ACD Systems Blog

Featured Facebook Photo of the Week

2013-04-11 15:49:00 GMT

Always wanted to see your photos somewhere other than your own facebook account? Well, we’re giving you the chance to show them off on OUR Facebook page!

Here’s how:

Upload your best shots to your ACDSee Online account (www.acdseeonline.com), it’s free if you don’t already have one! And in the comments section enter the hashtag #acdseephotooftheweek.

Every week we will choose a new photo with the tag #acdseephotooftheweek to be featured on the ACD Systems Facebook page as the cover photo!

You can see the first one already in place here: www.facebook.com/acdsee

Aperture, Speed & Sensitivity (Part 2)

2013-04-10 17:20:00 GMT

By ACDSee Guest Blogger & Professional Photographer Alexandra Pottier

After aperture, one of the three facts that make a good exposition in a picture is the shutter speed.

It is the time while the sensor is exposed to the light while the curtain is open. If we think of it as a window, it is the time while the window is open.

Usually, we express the shutter’s speed in seconds or fractions of a second.

A long exposure time, 1 sec for instance, exposes the sensor for a longer period of time. That is useful when there isn’t much light in the scene.

On the contrary, a short exposure time, 1/1000 sec, exposes the sensor very shortly to the light when there is a lot of it.



Usual shutter speeds are : 1/2000, 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, ¼, ½, 1 second, up to 30 seconds. Then you have the Bulb mode, where you can decide for yourself the length of the time of aperture.

As you can see the numbers are equally proportional. When you double the exposure time (from 1/250 to 1/125 ) you let twice as much light in.

Of course the speed has consequences on the final result of the picture. The use of a fast shutter speed (1/1000s sec) will freeze the action even if the subject is moving.



The use of a slow speed (1 sec) will show an amount of panning.



The shutter speed must be chosen according to four criteria which are :

The effect you want for your picture. Frozen action or fuzzy yarn.
The movement’s speed. The photographer’s stability is important, below 1/60s, it is better to use a tripod, because the human, even very still, suffers from micro-movements, and the result is a fuzzy picture.
The subject’s speed. The more the subject is moving, the more fuzz there will be. And vice versa.
The focal length. It is common to say that it is better to use a focal length ratio 1/focal length. For example, if you are using a 200mm lens, it is better not to go under 1/200 sec.

If you want to keep the same exposition while changing the shutter speed, you’ll have to change the aperture increasely.

To change the shutter speed, there are two options : use the manual mode or the S mode. This way, you get to choose the speed you want for your camera.
To practice, you can start with the focal length rule (1/focal length) then you can try on different moving subjects, a walking person, a cyclist, a jogger, etc…

Have fun!

You might be a Photographer if....

2013-04-02 16:16:25 GMT

We asked you and you answered. Here are some of the top responses received from Facebook and Twitter.

• You ask your mother in law what level of Gaussian blur she used at the family Christmas gathering.
• You forgot your anniversary to shoot a WEDDING!
• Your camera lens costs more than your car.
• If you take your camera everywhere you go and when you don’t that’s when you find the perfect shot.
• If you see the sunsets in aperture and f-stop.
• Your friend refers to you as her personal paparazzi.
• You’ve got blisters on your trigger finger.
• You learn to ignore people admiring your shots and saying “Gee, you must have a great camera”!
• You always see life through a lens.

Adding a Watermark to Your Image

2013-03-28 16:46:34 GMT

Why should you watermark your photos? Not only does it protect you, but in the world of digital images and social media it’s a subtle way to promote yourself or photography business.

1. In Edit mode, in the Add group, click Watermark. A watermark displays in the center of the photo by default.
2. Click Browse, select your watermark, and then click Open.
3. Click and drag the watermark to reposition it anywhere on your image, or click Center to quickly position the watermark image in the center.
4. Drag the marquee handles to resize the watermark image.
5. Select Maintain aspect ratio when resizing if you want to resize the watermark image without distorting it.
6. Select Apply Alpha Channel to apply the alpha channel if it is present in the watermark.
7. Select Apply Transparency to make a color in the watermark transparent.
   The default color is white. You can enter the RGB value of the color. If you don’t know the RGB value, move your mouse over the watermark preview thumbnail on the Edit panel, and then click on the color that you want to make transparent.
8. Select an option from the Blending Mode drop-down list to specify how you want the watermark to blend into the underlying image.
9. Drag the Opacity slider to specify the transparency of the watermark.
10. Do one of the following:
    
    • Click Apply to add the watermark to your image, and keep the Watermark tool open.
    • Click Done to add the watermark to your image, and leave the tool.
    • Click Cancel to discard your changes and leave the tool.

You can also save your settings as a preset for future use.

Spring Ahead With Savings From ACDSee

2013-03-27 19:07:27 GMT