Posts tagged Tools

Five Clicks: Tools for Keeping on Track

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Being an independent photography professional or content creator is a great, amazing, beautiful thing.

Except when it isn’t.

When you first start as a photographer or designer, it’s like falling in love with a beautiful/handsome other person. Everything is great, and when you’re with that person, time seems to stand still.  Then you get married, and the relationship matures, and as wonderful as it is to spend time together, you also can’t help but notice that the dishes are piled up, the bills need to be paid and the in-laws are coming to visit, again.

If every day could be spent behind the lens while getting a ride with the Blue Angels or documenting a religious festival in the mountains of Catalonia, it would be like that spouse that never gets old, gets angry or challenges you in any way.  But the reality of marriage and of creative careers is that 80 percent of it is the ‘unsexy’ stuff—in the case of content creation it’s the production work, marketing and other tasks that keep the lights on—that makes the other 20 percent possible.

The problem is, it’s hard to stay focused and on track when the tasks are not so fun.  That’s why I love tools that make my job easier, are useful and help keep my animal brain on track. When my willpower or my resolve falters, I just let these pieces of software guide the way:

Activity Timer (iOS and Mac)
This is a very simple custom timer app that allows you to specify and save time blocks of custom length for various activities, and a custom “success” message. I know by experience that 90 minutes is about the longest I can focus on any given task, so most of my time sprints are anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and a half. I have a stand-up desk and I use this tool to remind me to sit down and stand about every 20 minutes throughout my workday in front of the computer.

Trello (Web, Android, IOS, Mac, PC)
I’ve used Trello for at least 4 years. In that time, I’ve found other project management tools but the ‘kanban’ style visual drag-and-drop interface always brings me back. I use it to set up various ‘workflows’ relating to client work, my sales pipeline, and even for my editorial calendar. It’s great for collaborating between teams, too. Using this tool for my work ensures that I keep track of a lot of moving pieces in a consistent way.

Todoist (Web, Android, IOS, Mac, PC)
This is about the 1,000th ‘to do’ app I’ve tried, but at this point it’s won the award for longevity. It’s very simple to use and can interpret deadlines from text (i.e., ‘in two weeks’, or ‘next January 1’) easily. I use it all the time….and I like the way it gamifies item completion—the more you complete, the more ‘karma’ you earn and the more enlightened you become. One of these days, I’ll be a Grandmaster. But not today.

Routinist (iOS, Android soon)
I’m fascinated by the idea of creating good habits (and getting rid of negative ones) by ritualizing them into a routine that you perform daily until they become deeply ingrained. This little app helps create and define routines based on a sequence of actions and habits that, once triggered, run in sequence until they are complete. I’ve used this app to change the way I approach my morning routine.

Streak CRM (Web, IOS, Android)
This software is a CRM (which stands for “customer relationship management” tool) which is a fancy way of saying that it is used for sales, projects, leads, and anything else related to your clients.  It’s capable of far more.  I use it to do project management, sales and client pipelines in situations where most communications are email conversation-based. First I define the stages of a pipeline and also set up email templates for some of the stages. I then create a box for each new client/story/item/lead and move it through each stage of the pipeline until done. It saves me a lot of time but more importantly, Streak is a powerful way to stay consistent on predefined processes built around email. In fact, it’s designed to be used exclusively with gmail, and it operates inside your email browser.   If you’re a gmail or Google apps user, Streak is worth checking out.  It’s particularly powerful for teams, including editors, journalists and bloggers. It allows you to schedule and track emails as well.

I hope you enjoy these tools—and more importantly, find them useful for keeping your own messy business life on track. Hopefully, that unsexy stuff just got a little more sexy.

Use the web to find your stolen camera gear

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Professional photographers are familiar with insurance, which protects expensive gear from loss or damage.   But if you’ve ever had gear stolen, you know that while replacing it is obviously nice, nothing beats actually nabbing the crooks responsible.

Using a free online tool called GadgetTrak, you may be able to do just that.

How does it work?  Once you submit  your camera serial number, the site searches the web for images published with that serial number embedded in the EXIF metadata that resides inside the image file.   If you’re lucky, they’ll return images taken by your camera.   That’s what happened to LA photographer John Heller, who was able to recover more than $9000 worth of stolen camera equipment using this online tool (see video, below).

Don’t like that skin color? Replace it.

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Image showing high yellow values

Proper skin tone is a must for any professional portrait.   Sometimes, especially when shooting in natural-light conditions, a warmer or cooler color of skin is desired.   When in studio or daylight conditions, however, skin tone and color is critical for making sure faces look natural and healthy.

You can’t just judge the tones of a photo by visually assessing it on a computer monitor, unless you have a recently calibrated screen.  Everyone sees color differently.   Instead, it’s best to use objective numbers.   Select the eyedropper tool in Photoshop and hover over the skin areas in your image to see the C,M,Y,K values. You must have the “Info” window open to do so.  The Info palette is a densitometer that measures the amount of cyan, magenta, yellow and black present in your image.  These are the colors that make up the four-color printing process.   Even though your images most likely are being rendered in an RGB space and may never need to be converted to CMYK, we use the CMYK values in the densitometer to measure whether our skin tone is where it needs to be.

Primarily, we’re concerned with relative values, not absolute values.  For example, For Caucasian skin, you’d likely see the numeric values for M (Magenta) in the 30-50 range.   It really doesn’t matter where it is; what’s important is this value relative to the Y (Yellow) number.   For white, Caucasian skin the Y value should always be about 3-5 points above the M value.   K?  That’s black, by the way–and it should read quite low, in the single digits, or zero.  The C, or Cyan, value, should be roughly a third of the value of the M or Y numbers.   So for our current example, a C value of 8-15 would be dead-on.    Without going into specific sets of numbers for all the various kinds of skin, the darker the skin, the higher the Cyan value should be relative to the M and Y values.

By the way, this whole number scheme doesn’t really work if the skin you’re working with has been lit by any extreme light–you know, the gorgeous, golden glow of a sunset or the cool glow of a neon sign.  You have extreme light, you want to preserve that.   You don’t want ‘natural’.

So, once you’ve determined that you DO want natural skin tone and you’ve identified the problem–that guy’s skin looks really pink and you’ve confirmed values of, say, Y=35 and M=75–then how do you fix it?

There are a lot of great ways to do so in Photoshop, and what works for one picture won’t always work for another.  That said, my go-to first tool is always “Replace Color” (Edit–>Adjustments–>Replace Color).  To use it, simply click on a lit, shadowless area of skin and select the degree of latitude (called ‘fuzziness’) you want your selection to cover.  A high degree of fuzziness will select more areas of the image that match the tone of the skin area you clicked on.   Once that’s done, move the sliders to adjust the Hue, Saturation and Lightness.  It doesn’t take much.    In the example below, I moved the Hue slider to -3, the Saturation slider to -5 and the Lightness to +1.   I’ve rarely had to go above 10 on the Hue slider, which is my primary adjustment slider.

That’s really it–just move the eyedropper icon over the skin again to read the new values and, if they look good, go with it.  Again, it may be difficult but you should trust the numbers way, way before you trust your eyes.   A properly adjusted image will reproduce on any calibrated printer even if it doesn’t look great on your uncalibrated screen.

So pay attention to your skin values, and try out Replace Color.   Doesn’t your skin deserve it?

Image adjusted using Replace Color, showing corrected relative values

My favorite iPhone apps for pro photographers

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There is no end to “top ten” lists when it comes to iPhone app recommendations.  But since it seems like everyone is releasing a new one these days (my grandmother’s working on one right now, I think), it isn’t long before any of these published recommendations becomes out-of-date.  Besides, I’m actually curious what other photographers who own iPhones use to make their business and creative lives easier, more productive or just plain fun.   My list features some obvious, photo-related choices and many other apps that have nothing ostensibly to do with photography–but are nevertheless quite useful.

Here is my list with reasons why.  I hope it’s helpful, and I’d love to hear feedback if you hate/love my choices or have others of your own. Out of more than 300,000 apps I might have missed something cool, right?

Photography
Strobox

 What it does: I’m a geek at heart, and I like to keep recipe cards for many of my shoots–especially those that have great results I’d like to repeat. This app allows me to sketch my lighting/subject setup easily and, since I draw like a kindergartner, allow me to actually understand it when I look at it later.

What I like: Easy to use, nice looking icons. I can save them.

What I don’t: Doesn’t have icons (like a sun) suitable for showing location shoots, which is much of what I do. That’s what my pen is for, however.

Cost: Free
Photographer’s Contract Maker

 What it does: Great little app for customizing and presenting a variety of documents online. I use mine for model releases. It allows you to upload your logo, take a shot of the subject, and get their signature by having them ‘sign’ with their finger on the iPhone screen. It emails a pdf to you (and to your subject if needed), saving you the time it takes to scan your physical releases. Very customizable and useful.

I like: Customizable and flexible. I can create any number of documents that need signatures. Great online help videos, too.

I don’t like: that you can’t take a picture of your subject to append to the release. But, I wasn’t doing that with the physical releases, either.

Cost: $2.99
Light Trac

 What it does: For outdoor and location shooters, this one is a gem. Pop in any potential shoot locale and it’ll pop it up on a Google satellite map overlaid with lines showing of the sun’s rays during sunrise, sunset and any selected time. Just put in the location, the date, the time, and see how sunlight will work with your scene.

I like: Can reference future dates/times, and you can save locations.

I don’t like: Still in the honeymoon phase. It’s darn near perfect.

Cost: $4.99
Pocket Scout

 What it does: Records interesting potential photo locations for future use, complete with photos and detailed notes. This is great for a location photographer who is always on the lookout for good places in which to shoot.

I like: Allows you to take multiple photos for reference. Uses GPS to automatically enter the address of the location you’re at (no typing!) Allows tagging and sharing of locations.

I don’t like: Doesn’t work well on 3G phones (and not at all on 2G phones). It does work with iPads, though.

Cost: $2.99

Productivity Apps
Dragon Dictation

Dragon Dictation
 ReQall

ReQall
What they do: Both apps allow you to record audio and provide real-time transcription. Both make some hilarious translations from time to time. Otherwise, there are differences that–for me–are pushing me to keep both apps on my phone, for different purposes.

I like (Dragon): Lightning fast and a slight edge in quality of transcription. Can push to Twitter and Facebook, email, SMS. Ability to edit the transcription. Free.

I don’t like: No way to categorize or store notes.

Best Used For: To post sms, twitter and facebook items quickly when all you have is an iPhone.

Cost: Free

I like (ReQall): Can categorize, tag transcriptions or have ReQall decide for you. Can set up email so that it automatically emails you transcript without having to enter an email address. Can handle events and dates/times. Stores the audio so you can listen to it, and includes audio in emails so that even if transcription is garbled you can listen to the audio.

I don’t like: Can be very slow. Transcription seems a bit weaker than DD but still very good.

Best Used For: Great for to do lists; a productivity tool. Great for storing and organizing info that you record on the fly, such as blog post ideas, location shoot ideas, etc.

Cost: Free

How I use them: ReQall for quick hit ideas, events to be scheduled and notes to myself when on the go. Also as an organizational tool, to remind me about events and tasks. Dragon for dictating social media posts or messages without needing a keyboard and sending them on the go.
Milog
 What it does: Records your mileage and travel-related expenses such as tolls, parking fees, etc.

I like: It’s easy to use, saves locations and tags, and it emails me a swanky spreadsheet perfect for tax purposes.

I don’t like: Sometimes the odometer resets while I’m noting mileage and I have to reenter it. Once entered, though, it stays saved.

Cost: $3.99
Bento

 What it does: Personal (FileMakerPro) database that syncs up with your desktop version of the same software and can be used for everything from contact management to equipment inventories. I also love Japanese food.

I like: It allows me to carry a lot of my business information on the road with me. It syncs as long as I’m near my computer without having to be plugged in.

I don’t like: Shouldn’t it be free, since you need to have the desktop version of the software, which you have to pay for? Yes. It should.

Cost: $4.99
AroundMe

 What it does: Quickly finds information about your surroundings, wherever you happen to be. In a new city and need coffee? AroundMe will get you to the closest one.

I like: It’s free, easy, and allows you to search outside of the provided handy categories. Did I mention it finds coffee?

I don’t like: It can’t actually apparate coffee, hot and accompanied by a bagel, out of thin air. But it gets darned close.

Cost: Free
Square

 What it does: Allows you to accept credit cards on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

I like: It’s free–no monthly fees or contracts–and the per-transaction fee is reasonable provided you have the accessory card swiper thingamabob (also free, from Square). It’s fast and very slick.

I don’t like: I use it only on occasion, but it would be nice if there were a merchant account level that required a monthly fee but took a smaller per-transaction fee.

Cost: Free

So….that’s what’s on my iPhone.  What’s on yours?

–30–

Shop Talk: Using Adjustment Layers

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With Photoshop, it’s easy to go overboard and end up with the equivalent of what we used to call the Hand of God effect.    Any change made to an image alters the bits that make up the file and cannot be reversed once done.

That’s why I love Photoshop’s nondestructive imaging capability using Adjustment Layers.  The idea is that when you make changes to an image, you do so on a separate layer.  This means you don’t make changes to the underlying image file (the background layer) at all, and thus don’t damage the original.  Once you’ve got the file where you want it, you flatten it and make all the changes all at once.

Adjustment layers are a great idea, and are easy to use.  With an image open, go to Layers–> Adjustment Layers.   You’ll have the option to choose tools such as  curves, levels, exposure etc.  When you select a tool and name the layer, you can make changes with the tool that appear to change your image (below).


The change is really only being applied to the adjustment layer, which you can see in your Layers palette.  If one portion of the photo is too bright and I want to darken it, as in my example below, I make the entire photo darker using Curves.

Then I make sure the black square at the bottom of the tool box is set as foreground color (click the two-headed arrow to move the black box above the white one as shown below), and I select the paintbrush tool .  Now when I paint areas of the photo with the brush, I’m actually telling it to remove the darkness I’ve just added to that portion of the image.  In my example, I only want the sky and background to be darker–not the girl.  So I carefully paint around her, varying the brush size and opacity to feather in the changes so they look natural.

If you mistakenly take away too much with the paintbrush, or wander over areas of the image you don’t intend to, you can use the Undo (command + Z) tool to undo the change, or–and this is why I like Adjustment Layers so much–you can add the change back.  You do this by going to the bottom of the toolbar and making the white box set as the foreground color.  This now means that whichever area you paint, you are adding back the changes you made to the adjustment layer (in this case, adding the darkness I applied in step one).  So by alternating the additive (white) and subtractive (black) versions of the paintbrush, I can really craft my adjustments.

There’s no limit to the number of Adjustment Layers you can layer, one on top of the other.  If you don’t like what’s going on with one of your layers, you can always drag that layer (in the layers dialog box) into the trash can and deleting it.

When you’re all done, it’s a good idea to save the entire file as a “master” version of the image–either as a .psd or a .tiff–preserving all the individual layers as they are.   Then, flatten the whole thing to produce your final usable file.  Once you incorporate Adjustment Layers into your workflow, you’ll save time and have better results.

Original image, left and final image after flattening.