curve here is steep with so much technical variations and complex exposure combinations, so I tried to keep it concise, but comprehensive.

A little thing about me, I am not a pro (have a day job in marketing) nor am I claiming to be a master, I just love and enjoy doing this... creating beautiful images and trying to be helpful to others that is.

If you would like to have a copy, Id be glad to email a copy to you, (free of course, not doing this for the money). Not really ground breaking, just my way of sharing and giving back...

All ill ask in return is for you to just let me know if it was able to help you or if you had fun using it. If you have suggestions to improve the work flow to make it easier or even better, let me know. Then we share it to even more people (open source spirit)... I'm calling it "A Basic Field Guide for the Outdoor Strobist" (just 5 pages, PDF format)

Get it here: A Basic Field Guide For The Outdoor Strobist

Bernie Ledesma

And remember...

Please share this link, and let everyone know you found it here at: freephotostuff.blogspot.com

Thanks.

New! Picasa 3 (beta)

The fantastic free imaging software from Google is about to get way better...

We here at Free Photography Stuff, have been huge fans of Google's image program Picasa and now there is much more to get excited about with the release of the beta trial of the new Picasa 3. If you are not familiar with Picasa see our previous post on why it is one of the few must have photo programs. Google's Picasa - Free Fantastic Photo Software

Download the Picasa 3 beta at http://picasa.google.com. To get additional support or to give feedback for this beta release, please visit the Picasa Help Group to find answers from knowledgeable users and the Google Guide.

From the Picasa website:
"To get started on the upgrade from Picasa 2.7 to Picasa 3, we've provided a detailed run-down of what's new and what's changed. This page explains the basics, but you'll need to get your hands dirty to really appreciate the changes. Click the links below to learn more about each feature."

	Sync your Picasa 3 and Picasa Web Albums edits Tired of having to manually re-upload your photos after making further edits? By enabling 'Sync to Web,' edits made to your photos in Picasa 3 are automatically transferred to your corresponding online albums. You can sync the following changes: Picasa 3 edits (Basic Fixes, Tuning, and Effects) Photos added or deleted in Picasa 3 Captions, tags, or geotags Getting started The Sync to Web button is located on the right side of each folder or album header. When you click this button, you'll first be prompted to upload the photos in that folder or album to Picasa Web Albums. You can change the upload size, album privacy setting, or even add a watermark to your uploaded photos. When the upload is complete, any subsequent Picasa 3 edits to those photos will automatically transfer to your online album. Troubleshooting You can disable the sync feature at any time by clicking the Sync to Web button again, or by selecting Disable Sync in the drop-down menu to the right of the Share button in the folder or album header. All your photos and their edits up to this point remain online, but any new edits and changes will no longer be synchronized. The following changes don't transfer to your online albums: Reordering photos Changes made to folder or album properties Changes made to filenames
	Retouch your images Always want to be airbrushed? Use the Retouch tool to remove unsightly blemishes and improve photo quality. It can also help you to restore old photos with marks, water stains, and scratches to excellent condition. When editing any photo, just click the Retouch button on the 'Basic Fixes' tab. Adjust the size of your brush, and use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in and out of the photo for precise edits. Click once to highlight the area you'd like to retouch, and then find another portion of the picture that should take the place of your highlighted area. Hover over this replacement area and click a second time.
	Preview image files with Picasa Photo Viewer The photo viewer is a fast, lightweight application for viewing images on your desktop or through Windows Explorer. Installed with Picasa 3, it lets you to take a quick look at images without having to fully open the Picasa 3 program. What you can do with the photo viewer: Add stars, zoom in and out with your mouse scroll wheel, rotate, or proceed to Picasa 3 to make more extensive edits. Upload directly from the photo viewer to Picasa Web Albums or Blogger. Jump right into emailing or printing as well. From your computer desktop or from within Windows Explorer, just double-click any image file to launch the Picasa Photo Viewer. You can reconfigure the file types that the photo viewer will display by clicking the Tools menu in Picasa 3 and selecting Configure Photo Viewer. If you'd prefer to use a different application to view certain file types, deselect the file types that the photo viewer shouldn't open. To disable the Picasa Photo Viewer entirely, click the 'Don't use Picasa Photo Viewer' option.
	Make a movie Combine your photos, videos, and music into a movie, and create a Windows Media file. Share it with friends by uploading it directly to YouTube. About the movie maker: Supported audio formats include mp3 and .wma. You have complete creative control - change the music sync, the slide duration, and slide transition style, among other things. Add text slides: Create a title slide or a divider to provide some context. You can choose to include your photo captions as well. When playing any video in Picasa 3, explore these two features: Use the Take Snapshot button to capture a single frame of the video. Use the In and Out buttons in the lower-right corner to trim a shorter clip. Click Export Clip to finalize your selection. There are two ways to launch the movie creation screen: Create a movie for all photos in a folder or album by clicking the Create Movie Presentation button in the folder or album header. If you'd like to pick and choose photos from different collections, place them in the Photo Tray and click the larger Movie button in the Photo Tray. Use the Movie, Slide, and Clips tabs to alter movie settings, add text to slides, and insert new images, respectively. When you're satisfied, click Create Movie. Once created, use the Upload to YouTube button to share your creation with family and friends. Depending on the number of images and size of your audio file, the movie creation process can take a significant amount of time. Can't create the entire movie in one sitting? No problem, just click the Close button, and you'll be prompted to Save Draft. You can pick up your work at any time in the 'Movies' folder.
	Capture your screen Instantly take and import your screen captures and webcam captures into Picasa 3. Screen captures Press PrtScn to capture a shot of your entire screen. Ctrl+PrtScn will capture the highlighted window. These images will be placed in the 'Screen captures' folder. If you're having trouble importing screen captures, make sure Picasa 3 is open. Screen captures won't be imported if the application is closed. Webcam capture This is webcam importing made simple: Capture video or stills from within Picasa 3, and import them in the same instant. Make sure your webcam is operational, and then click the Webcam Capture button on the top button bar. The Capture tool will let you take and import video and stills. If the Webcam Capture button is inactive, first make sure your webcam is set to go. Then try closing Picasa 3 and opening it back up.
	Add text or watermarks to your photos You can easily personalize your photos using the Watermark and Text tools. Watermarks Help protect your images by stamping a watermark on all images that you export or upload. The watermark signature will be placed in the lower right-hand corner. Upload photos with watermarks Click the Tools menu in Picasa 3, select Options, then click the Web Albums tab. Select the option labeled 'Add a watermark for all uploads.' Type the text for the watermark in the field below the option. Export photos with watermarks When you click the Export button in the Photo Tray, you can select the 'Add a watermark' checkbox to include a watermark on your exported images. Type the text for the watermark in the field below the option. Text Use the Text tool to add text quickly and easily to your photographs; you can even print the result. You can edit the style, size, color, and alignment of the text, as well as drag it to your desired location on the photo. When editing a photo, click the Text button on the 'Basic Fixes' tab to access the tool. Do you want to add the same text to multiple photos? From the main Library view, click the Edit menu and select Copy Text to copy the text you've placed on one photo. Then select Paste text to apply it to all other selected photos. The text change isn't permanent. Once you've added your text, you'll see a 'Show Text' checkbox on the 'Basic Fixes' tab for that image. Deselect the checkbox and the text will disappear.
	Print captions Your captions are about to see a little more action. You can now print your captions or photo file names on or below your photos. Control the style and color of your printed caption, in addition to the width and color of the printed photo border. After you've selected the photos you'd like to print, click the Print button in the Photo Tray. Click the Border and Text Options button to add borders and adjust the style and placement of your printed text. Click Apply to preview your work, and OK to accept the changes.
	Upload easily to Picasa Web Albums Use the Drop Box to hold quick uploads and upload throttling to multi-task during your upload. Drop-box upload The Drop Box is an online album that serves as a holding pen for your quick uploads. Click the Upload to your Web Albums DropBox button located above your photo on the 'Edit Photo' screen to upload a single picture directly to your Picasa Web Albums Drop Box. Upload throttling You can choose to have Picasa 3 reserve some of your Internet bandwidth for surfing the Web while you're doing large uploads to Picasa Web Albums. During your upload, the dialog box will have an option labeled 'Don't eat all my bandwidth.' Just select this checkbox, and then continue multi-tasking.
	Control your Picasa Web Albums settings If you have an online album in Picasa Web Albums, you can now control the online settings through the corresponding folder or album in Picasa 3. There are a few different controls located in the drop-down menu to the right of the Share button in the folder or album header: Adjust the privacy of your online album. Change the online image size. Delete an online album. Sync your edits to your online album. You can also choose to apply 'Sync to Web' to starred photos only. Troubleshooting The button's only available for folders or albums that have been uploaded to Picasa Web Albums. You must be signed in to your Google Account for Picasa Web Albums. You can sign in by clicking Sign in to Web Albums in the upper-right corner of Picasa 3. You will only be able to adjust the online image size if you have enabled 'Sync to Web.'
	Manage folders on your computer It's now possible to move entire folders around on your hard drive from within Picasa 3. From the folder list, right-click the folder you'd like to move, and select Move folder. Choose your desired destination or create a new folder altogether. These moves are permanent on your hard drive, so make sure you properly stow your folders.
	Get more information about your photos We've added new icons and tools to the Library view to quickly communicate useful information about your photos. And remember... Please share this link, and let everyone know you found it here at: freephotostuff.blogspot.com Thanks.