New Adobe Tutorials from macProVideo Available!

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Jul 192010

It’s been a busy spring and summer! Since March, I’ve been working to produce a new series of  Adobe tutorials for macProVideo.com; two have been released so far, with a third title right around the corner! If you haven’t worked with macProVideo before, I recommend you head over there and take a quick look. Every tutorial has free sample videos so you can experience their powerful streaming and subscription system, as well as the ability to view tutorials on any device, including iPhone and iPad! There are some seriously talented trainers there, including authors of Apple’s famous courseware, Emmy winning audio professionals and more. It’s a great group of people, who are dedicated to bringing you some excellent training titles at a very reasonable price.

A few words about my new Adobe video tutorials:

Photoshop CS5: Image Retouching & Adjustment provides 4 hours of detailed techniques for getting the most from Photoshop CS5′s image adjustments and new photo editing features. Content-Aware tools, key image adjustments, retouching tips, creative effects… if it’s a core part of the Photoshop photo editing workflow, it’s in there!

Just released, Core Lightroom 3 training provides nearly 3 hours of focused instruction on the latest advancements, including core raw editing techniques. Learn how to get organized quickly and start making precise raw edits with the Tone Curve, HSL, Lens Corrections and more. Even get some pointers on working with Slideshows, Contact Sheets, and more!

Finally, Mastering Adobe Camera Raw 6 is right around the corner, providing 2 hours of detailed tips for getting the most out of your raw edits with this popular Photoshop “plugin”. As the summer continues we’ll be bringing you more announcements for great Adobe tutorials as well as other titles, so I hope you’ll keep an eye out! -Dan (@Colortrails)

Iceland Volcano: Disruptive but Beautiful

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Apr 192010

There’s no denying that the Iceland Volcano which has been erupting and spreading a cloud of airliner-unfriendly ash over Europe, has caused some serious headaches for travelers of all stripes across the continent. However there’s also no denying the inherent beauty and sense of power that comes with volcanic eruptions on Iceland. Because of its unique geography and history, even Hawaii can’t quite match some of the pictures and videos we’ve seen.

Yahoo Editorial has put together a Flikr Gallery of some of their favorite shots.

Here is a collection of incredible lightning-in-cloud shots from National Geographic.

Iceland Volcano Pictures: Lightning Adds Flash to Ash.

And below I’ve also included a video link from photographer and videographer Bryce Lowry.
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Amazing Surf Clip (Cortes Bank)

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Apr 182010

I am posting this for no other reason than a recent twitter post reminded me of it, and some of the photography and video is amazing. This is Mike Parsons surfing some of the largest waves ever recorded, off the Cortes Bank, about 100 miles off the coast of San Diego. A huge underwater sea mount causes the swells to rise up and create monster waves. By far the coolest surf video I’ve ever seen.

This video gives an excellent explanation from Parsons and another surf / ocean expert, of how the swells are created and what it’s like to surf there. Seriously extreme environment.
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Cool Time-Lapse Video

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Mar 022010

Yesterday I found (via retweet) a site called Timescapes.org, which is run by an independent filmmaker, Tom Lowe. He has posted some samples on his web site, and has announced on his that he’s just hit the road for some extended shooting opportunities for his first film “Southwest Light”.

Timescapes Timelapse: Mountain Light from Tom Lowe @ Timescapes on Vimeo.

Stirring Concept Video from Ayrton Orio

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Feb 232010

Saw this on Twitter from MoGraph TV linking up to it. This is a real-world video that blends perfectly suited music into a series of landscape video clips, most presumably from South America. This is further motivation to find a way to get down to Chile and explore the region of Patagonia one day. Before I kick the proverbial photo bucket! Enjoy.

Impressive High ISO D3s Wildlife Video

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Feb 082010

I haven’t had much time to look into it but the Nikon D3s has in recent weeks finally become available from some retailers. It’s a very similar camera to the original D3, however it has a newer sensor with a higher ISO capability (comments I’ve read on noise performance are promising), and new HD 24fps video capabilities.

There is some vignetting (to be expected in such low light situations and likely very long lenses being used) but this video is really pretty remarkable when you consider how clean it looks. Makes me think twice about ever springing for a new video rig from Sony when it is so much more natural and convenient to shoot video with the same camera you use for stills….

The Story Behind the Still (Canon Contest)

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Jan 192010

Canon has opened up a fun contest for photographers and video enthusiasts. The idea is to show an interesting still image, and then capture with video the story behind it. At least that’s how I’m interpreting it! Vincent LaForet shows us how it’s done, though he likely used some type of production crew, cast and lighting setup for this demo. Many won’t have that luxury but still this is a great chance to show what you can do if you’re into story telling and cinematography. Grab your gear (or borrow some), get your friends and go for it!

Compositing... The Organic Way

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Dec 162009

I thought this Google Chrome series from Motionographer was kind of cool. A completely manual / retro way to create composite effects, using nothing but a studio and a camera. And some funky harp music. Just goes to show that the idea is often more powerful than mere effects or technology.

DSLR Video vs. Camcorder HD

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Dec 022009

The folks over at DP Review -a place I heartily recommend for product reviews and articles, but not so much for informed forum discussion (low signal:noise ratio)- have put together a nice overview of shooting HD video from a DSLR vs. traditional camcorders. The obvious ones are better low light performance (due to larger sensors on a DSLR) and more creativity with wide open apertures but there are other factors you’ll want to consider. There are pluses and minuses on both sides of the equation, so which type of camera is best for you will depend on what you’re shooting, where and which mediums your final output is destined for.

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