I have reviewed this software before but now feel it is time to retest the software with a much bigger challenge. The Big Topaz AI Gigapixel Test My sample photo is one of the dreaded ‘brick wall’ pictures – useful because the repetitive structure of the wall allows the edges and centre of the picture to […]
The UK Lake District
My favourite place on earth is the UK Lake District. This small area features England’s best scenery, highest mountain and deepest lake. I have been visiting it for almost all my life and photographing it at a professional level since 2004. New Lake District Gallery The past few weeks have seen me revisiting all my […]
Full frame mirrorless systems
So now Panasonic have introduced full frame mirrorless cameras. They join the ranks of Sony, Nikon and Canon in having recently released one. There are undoubted advantages to full frame over APS-C sized sensors. The advantages include: Better high iso performance Better dynamic range More control over shallow depth of field Better resolution I would […]
Topaz JPEG to RAW AI – Review
I have been testing a beta version of Topaz Labs latest ‘AI’ tool – JPEG to RAW. What can this tool do? Here’s what Topaz told me: Topaz JPEG to RAW AI that allows you to edit JPEGs as if you originally shot them in RAW. This machine-learning powered software will: Recover shadow / highlight detail […]
Luminar 3 – With Libraries. First looks
Luminar 3 With Libraries was released recently and I’ve been playing with it for a while. Here’s my first impressions: The Good A reasonable image browser with a unique layout It keeps itself up to date after you have told it the folder(s) where your images are The RAW conversion is high quality, although it […]
Affinity Photo – correction
In my previous reviews of this excellent software, I made a mistake regarding its focus stacking, saying that the individual layers in the stack cannot be edited. This is incorrect. See this Youtube video for details. To my mind Affinity is simply fantastic and it offers a real depth of features. But this mistake on […]
Canon EOS R – Full Frame Mirrorless. Is it worth it?
I have used many APS-C mirrorless cameras, from the diminutive Canon EOS M100 to the medium sized Samsung NX500 to the SLR like Samsung NX1 and I have loved them all. But the appeal of ‘full frame’ cameras is strong. After all, full frame must mean better pictures, surely? Sadly, not. No camera will make […]
Luminar 2018 Update – the Sky’s the Limit?
Luminar 2018 has been updated with brand new features: AI Sky Enhancer Accent AI What are they? Here’s what Skylum say about them: Luminar uses Artificial Intelligence to make the sky on your photos look incredible automatically and The Accent AI is a secret “weapon” of thousands of photographers. It analyzes your photos and applies […]
DXO PhotoLab 2 Vs Photo Ninja
A clash of titans! In my opinion, DXO PhotoLab and Photo Ninja are the best RAW converters. Others are good. But, as pure RAW converters, these two are head and shoulders above the others. Things, of course, change over time. Skylum is about to update Luminar. It’s already very good. Who knows just how good it will […]
What’s my Profile?
(You need to check that the software you are using supports custom built profiles before using these techniques.) Colour profiling It’s common practice for photographer’s who share or print their images to profile their display monitor and printer. This ensures that the print’s colour appears as it did on screen. Also, people viewing the images on their […]