Tag: Photography

Using iPhoto for iPad

When Apple released the new iPad, they also released iPhoto to compete with the iLife1 suite for iOS. On my tech blog, I wrote an overview of some of the basic features that excited me, but with this post2, I want to show some of the basic steps to processing photos in iPhoto for iOS. The following was done on an iPad, but iPhoto on the iPhone works similarly.

We've had warmer weather in early Spring, and most trees are in full bloom. While not great for my allergies, it has been great for photography. For this demo, I'll use a photo of some blossoms I shot3 while visiting the home of my wife's sister.

Original RAW photo imported from my Nikon D40

#Setting up#

Using the iPad camera connection kit, I imported the RAW image from the SD card. I could have just as well shot the picture on my iPhone and used the iPad Camera Connection Kit or the beam feature of iPhoto to import.

After launching iPhoto, select the Camera Roll or the Photos tab to get a listing of photos. iPhoto works in either portrait or landscape orientation. Use whichever orientation provides the most visibility for editing your image. I'm using landscape mode for this edit.

Finding files in your photo library

Before editing, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the environment. If you touch the question mark icon, tooltips will be overplayed on your screen to explain the various icons. You'll also want to adjust the size of the film strip to maximize your workspace. You can touch and move the grey bar above the film strip.

Help is just a question mark away

Once your environment is set up, select a photo from the film strip and click "Edit".

Select a photo to edit

#Editing#

Once in edit mode, you'll be presented with a new set of icons. Again, it's a good idea to click the question mark icon to familiarize yourself with the working environment.

Learning about the options in the Edit mode

##Crop##

The first thing I wanted to do was crop the photo. I wanted the flowers to be the photo's focus, but I thought they were too centred. I selected the Crop & Straighten tool and then selected the edge of the picture and dragged the box around. I used the rule of thirds to place the flowers within the grid marks on the right third of my image.

Using the Crop tool

iPhoto edits are cumulative and non-destructive. Your original photo is not touched, and you can undo all your changes. You can save the result to the Camera Roll or share it via the options provided.

##Exposure & Color##

The next thing I wanted to do was adjust the exposure and white balance of the image. The Exposure tool provides a single slider I can move back and forth to get things right.

Adjusting brightness and contrast.

While the Color tool provides several sliders for manual adjustments, I used one of the white balance presets.

Adjusting white balance

##Brushes##

There are so many ways these can be used, but I wanted to sharpen the main object of my photo for displaying on the web. I used the pinch and zoom gesture to zoom in on the area I wanted to work on. I chose the Sharpen brush and, using my finger, "painted" over the areas I wanted to sharpen.

Using Brushes
Using Brushes

##Effects##

If you are familiar with Instagram, you already have experience applying filters and textures to your iPhone photos. Effects are similar. There is no right or wrong here. Choose a filter effect that appeals to you. I chose one that added more pop to the orange in the flower stamens.

Adding a filter effect

##Finishing up##

Now that I've completed my edits — after tapping the Edit button to exit that mode —  I can save them back to the Camera Roll4 or choose one of the many built-in sharing options. Although I've just made a bunch of edits to my photo, I need to save the image back to the Camera Roll if I want the edited photo to be available for use by other apps or to sync back to iPhoto on my Mac using iCloud.

Final image after processing in iPhoto for iOS.

I hope I've given you an excellent intro to editing photos on the iPad using Apple's iPhoto app. Although I prefer using Adobe Lightroom 4 for OS X to edit my photos, the iPhoto app complements those who use iPhoto or Aperture in combination with iCloud on the Mac.

  1. Although they are purchased separately, I'm referring to the combination of iMovie, Garage Band, and iPhoto, and this is how Apple refers to them on their website. This also aligns with how Apple refers to iLife for OS X on their website, although the component apps are sold separately in the Mac App Store. ↩
  2. This entire article was written on my iPad using the Byword app for iOS. Minor edits were completed in Byword for OS X using iCloud to sync changes. ↩
  3. I have a basic camera kit. I used my Nikon D40, which I purchased six years ago and my Nikkor AF-S 35mm f/1.8 prime lens, which I bought a few years ago. ↩
  4. IPhoto uses the concept of a Lightbox. In digital photography, a Lightbox is a term used to describe an area within an application where users can create and store a list of images they want to reference or use later. ↩

Users can shoot, edit and post impressive videos directly from their iPhones.

Again as is the case with photography, users can shoot, edit and post impressive videos directly from their phones. When it comes to choosing between an iPhone and point-and-shoot camera, or a flip video, the convenience of having all of those tools in one device makes the decision a no-brainer, and in so doing, you’ll also save money from having to buy several gadgets.Did Apple's iPhone Redefine Photography?

Recently, we found our Sony point-n-shoot in the back of a cabinet. Our Sony HD camcorder hasn’t been used in almost a year.

Diabetes Kit and Photography

People who know me, know I am passionate about Apple products and photography. Most of the time those two passions overlap. I do slight post processing of my photos using Adobe Lightroom on the iMac and sometimes my iPad, because I always have it on me, I also do a lot of iPhone 4 photography. If you know me well, you also know I have Type 1 diabetes. While people are often curious about my photography and computer equipment very few people care to ask about my diabetes kit.

Today, I was reading an article about diabetes supply cases, that Allison Blass posted to Diabetes Mine. Most of the items mentioned in the article appeared to be designed by women for women. I didn't see anything that I would want to use. Alison mentioned another Diabetes Mine blog post by Wil Dubois in which he mentioned his attempts to create a "go bag" to corral his diabetes supplies.

Over the years, my go-bags have varied, but generally, start their lives off as camera bags. I find the “messenger” style works best for me. Partly because camera bags are more, you know, manly, than man purses; and partly because they have lots of little compartments for all the little things we need to have on hand.

Will’s post got me thinking about my solution to this problem which co-incidentally invokes a camera bag. While my first motivation for buying the Kata KT D-3N1-10 Sling/Backpack was to have an easy to use sling style bag to hold my camera equipment, the purchase also solved my diabetes "go-bag" problem. The Kata model I purchased has just enough space to hold my D40 and a few lenses. There is a slot in the back for a notebook or, in my case, and iPad 2. Smaller side pockets hold cables and adapters for dumping photos from memory cards or displaying iPad content on a larger screen.

But it's the top compartment that became my diabetes supply cabinet. The insulated space has enough room for a juice pack (or a pack of skittles), my insulin pens, diabetes meter and lancing device. A zip pocket holds lancets and drums for my lancing devices. Another small Velcro pocket holds two containers of test strips.

Camera bag with insulin cartridge—Sony DSC-W55 — © 12 August, 2011 by Khürt L. Williams

I carry my bag with me everywhere. I put it in my car before leaving for work. It sits at my desk during the day and I can grab my insulin and a needle before running out to lunch. It's convenient when I am out and about doing nature photography. Around the Princeton campus, I just look like another student or one of those sales professionals with a bag pack full of computing gear. I can walk around town taking photos. When I'm done, I can stop in at a coffee shop to rest and surf the web or edit photos while sipping a cold (or hot) coffee. Bliss.

Some may ask, "Isn't that too much stuff to carry". For me, not really. I'd have to carry the diabetes supplies with me anyway, but at least with the Kata bag, I also have access to a camera and my iPad.