Following the NIK Post Processing Workflow

Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park Sunrise

I was able to get out to Saguaro National Park last weekend, which I've already posted about to some extent (actually, that post was more about the Tether Tools Case Air). I only got about 20 captures, and processed 5 of them that I've uploaded to my SmugMug site.

I have been working on a free online document where I put my post-processing notes, and as I work on things I update the document. When processing the Saguaro National Park photographs, I decided to once again try the Nik collection of Adobe plugins (now free from Google). I had kind of stopped using them for a while and have mainly been doing post in Lightroom.

My Modified Nik Collection Workflow

In my post-processing notes, I have a Workflow section in which I list a few different post-processing workflows including the Nik Collection Workflow from their online documentation. I basically copied it but I swap a couple of their steps (I tend to do the noise reduction before the pre-sharpener).

I decided to use the Nik plugins on the Saguaro National Park shots just to see how they compared to my Lightroom processing (note: you can use the plugins in Lightroom too). I have to say I was pretty pleased with the results!

In addition to the Nik workflow, I added the Elia Locardi High Pass Sharpening technique that I also outline in my document. While doing so, I took the time to learn and document how to create a Photoshop Action for creating a new High Pass Sharpening layer. I really like how this sharpening works.

I also added a layer for my watermark but that's not too difficult. I was hoping to create an action for that too but I don't see how. You apparently can't import an image using the file system directly into a layer.

The Workflow in Action

Saguaro National Park Sunrise - SOOC

I used Lightroom to browse the RAW files after importing them. I still don't find that I use Adobe Bridge for much; I've only used Bridge when I want to open multiple RAW files in ACR (Adobe Camera Raw) at the same time. Here's the SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) version of the image above:

As you can see, it's pretty dark! Let's get to work on it to see if it's of any value...

In Lightroom, I right-clicked on the image and selected "Open as object...". By opening it as an object in Photoshop you can make adjustments with ACR or Nik plugins which get saved and allow you to re-edit them. The alternative is to open the image as a background layer and when you apply a Nik plugin and save it, you won't be able to re-open that plugin with the settings restored.

One other note - it is sometimes easier to do any cropping and straightening in Lightroom before you go to Photoshop. Any such edits will be preserved when you open the image in Photoshop.

Exposure First (in ACR)

I made my overall exposure adjustments in ACR (again, following my Exposure notes in my document) by double clicking on the Smart Object (which opens ACR).

Then I followed my modified Nik workflow:

• Dfine for noise reduction .
• Raw Presharpener. 
• I did apply a bit of additional overall brightening to the foreground as well as some minor dodging and burning using Viveza.
• In Color Efex Pro I used the Detail Enhancer, Pro Contrast, and Vignette: Lens filters, adjusting each to my taste.

After those steps, I used my High Pass Sharpening action to add a new layer with sharpening and adjusted the opacity down a bit.

Finally, I added another layer for my logo, copied and pasted my logo from another PSD, resized and re-positioned it.

This is actually a fairly quick process, although not one that may lend itself to duplicating directly from one image to another (which I rarely do). In fact, I was so pleased with the results I went back and processed some other photos I hadn't touched before and ended up being pleased with them as well, such as this one from Picacho Peak State Park in Arizona:

Picacho Peak Sunset on Cholla

Tether Tools Case Air - Review - UPDATED 3 Times

First Real-World Use

My Nikon D610 + Tether Tools Case Air

I finally got out yesterday to take some photographs. I was excited to try the Tether Tools Case Air Wireless Tethering System for the purpose that I bought it - some wide angle shots taken from the ground.

I left Phoenix, Arizona at about 5:00 AM and headed to the Saguaro National Park (west - there are 2 territories for this park) near Tucson, Arizona. It's roughly an hour and a half drive from my home with no stops.

I had only been to the visitor center at the park before, never out on any of the dirt roads. I arrived at the park around 7:30 AM when the sun was just starting to rise and headed northeast up the Hohokam Road shortly after turning on to N. Kinney Road.

It had rained a bit on the drive to the park and I wasn't sure how the skies were going to be. I was hoping for broken cloud cover since the rain had come and gone during the dark drive from Phoenix and it looked like I was going to get what I hoped for. Happy New Year!

I drove to the Hugh Norris Trail head, parked, got out and looked around but didn't see any good saguaro cactus near the parking area and I didn't want to walk far in the desert because, well, you're supposed to stay on the trails.

The Sus Picnic Area

My Manfrotto 055XPROB
(legs not splayed out)

I headed back to the Sus Picnic Area and parked there. There are some nice saguaro cactus there, but not where I wanted them - they were not not lined up well for the rising sun. I walked maybe 100 feet into the desert south of the road to try to get a shot looking south-east where the sun should come up and hopefully light up the clouds.

I fiddled with my Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod to get it into the configuration that allows you to get it close to the ground. You have to switch the center column so that it's sticking out, as shown at right. I've been somewhat looking for a different tripod that doesn't have this fiddly aspect. Manfrotto used to offer a short center column so that you didn't have to fuss with it but they don't any longer and I haven't found one used.

I thought this would be a cool feature when I first got the tripod but after having it since January, 2014, and not extending the center column but maybe 3 or 4 times, I find it's a pain.More often than not I want to shoot close to the ground and I really dislike fiddling with the center column on this tripod. I'm really considering getting a PlatyPod Pro Max.

Trying the Case Air

I attached the Case Air remote to the camera and fired it up as directed (camera power on, Case Air power on, Case Remote app on). Note that I was using my iPhone 5 with the latest iOS update. Everything started up okay and the Case Remote app indicated that it was connected to the Nikon D610. Cool!

But that was about as far as I got. (Here's a link to the documentation if you're interested: https://www.tethertools.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/CAWTS03_ios.pdf)

Case Remote App

On the app you have to click an icon to see the remote
Live View (#8 - the "eye" icon near the lower right of the app). This is supposed to let you see what the camera is seeing by displaying a Live View in the large upper area in the app (#4, where the "CASE Remote" text is).

When the Live View is displayed you can either manually adjust focus by tapping on the left and right arrows (#9 and #11 on either side of the big white shutter release icon), or you can tap on the image and auto focus (if you have auto focus enabled).

In my case, the Live View would only fill up about the upper half of the display area and the bottom half was flashing gray. Within a second or two the app would close.

I tried it probably a half of a dozen times or so with the same results. Since the sunrise was happening, I turned off the Case Air and iPhone, switched to the old school method and bent over as well as I could to use the camera's Live View, hit my back focus to focus where I wanted, and got off a few shots.

I've contacted Tether Tools about this to see what their response is but haven't heard back yet (it is the New Years weekend after all). I'll either update this blog or post another blog with the feedback. I did find others posting similar issues online.
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Update, 1/4/2017

I heard back from Catherine at Tether Tools within one day (1/3/2017). She has forwarded my issue on to their development team. I'm not sure if the dev team is in Phoenix (the Tether Tools headquarters is), but if they are, I offered to stop by to show them my problem.

Update, 1/19/2017

TetherTools posted an update to their software and firmware about 1/13/2017. I successfully installed the update on 3 devices - my PC, iPhone, and my Samsung Tab 4 (that's 3 out of the 4 different operating systems they support). Unfortunately the Case Air itself wouldn't update. I contacted Catherine about it...

I heard back from Catherine at Tether Tools today (1/19/2017). She emailed me an RMA so that I can return the unit which I'll do tomorrow at their Phoenix headquarters. I'm taking my camera with me to verify that it works. I appreciate their strong desire to make sure the unit works!

Update, 1/21/2017

I went to the Tether Tools offices yesterday and met Catherine. She pleasantly exchanged my unit for a new one. She later sent me an email letting me know that she tested my original unit but didn't have any issues with it - she couldn't replicate my failure to update the firmware. I don't have any idea why I couldn't do it. She said the problem is typically due to a weak WiFi signal and wondered if my iPhone or other devices had issues connecting. I told her I hadn't noticed issues with connecting before.

After I got the new Case Air charged up today I tried it out. As soon as I fired up my iPhone 5 and connected to the Case Air I got the notice that I needed to update its firmware so I tried it. It worked fine, first time, no issues. One problem solved.

Next I tried to take a picture. This time it worked better. When you take a picture I have it set to send me the JPEG. That auto upload was spotty on the original unit but this time the thumbnails came up just fine. But after 2 or 3 shots the live view preview on the app started flashing gray and the app closed. It did this everytime I tried it.

I decided to try my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4. After getting it up and running and connected, it worked fine. I could take shots and receive the thumbnails. It looks like this will be my solution which is okay except that now I have to carry the tablet with me. The iPhone fits in my pants pocket but the tablet, even though it's fairly small, will be harder to pack somewhere.

The bottom line, though, is that I should be able to use the Case Air now. Tether Tools really stands behind their product. I can't remember ever dealing with a company so willing and desirous to make sure their customer was satisfied. I can tell that Catherine and the others I've talked to there take a lot of personal pride in their products.

I also want to say that I searched online for other reports of problems with the device and didn't find anything. I did find other reports of other users contacting Tether Tools and having nothing but the best to say about them. And, again, I'm not affiliated with them in any way, I am just impressed and pleased with them.

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I had seen some issues at home but I had chalked them up as being due to having my home WiFi interfering with the Case Air WiFi. At the park, however, there were no other WiFi networks detected by my phone. In fact, there wasn't even any phone service detected. I tried moving the remote around and my phone around to see if that made a difference but it didn't so I suspect that the WiFi connection was okay.

If the WiFi connection is okay then that leaves either my phone can't handle the data or the data isn't being sent properly. I don't know which is more likely. What I do know is that the device didn't do what I paid for it to do. At this point I'm not impressed and I'm waiting for help from Tether Tools.

Oh, here's one of my old school, non-Case Air shots:

Sunrise at Saguaro National Park

New Years Bitching!

Bitch #1

I have a bitch that ticks me off enough after starting my browser to write a blog (about something else) that I just have to comment on it - it's about Windows 7. I don't know if it applies to any of the newer Windoze versions because I haven't used them and don't intend to until I'm forced to.

I really effing hate how apps can steal focus from other apps such as when they're starting up. Windows XP and earlier versions had a setting you could change to prevent this (although even then it wasn't through the normal interface - you had to use a TweakUI or direct registry setting to do it). This issue is one of the things that has and still does point out that the toy desktop operating system developers at Monkeysoft have never had much real world experience with time sharing like the old mainframes had down pat.

Bitch #2

I wrote Bitch #1 due to firing up Lightroom while I was starting this blog and Lightroom kept taking focus away from my browser. One of the things it stole focus for was because my SmugMug plugin has to be configured every effing time I start Lightroom. I've looked online for solutions to that and contacted SmugMug themselves but have not got a solution that works.

Again, some half butt software developers that do not fix issues that they've been made aware of countless times by countless users (no, I'm not the only person to notice and complain about these 2 bitches to the guilty parties). We all just tend to grudgingly tolerate the crap that comes along with other stuff that we find just good enough to use.

It's because of these 2 bitches that I will probably finally try a Mac for my next computer, especially since I no longer really need the ability to run Windows base recording software (Cakewalk, another author of software that degraded and has lost me as a customer). I am also looking for a different place to host my pictures online. I just don't want to write software for that myself!