Dovestones

Any comments?

Dovestones

Any comments?

Projected images in Competitions

(Updated)

Hi All

It’s the start of a new competition season and I though I would give a few pointers to getting the best out of the digital projected section.

First a little plea on file names. Please use only the title for the filename (with the .jpg extension), do not put your name, Member number or any thing else. Can you use the appropriate title case with only the first letter of important words capitalised – it looks MUCH prettier when displayed.

If you are sending them to me on CD or USB stick or other physical media please put all your entries in a folder with your name as the folder name (only one name for one set of entries if you are supplying entries for several members on the same media). If you are emailing them to me simply attach them to the email and make sure your name is in the body of the email (also if you are sending the maximum number please indicate the order of the files) and a subject line that states OPS and the comp name please (I get such a lot of emails it is useful to be able to quickly identify the OPS comp ones).

Remember you can enter a maximum of six images in each media (Print and Projected) If you are entering the maximum number in any media please indicate either on a list of file/image names or on the back of the print if you prefer the order of the images just in case we have too many and your last selection can be removed and saved until next quarterly so we can keep the entries at a manageable level for the judge to give reasonable comments.

Our first judge this season is our good friend Geoff Robinson so get those images entered.

Some people are a little unsure of the best way to convert images so as to get the best out of them in competition. Here are a few hints.

We project in landscape format 1400 pixels wide and 1050 pixels tall so the images will look their best if presented at this size. If you get the size slightly too big the software we use will scale the image to fit on screen but if it is too small you will end up with a small image to be judged.

Each image should have an sRGB colour profile embedded, if there is no profile embedded then sRGB will be assumed and no conversion will be made to display it. Any other profile attached will be used to convert to sRGB for display using default parameters, these will generally give an acceptable conversion for most images but it may not be as good as you could do yourself.

*(Update: I have replaced the OPS.atn file with one generated by Photoshop CS which now seems to work with all the CS versions, it appears that in CS3 the method of calling the Fit Image action changed and gives  a javascript error in earlier versions. Thanks to our members for the feedback on this.)
It doesn’t matter what method you choose to get the images correctly sized and the colours looking good. Here is a Photoshop action to size any image correctly and convert to sRGB. The only requirement to use it is that the images look good to you in Photoshop. to load this action download the file, copy it to “C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4\Presets\Actions” for photoshop CS4, “C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Actions” for photoshop CS3,  (CS3/CS4 now use the windows preferred method of storing local data so if you like you can save the file in “C:\Documents and Settings\USER\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS3\Presets\Actions” AND “C:\Documents and Settings\USER\Application Data\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4\Presets\Actions” respectively [ replace USER with your Windows login name]) C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS2\Presets\Photoshop Actions” for CS2, C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop CS\Presets\Photoshop Actions” for CS. In Photoshop open the Actions pallet (Alt F9) and using its menu select “Load Actions…” with any luck it will already be pointing at the correct folder but if not simply navigate to the Actions folder and click on OPS.atn and  Load. When you close Photoshop it should remember to load this set of action next time it opens.

OPS Action Comps

To use this action open the image file in Photoshop click on the Size for OPS Comp in the Actions pallet and then click on the Play icon at the bottom of the pallet. If you prefer you can set the action pallet to “Button Mode” then all you need to do to run it is to click its button.

Button Mode

I would recommend that you look at the steps the action takes and try to apply them to your image yourself so you get a feel of what it does and if you can improve it to suit your images. There are three places that it would be good to intervene and make sure it is doing what you want the first is at the convert to colour stage (step 2). I have selected ‘Relative Colorimetric’ as the intent you may find that with some images ‘Perceptual’ give an image more to your taste. Only trying it will show you and if it works better for one image does not mean it will be better for others.

The second place to take control is the sharpening stage (step 5). I have added only a small amount of unsharp mask to compensate for the size, colour and depth change, you may prefer more or less. If you also pause it at the Save stage (step 7) you can rename it (and tell it where to save it).

These are the steps in the action:

1. Flatten Image (just to make sure there are no layers – layers may blend differently with a different profile)

2. Convert to sRGB (using Relative Colorimetric intent)

3. Fit to 1400 x 1050 (resize to fit within 1400px x 1050px box)

4. Convert to 8 bit

5. Sharpen for final use (Unsharp Mask, Amount: 70%, Radius: 0.3px, Threshold: 1)

6. Make canvas size same as screen size and fill empty areas with black

7. Save for Web (JPEG, quality 100%, embed profile – by default it “should” try to save the file on the desktop)

8. Close (and do not save – just so it does not write over your original)

Please leave questions or comments below

Good Luck

OPS Awards Night 16 Apr 2009

Here’s a reminder of last night’s awards evening. Thanks to all of you who came and made it such a good event. We missed our President, Mike, who was away judging at Lytham. Mike’s AV show, however, was present and correct and really good, in spite of me having to drive it!!! As a reminder here is a YouTube video of the intro: (if you have the bandwidth and processing power try to view in HD, give it a little time to load first)

Below is a selection of everyone’s projected images including all the awards. The judge was Tony Redford.

I had to split the PTE presentation file into two sections as it was too long for YouTube to be able to process it. Below is a selection of prints including all the award winning entries. The judge for the prints was Tillman Kleinhans. Please note  this is a highly compressed video file of quick photographs of the original prints and in no way conveys the quality of the actual prints

L&CPU President Norman Thompson did a fine job of handing out certificates and trophies….(see pictures below).  Kath’s buffet went down well too (literally). Thanks to Stephen for setting up and putting away all the equipment…Brian for being MC and John for looking after the trophies….and not forgetting Matt, who didn’t step back fast enough when I made him official photographer and put a strange camera in his hands. The photos below are great!

It was good to see the members all gathered together afterwards enjoying a chat, including our new members, Chris and Stuart – welcome to both of you!

Alan receiving award

Matt receiving award – has the President shrunk?

Trevor receiving award

Maureen being presented

Kath receiving awards for herself and Sue

Charles being presented

Chris being presented

Norman Thompson L&CPU President

Charles arranging trophies

OPS President Elect Brian Dennett with L&CPU President Norman Thompson

Sheila with favourite mouse box trophy

Chris and Norman enjoying a joke

Shooting police

Hi All

Can I wish you all a happy eostre and don’t forget you can get some great photos in the rain.

I expect you have heard rumours about the new powers that police have been given to stop and search under the recently introduced amendment to the Terrorism Act 2000.

It would also appear that some police and PCSOs are also listening to the same rumours rather than the law. There are lots of scare stories out there if you choose to look, some of which would be quite funny if they were not true. This is meant to reassure rather than frighten.

A good place to look to find out about your rights as a photographer (and to scare you too) is:  photorights.org

Here is a link to the act in question: Terrorism Act 2000 (c. 11). Section 44 says that  constables in uniform have the right to stop and search any vehicle or person… That in itself is a terrifying power but, and this is what gets conveniently forgotten, in an authorised area and

“… only for the purpose of searching for articles of a kind which could be used in connection with terrorism…”

Notice also it is a power to stop and search there is no right to question – although it may be prudent to answer sensible questions. This is not aimed at photographer or even anyone else acting suspiciously (we all know how suspicious photographers look at the best of times). It is effectively a random stop and search but only in areas the powers that be (The Chief Constable and Home Secretary) regard as being a terrorist risk (like outside police stations, shopping centres and military installations, etc.). Suspicious behaviur is covered by Section 43 which has been in force and abused for some time

Under s44 or s43 the police do not have any power to delete any photos, in fact the powers are to find evidence of terrorism so deleting any photos would be destroying any evidence! I believe it require a court orded to delete the photos.

A facinating Hansard Debate took place on the 1st April this year in Parliament where clarification wae given by The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr. Shahid Malik). In it he says:

“…section 44 does not prohibit the taking of photographs…”

And in a reference to Google Street View which by its very existence invalidates almost any consideration that photographers are collecting information for terrorism when out with their cameras as this information is already in the public domain and readily available on the internet. It also illustrates the public’s right to photograph almost anything from a public place.

“It freely demonstrates that the ability to take photographs in a public place is not subject to any set of rules or to statute. There are no legal restrictions on photography in a public place except where the picture is taken with the intent of committing a crime or terrorist act.”

In February this year the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 can in force came into effect which makes it an offence to elicit, attempt to elicit, publish or communicate information about an individual who is or has been a constable, or a member of the armed forces or intelligences services. This is often interpreted to mean that it is now illegal to photograph police and members of the armed forces.

I quote Mr Malik again:

“…The important thing is that the photographs would have to be of a kind likely to provide practical assistance to terrorists, and the person taking or providing the photograph would have to have no reasonable excuse, such as responsible journalism, for taking it.”

…

“I want to be clear about this: the offence does not capture an innocent tourist taking a photograph of a police officer, or a journalist photographing police officers as part of his or her job. It does not criminalise the normal taking of photographs of the police. Police officers have the discretion to ask people not to take photographs for public safety or security reasons, but the taking of photographs in a public place is not subject to any rule or statute. There are no legal restrictions on photography in a public place, and there is no presumption of privacy for individuals in a public place.”

…

“I make it absolutely clear that unless someone is engaged in criminal activity, they must be allowed to take photographs in public places and that the law should not be used to discourage or hamper that activity.”

So get out there and take photographs, just be aware that until new guidelines are issued and cascaded to the constable on the beat you are likely to get occasionally harassed for having and using this terrible device know as a camera. As long as you know where you stand with regard to the law, even if certain others don’t, you have a chance of surviving the un-warranted (pun intended) intrusions with all but a little dignity still intact.

Mike

Layers

Thanks Chris
Here is ‘mark 3′