Tips and Tricks
Photographic Magazines for Free
Our local library service allows free access to many books, newspapers and magazines. There are over 30 photographic titles and some non-English language ones. The e-reader webpage is very good and it’s even big enough for Robin to read !
⦁ Visit https://www.suffolklibraries.co.uk to join online.
⦁ When you receive your membership number follow the instructions to join PressReader.com on your device.
⦁ Open your ‘Subscription’ choosing Suffolk Library Service where you will receive a 30 day free trial. This is renewable with your library card number every 30 days. - Free magazines and newspapers in the comfort of your own home especially if you use your tablet or e-book reader.
Photoshop Tutorials
There are many Photoshop tutorials available on the internet. Just search for "Photoshop tutorials" in your preferred search engine.
DNG File Format
Every camera manufacturer and every model within each manufacturer’s range has a different format for its RAW files, even if they have the same file extension (.CR2 for Canon cameras for example). DNG (Digital Negative) is a universal format developed by Adobe, which retains all the benefits of working in RAW without having to worry about whether your RAW files are compatible with your editing software. As an additional benefit, DNG files store all of your edit settings within the file rather than in a separate “Sidecar” (.XMP) file as with most RAW files. Therefore, if you move a DNG file, you don’t have to worry about moving the Sidecar file aswell. You can convert your RAW files to DNG using Adobe DNG Converter, which is a free download from the Adobe website. You can get it by clicking here.
Preparing Images for PDI Competitions and Exhibitions
Also see the video tutorial on the Downloads page.
Lens Cleaning
Always keep your lenses clean, perhaps using a solution and cleaning cloth. One such solution is called Solution 30 which is produced by Carl Zeiss. A clean before each photo shoot is advisable.
It is probably a good idea to fit a UV filter to your lenses. If kept permanently affixed they may help to protect your valuable lenses from damage. Clean this filter to. Sometimes, when photographing bright lights, it might be best to remove this UV filter.
Spots can still appear on your lenses by way of dust or water spray et cetera. In these cases spots will appear on all your photographs in exactly the same place. If you use software to remove/disguise these spots it can save a lot of time selecting all these pictures before you edit one of them. Once your edit is carried out, because you have selected all the pictures, those spots will be removed from all your photographs.