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I have been guilty of estimation. While it is easy to see how many pages there are in the Version 3.0 eBook, the number of images, illustrations, diagrams and iNovaFX filters had to be counted by hand, so to speak. I had estimated 700+ images and 320+ iNovaFX filters. Now for the reality: OVER 950
IMAGES! OVER 350 iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filters. The eBook is software and that lets us sell you the upgrade for an upgrade price. In this case, only 20% of the price of a new eBook. Or, think of it as an 80% savings! Version 3.0 has 325 pages and over 950 images, illustrations, diagrams and tables. Plus a bunch of new iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filters. (Total 350+ at last count) Click on the CD to jump to the Secure Upgrade Order Page.
Now their secrets can be revealed. Click on the Big InfoBite icon for some tips on how some of the new filters can do more for your pictures.
Here's a store that knows how to keep its Nikon Coolpix customers happy! Click on the logo to go to their web site. On the B&H search system, enter "GBCDMNCDC" to find it among "All New Products".
If you never got an eBook, now's the time. Version 3.0 is in final preparation and will start shipping next week. If you bought your copy on May 1, 2001 or later, a special PDF version of the new Coolpix 995 chapter is yours, free! Check the detail page for the latest.
So... This is it, eh? Nikon's idea of a super resolution, super tech camera. The specs are there: 2560 x 1920 image and a new feature that supplies killer, pixel-perfect images from SXGA on down. Click the pic for details. The Detail Page contains 3 articles.
 Images from the world. Click on image
Here it is. Finally. A mount that connects a 900/950/990/995 and other 28mm screw thread Nikons to both telescope and microscope eyepieces. Click the pic for details.
Replacement
Filters! The iNovaFX filters shipping with eBook Version 2.0g (easy to spot on the CD label) won't work with PS5.5! So here are the filters that WILL work with Photoshop 5.5. This is for eBook owners only.
How good
is it? Click on the camera image for the updated Review and comments.
Nikon showed a fully functional Coolpix 775 at the Photo+ Expo in Los Angeles this week. Your editor got his hands on it for a while and had to be pried loose from its diminutive frame. Click on the picture for a First Look impression of this tight little digicam...
Lens Converter
Test! Along the way Robert tried something I never thought to do: He shot a regular scene with the lens parked in the Fisheye 1 position but without the fisheye converter in place. Like magic, the 8.2mm lens became a fixed 7.7mm lens! Not a whole lot wider, but remember; you can't be too rich, too thin, have too much memory or have a lens that goes too wide. Now that "38mm equivalent" lens is a 35.6mm equivalent. Every little bit helps, and 7% more wide angle is a welcome option. Thank you Robert, you have taught us all... Run your mouse over the image to see the extra width from the Fisheye 1 setting and click on the image to go to his site for the whole story.
995:Worth
the wait! Recent hands-on sessions with an early production model has led me to produce a new preliminary report and purchase recommendation. It is added to the first announcement page seen here on April 25. Click on the camera image and scroll to the bottom of the announcement page for details. Hold on, it's coming... Hold on, it's almost here...
I hate it when I make a mistake. But there it is. Some of the eBooks claim to have Adobe Acrobat 5.0 inside but only 4.05 is there. Not to worry, you can download the new 5.0 right here. There was a delay in getting our hands on the Mac and Windows versions--but tell that to the labels! If your's doesn't have both 4.05 and 5.0 on it--no worries. The eBook works very well in either version. Collect the new eBook Reader 2.1 from Adobe while you are over there. It gives a new perspective.
Changing a color image to black and white is NOT just a matter of draining the color out. B&W films behave with their own tonal scale and spectral response. Silver
OxideFilters for Mac and Windows! Now you can try out their product on your computer with any editing program that takes Photoshop Plug-Ins. These new, enhanced filters have special features that make them extra-useful. Like the effect of a color filter over the lens that changes spectral response, plus brightness and gamma settings all interactively connected to your image before you commit to the effect. The above image shows the original color, Tri-X filter in default settings and the effect of a severe Red (25A) filter on the right combined with custom brightness and gamma adjustments. The geisha's bright red dress (same color as the middle figure's sash) is dramatically lightened yet her skin tones are more subdued.
And since the "Mastering Nikon™ Compact Digital Cameras" ebook is a PDF document, you may wish to try this new program. It was mentioned earlier when an advanced Beta version was downloadable from Adobe, but now the real deal is available for free. It has some clever features you may wish to use, and some hidden ones that could confuse. Let's set that straight right now. If you download and use Adobe eBook Reader 2.1, one of the first things you need to know is the way you shove a page around the screen using the "hand" icon. Hold the CTRL key down (Mac) or the ALT key (Windows) while you click-hold the mouse. Now you can slide an enlarged page around the window. Now the hand appears. The rest of the controls are very intuitive. Have fun! (Note: Not yet compatible with OSX)
May 16,
2001, Burbank California. But a good one will cost you about $30 in the convenient 28mm Nikon Coolpix mount. What if you could DOWNLOAD a polarizing filter for your digital images? Believe it or not, today's the day you CAN. Hop on over to the new Polarizer Page and check out the iNovaFX Instant Polarizer for all your digital shots that could use it. Seven strengths of effect that work inside of Photoshop 6.0x only. One side of the above shot is made with a polarizing filter--the physical kind. The other is made from a non-polarized shot. The one made in software was made from the one in the middle. Click the image to find out which is which. Compare the original to the results! Then use it on your shots. Free to anybody who drops by.
Now Adobe has released the free upgrade to Acrobat for your Windows and Macintosh computers. It just started to be shipped on the CD along with everything else, but you can download it and use it immediately for no cost even if your eBook was printed last month. Jump over to Adobe's download pages and within moments (longer moments if your Internet access is via 56k modem) you can be using the latest and greatest eBook reading program. Enjoy!
Now a major new tool is available for digital photographers that will re-tip the balance of power, usefulness, friendliness and travel-ability.
A 4.9 pound, fully-capable portable digital dimroom starting at $1299.00. Available now. Want CDR/CDRW/DVD inside? A 20-gig internal storage for your digi-shots? You can have tho$e too.
April 30, 2001, Glendale California. Festival!  It was good to meet the people who arrived at our booth while eBooks were signed and stories were swapped. See you next year when they do it all over again.
New battery
(charger included), 1 GB Micro-Drive capable, 8-32mm (38-152mm
equivalent) The attractively priced 995 ($899 in stores everywhere in June) comes at a time in which supplies of the 990 are drying up all over the world. It wouldn't be right to not be able to get your hands on Time magazine's "Machine of the Year" in some form or other. And the form and function of this bright digital camera deliver the image quality and myriad features one expects from Nikon. But that isn't all. Click on the camera and find out about the all-new Coolpix 775 as well. Read the
reviews at Steve's
Digicams
and Imaging
Resource.
...Repeat until you fall asleep... Or... you could check out the brand new DigiSnap 2000, successor to the DigiSnap 1000 from last year. It's a remote, it's a zoom control, it's a time-lapse intervalometer... This mild-mannered gizmo is the best of breed. See it here.
Check them out and while you're there, gain the knowledge from all the other articles, too. Movies 101: Still Animation
What a hard time it was cutting through the hundreds of entries to the short list. Kudos to the 15 VHMs (Very Honorable Mentions) and 5 Prize Winners. Now see what all that beeping and flashing was about. Click on the ? to go to the Gallery of Fame and see the winning entries. And congratulations to all who entered. You are in good company.
Kidding. See date. But while we are at it, how about a new Photoshop border for your 3 megapixel images that makes it INTO a stamp-like image. Not kidding. See image at right. Just bring your image into Photoshop and run one of these Brand New iNovaFX Filters and out pops your image against any background color you choose. (I chose the gray used on these pages.) And this one's a free-for-all. Anybody can download the iStamp3Mp file and use it in Photoshop 6.0 (or 6.01) or the iStampBorder5-6 version for Photoshop 5 and/or 6.
Key Word: Contest! For the next three weeks, it's a photography contest with a twist: Images in this contest can be of any subject but one thing must be part of the shot: Electronic Flash! It can be from the camera flash, fill flash, slow flash, external flash, IR triggered flash, multi-flash, slave flash, radio-flash, bounce flash, macro flash, studio flash, micro flash, ring flash, reflecto flash, zig flash or zag flash... No, the flash doesn't have to be seen IN the shot, it needs to MAKE the shot possible. Yes, speedlights are allowed. So are strobes. Click image for details. FIVE top prizes each include a special eBook with your winning image on its label and a ROLLBAR (with Auxiliary Frame) for the Nikon 990. Each prize valued at $149.90. Why, that's almost 150 dollars!
They've done it again, folks. They've improved Photoshop! A little. This time the update is for the Macintosh and Windows versions of Photoshop 6.0. Now it will become Photoshop 6.0.1. But a few things that were perplexings of the third order are now a thing of the past. You know how you hit Command-h (Control-h in Windows) to make the selection markee go invisible? PS 6.0 made you hit it twice. Now you only have to key it in once. Little things like that are improved. But it is worth the added functionality. Download
the Macintosh version for free, here.
Why don't my prints look like they do on the monitor? Everybody has said that. Everybody. But it is possible to get them to agree with each other closer than they are now, perhaps. This special test pattern can steer you closer to matching your monitor to your printer. For the best effect, it takes advantage of Photoshop 6.0's new "Proof Setup" feature. Check out the new "Print Versus Monitor Help" page. Download the special test pattern and get that image on the screen to be more helpful!
WB is White Balance and it's easy to get it wrong. Not to worry, there are ways of achieving the correct white balance after the fact. But it involves a smart editing program (Photoshop 6 will do just fine) and a little feature that sucks. In a good way. This interactive page gives clues you can use.
B&H Photo/Video sold completely out of eBooks in February, mere days from their initial delivery of stock, but those guys are On It! They have put in a huge order to meet the demand. So for all in the New York area... Your ship(ment) has come in. On the B&H search system, enter "GBCDMNCDC" to find it.
February 20, 2001, Burbank California.
A new page of data outlining and
explaining some iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filter lore, secrets,
FAQs and de-confusifiers.
Two extraordinarily cool features will grab you by the credit card (it's only $99 and less, $69, if you are "side-grading" from Photoshop LE, PhotoDeluxe®, and select competing editing products): Actions and Panoramics. The Actions are procedural macros. Say, the iNovaFX Filters are Photoshop Actions, too. Tie-in? You betcha. While PSE doesn't create these Actions, it does execute them. One writes them in full PS6. Yes, I'll be writing PSE actions very soon for late Spring release. The next big feature, and one that is better implemented here than in any other program I've seen, is the Panoramic function. Just put all the images that overlap each other into a folder and tell PSE to go fish. It pulls them out, identifies overlapping data, warps and distorts images to fit each other, and stitches them together with pixel accuracy. And it doesn't dawdle. Exposure off on this panel or that? No worries. Just tell it to fix things and it does, instantly. Instantly always beats several minutes of tweaking. Of course, it has the tools to color correct, gamma correct, and exposure correct images with a "next generation" attitude towards the process. When it
debuts, it will be available for both Mac and Windows platforms.
A future report on PSE will be issued after we get our hands
on it. February 15, 2001, Burbank California.
And the Titanium eBook goes to... With images from family to fame, lion to bug, vista to architecture, luck to plan, moment to structured composition, "what the" to "oh yeah," kids to afterlife, this contest has pulled in images from all around the world. An the number of them that rose above "excellent" were far more than just the few that made it to the gallery. Give yourselves
a big hand. I do. Then click on the question mark to see the
gallery and the winners. February
14, 2001, Burbank California. Too much for one report. This will dribble out of my computer over the next week. For hot updates visit dpreview.com and catch all the news that fits in print. First up: Nikon's got a brand new flash. The SB-50DX Autofocus Speedlight is designed for SLR's mainly, but Oh, Boy does it give the 950 and 990 a boost! With slave capability and auto exposure, it works exceptionally well triggering off the camera flash and causing the camera speedlight to quench early, thus avoiding red-eye. Product
manager (Japan) Nobuyoshi Hagiuda looked like the cat that swallowed
the canary as he whipped out the '50 and slaved it off his 990
for a perfect, dark-environment group shot without a speck of
red-eye. In stores April. About $160, they think. February 10, 2001, Glendale California.
Say What? Of course we have always had the iCrAb iNovaFX Filters to pull the chromatic aberration out of our images, but two new ones have a tweak that's worth playing with. eBook Owners can download them using the codebook. All will become clear here. Everybody
can see how well they work on the sample image at the top of
the announcement
page.
These Photoshop Action Filters improve the red channel handling
and give a cleaner result. Give them a shot. February 2, 2001, Glendale California.
Want to try an alternative to Adobe Acrobat? Maybe you would have a better experience with this little goodie. It's the Adobe eBook Reader. Cool! Now they're naming their products after ours. No worries.
They will let you download the Windows version
and the new Macintosh Beta version so you can play with them
and see if you like it better. Thanks, Adobe! January 31, 2001, Glendale California.
A 990 in a smaller package. The Nikon Coolpix 880 packs over 90% of the 990 into its small frame and even has a zoom lens that covers 83% of the 990's range. What can
YOU do with an 880? A lot! Here is a page of comparative goodies that steer you
to things in the eBook which fit right into your 880. Click on
the camera and you are there. January 27, 2001, Glendale California.
Throw yourself a curve. This quick tutorial gives you some easy insight into the Curves control, one of the most versatile tools in the Photoshop arsenal. What goes
in is not necessarily what comes out. That's a Good Thing. January 24, 2001, Burbank California.
Now you can get the Nikon eBook at the biggest retailer of photo and video equipment in the world. B&H Photo/Video in New York has a rapidly diminishing supply of them so you can purchase the eBook from their store, website or by phone, whichever you prefer.
On the
B&H search system, enter "GBCDMNCDC" to find it. January 22, 2001, Burbank California.
Brand New! Now in 35mm. Quite possibly the most dramatic end-run you can make with people who don't believe your Nikon 990 is the quality of a 35mm film camera. It's a one-button border that dresses up your 3:2 Nikon 990 image to conventional film status. A new addition to the iNovaFX Film Borders package, which was announced a few days ago, this one is a tromp d'oeil of the first magnitude. Free to eBook owners only. Don't have an eBook? Too bad. But why wait? The whole eBook and all that delicious stuff is less than $50. Order here. If you
own an eBook, you can access them here. You will have to use the secret password to get
them. Not to worry, if you own the eBook, you already have the
test answers in your hand. January 20, 2001, Burbank California.
New! One click and you transform your Nikon 950/990 image into an image that is OBVIOUSLY a large format film image. How could there have ever been a question about it? After all, we can see the border around the picture and we can even read those little letters they always have along the edge... hey, wait a minute! That doesn't say Kodak Ektachrome. How DID they do that? These iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filters create the impression of film with none of the darkroom mess. Nine (!) new iFilters give you 2-1/4 x 3-1/4 and 4 x 5 film border effects that turn your shot into a convincing large format image ready to print. And of course, you want to show it in the printed result. Text in the borders explains what the image really is and gives you the opportunity to put your own copyright, image title and exposure number on the print without defacing it. A completely original iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filter set you can download now and have before version 2.0 of the eBook appears in a few weeks. If you
own an eBook, you can access them here. You will have to the secret password to get them.
Not to worry, if you own the eBook you already have the test
answers in your hand. January 16, 2001, Burbank California.
The Portable Digital Darkroom page has new stuff. A new color chart for your monitor setup pleasure and a preliminary review of the leading option for high quality darkrooming anywhere on the planet. Hot Doggie!
The whole idea of having a portable darkroom got one Giant Step
closer to ideal with the ultra-fast Titanium G4. Jump to the
Digital
Darkroom Page
and read all about it. January 5, 2001, Burbank California.
The cure is worse than the disease. A rotten apple can spoil the whole bunch. And a PS6.0 filter in a folder intended for your Photoshop 5.5 won't load. Take a New Year's Resolution, Ms Smith. "Peter, Don't ever put a PS 6.0 filter in a PS 5.5 folder again. It doesn't make people happy." But, some got the bad folder. If you are using PS 5.5 and can't load two iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filters because Photoshop says "No can do" then you need to go here: The Secret Page. Once there,
you will be asked a question only eBook owners know, and then
you will be shown how to find the replacement folders so you
can download them and get happy again.
Color Noise? We don't need no stinkin' Color Noise... A new Color Noise eliminator has been born. It's a new iNovaFX Photoshop™ Action Filter and it kicks color-butt. Noise, as you may remember from Loud Class 101 (you did take that course didn't you?) is a grainy, crummy-looking goop that turns ordinary images into --ahem-- less-than-optimum looking images. Blue and Red channels are especially hard hit by noise, but with this filter they clean up quite well. The example at the left shows how the worst-case scenario plays out. It's the blue channel of a warm-tone image. And that makes it noisier. Yet, even though the example is reduced in size, you can easily see how much more noise there is in the Before image. Two versions are available for you to play with, one for Photoshop 5.0-5.5, and another that takes advantage of some of the new things in Photoshop 6.0. Learn all about the new filter and download it here.
December 28, 2000, Glendale California.
Want the eBook to sail through your computer without a pause or a care in the world? Copy the eBook folder to your hard disk. No CD delays now, mate. G'day. Buying Strategy + Get your Department to buy it. Our customers include Police Crime Labs, Art Departments, Professional Photographers, Newspapers, Newcomers and Old Hands of every stripe. Many individuals buy it and then simply use the knowledge and iNovaFX Photoshop Action Filters in their work. If you
are buying this for yourself and using it for your business--let
them buy it. Submit an expense report. What can they say? "No,
we don't need better pictures around here. Don't ever enhance
our images with that stuff again." ?
Even though only about 10 customers (much less than 1/10 of 1%) have experienced CD problems, we thought it would be helpful to give you some quick response to this. I know it can be frustrating. If it were to happen to you, you would want some fast relief, eh? Experience is growing and these remedies will help you through the hard times when all seems so hopeless. Cheer up, if the CD were to be completely messed up, you'll get a replacement no matter where on the planet you are. December 11, 2000, Glendale California.
We thought
we had every last detail one could ever imagine covered and now
we find that there are things we missed. Oh, the shame of it
all. But, being the Internet component to your eBook Experience,
the page here will help fill your
head with extra-fresh, cool and delicious InfoBites as they are
revealed to our collective eyes. Also included: Easy things to
miss. December 9, 2000, Glendale California. HOLIDAY
CRUSH! This
"thing" with the Post Office? Delivery delays, etc.?
You noticed, too? Here is some help and special
delivery data.
New Help! Photoshop 6.0 doesn't behave the way Photoshop 5.5 did. The iNovaFX Action Filters depend on Photoshop. So a Work-Around Page to assist you with PS 6.0 has been added. Visit it
here.
New Functions! Starting immediately, new functions have been added to the eBook PDF files. Greater interactivity and search features have been added and continue to be refined. Soon you will be able to access the upgrade for a nominal fee. All eBooks now shipping already include these improvements. Filter Loading Questions? New help pages are now available. Filter Assistance and Upgrade pages now detail how to resolve small issues with the first batch of eBook CDs. Missing
Picture Frames? The first batch of CDRs inadvertently omitted
a file containing three Picture Frame examples. You can download
them over the Internet here. Less than .5meg. November 27, 2000, Glendale California. Holiday GIFT for you. Starting today, all orders are going out as FIRST CLASS so you will get the order ASAP!! And here is the best part: At No Extra Charge over the previous Book Rate. (offer ended January 15, 2001) Happy Holidays... November 25, 2000, Glendale California. Reviews are coming in from enthusiastic owners of the eBook.
What a masterpiece, a lifetime of learning and enjoyment in a $50 buck CD. If you own any camera it's worth it, if you own this camera don't miss it!!! --Tim (Via DPReview.com) Read more here.
It is SHIPPING! PHOTOeBOOKS and Graphics Management Press have joined to bring the Secrets of Digital Photography series of eBooks to a waiting world. Mastering Nikon Compact Digital Cameras is now being published by Graphics Management Press. Internet sales are being fulfilled through their Westwood offices right now. Orders for this book can be entered HERE. Graphics Management Press of Westwood, California, is one of the most progressive, professional, and respected producers of specialty books over an eclectic range of titles. Many of their books have won major awards for design, production, and subject treatment. Their design for the Times-Mirror organization's book about the Gulf War was key to their winning the Pulitzer Prize. (Images of War, 1992) William Dorich, owner and publisher, was enthusiastic about the new medium of eBooks. "When author and designer Peter iNova showed me the camera and early pages for the book, he blew me away," said Dorich. "Now we are able to bring a high quality eBook into the world through this title." The eBook is now available under ISBN 1-882383-12-5. Orders are being processed right this minute. The book costs $49.95 US plus a $6.00 postage, insurance, and handling fee. California residents must pay state sales tax of $4.12. For reference, postage and insurance to Canada adds $8.50 US and Europe adds $9.90. Other international orders with their less-easily predicted delivery costs are best handled by Email with the publisher through graphicsmgmt@hotmail.com or call them directly by phone (number is on the Order Page). You may order the eBook today. Shipment is NOW. |
