Clever Photographer

Responding to an ad on Facebook, I purchased on Christmas Eve Clever Photographer's Luminar Neo Power Bundle for a sale price of only $39 ($10 less than currently shown on CP's website).

The bundle contains literally hundreds of presets, skies, textures, overlays, LUT's, backgrounds and sky objects as well as two "working layers" and a master course that purports to explain every slider contained in the Neo app.

After paying with PayPal, I downloaded the bundle without problem and am now in the process of installing its contents into Neo, so far without issue.  (There are helpful installation tutorials on CP's website.)

I'm very happy with my purchase considering how much material I received for the price.  It's turned out to be a great Christmas present to myself.

Happy Holidays!

Best wishes to everyone for a wonderful holiday!

Microsoft Designer

I had placed myself on the waiting list for Microsoft Designer a while back and last week received an email from MS granting me access to the app.  As my work does not ordinarily include design creation I have not yet begun using the app, though it certainly seems a useful enough too if I should ever need to create a logo or something of that nature, especially since it appears to contain at least rudimentary AI imaging capabilities.

B&H Depth of Field Conference 2023

I received an email earlier this week from B&H inviting me, as a "valued customer," to the 2023 edition of the Depth of Field photo conference to be held February 7th and 8th at Manhattan's New Yorker Hotel.  

According to the email, the conference's theme will be "Light the Path" and will feature Emma Summerton, the official 2023 Pirelli Calendar photographer, as keynote speaker.  The email goes on to say that the conference will "showcase thoughtfully curated sets that are outfitted with pro lighting, grip gear and professional models."

The Main Stage and Exposure Stage presentations will be streamed live for anyone unable to attend.

B&H Sale on Used DSLR Cameras and Lenses

I received an email from B&H today announcing a sale on used DSLR cameras and used DSLR lenses.  I get sale announcements nearly every day during the holiday season, but they're not often on used equipment.  I've gotten some very good deals purchasing used equipment but one always need to check the condition carefully as there are, for all practical purposes, no warranties on anything used.

 

Panasonic Releases Redesigned 12 - 35mm MFT Zoom

Just in time for the holidays Panasonic has announced the release of a new 12-35mm (equivalent to 24-70) Leica DG Vario-Elmarit f2.8 ASPH Power OIS lens for its MFT cameras that is actually a redesign of its old GX Lumix that offered the same focal length.

The specs on the new lens are excellent and include a Nano Crystal Coating to reduce lens flare and ghosting and a POWER Optical Image Stabilizer as well as a constant f2.8 aperture that enables better shooting in low light.

Considering what it has to offer - not least of which is Leica lens quality - the optic is reasonably priced at $900 and is currently available for preorder at B&H.  It's not an item that I desperately need, but it would certainly be a big improvement to the Panasonic lenses I am currently using on my Lumix G9 to the extent I will almost definitely purchase one sometime in the near future.

Open AI Announces ChatGPT

Though not strictly speaking directly related to photography or even to AI imaging, Open AI's newest release ChatGPT nevertheless has great relevance to the subject matter of this blog inasmuch as it calls attention to the extent to which AI is revolutionizing 21st century technology.  Already there are those who are predicting that the app will replace Google Chrome in the very near future.

Essentially, ChatGPT is a natural language processing (NLP) model, which is really just another way of saying that it is an AI app that works in conversational mode.  One can thus ask it questions in everyday language and get answers that are for the most part correct, though subject to a number of limitations that are listed in the link above.  It is this ability to interact with AI through ordinary conversation that makes the app so attractive that it has already acquired more than one million users.

All that is required to begin using ChatGPT is an Open AI account, for which many including myself have already signed up in order to have access to DALL-E 2.  I will begin experimenting with the new app in coming days and am excited to learn what it has to offer and what new possibilities it will make available.

Adobe Stock to Accept AI Generated Images

I received an email today from Adobe Stock announcing that it will now accept AI generated images from users' accounts.  The email stipulated that all submissions must adhere to the generative AI content guidelines and must clearly be labeled "Generative AI" in the image title.  

The same email referenced an Adobe Blog Post entitled "Bringing the next wave of Artificial Intelligence to Creative Cloud" which announced that Adobe intends to "develop an approach that centers on the needs of creatives by integrating Generative AI in Adobe creative tools."  As an example the post asked readers to "imagine, for instance, AI within Photoshop that generates rich, editable PSDs."  Nor is Photoshop the only Adobe app to be mentioned in the post.  It goes on to say that "Generative AI incorporated into Adobe Express will help less experienced creators achieve their unique goals."

The same blog post also referenced the Content Authenticity Initiative that aims to establish "an open industry standard for content authenticity and provenance" by providing off-the-shelf open-source tools to integrate content credentials into your site, app, or service."  This last, of course, is of utmost importance for any creators wishing to retain credit for their AI creations.

RODE Video Micro II

The top selling RODE directional mic has gotten an upgrade, it was recently announced.  With an expected release date of December 2nd the Video Micro II promises to supply users with professional level sound recording in an all-metal body at a bargain price of only $79.  Featuring annular line tube technology and a supercardioid polar pattern, it weighs only 39 grams and works without battery power.  It comes complete with a RODE WS12 deluxe windshield, a Helix isolation mount, and TRS adapter cables.

I've been thinking very seriously of vlogging at some time in the near future when I've finished working on my current mixed media project. and I believe the RODE mic would be a great add-on no matter which camera I choose to use.

Stable Diffusion 2.0

Stability AI has announced the release of a new version of its AI imaging app, Stable Diffusion.  While the new version promises better image quality, it also has removed the ability to request images in the style of well known artists, a huge setback for those seeking continuity in the app's output.

While composing this post, I tested the demo model and was first told I was 15th in a queue of 15.  Ten minutes later I was still at the same spot.  Suspecting the app might have frozen since the length of the queue had not changed, I refreshed the web page and tried again.  This time I was 33rd in a queue of 33 and am still at that same position as I write this, leading me to the obvious conclusion that there are bugs in the app that need to be resolved.  (It may simply be that the online app has been so flooded with service requests that it is unable to process them.)  Once the problem has been fixed I will experiment to determine how greatly the results from the new version differ from that obtained under the old when using the same text prompt.

On 1 Updates Photo RAW 2023

 

I received not one but several emails from On 1 over the past few days notifying me of a free update to Photo RAW 2023 that improves the app's AI masking capabilities.  To be more specific, the update includes the following features:

• Enhanced masking results and consistency for Super Select AI, Mask AI, Quick Mask AI, and AI adaptive presets;
• Improved performance for the Mask Refine Brush;
• Improved opening speed for RAW files;
• Improved layout of the metadata pane;
• Additional RAW support for several camera models; and 
• Additional lens profiles for several manufacturers

I downloaded and installed the update yesterday without problem.  I'm growing more and more impressed with Photo RAW 2023 to the extent that it may soon supplant Luminar Neo as my preferred photo editor.  This is all the more likely as On 1 supplied its customers with a comprehensive user guide immediately upon the app's release while Skylum has instead given out only a scattering of video tutorials over the past few months that users must pore through in hopes of finding answers to their questions.

Affinity Photo Announces Version 2.0

 

Affinity Photo has announced Version 2.0 of its popular software.  One should not be fooled by Affinity's very reasonable price.  This is a complete RAW processor and photo editor rolled into one and has everything a professional digital photographer needs to create great images.  As for myself, however, I am currently using DxO PhotoLab, Luminar Neo, and On 1 Photo RAW and these more than satisfy my software needs, at least for now.  After all, there are only so many apps a photographer can use on a regular basis.  But this should not discourage anyone else from purchasing the Affinity app.  It really is a great piece of software as my own experience with Version 1.0 has shown.

All Affinity apps are currently available at a 40% discount.  It has not yet been announced, at least not that I've heard, how long this reduced pricing will last.

Sale on Luminar Neo Extensions

Through November 17th Skylum is running a $98 three-for-the-price-of-two sale on extensions for its photo editing app Luminar Neo.  I had not previously purchased any myself, mostly because Skylum has been releasing these extensions piecemeal and not announcing them in advance.  There are enough currently available now, however, that I thought it would make sense to take advantage of the sale and so chose Supersharp AI, Noiseless AI, and the Universal Background Remover, all of which I was able to install without problem.  I already own sharpening and noise reduction filters from both Topaz Labs and On One but wanted to have alternatives available.  I'll be testing a number of photos to see which developer's apps work best for me.

Those who purchase the Background Remover extension should be aware that it is not grouped with the other extensions on Neo's Edit menu but is instead to be found after installation on the Masking menu.

Nikon DX 50-250mm Lens

I purchased from B&H last week the Nikon DX 50-250mm lens (equiv. 75-375) and thought it a great add-on for my Zfc at a bargain price of only $376.95.  Though the price is low, Nikon didn't stint on features.  As mentioned on the B&H website, the lens features not only vibration reduction, but also an extra-low dispersion element and superior coating.  When using the lens, I found its autofocus to be superfast with no noticeable lag.  For an APS-C format lens it also provides excellent bokeh effects.

The lens came with a free Chiaro Pro 62mm 98-UVATS UV filter.  Normally, I'm leery of using low cost filters as they almost always degrade image quality and are apt to freeze on the lens, but I thought this one better than most.

One crazy problem I had with the lens that's worth mentioning is that when I took it out of the box I found the rear lens cap was frozen in place and impossible to remove.  Not wanting to use force and possibly damage the lens, I took it back to B&H and showed it to the Nikon rep who works the company's display kiosk.  He was  really great and went out of his way to solve the problem.  Even so, once I returned home I replaced the lens cap with the one that came with my 16-50 kit lens and now only keep the the cap loosely placed when the lens is not actually attached to the camera.  Hopefully, that will keep the problem from recurring.

Downtown Manhattan

 

When I visited downtown Manhattan last month to photograph the Swan Genarro Festival I stayed long enough to take some photos of the neighborhood and its great street art.  The building shown above was for many years New York City's police headquarters until it was converted into luxury condos.

Topaz Labs Releases Video AI v3.0

 

Topaz Labs has released Video AI v3.0, a major update to what is probably its most successful product, its widely praised video enhancement app which it claims has been "rebuilt from the ground up."  In the blog post announcing the update the company stated that the update's new features could be broken down into two main categories: improvements to usability and new AI models.  The improvements to usability include stacking AI models (i.e., the ability to enable more than one AI model in a single task), running tasks in parallel with filter support, executing scripts using the command line interface, and "important performance and stability improvements."  The two new AI models are the stabilization model and the Apollo slow motion model.

The updated app is available to new customers for $299.  The price for existing customers who do not have an active license (i.e., who have not paid the annual fee entitling them to a year's free updates) is $149.  As I had purchased the previous version of the software last December I was considered to still have an active license and received the update at no cost.

NYC San Gennaro Festival

 

I took my Nikon Zfc downtown last month to photograph the San Gennaro Festival parade.  It's been an annual tradition in New York City's Little Italy since 1926.  The irony, of course, is that Little Italy no longer exists.  Like every other ethnic neighborhood in Manhattan, it's fallen victim to gentrification.  All that remains now are a scattering of tourist restaurants.

GoPro Remote

 

I recently purchased from B&H the GoPro Remote for use with my HERO 9.  Like most GoPro products it's a well made piece of equipment and easy to use, a good value at less than $80.  I paired it with my camera without any problem at all.  The remote has a built-in battery that recharges from a USB C port via the standard cable GoPro includes with almost all its products.  It has an effective range of 196 feet and can handle up to five cameras, though I doubt I'll have much use for these last two features.

I purchased the remote primarily for use in vlogging so that I can begin recording while seated in front of the camera without having to change position.  No doubt I'll come up with other uses as I continue to work with it.

Luminar Neo Migration Tool

Skylum has released a free migration tool that when downloaded will enable Luminar Neo users to convert templates used in Luminar AI to Neo presets and then move them to the appropriate folder in the newer app.  In addition, the tool will also move images from the AI catalog to Neo's own while preserving "all the Edit states that were taken."

The tool is definitely a useful item and worked well when I tried it out.  Everything was done in only a matter of seconds, though the speed might in part have been due to the fact that I don't maintain either an AI or Neo catalog of images.  One might speculate, however, that the introduction of the tool is a sign that Skylum eventually intends to discontinue Luminar AI and end its support for the app.

Microsoft Announces Designer

Microsoft has announced that it will be joining the AI imaging party with an app named Designer developed in partnership with Open AI, the firm behind DALL-E 2.  From the brief online description it seems the new product is intended primarily for practical use, such as generating ideas for logos or for advertising products, though it could obviously also be used for more artistic purposes.

Designer will eventually become part of Office 365, but in the meantime those interested can go to the above link and put their email address on the waiting list to try the free public web app.

In addition to Designer, MS also announced that it will be incorporating DALL-E 2 into its search engine Bing in order to give those searching for images the option of creating their own through the use of AI.

DxO Announces PhotoLab 6 and Viewpoint 4

 

Earlier this week DxO announced new versions of its RAW processor PhotoLab and its perspective adjustment app Viewpoint.  As I already own the previous versions of both apps I did some research to determine if it would be worthwhile to upgrade.  Unfortunately, in both cases there seem to be no major new features, only refinements of existing tools.  The most important of these would appear to be PhotoLab's DeepPRIME XD, an improved version of PhotoLab 5's DeepPRIME demosaicing noise removal tool.

I may eventually upgrade to PhotoLab 6 simply to have the latest version of the software as it continues to be my preferred RAW processor and therefore extremely important to my workflow.  As for Viewpoint, however, I will probably pass on the upgrade.  While it's undeniably useful to have a tool at hand that will expertly correct perspective and distortion, it's quite honestly not an app I use very often; I feel I can make do perfectly well with the earlier version already installed on my computer.

Adobe Releases New Photoshop and Premiere Elements

Adobe has released its annual update to Photoshop and Premiere Elements, its only products so far as I know that don't require a subscription.  I have last year's version of these apps - I use them as a platform to access third-party Photoshop plug-ins - and doubt I'll upgrade.  I don't need Premiere Elements at all since I already have the latest version of Corel Video Studio, a much more sophisticated video editing program, and there's very little new of interest in Photoshop Elements aside from the background remover that, as recently posted, I found is available for free in Adobe Express.  And then too I had no end of hassles last year with customer service when Adobe initially failed to furnish valid serial numbers to activate the software I had purchased directly from the company itself.

Palette: AI Imaging App Colorizes Photos

 

As readers of this blog know, I've been working intensively lately with AI imaging apps and recently found yet another.  This one is named Palette and actually colorizes black & white photos uploaded to it with no wait time and then allows them to be saved in png format.  As an example, I uploaded an old family photo from the 1960's (that's me on the far right).  At top is the b&w original and immediately below is Palette's colorized rendition.  You can judge for yourself, but all in all I thought the app did a fairly good job.

Open AI Ends DALL-E Waitlist

Open AI has announced it will no longer be necessary to join a waitlist before accessing DALL-E.  I only had to wait a few days myself before receiving an invitation last month, so I suppose the initial rush is over, though the app seems more popular and talked about than ever before.  Those who want to experience it for themselves can now sign up without delay.

Adobe Express Background Remover

As those who follow this blog well know, I'm a great fan of Luminar Neo.  The latest app add-ons, however, have left me unenthused.  As I've previously posted, Skylum has announced, or more correctly partially announced, a series of seven extensions performing various functions not included in the original app.  At the time of the announcement only the first, HDR Merge, was named and offered at a sale price.  I had no problem with that since as a user of both Neo and Skylum's previous HDR software, Aurora, I was given the extension for free.  My problem lay with the other six extensions only one of which, Noiseless AI, was initially specified, even though Skylum was asking Neo users to purchase all six, sight unseen, either through subscription or in a package.  Since then Skylum has announced three more extensions - Upscale, Background Removal, and most recently Focus Stacking.  Of these only Background Removal was of interest to me, and since I had no desire to purchase the Skylum package or to subscribe I began searching the web in an effort to find another product that could perform the task satisfactorily.

Which brings me to Adobe Express, a web-based app that promises to "Remove the background from images for free" and adds for good measure "Free use forever/No credit card required" to drive the point home.  It sounded too good to be true, but I had nothing to lose by trying it.

It was only yesterday that I discovered Adobe Express and accordingly have so far only tested it with one image.  I uploaded the file without problem and the app seamlessly removed the background from behind the subject almost instantly and then gave me the option to download the image with transparent background as a png file.  It wasn't necessary to sign in to my Adobe account or my Creative Cloud account to remove the background from my sample photo (see above) but I did have to sign in to my Adobe account in order to download the result.  I'll do more testing, of course, as time permits but so far I'm very satisfied with the results.  If the app continues to work well I'll have no need of the Neo extension.

Nikon Announces Power Zoom DX Lens

One of the reasons I recently purchased my Nikon Zfc camera was for possible use in vlogging.  I was happy to learn then that Nikon, when publishing its updated lens roadmap, indicated that a power zoom 12-28 DX lens is in the works.  The advantage to the power zoom, of course, is that it has much smoother operation than can be achieved with my 16-50 kit lens and additionally can be controlled by remote.  The wide angle focal length is also a perfect fit for vlogging uses.  I haven't had any word on pricing yet, but hopefully it will be affordable.

DALL-E 2 Now Allows Human Face Editing

As those who've been following this blog are well aware, I've been working intensively for the past few weeks with DALL-E 2 AI imaging.  One of the drawbacks to working with it, however, was that in the past the app, though it allowed images to be uploaded so that variations could be generated, forbade the use of human likenesses, presumably from privacy concerns and worries over deepfakes.  Open AI has now apparently resolved these issues to its satisfaction with updates to its safety filters.  Accordingly I hope to soon post here variations on portraits and likenesses from photographs I've shot myself and am legally entitled to edit.

DxO Updates and Synchs Camera and Lens Modules

According to an article in Digital Camera World DxO has not only updated its library of camera/lens modules but has also synched them so that they are all available across the range of its apps.  Since I use not only PhotoLab 5 but FilmPack 6 and Viewpoint 3 as well this is particularly welcome news.  It's always been a revelation to me how improved images appear when chromatic aberration and other distortions are automatically corrected in PhotoLab 5 and other DxO apps.  I would hope that the enlarged database now contains modules for the MFT Lensbaby lenses I use on my Lumix G9.

Topaz Labs Releases Photo AI

Topaz Labs has announced the release of Topaz Photo AI, a new app that effectively combines the developer's three adjustment filters - Sharpen, DeNoise, and Gigapixel - into a single AI powered piece of software that promises to analyze any image opened within it using the new Autopilot feature and then automatically make the necessary corrections to it, though these can be manually overridden if the user wishes full control of the adjustments. In theory, photos can be processed with a single click.

Simply from the point of convenience the app would be a great step forward if it worked as advertised since it would now no longer necessary to move an image from one app to the next in order to make necessary changes as I had routinely done in the past.  Everything could be accomplished in a single step and the user, if satisfied with the AI's recommendations, would need only save the processed image.  

Unfortunately, unless I am doing something wrong, the Autopilot does not appear to work as promised.  In most of the photos I opened in Photo AI the Autopilot, after scanning the image, only reduced the image noise (a green dot appeared next to Remove Noise), which wasn't that much of a problem anyway since the images had all been shot at ISO 800.  I had to manually click on the Sharpen, Recover Faces, and Enhance Resolution tabs - without, however, inputting any manual adjustments - to prompt the app to make corrections in those areas.  (When I then clicked on Reset to Autopilot Settings the image discarded these additional corrections and was noticeably inferior to that on which the prompted adjustments had been made.)  The entire procedure is not particularly cumbersome if one is processing only one or two images; but it is unwieldy, to say the least, if one is attempting to batch process a large number of photos.

Topaz Labs controversially began charging for upgrades to its filters several years ago, and I'm not sure it had all that much luck in convincing users to sign on for the extra payments.  Photo AI is most likely a way of sidestepping the problem by offering customers a new app that essentially does the same work as the three old filters but in a new and streamlined package.  The final images, after following the steps noted in the above paragraph (i..e., clicking on each tab individually), were certainly of excellent quality and decidedly better than I could have attained using the three adjustment filters individually, for which I have to admit I'd never purchased the upgrades.

The introductory price of Photo AI is $159 through October 7th, a savings of $40 off the regular price of $199.  One has to look very closely at the fine print to discover that current users of Topaz products are entitled to an even greater discount.  In any event, the purchase price entitles the user to a year of free upgrades.

DALL-E 2: Beautiful Woman in Alpine Meadow

 

For these images I gave DALL-E 2 the following detailed prompt:

"Alpine summer meadow filled with flowers.  Beautiful woman dressed all in white clutches handpicked bouquet as she walks slowly in the background.  Light mist floats above meadow as dawn sky behind high mountains turns pink.  Photorealistic."

I thought these images were among the most successful I obtained with DALL-E 2, perhaps because my instructions were more detailed than I usually provide.

GoPro Announces Hero 11

I received an email from B&H yesterday announcing the that the new GoPro Hero 11 is now available for preorder and detailing the camera's specs.  

If the image above looks familiar it's because the new camera looks almost exactly the same as the Hero 10 and my own Hero 9.  And when one studies the specs it becomes even more apparent that there are no revolutionary changes, only improvements and refinements.  The most important of these is the new 27mp sensor, improved image stabilization, optional 8 or 10-bit color, and a HyperView ultra-wide digital lens that "optimizes the 8:7 sensor image to a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio."

As far as I'm concerned, just as last year, there's not really enough here to make me want to upgrade from my Hero 9.  It's nice to know, though, that if I should change my mind and go for the upgrade all my Hero 9 accessories, at least as far as I can see, will still work with the Hero 11.

GoPro has also introduced the Hero 11 Mini that, as far as I can tell, is intended primarily for those who wish to attach the camera to helmets or other devices.  For most, the normal size Hero 11 will be small enough to fill their needs.

DALL-E 2: Symbolist Art

 

I asked DALL-E2 to come up with something along the lines of Arnold Bocklin's Isle of the Dead and received these images.