Free, yes Free Photoshop!

You heard me right!

Just launched today, free version of the Adobe Photoshop, well online version anyway. So now if you wondered what your Canon G9 images would look like processed in Photoshop you can find out.

You can have your own gallery, browse other peoples work and share photos too . Further the Photoshop Express version works from any browser and operating system so it might be useful to some pros working in the remote back yard.

Photoshop Express is currently a basic version in beta testing….I am going to break of now for some testing:)

On the Web: http://www.photoshop.com/express

Aperture 2.0 Hits the Streets

With support for the  Canon Powershot G9

Mac OS X 10.5.2, released today as a free update to the current version of the Mac operating system, adds support for RAW files from the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III, Canon PowerShot G9, Hasselblad CF-22, Hasselblad CF-39, Leaf Aptus 75s, Nikon D3, Nikon D300 and Sony Alpha DSLR A700.

Once installed, Apple applications, as well as non-Apple applications that draw on the same OS-level code, should be able to view and convert files from these cameras, though some may require updates of their own to utilize the expanded RAW file support.

In a quick check here with RAW files from the EOS-1Ds Mark III and D300, it appears that Apple’s Preview and iPhoto, as well as the Finder itself, are now capable of decoding CR2s and NEFs from these cameras (note we haven’t tried all RAW variants from these two models). Aperture, however, is still out in the cold: it displays “Unsupported Image Format” when attempting to view large newly-imported RAW files from these cameras, ones that decode just fine in the other Apple software mentioned.

In a January 30, 2008 post in Apple’s Aperture support forums, Joe Schorr, Sr. Product Line Manager for Photo Applications at Apple, hinted (for the second time) that this update was imminent, and that new features are coming to Aperture as well. It seem likely, then, that the release of OS X 10.5.2 paves the way for an update to Apple’s pro imaging application, though when it will emerge, or how significant its new features will be, remains to be seen (update: Aperture 2 has now been announced). It will obviously need to include the ability to work with the RAW files added in today’s OS update. Aperture’s last major overhaul was v1.5, released in the fall of 2006. The application currently stands at v1.5.6.

Mac OS X 10.5.2 is available via the Software Update mechanism in Mac OS X 10.5 and later, or as a standalone installer. A list of RAW files supported in this update is here. A complete list of changes is here. The update was also expected to resolve a problem entering/changing the settings for certain tools in Photoshop CS3 (v10.0.1).

Note: Apple separately released Leopard Graphics Update 1.0, which requires Mac OS X 10.5.2 to be installed first. This update-to-the-update doesn’t correct Aperture’s inability to decode the RAW files now supported in OS X 10.5.2. It seems certain that a new version of Aperture itself will be required. Leopard Graphics Update 1.0 is available through Software Update, or as a standalone installer.

A parallel update for OS X 10.4.x, one that would bump up the list of supported camera RAW files in that OS version, hasn’t materialized, which may mean that system-wide support for the newest digital camera RAW files isn’t in the cards for the older OS. But, Aperture 2 and iPhoto 7.1.2, when run in OS X 10.4.11, are able to view and process RAW files from the same list of cameras as OS X 10.5.2, including the latest Canon and Nikon digital SLRs.

Lens correction for the G9

Well it would be hard to imagine a camera lens that is free from all optical flaws and cramming lenses into small cameras like the G9 means there is going to be some distortion, chromatic aberration and perspective etc.

If this really bothers you, or you want the best quality why not try a software correction such as PT Lens which supports the G9 which has a ten image trial or buy a licensed version at a bargain price of $15 PTLens also plugs in to Adobe Photoshop.

There is also GML  undistorter which is a standalone application and Free

EPaper Press also have very good helpful articles on Monitor Calibration, Actions for Photoshop, Panorama Tools Tutorial and a host more

Reducing Noise with ACR (and Lightroom)

It’s been commented  on several reviews that the G9 is a little noisy due to having so many pixels on a small sensor (less and bigger is better for cutting noise) but its is not as bad as every one makes out, a lot of reviews seem to want the ultimate perfect camera and now! They are getting frustrated at the slow speed of technology and overtly nit picking because the camera manufactures put in features that in some ways is a step backwards.

To reduce noise the exposure is an important aspect and is best moving the exposure to the right (on the histogram) and so it is not touching the Left hand edge. Noise is caused by light hitting the pixel but not being enough to measure a bit like putting a bucket out to catch rain, it may be wet inside from a light shower but can be hard to measure so deliberately adding more exposure is like adding a measured amount of rain so the bucket (pixel) has something to measure

For the G9 at ISO 800, Thomas Niemann (of PTLens fame) has suggested the following settings in ACR Details page: (ACR = Adobe Camera Raw as found in Photoshop CS/Elements and Lightroom)

Sharpening
amount=60
radius = 0.8
detail = 30
masking = 0

Clarity -25

Noise reduction
luminance = 80
colour = 100

Source: Luminous Landscape forums

These settings can be saved as a preset in ACR and Adobe Lightroom

There is also Neat Image, Noise Ninja and Noisewear that are specific noise reduction programs and are worth checking out, the pro versions also work with RAW files and Noisewear do a limited but free community edition