Photography

Lightroom 4.1 arrives; Aperture users, be patient

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 4.1 last night, supporting new cameras and lenses, squashing some bugs, adding a couple of notable features -- and in at least one high-profile case, contributing to the angst of a customer of Apple's rival Aperture software.

Aperture beat Lightroom to market and leapfrogged it with lower pricing in this category for higher-end photo editing and cataloging software. But this market is Adobe's bread and butter, and the company is working hard to turn the crank for improvements as fast as it can. More on that competition and customer angst later, but first, … Read more

How to take your own passport photos

Drugstores will charge you as much as $10-15 for a measly photo, adding insult to injury when you're tied up in a long and expensive passport application process.

If you're willing to pay the price for convenience, so be it, but if you like to "DIY," you'll be happy to hear that taking your own passport photos is actually pretty simple.

You'll need:

A digital camera (or smartphone) Computer A photo printer (or local photo printing center)

Easy enough, right? Now follow the steps to take your passport photos, DIY-style.

Step 1: Set up … Read more

When and how to photograph the annular solar eclipse

On Sunday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. PT, millions of Americans will witness an annular solar eclipse. In this unique event, the moon will cover only 94 percent of the sun, creating a spectacle worth capturing.

Unlike the common solar eclipse, the annular solar eclipse results in a ring of fire you may only catch twice or thrice in your lifetime. The last annular eclipse appeared in 1994, and NASA projects the next to occur in 2023.

Weather permitting, the full extent of the eclipse (including the ring of fire) will be visible in Asia, the Pacific region, … Read more

Get pictures off your iPad

Now that the Apple iPad finally includes a great camera, I suspect that many of you have taken beautiful photographs that you'd like to transfer back to your computer.

In this CNET How To, I'll walk you through Apple's prescribed methods for moving iPad photos over to your computer, including Photo Stream syncing via iCloud and syncing over USB.

If you're looking for other, more-advanced methods for transferring your iPad's photos, check out CNET's How To guides on apps such as Photo Transfer, Scotty, and Bump.

Otherwise, enjoy the above video and take a … Read more

Build a ring light for less than $20

A resourceful videographer, Parker Maimbourg, has managed to build a continuous ring light for just $20.

The setup consists of a cheap, circular LED lamp ($10), an AA battery holder ($1.99), and an unused hotshoe salvaged from an old flash unit. A continuous ring light is typically used to provide even illumination for portraits and closeups and usually costs at least a few hundred dollars.

Basically, Maimbourg rewired all the LEDs on the lamp to a separate battery holder, which will be mounted on the camera's hotshoe. Next, he cut a hole through the center of the circular lamp enclosure to fit his lens, spray-painted the whole setup black for that professional feel, and voila! … Read more

How to transition your Kodak Gallery account to Shutterfly

On July 2, the Kodak Gallery will be shuttered. The good news is that if you do nothing, your photos will be moved to Shutterfly. Still, there are a few housekeeping items to keep in mind.

For starters, Kodak states the process will involve 5 billion photos and could take several months to complete. Thus, be sure to download any photos (or order a DVD) from your Kodak Gallery prior to July 2 that you might need access to in July, August, and perhaps September and October. And while you can download full-resolution photos from the Kodak Gallery, you can't at Shutterfly, giving you another reason to peruse your Kodak Gallery for potential downloads.… Read more

How to use the tilt-shift effect on Instagram for Android

When Instagram finally arrived on Android, it was missing a major photo effect that iOS users had been enjoying for some time: tilt shift. Just over a month after its release, Instagram for Android has been updated to finally include tilt shift. It's a fun little effects tool that can make subjects in your photos appear miniature or to create a shallow depth of field.

Here's how to use tilt shift:

1. After choosing a photo, tap the new teardrop icon in the effects toolbar and choose whether you want a radial or linear tilt shift.

2. By … Read more

DIY: The string tripod (aka stringpod)

Three-legged tripods are the go-to accessory for steadying shots. Whether you're trying to achieve a high exposure or need to work with a shaky hand, propping your camera on a tripod is crucial to producing a clear image, especially in low light.

Thing is, tripods are bulky, making it difficult to carry them while you travel. So, how do you get steady shots without a tripod? With the stringpod, of course.

An old photographer's trick, the stringpod isn't exactly a tripod replacement, but it gets pretty close when you need to steady your camera in a pinch. Here's how it works:… Read more

Dropbox now lets you upload photos directly from your camera

Dropbox users who find it a hassle getting photos off their camera and onto their online storage site now have a way to avoid the middleman.

The new Dropbox 1.4 software for Windows, OS X, or Linux can automatically upload photos not just from a camera, but from a smartphone, tablet, SD card, and just about any other gadget that houses your images.

How can Dropbox users set this up? Here's how it works in Windows:

First, install the new version of Dropbox. Then right-click the Dropbox icon in the System tray and select Preferences. You should see … Read more

Do something fun with your photos and videos

Are your friends always asking you to share those photos and videos you took last year? I know I'm guilty of this crime as well, but there are tools out there to help you create an awesome slideshow that sums up your camping trip, a birthday party, or just a casual night out. Whatever it may be, you can create a professional-level slideshow with this slideshow creator - Wondershare DVD Slideshow Builder Deluxe.

Wondershare DVD Slideshow Builder Deluxe is the easy-to-use yet powerful DVD photo slideshow maker. With it, you can combine photos and video clips into DVD slideshow … Read more