AAUG Reviews

by Linda Ewers, AAUG Member

I had high aspirations for the book since I am just getting ready to switch my PC laptop over to the new Windows operating system, Vista. The book was not at all what I thought it would be. I was hopeful it would guide me through the process of transitioning from Windows XP (which I love) to the new updated Vista. There was no mention of XP, no tips on converting your computer to the new operating sytem, no comparisons of what we may have been used to in XP, and drum beats for the new system. I almost felt like this book was written for someone who 1) was brand new to computers, and 2) already had the system installed and ready-to-go on their computer.

To say the book describes the ‘basics’ isn’t even an apt description. It describes what anyone who has used a computer for more than a month really doesn’t want to read about. I got through the entire 307 page book in two nights. I folded over a total of 4 pages that contained “tips” that I want to try, but other than that I won’t be using the book again.

If it were up to me I would rename it something like “A Beginners Guide to Computer Use with Microsoft Vista”. In the ‘How to Use this Book’ introduction the author states that it is for someone “who has never used this particular technology” (does he mean a computer?), “and for more computer literate individuals who want to expand their knowledge…” (I doubt that).

So, momma said to always say something nice…Well, the color and graphics throughout the book are pretty cool. A lot of talent went into making the book look nice and flashy. Gold stars for that.

by Leila Wise, AAUG Member

InDesign is a great program, with many design gems. It’s also very complex. InDesign Production Cookbook helps clear up some of those complexities. Organized into broad topics - Text, Pictures, Drawing, Color, Transparency, Pages and Documents, Interactivity, Output, and InDesign for QuarkXPress Users - the Cookbook presents clear, step by step instructions and fabulous illustrations.

Power users of InDesign may still benefit from the cookbook, but the book’s glory rests with users new to InDesign, especially those who prefer learning by trial and error and those who find InDesign’s help files to be confusing and incomplete. The illustrations are particularly helpful, showing menus and identifying and explaining the options. Calling the book a cookbook, complete with recipes, is no misnomer. It tells users how to perform basic InDesign functions and, moreover, sometimes tells users why those features are handy - not only how but why a user would complete certain steps and why certain techniques are better than others.

The illustrations are key to the book’s success. For instance, while Adobe Help Center uses words to describe the blend mode options for creating Transparent images (the ways InDesign mixes color when images are stacked on top of each other), the Cookbook verbally and visually describes the options, illustrating an example of each. Certainly nothing beats applying each of the blend modes to an image to see the result (or years of experience applying these tools), but the illustrations give new users a head start. (more…)

by David Enders, AAUG Member

I picked up this book for review for a couple of reasons: 1) to hopefully provide some tips to me for the workshops I host for the Alaskan Apple User Group and 2) to evaluate how appropriate it would be for a new Mac user. I am happy to report that both of my expectations were met.

Mark Chambers does a great job of starting right from the beginning by describing the ports available on the MacBook to instructing the user on how to turn it on. As simple as this may seem, I remember back some years trying to help someone for over an hour by phone to only discover they did not have their computer turned on. It happens. The chapters are very well organized and throughly explore each topic. As I read the book , I got a feeling that the book flowed easily and progressively from chapter to chapter. He provides the right amount of information to start using your MacBook effectively in an easy to understand manner. For PC switchers , there is useful information about where data that is stored on the PC is stored on the Mac. The reader is provided with information about a hardware/software combination that can make the transfer of information from a pc to your mac.

The reader is introduced to OS X in Part II of the book. What I liked here was that the Finder is explained. I have always found the Finder to be a confusing term and here it described quite well. I appreciated that there were more than one way to access some of the System Preference options such as accessing the Dock preferences. By showing how to customize the Dock , the reader begins to feel more comfortable with their MacBook. (more…)

by Theresa Geiger, AAUG Member

Digital Photography, what you wanted to know but didn’t know enough to ask about, is the best way to describe this book. It covers in an overview manner anything you want to know about in digital photography from A to Z. This book is for a beginner or someone changing over from film photography. He describes the differences between the two and how to do many of the things in digital format.

The book is well laid out from shooting pictures to managing and printing. His 40 tips are divided under chapter headings which are logical. He explains things clearly and in an understandable fashion in plain English. The introduction has a glossary type explanation of the terms used in the digital camera world. The pages are laid out clean without clutter and are easy on the eyes. Headings are bold and dark and easy to scroll through when wanting to find things. In some of the pictures it was obvious what was attempting to be shown; in others I got out a magnifying glass to see the differences. There were many pictures trying to give illustration to the point to be made. Some of them such as the one illustrating digital noise should have been made larger to see it. There were many pictures showing different things on a camera that were very well done. It could be said maybe some of the problem was the printing, it is hard to match colors and dots when sending a book in to be printed from what you may have done on your original, such as those showing color shift in lighting.

Digital Camera functions are covered very well and also the extendable features and techniques with lenses, flashes and filters. (more…)

by Theresa Geiger, AAUG Member

iTalk Pro is a wonderful way to turn your iPod into a recording device, You can do voice recording such as a lecture notes or your own thoughts taking up half the space (22kHz) in the mono mode. Stereo recording takes up double the space (44.1 kHz). To begin recording just plug the microphone into the dock area of your iPod. The red ring will flash when you push it to signal you are recording; pushing it again ends the recording. You can record with an external microphone with iTalk Pro, this would be more selective in recording the sounds you want with less background noise. Some microphones might need a separate pre-amp to operate.

The Extras menu has a voice memos section on your pod and when you sync with iTunes you can copy the selection to your computer in a WAV file format. From your computer you can copy it to any other piece of recording equipment that syncs with your computer.

iTalk Pro is a handy little device that turns your iPod into a handy recording device with very good sound. The add in Griffin Technology states iTalk Pro is compatible with iPod Nano (2g) or the iPod (5g) with video.

by Guy Okada, AAUG Member

I was about to leave for a 16 day trip to Thailand and the Moshi Cardette seemed perfect to take along so I could download photos from my digital media to my laptop. Two weeks later, after nearly daily use downloading over 2,700 photos, I am happy to report that the Cardette is an excellent product and it performed flawlessly.

The Cardette is fairly compact at 2″ x 3.5″ x .75″ and comes in black or white. The molded case is well-designed and smudges are easily wiped off. The USB cable tucks neatly into a molded slot on the underside. There is a bar on one end to attach to a detachable strap with a clasp so you keep it tethered to a bag or case. A 14″ USB extension cord is included. The Cardette also includes two USB ports thus giving the user an additional USB port to use. Using Cardette, like other storage media card readers, is simple: insert the media into one of two slots, connect it via the USB cable to your computer and, voila, you’re in business.

The Cardette has two slots which will hold all existing memory card formats. The product website claims that Cardette has been tested to comply with emerging SecureDigital High Capacity standard as well as the specialty Type M and high school Type H xD memore cards thus making it one of the “very few future-proof card readers out on the market today”. (more…)

by Bruce M. Herman, AAUG Member

Optipix 3.1 is a collection of tools for enhancing digital photographs, whether the photographs are scanned from film or come directly from digital cameras. Optipix is distinguished from other plug-ins by being composed of algorithms that were originally written for general image processing rather being developed specifically for photographs. The application of these algorithms to photographs was done in consultation with photographer and fine print maker, George DeWolfe.

The tools include a straightforward alternative to Photoshop’s HDR tool, several tools for improving image sharpness, grain management tools, a tool for interpolation (upsizing a photograph) and a tool for adjusting contrast. In all cases the tools have fewer side effects than their Photoshop equivalents. For example, halos are not side effects of using any of the sharpening tools. With the exception of Refocus, I used the following tools on both scanned 4×5 photographs and photographs made with a 10.2 MP camera.

The typical workflow with Optipix begins with Refocus which removes the blur induced by scanning or making a digital photograph with a camera. It employs algorithms similar to those used in the analysis of images made by the Hubble telescope. The effect is controlled by Blur Radius (the size of the blur that is to be removed) and Noise Tolerance, which acts like Threshold. This proved to be a useful tool even when the blur in my photographs was due to them simply out of focus.

I had one photograph that I bracketed five times as a test of Optipix’s ability to add images together. It worked quite well and was very simple to use. Tools are included to make minor adjustments to the alignment of photographs, but I didn’t have to use them.

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by Elaine V. Robinson, AAUG Member

I love Roxio Toast and I use it exclusively for my CD and DVD burning. When other people who do not have Toast ask me how to burn a CD on the Mac, I actually have to think twice about it. Using Toast is a lot easier! Now that Roxio Toast 8 Titanium has arrived there is so much more that you can do with it. You can recover data from damaged CDs, span files across multiple CDs, get quick access to your photos, music, videos and other files stored on your Mac via the Toast Media Browser, and catalog your disks. I don’t have a Blue-ray disc burner but if you do, you can burn blue-ray disks. These disks can store up to 50 GB of data compared to 4.7 GB on a single layer DVD. If you have TiVo or a compatible DVR recorder you can record and burn TV shows or export to PSP or iPod formats.

My previous version of Toast was 6 so I was floored by the features of 8. Toast 8 comes in an attractive box with a fly-open cover that explains all the features of this application along with a chart to show the differences between versions 6, 7 and 8. The Toast 8 Titanium booklet (paper!) is a compact 138 pages filled with easy step-by-step instructions about every conceivable use of this software. It is concise and to the point but complete and easy to follow. There is also the same booklet included in PDF format. I am fairly new to multi-media and the book explains the different types of audio and video file types and discs and what type to use. Very handy.

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by Elaine V. Robinson, AAUG Member

OCR or Optical Character Recognition software reads scans of documents and turns them into editable text to save you incredible amounts of retyping time. Previously, I have been using another OCR recognition software and reviewed Readiris Pro 11 because I wanted to see what, if any, differences an application from a different company would make. There are numerous differences and most, if not all, of them are good.

See here for the lengthy list of features.

Readiris Pro v.11.5.6 comes on a CD and installed easily to my applications folder. It comes with a Quick Install & User Guide, a paper 145 page User Guide and a very helpful ReadMe file. It is a Universal application meaning it supports both Power PC and Intel-based Macs. The only problem you may have with the newer Intel-based Mac would be that currently, there are only a few Intel-based Twain scanner drivers available from the many scanner manufacturers. This will change with time, but you can still use your scanner as Readiris runs while transparently using the Rosetta emulation if there is not an Intel based driver. If you eventually do purchase a new scanner with Intel-based drivers, you must disable the Rosetta emulation mode.You need a v1.7 or higher Twain driver as v1.5 is now obsolete. Having a power PC myself, I didn’t have to do anything as my Epson all-in-one was displayed as one of the options in Acquire.

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by Chuck Maas, AAUG Member

The final product for many photographic creative artists is the making and exhibition of high quality prints. In the past, particularly with color prints, this was usually relegated to third-party printing agencies and service bureaus, but with the evolution of today’s photo-realistic inkjet printers it is now possible to achieve stunning results right in one’s own small office or studio. It’s hard to describe the deep satisfaction of watching a perfect inkjet print emerge that is the product of one’s considerable investment of time and creative energy.

The convergence of desktop computing power with wide-gamut, archival-quality inkjet printers has returned creative control to the artist. But along with control comes the weight of personal responsibility, and learning to use this sophisticated equipment takes a lot of time and mental resources. Many authors have addressed the general issue of digital image output, but none that I’ve read previously have done as good a job in bringing together and covering both thoroughly and with rare clarity the myriad of factors relating to the making and finishing of exhibition-quality fine art photographic prints.

There are many issues involved. The concepts of light and color and how photographic input and output devices encode and translate color is fundamental to the process, underscoring the absolute requirement for a carefully calibrated and profiled color management system throughout one’s entire workflow. Types of ink affect not only how prints appear under different lighting conditions but how long they’ll last. Papers come in an almost endless variety of types and surfaces, both of which impact final appearance and longevity. How one prepares a file in the selected image editor also has a large impact on final output and extensive methods are detailed for achieving optimum results. Specific printer operations are covered with screen shots of dialog boxes that make some otherwise obscure choices very clear. Several specialized printing programs are also discussed, including Qimage and two RIPs (raster image processors). (more…)