Tutorial: The Rules of Photography (and how to break them)
Stop. Go. Insert your card. Enter your pin. Remove your card. No entry. Wait here. Fill this out using ALL CAPS. Be nice. Be polite. Do unto others… and yada yada yada.
The number of rules we deal with on a daily basis is quite exhausting. At what point do we get to make up our own minds anymore. Answer me!
Luckily, photography is one of the few activities where you can break the rules. With camera in hand you have an immense amount of free will and choice at your disposal - and with that in mind we arrive at the theme of this week's tutorial: the rules of photography and how to break them.
While we celebrate photography for its freedom to break the rules, we should point out that those photographers, famous or otherwise, who have done this most effectively are those who have learned and understood these photographic conventions in the first place.
This week our friends at Digital Camera World have selected some of their favourite tutorials showing how to do a technique properly… and then how to break it or fake it.
1. In the 10 Commandments of Landscape Photography (and how to break them), you'll learn all the fundamental elements of a good landscape photograph and how you play with these conventions for a more creative effect.
2. The night (all night) belongs to photographers just as much as it belongs to Lionel Richie. But shooting long exposures in low-light conditions can be a recipe for disaster - or at least blurry images. Discover the 12 errors of night photography and how to fix them, and soon you should be taking better moonlit landscapes, light paintings and star trail photos.
3. Or if you don't feel like spending all night long (all night) in the countryside, here's how you can make fake star trails in Photoshop from the comfort of your sofa.
4. As the weather warms up you may find yourself gearing up to shoot more action photography. Here's a quick and easy panning technique that will let you introduce blur to your cycling, running and other sports photos to give them more drama.
5. Or if you're too tired to go outside because you've been out all night long (all night) shooting star trails you could have easily faked, well why not fake this panning effect, too? This quick Photoshop tutorial on how to recreate a panning effect will make it look like you were down in the pits at every race.
6. Finally, don't fret over dull landscape photos. Here's another easy tutorial that shows you how to replace boring skies in Photoshop.
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Photoshop CS6 to feature Content-Aware Age Tool
Photoshop CS6 will feature a new Content-Aware Age Tool that can instantly make people in photos look younger or older, according to leaked images discovered by our friends at Practical Photoshop.
Photoshop CS6, which is currently a beta version available to the public, made headlines months ago when one of Adobe's 'sneak peeks' at the software revealed a new Content-Aware Move Tool that allows users to shift elements of a photo around the frame.
It is believed the newly discovered Content-Aware Age Tool will let users dramatically increase or decrease the age of a person captured in a photograph.
Leaked screen grabs of the Content-Aware Age Tool in use show a sliding scale ranging from baby up to elderly. It is not known if the Photoshop CS6 Age Tool will only age skin, as seen in the screen grab above, or if it will also, for instance, remove age-related body features such as facial hair and breasts as you drag the slider down to the 'baby' end of the scale.
"I would think Adobe will have to address this issue before the full release of CS6," said Practical Photoshop Editor Ben Brain.
Ben added he cannot reveal how he came across the screen grab of the as-yet unannounced Content-Aware Age Tool, but hinted there could be further surprises in store from Adobe.
"I've not seen it, but I hear Adobe is already developing what they call a Clooning Stamp for Photoshop CS7," he said. "Simply click the Clooning stamp over a person's face, drag the Smugness Opacity slider to your desired level and it will make the person look more like George Clooney."
It is believed Adobe is developing a female version of the Clooning Stamp called the Helen Brush Tool, based off a circa-1970s Helen Mirren.
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Olympus unveils retro 'film' SD cards
Olympus has launched a new range of SDHC cards to complement the new Olympus OM-D.
The cards, which have been designed for use by those who miss the "authenticity" of using film, will be available in either black and white or colour variations.
Anybody purchasing the black and white variation will be limited to shooting in monochrome.
Initially the cards will be available in 4, 8 and 16GB variants and will be supplied in traditional 35mm film canisters to tie in with the retro feel.
Aroma
Olympus has also included a special pad inside the canisters which not only holds the card in place, but also gives the cards a unique "film" smell thanks to a special "secret formulae".Speaking to TechRadar, Olympus UK marketing manager, Mark Thackara said, "Given the versatility and range of options that are packed onto the OM-D, we thought it would be nice to go back to basics and give people the limitations that we used to have in the old days.
"By using one of our special cards, coupled with the retro appeal of the OM-D, you begin to get a feel for what it must have been like shooting with the original analogue OM, and that's no bad thing."
The cards will also be capable of working with other branded cameras.
Official UK prices for the new memory cards have yet to be confirmed, but it is known that the black and white card will be slightly cheaper than the colour version. Sales will start from May 1st.
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Review Roundup: This week's best reviews on TechRadar
The more we play with the Apple TV, and the more Apple updates it with new features and new software, the more we like it. But the problem is that unless you've got at least one Mac or iOS device, it's simply not something you'd want to buy.
This latest version is a perfect example of that. New 1080p features and a new interface will be enough to attract Apple fans, but for anyone else there are simply better, cheaper options out there.
Still though, we've enjoyed our time with it and it's been fun to test it alongside some of Panasonic and Sharp's 2012 TVs this week.
The Sharp in particular offers stunning value for money – so if you're looking for a great home cinema TV on a budget, be sure to check out the review below!
Apple TV review
Apple TV hasn't changed much in function since the first version emerged in early 2007. But in form, it has changed significantly and this latest release is better than ever. It's really only when you own an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad that owning an Apple TV makes the most sense.
All Apple's devices know how to play nicely with each other, so you can use an Apple TV to mirror the screen of your iOS device and have everything it displays appear on your HD television. But if you don't already own an iOS device, even with the addition of 1080p HD, there's no compelling reason to buy an Apple TV over other media streamers right now.
Toshiba AT200 review
The Toshiba AT200 is a good, solid and delivers everything you'd expect from an Android tablet. However that's all it is - another Android Tablet in an already crowded market. So we can't help thinking that Toshiba has only done half a job with the AT200. It looks great, we love its thin, lightweight and well connected body – but when you get to using it you're not wowed by anything.
Toshiba has made a competitive tablet, a marked improvement on the AT100, and it will certainly give the established dual core Android 3.0 tablets a run for their money. But it's still nothing special.
Sharp LC-60LE636E review
On paper, the Sharp Aquos LC-60LE636E sounds too good to be true. Being able to get a 60-inch screen from a respected brand for £1,300-2,600/$2,000-4,150 pretty much rewrites the big-screen pricing rule book. The screen isn't nearly as basic with its specification as you might expect either, managing to include extensive picture calibration tools, 100Hz processing, multimedia playback from USB sticks and DLNA PCs, and even a degree of online functionality.
It looks very pretty too, putting to shame the bland plasticky finishes of your typical budget TV. However, tragically much of its excellent work is undone by a single but aggravating flaw: noticeable and distracting backlight consistency during dark scenes.
Panasonic TX-L42ET50B review
Why is Panasonic offering an Edge LED alternative to its plasma TVs? Given that the latter performs peerlessly with 3D and nicely upscales lesser-than-HD sources, the choice of Edge LED is surely all about the innate slimness it brings. There's no doubting the Panasonic TX-L42ET50B's style, but is it over substance?
There's no escaping the fact that this is an expensive TV, despite it being Panasonic's biggest ever Edge LED TV. It may have sacrificed plasma at this living room-friendly size, but its love of active shutter 3D tech refuses to budge. It's a strange move that leaves the Panasonic TX-L42ET50B neither a slim and cheap option nor a high-end home cinema screen, although at its best it's just capable of surviving in either environment.
Intel Xeon E5-2687W review
By turning cores on but turning overclocking off, this eight-core Xeon is a zero sum game. As expected it's just not cost effective on the desktop, but still puts into question why exactly we don't have a full eight-core desktop processor in the desktop Sandy Bridge E family. One thing's for certain; it's not a technical limitation.
This week's other reviews
CamerasHands on: Nikon D800 review
Hands on: Sony Alpha a57 review
Cases
Cooler Master Cosmos 2 Ultra review
BitFenix Raider review
Cooling
Spire Gemini Rev. 2 review
Desktops
Sapphire Edge HD3 review
Zotac ZBox ID80 Plus review
Hard drives
Western Digital My Passport Essential USB 3.0 review
Laptops
Lenovo ThinkPad X220 review
Toshiba Portege Z830-10N review
Monitors
ViewSonic VX2336s-LED review
Philips Brilliance 273P3QPYES review
Tablet accessories
Adonit Jot Pro review
IK Multimedia iRig MIX review
Tablets
Disgo 9104 review
ZTE Light Tab 2 review
Televisions
LG 47LM670T review
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