Fall 2022 - Around the Corner

It is just about time for our class to officially begin on Thursday, September 8th, 10 am to noon. 

I will be asking for a brainstorming session on September 1st - same Bat Channel, same Bat Time. You will get email with details and "thought seeds" as prompts for Studio work. 

More soon! 

Digging through email I found a diversion. Jamie Hoe - Instagram jamiehoefun She is offering a one-hour EventBrite class called "Let's Make Roy Lichtenstein - Inspired Art" on Saturday, September 3rd, 9 am - AEST timezone. So I'm lost. Continuing down this rabbit hole is the idea of Design Sprint development process ... started at Google. View AJ & Smart's intro video or Maxim Bassin's Medium article "Running a Successful Product Workshop Utilizing 'Design Sprint' Principles. This is overkill for me as a retired person. But interesting to see how teams continue to evolve and push towards better products and processes. 

AARP Member Only access - Watercolor Basics by Stan Fellows or Hand Lettering with Molly Jacques. Stan is the illustrator behind two serial mystery stories written by Ann Cleeves, also a member only access. I prefer audio books, so this is a challenge and an inspiration. 

Who is using social media tools for inspiration? Who do you follow? Do you post? Can you give us a tour of some of your mentors? 

Email message on August 20th 

First, since our Studio is closed to newbies, I did not plan a “meet and greet” Zoom session. As Cynthia and I discussed possibilities last week it became clear that we could all benefit from a brainstorming session on what you want to do for the fall. Here are some thoughts to start our discussion: 

• How much emphasis on 1) Photography, 2) Stylizing, 3) iOS/iPadOS Technology 
• New apps you have discovered 
• Projects and image processing you will share 
• Future seminars - iPad Art idea, Introduction to iPhone Photography, Portfolio Reviews as pop ups, Assigned Linked-In video classes followed by photo walks, etc  

We could come up with many new ideas for seminars. What this team could use is a couple ORGANIZERS to work out the date/time details while the creatives work on the presentations. New seminars could be pop-ups, meetup at Today at Apple, etc. Meet in person at Library or local parks.Review LinkedIn video classes offered through the Library. No need to have bells and whistles (website and YouTube videos) …  

I do have one field trip idea - for Class Day 4 on September 29th at our usual class time. Then maybe lunch nearby with outdoor seating... These are opportunities to use various lenses on our iPhones, capture textures, get macros of detailing, play with reflections and try portrait mode on objects and while in conversation with people. Is it time to play with creating short videos? (Adding Slo-Mo, Timelapse or Cinematic modes.) Apple offers two apps for editing video, iMovie and Clips. The photos and video clips we collect at this time could be used in future semesters. 

FIELD TRIP - new device to share and explore. Bring empty SD Card to move your files from my iPhone for processing on your device in Diptych, iMovie or Clips. 

Step Into Updates - Slowly

The Apple World Wide Developer Conference, WWDC, has inspired developers to make updates to their apps and work to be ready for iOS 16.x in the fall. 

So if you are not on auto-update for apps, then read the reviews before taking the leap. 

View your important apps on the App Store. Read the hype. Scroll to Ratings & Reviews > tap See All > tap Sort by Most Helpful > change to Most Recent. Read. There's no rush to update. 

When reading reviews, know that some folks are using old iPhones and iPads and have an axe to grind. Read reviews for the features that are important to you.  

On my Caution List: 

• Pixelmator v2.7 released Jul 18, 2022 
• Darkroom Photo & Video Editor v6.0.6 Jul 16, 2022
• Focos v 2.5.12 Sept 5, 2022 

On my Good-to-Go List: 

• PicCollage 
• Camera+2 
• RAW Power 
• Touch Retouch
• Prisma
• Hydra 2

So far, I have avoided opting into a subscription when offered on apps. 

Investigating Camera+22 - yes, that is "twenty-two" the current version for Camera+2. This update now includes an "Ultra Res" camera preset and in the editor. Ultra Res is supported on devices with "neural engine" meaning iPhone 11, iPad Pro 3 generation and iPad 9th generation ... and later. I've reported a "bug" for the iPad version because there is no ( i ) > Copy Edits ... to apply edits (crops) to other photos. This feature is available on iPhone. 8/1/22 WAIT A MINUTE - USER ERROR! After contacting tech support at LateNightSoft, this feature is where it’s been all along. Edit your picture in C_2. In the thumbnail display of C+2 Photo Library > Info > … > Copy and close the picture. Back at thumbnail view  tap a photo to see options > Info > … > Paste. 

I'm also shooting with Hydra 2 Pro-Pack because it offers 110MP and 49MP resolutions. These upscaling features are part of the "computational photography" that helps camera with small sensors (smartphones) capture amazing details. Similar to Apple Camera's Night Mode, the best shots for image stacking are still images or landscapes where a tripod can be used.  

Filter - is our friend

Just working with Photos and found the Filter option. Looking at Library Albums or Shared Albums you can find the ( ... ) button in the top right corner and see several menu items. The menus change depending on the current view. For example: 

• Library > Months > ( ... ) > 
• Albums > view an album > ( ... ) > Filters > 
• Albums > Shared Albums > view an album > ( ... ) > Filters > 

[We can expect new menu items to appear with future iOS updates.] 

The little icon for Filter is available in other apps. 

Frame Grabber is the app recommended to save a still frame from a video clip. And from Live Photos! Also from Timelapse or SloMo videos. Individual frames are saved as HEIF to Photos or to Files app.  

Some Update News

It is important to keep up with updates for security reasons. There are always incremental updates between major updates that are important to install for computers and mobile devices. 

iOS and iPadOS 16 is coming this fall and the current version is 15.5. 

I've finally updated my iMac to the Monterey macOS, v12. The reason for my long delay in updating is because of critical software I use for recording and editing app demo videos. (Telestream's Screenflow is this critical app.) Just in time because the Ventura macOS, v13, will be out this fall. 

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Troubleshooting 

iPhone OS was acting strange. Several features seemed to be misbehaving. I've used the Screenshot feature to document the app and Markup to add annotations on wackiness. After restarting several times and the problems persisted, the last resort was to sign-out of my Apple ID and sign back in. This would be called "the nuclear option" and after this experience, I'd not recommend it. Live with the problems until a new iOS comes out and then update. If that doesn't solve things, call Apple Support for guidance. Why? Because you are disconnecting your device from Calendar, Contacts, Messages, Mail, Photos and more. The guidance from the pros at Apple will help you not duplicate your Contacts. 

After signing back on to iPhone with Apple ID, there has been one new problem - Shared Album in Photos. On my iPad this current semester's album has 260 photos and 14 videos! Sounds about right. But on the iPhone there are only 71 photos and 7 videos! What? Past shared albums for our Studio class seem to include the same number of photos on iPad and iPhone. So there is a ghost in the machine and it got cranky in March and June. Time to visit Apple Communities and search posts to see if others have noticed this problem. 

Back in March I posted a video report about Live Photos. Actually a "problem" with changing the Key Frame in a Live Photo and retaining that frame when Share > Duplicate > Duplicate as Still Photo and then editing the still image. Oops. When editing the new still image it automatically everts to the original Key Frame. Whattt? Experimenting with options: First: transfer the Live Photo with new Key Frame to Mac computer using AirDrop. Photo becomes JPEG. Good. Second: transfer the Live Photo with new Key  Frame using PhotoSync app on iPhone. One photo becomes two files - a JPEG and MOV! The new key frame appears as the JPEG photo.  Third: use Frame Grabber app on iPhone to open Live photo, select individual frame and export ... HEIF image. 

Gear, Experiments, Questions

From Spring 2022 

Gear We Love - Tripods and stabilization 

• Chad likes the IPOW Universal Cell Phone Tripod Mount - use on 1/4" thread tripods. This spring loaded clamp will adjust to fit phones in cases and can hold a phone in vertical or horizontal position. 
• JoEllen recommended the Ulanzi ST-14 Iron Man III 360° Tripod Smartphone Mount is a ball-head mount for 360º movement while on a tripod. 
• Chad also uses the GRIPT Professional Smartphone Tripod Adapter, Hand Grip Universal Tripod Mount for hand-held or tripod use. 
• Cynthia reports that tablet support is also available IPOW iPad Tripod Mount Adapter Universal Tablet Clamp Holder 
• Melissa found the IKLIP-3 Deluxe iPad Tablet Mount that looks like it can hold an iPad Pro. 

Experiments and Questions 

• Niel - the Monuments Preset in Camera+2 does a fabulous job with long exposure to remove people from a scene. He tested it in Arden Fair Mall. 
• Chad - has embraced his inner black & white guru self with the free Lenka app. 
• Chad - My iPhone 11 Pro can't unlock when I'm wearing a mask. Oh, this feature requires an Apple Watch. 
• James - what is the latest on a news for an iPhone SE? Welcome to the rumor-mill for the Apple Ecosystem. There have been two SE models in the past, and are probably offered to bring new people to the world of iPhones. If this "special edition" model is introduced, it will not be a choice for photographers. In the past the SE was a smaller size device. The History Cooperative has a timeline of iPhone models and Wikipedia has a succinct iPhone article. 
• Cynthia is always interested in macro - a recent video from Luke Edwin is iPhone 13 PRO MACRO Photography Tips and Tricks  

Widgets and Workflow

Back in 2021 Notes 

Widgets and App Library on iOS 14 (iPhone only)

Apple User Guide: Widgets and Personalize Your Home Screen 

How to setup and use Apple ProRAW on iPhone 12 Pro 

Hints from the online universe: 

iPad Pro Subscription-Free RAW+JPG Workflow Using iCloud Photo Library and RAW Power from Ben Vallack featuring his Fuji mirrorless camera and an app on our list, RAW Power. He covers the editing workflow steps and uses iCloud Photo Library - but I want more details on the after edit workflow. Check out Ben's Designing a Self-Managing Filing System for document lifespans. Can this system be twisted into our photo workflow? At least it helps us to think outside the box.

Watching other YouTube videos by photographers and reading the viewer COMMENTS reveals interesting possibilities. Several refer to Pixelmator Photo and editing in place (on external SSD) vs copying to local storage (on iPad). Back in 2019 Noah Herman's video iPad Pro + External Storage | Photo/Video Workflow Demo! talks really fast but offers important clues for workflow. 

Andrew O'Hara at AppleInsider has posted Everything New with Camera & Photos in iOS 14! 30+ Changes & Features! Get ready, he talks fast and I could watch this 9:26 minute video several times to get it all in my brain. 

How to Master the Camera App on iPhone 13 Pro & iPhone 13 Pro Max! video from AppleInsider has good reminders and features iOS 15 updates. 

A Photos app Extension is Markup, Apple introduced several iOSs ago. I use it to add details to screen snapshots, annotate photos and draw in Notes. Read about Markup. 

Awhile back I posted Markup in iOS 11 - a video on YouTube showing examples of how I use the Markup Extension. 

iDownload Blog reviewed Apple's Markup Extension << this is a power feature in iOS, iPadOS and MacOS. 

Black and White Notes

 Posted for Fall 2021 but a good reference 

• 10 Tips to Improve your B&W Photography by Stephanie Gagnon on PictureCorrect 
• How I create dramatic Black and white images for Instagram by Sean Tucker (Darkroom app has Curves and HSL sliders) 13:38 
• Editing images on mobile phone with apps by Sean Tucker (Android) 15:33 (Amazon Prime - Photos for backup at 11:56) 
• Protect Your Highlights by Sean Tucker 15:48 (@2:04 begins sketch of dynamic range) 
• Embrace your Shadows: A lesson for light and life by Sean Tucker 

Spring Cleaning - New Articles

Well, "new" is a relative term, right? New to me, not necessarily "hot off the press" kinda new. 

Backlight is a new site - maybe start with Shadow photography on iPhone: How to master light and shadow and wander through the other articles posted there. Peruse the list of articles on Storing photos because this is a recurring theme for our time together. One of the ads is for Gemini Photos - with in-app purchases - for cleaning up duplicates. Not ready for this service yet. 

Review Things You Never Knew iCloud Could Do from Slash Gear.  You can open Pages and create a new document using the Book template, share cloud files and more. 

Come back for other new articles ... next week ... after I catch my breath.