This is the Thursday thread - Freeze-Frame Radio

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

This is the Thursday thread

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

Where is that darn Thursday Thread? OH! Here it is!

Hmm, what to talk about? It's not of interest to to anyone but me, but I'm excited because I'm getting a new camera today. This is my Christmas present and it's making up for all the past years that Mrs Web didn't get me anything because she didn't know what to get me.

I've been wanting to move beyond the "point and shoot" camera level and take the next step up. This camera will give lots more control and will let me shoot in "RAW". "RAW" is the format that comes right off the sensor. It's not yet been compressed into a JPG. This gives you MUCH more options in post-processing of photos. It allows you to fix and control things after the shot is taken because all the photo's data is still there and has not been thrown away from the JPG compression. I've got a lot to learn, but those who know me, know that is the part I enjoy most.

So . . . with all that, you can expect there will be a bunch of new pictures showing up around my various social networks in the near future.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

Awesome Web! I know you can edit RAW data and levels in Adobe Bridge and Photoshop. I do a little bit of that, but most of the pictures that come in to me have already been compressed.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

If this is the Thursday thread, does that mean that it is actually Thursday? I am all confused this week. The boss left last night and I think I can finally settle back into more of a routine. Or at least into a rhythm.

Web - you can learn things and teach them to me.

I have had my SLR camera almost three years and I am sure there is a ton for me to learn about it. I keep telling myself I am going to learn and play and of course, I never do. I also would like to know what kind of software is the best for editing and stuff for photos.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

Oh yeah, I could also use a nap. Plus I am chilly. I am not usually cold but today I put my fleece on. I do have short sleeves on, so I wonder if I would have been okay if I had long sleeves on today. I hope nothing else is developing.

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

It seems the RAW editor of choice is Adobe's "Lightroom". The videos I've seen of it looks really nice, but it's $300. I just now found out that Amazon had it 1/2 price during Black Friday. The photo editor I already have will edit RAW so I'll just use that for now. It will likely do everything I'll need for a good long time, it's just not as quick and easy as Lightroom. It will be still be fun to play with.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

Shall we beverage?

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

Web, What photo editor are you using?

Fuzzy, it depends on what you want to do to your photos. If you want to do everything, the industry standard is probably Photoshop, but it's $$$$$$$!

Honestly, for most of my pictures, Picasa (free from Google) meets my needs about 80% of the time. It can do basic fixes, lighten up pictures, get rid of red eye, and crop.

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

confuzzed wrote:

I also would like to know what kind of software is the best for editing and stuff for photos.

As I mentioned, the pros are mostly using Adobe Lightroom which is $300.

I use a program called "Photo Plus" from serif.com. It is $90. Upgrades have been very reasonable, so it's all I've ever used. I know it pretty well and I think it does a good (enough for me) job.

If I was starting over now, I'd try to find the money for Lightroom, but since I already have Photo Plus, it will do until I find something I need to do that it can't handle.

I think Photo Plus actually has more miscellaneous photo features in it, but Lightroom is better at adjusting RAW files. Just depends on what you need and what you want to do.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

confuzzed wrote:

Shall we beverage?

Oh no, I'm out of tea! I have some Cold Brew, I wonder how well that works with hot water. Let's try it...

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

(P.S. Lightroom is basically a scaled down [and therefore cheaper] version of Photoshop.)

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

I had looked at Photoshop a long time ago but did notice that it was $$$$. Sounds like what you are using may work for me Mz. Let's remember I am simple and haven't played with these things before. I want to but haven't.

I have some tea here I can share Mz. There is Island Mango and Peach white tea, cinnamon apple, mint or orange.

-- Edited by confuzzed on Thursday 9th of December 2010 10:30:11 AM

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

I've opened my beverage.

I like several of the products from serif.com.

They have a desktop publishing tool that is cheaper than Microsoft Publisher but it kicks Publisher's butt in features. When I was doing the church newsletter, I was doing it in Serif's "Page Plus". When I quit doing it and gave the job back to the office, the secretary said she had to have "Publisher". I tried to talk her into "Page Plus" but she wouldn't even consider it because "Publisher is the best", so we got it for her. After she started doing the newsletter, she was asking me how I had been doing certain things because she couldn't do it in Publisher. One of those things was simply exporting the document to a PDF.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

The Lipton Cold Brew works, it just comes out stronger.

Mmm, Fuzzy, I can't decide between mint, cinnamon apple, or orange spice tea. Surprise me.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

WebGuy wrote:

I've opened my beverage.

I like several of the products from serif.com.

They have a desktop publishing tool that is cheaper than Microsoft Publisher but it kicks Publisher's butt in features. When I was doing the church newsletter, I was doing it in Serif's "Page Plus". When I quit doing it and gave the job back to the office, the secretary said she had to have "Publisher". I tried to talk her into "Page Plus" but she wouldn't even consider it because "Publisher is the best", so we got it for her. After she started doing the newsletter, she was asking me how I had been doing certain things because she couldn't do it in Publisher. One of those things was simply exporting the document to a PDF.

I'm shuddering right now. I hang my head in defeat when someone says they're sending me a Publisher file. I'm sure it works fine for desktop printing, but for professional printing, I dread it. I got a plug in to open Publisher files in InDesign so I can fix them before printing them. "Commercial Printing Tools"? HA! I can't even make a color separated proof from Publisher. And to top it all off, my version of Publisher isn't compatible with my version of Acrobat Distiller, so I have to save everything as a postscript and then convert it to a PDF.

Ahem, sorry, got off on a rant there. Can Page Plus open Publisher files? If so, how well does it open them? (Retain layout? Fonts? Or will it look just slightly different?)

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

MzHartz wrote:
Can Page Plus open Publisher files? If so, how well does it open them? (Retain layout? Fonts? Or will it look just slightly different?)

I don't think it can open Publisher files. I put the newsletter on the website in PDF format. If I remember correctly, I tried importing the Publisher file to use Page Plus to convert it to PDF, but it wouldn't do it.

After that failed is when we went to using a "PDF Printer" to print Publisher files to PDF. I think we even talked about it here when I was trying to make that work.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

Darn. I'm always looking for a fix for my PDF problem. Sometimes I'll get lucky and it'll work, but usually I get an unspecified error.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

Mz - I'll send you one of each so you can keep them in your drawer. It is good to have some choices.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

Hey Mz - how is the weather?

An email from my boss at 7:20am this morning:

"After getting back to Indy, where it was 12 degrees when we landed last night, I feel like I left the tropics, since it was at least in the twenties there. It is 4 degrees here now."

His flight out last night was close to 9pm. When he left I told him to please keep his super cold weather.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

It's friggin freezing. I'm excited that we're up to 24, it's the warmest it's been all week. It was 5° when I left for work this morning. Earlier this week they said we'd have a snowstorm this weekend, but that seems to have faded away.

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

Good day, all. I just got to the office about 30 minutes ago. Was on a conference call on the drive in. Yay. Anyhoo, checked in with Little Man to see if he already started looking over the network data for tonight's cut, talked to one of my other friends for a few, talked to Little Man again but this time with the training guy who wants some of our time, then came back to my desk to settle in and work.

Little Man and my other friend are going out to lunch with one of our former co-workes, so they took off for that. On the way out, one of them ratted me out to the boss. Five minutes after my booty planted in my desk chair, the boss came by and informed me that I have 5 minutes to clear out and go get some sleep because I'm sick... which is true. Sore throat and low grade fever... nothing I can't handle. I told him no cuz I have datafill to check and at least one meeting to deal with before I can leave. I did promise to leave early and nap before coming back tonight for the install. He seems happy with that.

It is gonna be one of those days.

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

I'm off to my Thursday lunch meeting . . . then after that, I'll see if I can find the UPS truck as they are usually around the downtown area at 1:00ish. If I don't find them, it will be LATE afternoon (6:00 - 7:00pm) before they finally get to the house.

Later.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

My heart skipped a beat when I read, "he boss came by and informed me that I have 5 minutes to clear out." You scared me there!

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

Yeah, I thought the same thing for a sec until he finished his sentence. It seriously started out, "You have 5 minutes, starting NOW, to clear out of here and go get some sleep. You are sick. I need you healthy."

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

So, we are going to nap soon then?

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

Yeah, in a little while. I have a conference call in 45 minutes that is pretty important. At least it was the biggest thing on the boss's mind yesterday.

On the up side, I got the switch datafill validated for tonight, fixed a problem for someone else, and probably picked up another small project for after the first of the year.

Also found out it was Little Man who ratted me out to the boss. He came back from lunch and told me to go home cuz he needs me here tonight more than he needs me here right now.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

Stopping in for a quick hello. So glad it's Thursday, just two move nights to go until the weekend. YAY!

Everyone have a good day, if you wanna.

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

I found said UPS lady after lunch. The new photo obtaining device has been secured. The battery is charging. Once it's charged up, I shall begin attempting to learn what each of these 487 options does.

If better pictures is a direct relation between size and weight of camera, this thing should be awesome . . . it's a beast.

Photo on.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

"Move nights"? Is it time for the kids to be finished for the semester already?

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

Excuse me Web, but if this is to be a Christmas gift, why exactly do you get to play with it two weeks before Christmas?