Digital Photography Workflow

Tips, tricks, and reviews related to all aspects of digital photography workflow, from shooting photos to processing to backing up to sharing.

How to Capture a Video Frame with VLC

One free, simple option for grabbing a single frame from a video and saving it as a JPG is to use VLC. Here’s a quick guide on how to do it.

How to Disable Google Adsense Auto Ads

Is your website suddenly covered in Adsense ads that you didn’t put there? It might be because Auto Ads has been rolled out automatically on your site.

How to Turn Off the Date Stamp on the Nikon D3400

Just like old-school film cameras, the Nikon D3400 has options for imprinting date and time information in the bottom corner of the photo. Here’s how it works.

How to Use the Date Stamp & Time Stamp Feature on the Nikon D3500

Remember those time and date stamps that you used to be able to get embedded in the bottom corner of your prints? The Nikon D3500 can do that too. Here’s how it works.

How to Work with Both RAW and JPG Image Files on the Sony A7R IV

The Sony a7R IV gives you several options when it comes to choosing which file image file format to use and how to work them into your workflow. Here’s a rundown.

How to Use Virtual Horizon (Virtual Level) on the Sony a7R IV

The virtual horizon (or virtual level) tool is one of the most useful overlays for composing your shots. Here’s how it works on the Sony a7R IV.

How to Change the On-screen Information Displayed on the Sony a7R IV

The Sony a7R IV gives you some control over customizing what types of information you can see on the back screen and through the viewfinder. Here’s how to set it.

How to Format SD Cards in the Sony a7R IV

This is a step-by-step guide on how to format memory cards in the Sony a7R IV mirrorless camera.

How to Enable Auto Switching Memory Cards on the Sony a7R IV

If you’re running into an error when Slot 1 SD card is full on the Sony a7R IV, here’s how to make it roll over to Slot 2 automatically.

Which Color Space Should You Use When?

Color spaces and color profiles can get complicated and technical fast. But here are some simple, practical recommendations on which color space to use when shooting and sharing photos.

Hands on with the RAVPower 6-Port USB Charger FileHub

In addition to handling the high-power fast-charging needs of today’s devices, the RAVPower 6-Port USB Charger FIleHub has a neat party trick up its sleeve.

Ultra Portable Backup Storage on the Go with the RAVPower External SSD

External SSDs have been getting smaller, with higher capacities, and cheaper. The new RAVPower Portable SSD is the smallest and most portable I’ve used yet.

The RAVPower FileHub is Like a Digital Swiss Army Knife for Traveling

The RAVPower FileHub is like a digital Swiss Army Knife, solving several connection and networking issues that you commonly run into when travelling.

How to Format SD Cards on Mac

Wondering how to format SD cards on Mac? Here’s a step-by-step guide for formatting both SD and microSD cards.

SD Card Formatter for Formatting, Wiping, and Repairing SD and microSD Cards

Here’s a guide to using the SD Association’s official SD Card Formatter for preparing your SD and microSD cards for use.

How to Export a Single Frame as a JPG from Adobe Premiere Pro

There are two methods for exporting an individual frame from a Premiere Pro project. One is quick and simple but doesn’t give you much control. The other involves more steps but gives you more control over things like size and compression amount.

How to Prevent VLC from Saving Recently Viewed Videos on Mac

The recent files list in VLC is designed to provide convenient shortcuts to the audio files you recently listened to or the videos you received viewed. But if you want to prevent VLC from adding files to to the Open Recent menu item, you can. Here’s how.

How to Extract Preview JPGs from RAW Files

If you’re looking to extract the JPG preview that’s embedded in a RAW image file, here are two free apps that can help.

Hands-on Review of the Mevo Plus Pocket-Sized Live-Streaming Video Studio

Need to stream some live video but don’t want to mess with the complications or expense that usually comes with doing that? The Mevo Plus is like having a basic TV studio in your pocket.

Video Modes of the Garmin VIRB Ultra 30

Here’s a rundown of the various video modes available on the VIRB Ultra 30.

Examples Using the New Accent AI Filter in Luminar 2018

Some examples of what the new Accent AI filter in Luminar 2018 does.

How to Export a Single Still Frame from Final Cut Pro X as a JPG

If you’re looking to export a single frame from Final Cut Pro X as a JPG, there’s a built-in function to that. Here’s how to do it.

Batch Processing Basic Photo Workflow Tasks with PhotoBulk

Sometimes you want an app that can accomplish basic image workflow tasks like resizing and watermarking simply, quickly, and with minimal fuss. That’s where apps like PhotoBulk come in.

Xcellon DRD-401 Four-Bay SATA HDD RAID Enclosure | Review

I’ve been testing out the Xcellon DRD-401 Four-Bay hard drive enclosure as a large local storage for backing up photos. Here’s my hands-on review.

How to Change the Aspect Ratio of Photos with the Nikon D3400

The Nikon D3400 doesn’t offer the option to choose a different aspect ratio when taking photos, but here’s a partial workaround that works for small numbers of images at a time.

Using Photoshop to Simulate How Colorblind Users See Your Photos

Nearly 1 in 10 people who look at your photos are likely to perceive colors differently because of some form of colorblindness. Here’s a way to use Photoshop to simulate how your photos will look to someone who is colorblind.

How to Change WordPress’s Default JPG Compression

By default, Wordpress compresses the versions of images it creates at a JPG quality setting of 82 percent. Here’s how you can change it.

Backing up Photos to the Cloud with CloudBerry

There are several different apps that can automate and schedule backups of photo archives to different cloud storage providers. CloudBerry is one of the simplest, and it works with a wide range of cloud services.

Search and Replace Plugins for WordPress

Whether you’re moving from HTTP to HTTPS, moving a site to a new domain, or updating links, there are times you might need site-wide search and replace to speed things up. Here are some options for Wordpress.

How to Change ISO on a Nikon D3400

A practical guide on how to change ISO on a Nikon D3400, including manual and Auto ISO options.

Best Photo Stitching Software for Making Panoramas

An updated roundup of some of the best photo stitching apps for making panoramas, from free and simple to paid and powerful.

How to Shoot a Panorama with the Nikon D3400

The Easy Panorama mode that was in its predecessor has gone. Here’s a guide to shooting panoramas with the Nikon D3400.

How to Escape Shortcodes in When Posting Code Snippets in WordPress

If you’re trying to post example shortcodes in your post but finding that the shortcode is getting processed, here’s how to escape it and present the shortcode as plain text.

How to Remove or Replace “Filed Under” and “Tagged With” from Post Metadata in Genesis

This simple little hack is a way to change the “Filed under” and “Tagged with” labels from post metadata if you’re using the Genesis Framework in Wordpress.

Which Color Space to Use on the Nikon D3400? sRGB or Adobe RGB?

The Nikon D3400 DSLR has two color space options in its settings. Here’s an explanation of which to use when.

Organizing Photos into WordPress Media Library Folders

If you have a lot of photos in your Wordpress Media Library and are looking for a better way to organize them, the WP Media Folder plugin provides a way to create virtual collections without messing up your underlying filesystem.

How to Embed an Animated GIF in WordPress

If your animated GIFs aren’t animated when you embed them in a Wordpress post, there’s a simple fix.

Finding and Cleaning Unused Images in the WordPress Media Library

This plugin does two things: scans your Wordpress media library for unused images and scans your uploads folder for images that aren’t in the media library.

Mevo, the Live-Action and Live-Editing Camera

Livestream have put out a new live-action, real-time editing camera, the Mevo. Here’s my hands-on review.

NextoDI NVS2801 Portable Memory Card Backup Device – Review

The new NextoDI NVS2801 memory card backup device will especially be of interest to photographers shooting with CFAST 2.0 or XQD memory cards.

How to Extract Still Image JPGs from a Video File

Sometimes it’s easier to visualize the contents of a video file with a sequence of thumbnails or still images. Here’s a quick, easy, and free way to extract JPGs at intervals from a video file.

JPEGmini Review

JPEGmini promises that their proprietary algorithm can dramatically reduce the size of JPGs with no discernible loss in quality. So I put their secret sauce to the test.

Things I Learned Moving My WordPress Sites from HTTP to HTTPS

I recently moved some of my sites from regular HTTP to HTTPS with SSL. Here’s are some things I learned along the way.

Review of ImageRecycle Image Optimization Service for WordPress

ImageRecycle is a cloud-based image optimization service that can shrink the size of your image files. Here’s another in my series of reviews of image optimization tools for Worpdress.

How to Share 360° Videos from a Ricoh Theta S on Facebook

So far there are only a few options for sharing the 360° videos you’ve shot with your Ricoh Theta S. Here’s how to upload and share them with Facebook.

Lexar Professional Workflow Memory Card Readers

Lexar has come up with a new way to streamline the chore of downloading photos from your memory cards to your computer: the Lexar Professional Workflow system.

Review of the Spyder5ELITE for Desktop Display, Laptop, & Projector Color Calibration

The Spyder5ELITE is the top model in the Spyder5 display color calibration range. Here’s how it compares to the Spyder5PRO.

Review of the ColorSpace UDMA3 Portable Memory Card Backup Device

My hands-on review of the new ColorSpace UDMA3 portable memory card backup device.

Stacking Font Awesome Icons in WordPress

Stacking Font Awesome icons does work in Wordpress, but it needs a simple tweak to work around one of Wordpress’s editing quirks.

Review of the RocketStor Thunderbolt Dual-Bay Hard Drive Dock

Hard drive docks for naked hard drives have been available with USB interfaces for several years. Now there’s a new dock with a Thunderbolt interface that promises up to double the speed. But it’s not going to be a good fit for everyone.

Calibrating a Display with the i1 Display Pro

A correctly calibrated display helps in your photo processing workflow and ensures better end results. Here’s how the i1 Display Pro performs.

Calibrating Your Display with the Spyder5PRO

Using a color calibrated monitor can save a lot of time, aggravation, and ink, and helps ensure that your images look their best when viewed elsewhere. Here’s my hands-on review of the Spyder5PRO from Datacolor.

WP Smush Pro Image Optimizer for WordPress

WP Smush Pro builds on the oldest of the cloud image optimization services. Here’s how the reborn version stacks up.

ShortPixel Image Optimizer for WordPress

There are several cloud-based image optimization services available for Wordpress. I put ShortPixel through its paces to see how to stacks up to the competition.

Smartphone Apps for Tracking the Sun, Moon, and Stars

Whether you’re trying to make it for magic hour, line up the sun or moon with a landmark, or just want to make sure your subject is shown in the best natural light, smartphone apps that calculate the location of the sun and moon for any location on earth for any date and time can come in very handy.

MOVO MTP-10 Timelapse Panning Base

The MOVO MTP-10 is one of several devices for adding rotation and panning to timelapse captures. It’s a significant step up in both features and price than some alternatives. Here’s my hands-on review.

Camalapse 4 360-Degree Panning Timelapse Base

If you’re looking for a way to spice up your timelapse captures, adding some rotation can be a good start. Here’s my hands-on review of the Camalapse 4 360-Degree Panning Timelapse Base.

How to Prevent the Photos App from Launching in Mac OSX

Mac OSX El Capitan wants to launch the new Photos app automatically every time you insert a memory card or connect a device. Here’s how to stop it.

Kraken.io Image Optimizer for WordPress

Kraken.io is a Wordpress plugin and cloud service combination that aims to reduce to file size of your images in order to speed up your site. Here’s how it works in practice.

Is there any benefit to using WebP images on my website?

WebP is an emerging image format that is designed to create images that are visually indistinguishable from JPGs (or PNGs) but with much smaller file sizes. That in turn makes for a faster website.

Optimus Image Optimizer for WordPress Review

Optimus is a plugin and cloud service combination that promises to dramatically reduce the filesize of your images and speed up your Wordpress site. Here’s my hands-on review.

Digital Foci Picture Porter Advanced – Hands-on Review

The Digital Foci Picture Porter Advanced is feature-packed. Here’s how it stacks up in real-world use for backing up photos without a computer while traveling.

Making Photos on a WordPress Site Sharp on Retina Displays

If you want your photos to look their best on new high pixel density Retina displays, here’s a Wordpress plugin to help.

WD MyPassport Wireless Review

The WD MyPassport Wireless is a portable hard drive that can be used to stream media to mobile devices like iPhones and iPads. But it’s also a cost-effective option for backing up your photos while traveling.

Backing up Photos to the Cloud with Syncovery

Syncovery is a program that offers extreme flexibility in where, what, how, and when to back up photos to the cloud, local hard drives, or network drives.

HyperDrive ColorSpace UDMA2 Memory Card Backup Device

Memory card backup devices combine a battery-powered hard drive with a memory card reader so you can back up your photos and videos without a computer. Here’s my hands-on review of the ColorSpace UDMA2.

Geotagging Software

Here’s a roundup of software that will take your photos and a GPS tracklog and marry them together to geotag your photos.

Using a Garmin Fenix 3 GPS Watch for Geotagging Photos

Garmin’s new Fenix 3 sports watch isn’t aimed at photographers, but it makes for a surprisingly useful tool for travel photography.

GPS Trackers for Photographers

For travel photography, location matters. Whether you’re trying to track your adventures on a map or enter caption information in the image metadata, it helps to know exactly where a photo was taken.

NextoDI ND2901 Portable Memory Card Backup Device

A hands-on review of the NextoDI ND2901 portable memory card backup device for backing up photos and videos from memory cards to a hard drive without using a computer.

Useful Plugins and Tools When Migrating WordPress

If you’re moving your Wordpress site or changing its structure, here are some handy tools that help with some aspects of the migration.

Portable Hard Drives for Photographers

A roundup of some of the best options for small, reliable external hard drives that are perfect for backing up your images while traveling.

Guide to Cropping Thumbnails in WordPress

Thumbnails come in handy in all sorts of places in Wordpress. Here’s a guide to the various ways to crop an image within Wordpress.

How to Resize WordPress Thumbnails

If you change your Wordpress theme or even just tweak the layout of your existing theme, you might need to change the size of your thumbnails. Here’s how to do it.

Lightroom Alternatives

Lightroom might be the most popular one-stop image management and image processing app, but it’s not the only option. Here are some apps to look at if you’re after an alternative to Lightroom.

6 of the Best WordPress Plugins for Photographers

Wordpress is a great platform out of the box. Here are some plugins that make it even better for photographers’ websites.

Removing Dust and Scratches with Photoshop

If you’re scanning film, slides, or prints, you’re almost certainly going to run into the problem of dust and scratches. Here’s a handy technique for removing them that works particularly well with black and white images.

Resizing Oversized Photos in WordPress

If you find your Wordpress site is getting overweight with oversized original photos, the Imsanity plugin can trim them down to more sensible sizes.

EWWW Image Optimizer Cloud Review

If you use a lot of images on your Wordpress site and are serious about speeding it up, image optimization is a great place to start and can give some really impressive gains for very little work or expense.

How to Scan Oversize Images with a Flatbed Scanner

Need to scan something that’s larger than your scanner’s window? Here’s how to do it with any flatbed scanner and panorama stitching software.

Turn Any Internal Hard Drive into an External Hard Drive

Using bare hard drives can be a cheaper and less cluttered way of making external hard drives. Here’s an option for turning any hard drive into an external hard drive.

Sharing a Keyboard and Mouse on Two Macs with Yosemite

If you’re looking to share a single keyboard and mouse between two Macs, there’s a new option on the block: Sharemouse.

Creating a Photo Collage with TurboCollage App for Mac

TurboCollage for Mac is a great option for creating photo collages, whether it’s for a photo book, a print, or your Facebook Cover Photo.

How to Remove Unwanted Adobe Creative Cloud Apps

If you’ve got current and older versions of your Adobe Creative Cloud apps installed, here’s how to remove the unwanted versions.

Cloud Photo Storage & Backup for Photographers

Storing and backing up your photos in the cloud is now a viable option. But not every cloud storage service is a good fit for serious photographers. Here’s a rundown of some of the best options.

How to Put Your Image ALT Tags to Work in WordPress

Most of the time, you’ll never see your image ALT tags. But they matter.

How To Compile a TimeLapse with Quicktime 7 Pro

A step-by-step guide to compiling time-lapse video footage from a sequence of time-lapse photos in Apple’s Quicktime 7 Pro.

Web Fonts for WordPress

You want your site to look good. You want it to have some personality. And you want it to be easy to read. Web fonts can help with all three.

Optimizing Images for the Web with ImageOptim

If you’re posting images on the web there are very good reasons to keep the files as small as possible. ImageOptim makes images smaller without sacrificing quality.

Using Google Trends to Choose Between Similar Search Terms

Sometimes you need to choose which of several similar search terms to emphasize for SEO. Rather than relying just on your gut instinct, here’s how to use actual data with Google Trends.

How to Set ‘Paste and Match Style’ as Default on Mac OSX

Here’s a way to set your Mac to copy and paste unformatted text by default rather than preserving unwanted formatting.

How to Compile Time-Lapse Video with Time Lapse Assembler

A step-by-step guide to using Time Lapse Assembler to create timelapse video footage from a sequence of timelapse photos.

How to Insert the Content Of One Post Into Another in WordPress

There might be times you want to insert the content of one post in another post. Here’s a Wordpress plugin that does just that.

New Top Level Domains for Photography Websites

If you’re looking for the perfect domain name for your photography website, you now have some new options. There are new top level domains available related to photography, such as .photography, .camera, and .lighting.

The Photographer’s Guide to Making Money

The subtitle of this book is “150 Ideas for Cutting Costs and Boosting Profits.” And that really sums up the book. Its goal is to help you think differently about what you’re already doing.

How to Prevent Photoshop from Flattening Layers When Converting the Color Profile

When you convert color profiles in Photoshop, it will flatten all the layers by default. If you don’t want the layers flattened, here’s the simple fix.

Timelapse Calculator for iPhone

Timelapse Calculator for iPhone is a simple yet effective app for calculating shoot durations, frame rates, and clip lengths for creating time-lapse video.

How to Allow Public Access to an Amazon S3 Bucket & Find S3 URLs

If you’re using an Amazon S3 bucket to share files, you’ll first need to make those files public. If you don’t, when your users try to access the URL they’ll get an Access Denied error. Here’s how to fix it.

TIFF Compression Options: ZIP vs LZW

A guide to using ZIP and LZW compression for TIFF images, along with real-world examples.

Time-Lapse Photography with a Panasonic Lumix GF1

One of my few complaints about the Panasonic Lumix GF1 is that it doesn’t have a built-in intervalometer to take time lapse shots. But for about $50-$70 you can get a third party timer cable release that does the job quite nicely.

At War with the Dust Bunnies: Tips for Changing Lenses on the Go

Dust bunnies, which leave ugly dark spots and marks on your images, are one of the annoyances of digital photography. If you’re changing lenses on the go there are some tricks to minimize them.

Capturing the Sun and Moon: The Photographer’s Ephemeris

What if you want to be sure to get a shot of the sunset over a mountain range or the full moon with the Eiffel Tower? The Photographer’s Ephemeris helps with that.

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