During and in between flights...


Natural light coming from the aircraft window

I am on my way home but still have a few more hours to go, my stop over in Singapore is quiet long so I decided to do an edit in Aperture 3 using Photos from my quick trip to the USA.
All Photos are taken at various airports and inside the aircraft from Manila to Hong Kong, San Francisco, Korea and back to Singapore where I am posting this blog at 4:54 AM, my next flight to Manila is not until 9:00 AM.

Using only available light

Within the next few days and after I catch up with a good sleep I post some cool new Aperture 3 tips but please give me a few days rest first.

See below a Photo Kaleidoscope from all my stops and from inside the aircraft... killing time and taken photos what ever took my fancy, wondering around between Gates, waiting for the next connection using only the iPhone and my little Leica D-Lux 4.

Now I am going to have some early breakfast and wait for my final connection back home.
GD

Recent visited places from Mindoro Isl., Puerto Galera, City
of Batangas, Makati and Manila shown as Satellite Map

If you're not using a Digital Camera with a GPS function that is Ok. just use your iPhone and whenever you stop or from the Car window take a quick shot. Later import the photos from your iPhone into Aperture 3 activate Places and the rest is easy. I be writing a lot more about this cool addition from the road. Click on the Places icon at the upper right hand side at the toolbar to get you started.

Recent visited places in Makati and Manila shown as Road Map

10 days ago I went to the Island of Mindoro/Puerto Galera and I took some happy snaps with the iPhone, then on the way back I also stopped in Batangas and then back to Manila. Of course there have been some gaps where I didn't stop to get some images but all the rest had been recorded, very accurate I might add, see the attached screenshots. Map options are Satellite - Road or Terrain.
Ok the only "drawback" is that my wife from now on always knows where I am or I have been, ha, ha. but that is fine with me too, nothing to hide.

Recent visited places in Makati and Manila shown as Terrain Map

To activate your Places before they work you have to go first to the Aperture 3 Preferences settings and activate it, then click on the Advanced setting a small drop down menu appears and you see Look up Places, the default setting is on Never just click on the Automatically and you're done.
Again an excellent new addition to Aperture 3 and as you can see I am getting fine tuned for my big trip starting next week.
GD

Tags: Places, , GPS logging, Nepal, ASIA, Google Maps, , Kathmandu, Philippines

This one fits in your pocket and I use it on my iPhone to show clients and friends presentations or videos, lets be honest a presentation with good sound/music is so much nicer and you don't have to pass the earphone around anymore.

Don’t know yet its availability outside Asia, but you can get it for about US$ 34.00 at Power Mac Center in Manila and of course in Singapore where it is manufactured.

I was amazed by the output, a perfect companion when you travel or like to listen to your favorite music in your Hotel Room.
Another cool feature…you can hook up more than one unit and fill the room with your favorite music from your iPhone or iPod

I am thinking to try out the X-mini on my next flight inside the aircraft… but on second thoughts I better not, they might throw me off the plane for playing my music to loud.
GD

The new iPod family is now available at all Power Mac Centers:

I was in the mood last night… for "cooking,"
using only a few ingredients to create a nice meal.

Check out the final meal in YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBdyMR8fq0s&feature=channel

Recipe & Ingredients

Main Ingredients; the Images from India & original audio recording.

MacBook Pro
iPhone with iTalk app. installed
Aperture 2 ( 2.1.4)
GarageBand from iLife ’09
FotoMagico 3 Pro (Version 3.0.8)
Good Internet connection

Just follow these simple steps…after editing the images in Aperture 2 make sure you filed them in their Albums or Smart Albums for easy access in FotoMagico later via the nice build in Media Browser.
Like with any good cooking it is important you have everything well prepared before you start.
I prepared the soundtrack earlier in GarageBand using the original recorded audio on my iPhone from India, mixing it plus adding some instruments. I use iTalk together with iTalk Sync from Griffin an excellent application for the iPhone.

You record with iTalk and later transfer the audio file wireless to your Mac with the installed iTalk Sync. Now you can use the audio file in iTunes or modify it in GarageBand like I have done, mix it up a bit…and bingo! This way you created an original sound track for your presentation or in this case for our FotoMagico slide show.
Pls. Note: I only use my own compositions or paid audio, this is more original and you don’t have to worry about any Copyright infringements.

Lets open FotoMagico…you don’t have to be a Rocket scientist or a famous Chef to do some great cooking in FotoMagico as I explained in my previous post.
Everything is connected… great integration with the Mac…& yes it runs well on Snow Leopard too (I discovered no glitches in FotoMagico 3.0.8 Pro)
Open your Media Browser in FM and select Photos, you have all your iPhoto and Aperture Libraries right here. Of course you have also access the same way to your iTunes Libraries, GarageBand and Videos, yes videos… with FotoMagico 3 Pro you can also include your film clips and mix them up with your still images.
Now you select the images you like and drag them on the time line, move them around the way you see fit, add pan or zoom to each or all, set the timing and pick your transitions.
It is a good Idea to add some black frames at the start and finish like I have done to include some text/information; again FM makes this very easy. Text can also be applied to run over the images, options for different Fonts, sizes and colors are all there, plus so much more.

Once you happy with the flow of your images open the Media Browser again and pick your Music, select the track you like and drag it on the audio time line. It is a good Idea to determine before you start the approx lengths of your show. You can also adjust the soundtrack by moving it into the right position
Options for voice over and additional audio tracks are available, but we keep it simple today…I created the basic Journey Through Colors & Sound slideshow in about an hour of course not including the editing in Aperture 2 and mixing the audio in GarageBand.

One last check in the Preview before you share your show via YouTube or all the other options including a HD presentation direct from your Laptop.
If you export direct to YouTube like in my case, make sure you have an account or create one before, the rest is fully automatic but could take some time depending on the lengths of your show and of course your connection speed.
We finished our cooking for today now lets serve a good meal to our friends or clients…believe me, FotoMagico 3 Pro made cooking very easy & tasty…Enjoy your meal.

GD

Thanks to Incredible India and Shroff International Travel

© Gunther Deichmann - always on time for sunset or sunrise,
Queensland Australia

Our first App is Phases a beautifully crafted little app that shows you all kinds of useful information about the moon—and a little bit about the sun.

24 hour time zone, Location GPS, Time zone, Northern and Southern Hemisphere etc.
Moonrise and Moonset, Sunrise and Sunset & a lot more.

But the best part about Phases is a Calendar with the Moon Phase for planning your trip month ahead or check on the tides if you’re an Underwater Photographer or Diver.
In other words you can plan your trip in such a way that you can be certain that you will be on a specific location in time for this magic Moonrise with your girlfriend, Camera or just waiting for the Werewolf…check out the website for a full explanation and info at:
http://bjango.com/apps/phases/

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Not a NightOwl? Then Sun n Moon is the way to go, it gives you sunset and sunrise on location and some info on the Moon but hasn’t the cool Moon Phase Calendar like Phases.
Sun n Moon is more on sunset and sunrise, but it is also a very useful and a good application.
Sun n Moon accurately calculates data for:
Key Features
• Sunrise and sunset times (no network connection required)
• Moonrise and moonset times
• Specify location by 3 methods:
http://www.catalyst4.com/sun_n_moon/Sun_n_Moon.html

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Now we are done for today’s romantic setups under the Moon or at Sunset,
its time for some measurements and two more Apps.

The one which really stands out is fairly new and called Dimensions from pocketDEMO fantastic and super cool…I could describe this one for ever but instead have posted the LINK so you can check it out, I have tested it and fell in love with it, a must for US$ 1.99 some useful devices for Photography and many other uses in this amazing iPhone application toolbox. You can even check Thunder storm (distance) size up your shoes and dress, measure your room or the distance to the next dive site using your iPhone Camera (now that is so cool) or check the thickness of your wetsuit plus so much more. It has also some of the best tutorials for an aplication I have seen on the iPhone. This one you have to check out!
http://www.petitemallette.com/

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Don't know your connection speed? Speedtest.net its there to help, a simple but accurate tool to test your connection speed. This free application very useful if you're in a different location and don't know the speed...should I start uploading or downloading now or should I wait for a better connection. It works both on Wi-fi and on Edge.
Excerpts from their website and link below for more info:
Speedtest.net using a massive global infrastructure to minimize the impact of Internet congestion and latency. With millions of tests performed every month across hundreds of servers, Speedtest.net is the ultimate resource for bandwidth testing and related information. Visit it on your computer today to find out why.
http://www.apptism.com/apps/speedtest-net-speed-test

That’s it for today, with these Apps you can easily measure your Costumes for Halloween (you better believe it Dimension does it too) and check if you have the full Moon to watch the Werewolves running around. And now I am going to do a speedtest on my iPhone to check if I should upload this Blog now.
GD

Relaxing Friday afternoon with “Mojito”
& friends at Cafe Havana...

© Gunther Deichmann - Charming waitress at Cafe Havana Makati Greenbelt 3 , Philippines,
Leica D-Lux 4 ISO 400, f:2.5

A nice start for the weekend had a great time with my friend Juergen Warnke from Club Paradise in Palawan at the Cuban “Café Havana” in Greenbelt 3 in Makati. Friday afternoon… a social get together with some nice Drinks called Mojito
…
and the Leica D-Lux 4.

© Gunther Deichmann -
Mojito... at Cafe Havana Makati Greenbelt 3 , Philippines,
Leica D-Lux 4 ISO 400, f:2.5
Cuban mojito drink recipe, the authentic version enjoyed by Hemingway in Havana
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Aperture v. Lightroom, the never-ending saga on the Net, don’t worry I keep it simple and get straight to the point.
I am sure all Aperture 2 users waiting with great anticipation for the next upgrade…
I hope we get to see it soon.
I am not an expert on Lightroom nor I am going to be one, I am happy with Aperture 2 for all my work. I believe the most common problem lies when you work with two or three different software’s instead getting used to one, learning and understanding it properly.
Lightroom has introduced recently some updates and improved the software, however in my opinion there are quiet a few advantages in using Aperture 2.
First of all the smooth integration on a Mac, it is flawless and very smooth, plus in Aperture you can make adjustments at any stage. E.g. if you have an image selected you can pull up the adjustment-HUD right there in the Browser, Full screen in book layouts etc., no need to go back and forth.

This is very cool and feels free and more natural. From what I know and heard of LR this cant be done, LR puts way too much emphasis on the software while Aperture lets you focus on what you want to do with your image.

Check with the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3 for Aperture Training and intro Seminars.
http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php
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More iPhone 3G applications.
In one of my recent Blogs I recommended the GPS from MotionX, another interesting one is AudioBoo you record your voice or a conversation with friend then post it on Twitter or Facebook. Useful? For some of us maybe, check it out and play with it.
For those who use the iPhone Camera, AutoStitch is cool, thanks to my good friend Choon from Singapore who pointed this application out to me.

iPhone 3G Camera, using four images and then AutoStitch

See above an example taken without any planning during last Fridays “Mojito” sessions at Café Havana. Four images stitched together on the iPhone and posted a few seconds later on Twitter. You can even crop the image after it has been stitched.
For more info just go to the iTunes store!
GD

From the Thar Desert in India to remote places in Palawan, Philippines, the
GPS from MotionX on your iPhone is the perfect travel companion.


© Gunther Deichmann - Composite image;
find and mark your location, listening
to your music at the same time.

There are so many applications for the iPhone but this one is super cool! Slick integration allows you not only to find your way but listen to Music direct from the software via iTunes, plus so much more. Read below an article from a very happy Dive Instructor in Palawan Philippines, finding those dive sites again is a breeze now.

A few months ago I introduced my good buddy Dirk Fahrenbach from Dugong Dive Center & Club Paradise to the iPhone and recommended at the same time some cool applications including the GPS from MotionX, with Facebook and Twitter integration.
It is your Global Position System on your iPhone!
After some weeks he strolled into my place again and I ask him, hey how is the iPhone?
…oh buddy, real good and I love the GPS, better than all those expensive ones I have been using on my Boats.
GD

Read below Dirk’s comments:
I am totally amazed how great this software is, the Dugong Dive Center has 3 big dive boats and I have one GPS for each boat from well-known companies. They are complicated to use in particular for my boat Crew.
Then I brought my iPhone, Gunther gave me a crash curse on the iPhone and installed the GPS from Motion X. A few days later during a dive trip my Boat Captain and myself tried it out on my Boat the “Toshina”, we where both amazed.

© Gunther Deichmann - Coron Island Bay, Palawan Philippines

Easy to use, there is no need for studying any manuals. You can go from page to page and the connection to Google maps makes it even more enjoyable looking at the current location.
Like some music in the background? No problems you even have a page with iTunes!
Need a Photo from a waypoint? No problem either, you can find it anytime on your recorded track. (with exact time and location in your logbook)

© Gunther Deichmann - easy to find
those dive sites again.

Finding satellites is very easy and fast, plus the position, speed and signals are very accurate and well displayed, the build in compass works accurate too.
Battery consumption can be a little problem but external battery packs for the iPhone or a charger on the boat can solve those problems easy.
No need for an expensive and complicated GPS, the one from MotionX is doing just fine, the only problem is… I have 3 boats but only one iPhone…at the moment that is, ha, ha.

© Gunther Deichmann - beautiful secluded beaches in Palawan.
Natures Paradise and the last frontier in the Philippines.

Dirk Fahrenbach is the Owner and Dive Instructor from Dugong Dive Center at Club Paradise
Palawan Philippines, it is also the only place in the Philippines where you can watch/dive with Dugongs in the wild.
http://www.dugongdivecenter.com/

For all the details on this GPS go to your iTunes store or check out the website from MotionX
http://news.motionx.com/category/motionx-gps/

But that is not all stay connected all the time with MotionX GPS and share with:
Facebook: To enable Facebook posts, log in using the “Connect With Facebook” button on the share setup screen. If you have a Facebook account, enter your login information in the “Connect to Facebook” window that opens. You can logout at any time, again from the share setup page, by touching the Logout button.
Twitter: To enable Twitter posts, log in using the Login button on the share setup screen. If you have a Twitter account, enter your login information in the “Twitter Login” window that opens. You can logout at any time, again from the share setup page, by touching the Logout button.

MotionX Featured in:
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BusinessWeek, USA Today, iPhone Blogs, Gizmodo, Engadget, Time, Newsweek

A Journey Through Rajasthan India...
how to cope with 7000 images after
the shoot, plus the integration on the Mac.


Poster production using Pages from iWork ’09
creating a pdf file for final printing.

June & July ’09 Aperture 2, a Power Mac Center special, Images from India on display through out the Store plus get the chance to win a limited edition Book (available in August ’09) with the images from Rajasthan, India... entirely produced using Aperture 2 plus a lot more.

Photography & Aperture 2 Training/ Free Seminars & WORKSHOPS at the Power Mac Center incorporating Keynote & Pages from iWork 09 ...plus a little GarageBand using the iPhone as a Recorder.

The Seminars: An introduction to Aperture 2 the workflow after the shoot and the things you can do with your selected images using iLife ’09 GarageBand and iWork ’09 working with Pages and Keynote plus a lot more. How to use Aperture when traveling, things to watch out for.
Total integration using the Mac.

The Workshops: Travel Photography and Aperture 2, tips and tricks while on the road plus the integration on the Mac using Pages and Keynote from iWork ’09 the possibilities after the shoot. Tips when you’re on the road using your Mac and Aperture 2.
How to record traditional music when you’re miles from nowhere by just using your iPhone and mixing sound tracks later in GarageBand for your slide shows and Keynote presentations.

Consultation on Aperture 2: Trouble shooting, performance improvement, ideal set-up & storage solutions, choice of Hard Drives, how to back up your images and any other Questions you might have to make your workflow easy using Aperture 2 after the shoot.

For questions and special requests, you can call 729-7087 or 88,
or email us at training@powermaccenter.com
http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php

June 19 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
June 27 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop)

July 10 - 6:00PM to 7:00PM (seminar)
July 18 - 3:00PM to 5:00PM (workshop) 

FREE Consultation on Aperture @ PowerMac GB3 Store
July 4 , 25 and 31 please check with the Power Mac Center for the Time.

I have also fixed a few things on my Commercial Photography site…we had a few problems but now I am running iWeb ’09,which is super slick by the way, the new WIDGETS are just awesome; HTML Snipet,Google Maps, RSS Feed, YouTube, Google AdSense, iSight Movie, iSight Photo, Countdown, All is Ok now, so why dont you check it out...best viewed on Safari.
http://web.mac.com/gdimages/gdimages/Home.html

The NEW iLife ‘09 is so cool from what I have tried out and seen, super improvements, but more on that later need to do some more test driving.

The cool Widgets in iWeb ‘09

On or about the 15th of this month I am going to introduce you to our very first “UNDEREXPOSED” guy, Massimo Casal from Hanoi in Vietnam.
Stay tuned for our first special on The Underexposed” and a lot more very Interesting topics including iLife ’09.
GD
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

Perfect for recording and interviews in the field, taken notes has just become so much easier.
As the name suggests, iTalk and iTalk Sync work real well together, the perfect combination.
Ok.enough sweet talk…say you walking around those amazing Temples in Cambodia with their strange names or you just hanging around a side walk Café, now you use your iPhone and start recording, OK that is nothing new. But now you’re back at your Hotel start editing and Caption your images from the days shoot. Mmmhhhh, what was the name of this Temple again?

Easy, you synchronize your iPhone with your Lap Top and start up iTalk Sync, the recordings from the day are now on your Desk Top or place them in iTunes, it is that easy. But It gets much better, since you gave every recording a name or added additional text to it, a small text file is also attached and parked right next to your sound file on your Desk Top. You can open this text file in Text edit, and you’re ready for copy and paste into your Aperture Metadata, plus you have all the additional info in your sound recordings.

The transfer from the iPhone to Computer is wireless, OK. if no Wi-Fi is available you can always play back the recording and work on your caption manual and transfer everything later when a connection is available, but at least you have a nice recording with all the information.

The aiff and the text file on your Desk Top

I mention in my earlier Blog some of the other cool Applications for the iPhone, but this one is super cool, and set the quality of your recordings is available too.
iTalk is US $4.95 and iTalk Sync is for free, you can download iTalk Sync from this LINK and install it in your Computer. You can buy iTalk from the Apple Store and download it straight into your iPhone.
GD

Using iTalk Sync is simple and straightforward, below are some details, a text file which is part of the Software.

When you run iTalk Sync, it will immediately scan your local Wi-Fi network to find any iPhone (or iPod Touch 2G) that is running iTalk. So make sure your iPhone or iPod is awake and talking to the network, and is running iTalk. (Henceforth, all instructions referring to "iPhone" should be understood to apply to iPod Touch 2G, as well, unless otherwise noted.)

If iTalk Sync finds more than one iPhone, it will show you a list. Double-click on the name of the iPhone you want to connect with.
Your iPhone will show you a message that your computer is attempting to connect with it. Press Yes or No.
When you okay the connection, iTalk Sync will show you a list of the recordings stored on your iPhone. To transfer the recordings to your computer, simply use your mouse to drag them out of the list and onto your desktop.
Your recordings will be transferred as high-quality AIFF files, which you can play in iTunes or in most other media players. iTunes will give you the option of burning your recordings onto audio CDs, or converting them to a different format such as AAC/MP3, for use with portable music players.
You may want to convert your files; in general, AAC/MP3 files take up less storage room than AIFFs. If you plan to edit your recordings further, keep the original AIFFs and convert a copy of the edited version as AAC/MP3.
http://www.italksync.com/

Tips, Tricks & Techniques... “TRIPLE T”
plus “Food for the iPhone”


© Gunther Deichmann “Food for the iPhone” cool Applications

Lets start with Aperture 2 before we start “cooking” with the iPhone...
Applying Sharpening...which one??? We have two sharpening options in Aperture 2 Edge sharpening and Sharpening. I get always asked why should we sharpen images anyway or most of the time and if so which one do we use.
Most if not all DIGITAL CAMERAS producing a softer image, hence the build in sharpening controls in today’s cameras.
So how come we don’t or I should say I don’t use these? My Camera settings are all set to normal, because it is very difficult to judge from the LCD screen how much or how little sharpening to apply.
I have set all my sharpening parameters in Aperture 2 and since I know my Cameras I perform all the Edge or Sharpening in the Computer using my standard settings.
Of course these can vary from one Camera Model to another, you have to experiment a little to find out which settings works for you best. My recommendation experiment with some of your images and don’t worry you can always go back to your untouched Original, that is the beauty about Aperture’s non-destructive editing.

Aperture’s Sharpening Adjustment does a good job, but it can also get you into trouble.
SHARPENING sharpens everything in your image including nose from darker images found in low light images. If you apply this on Portraits this can have some unpleasant results. Where as in Landscapes and normal exposed images this could look Ok.
Aperture’s EDGE SHARPENING controls lets you apply subtle sharpening effects to only the edges in your images.

Press F to enter Full Screen mode, and then press H to bring up the Adjustments HUD.
(to apply any sharpening you should view your images at full screen mode) Now place your cursor at the area you like to sharpen and press Z to zoom to 100%
Press Control-S to add an edge Sharpening adjustments. Edge Sharpening searches for edges by identifying areas of sudden contrast change.
Try a quick experiment and deactivate Edge Sharpening controls group by deselecting it, and then add normal Sharpening adjustments. Set the intensity to about 0.6 and the radius to 3.1. now you will noticed the difference due to the Global sharpening.
Of course since Aperture 2 we have also our New Dodge and Burn Controls.

Screenshot of Dodge & Burn Panel

In Aperture select IMAGES and on the drop down menu choose Dodge & Burn then on the small drop down window (red square) select Sharpening, choose your brush size and strengths and apply your Sharpening on selected areas only.

This iPhone application is truly one of the better ones, very practical and useful, now I have arranged all my most frequent and important Phone Numbers, no more scrolling and searching just touch and go or should I say call…
http://www.hotchiliapps.com/

Hot iPhone Tip from Hot Chili Apps

Want to call, mail or sms to your preferred contacts with just one touch? Would you like to create your own buttons choosing photos, color, text and add symbols ? Than comcenter is the right app for you. Comcenter is a speeddial/speedmail/speedsms application where you can create your own buttons. Choose a background color with the color picker, take a photo and resize it, add a symbol and manipulate it in size, angle and color. Use text, chose a font, align it and see in a big and a real size preview if you like it. Add phone number or mailadress from your adressbook and even name your button...more at http://www.hotchiliapps.com/

Screenshot of this cool application

For our German readers they have provided the info in German too.:
Würden Sie gerne Ihre Freunde und Kontakte mit nur einem Fingertip anrufen, eine Mail oder eine SMS schicken ? Würden Sie gerne Ihre eigenen Buttons entwerfen ? Mit Ihren Fotos, Hintergrundfarben, Texten und Symbolen ? Dann ist Com Center genau die richtige Applikation für Sie ! Com Center ist eine Speed-Dial / Speed-Mail / Speed-SMS Applikation die Sie ganz individuell gestalten können mehr @..... http://www.hotchiliapps.com/?p=132

Tags: iLife '09, iPhone 3G, iPhone Applications, iTunes Store, Tips,Tricks, Techniques,Tutorials