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Garbage Bags at Anmok Beach |
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LNG Pipeline Dock at Namhangjin |
The title doesn’t refer to the sea drying up. It refers to the number of decent photos I have left to share this month. The above are decent compositions, but the light is harsh. They are not destined for my portfolio. Maybe I’ll try converting them to black and white and see what they look like then.
Speaking of converting, I’ve recently changed the software I use to edit and develop my pictures. I now use the following programs for photography:
Faststone Image Viewer – This software is basic, but it’s free, has some adjustment functions such as straightening and contrast, displays raw files (Windows is very slow to add support), is free, and uses Windows’ folders instead of creating a database. And it’s free!
Fujifilm X RAW Studio – This unusual raw convertor requires you to connect your camera to the computer because it uses the camera’s hardware to make adjustments. Whatever you can adjust in the camera when making photos can be adjusted in this software. Well, not things like ISO, obviously. It’s free and, although a bit slow, easy to use. The only bad point about the software is that it only works with RAF files from Fujifilm cameras. No adjustments for jpg or tif files.
Nikon Capture NX-D – Many moons ago you had to pay quite a bit of money for this software, but some years ago Nikon introduced a new version and put it on their website for free. The raw convertor is only good for Nikon’s NEF files but there are many functions that can be used on other (non-raw) file types. Levels, curves, sharpening, and so on. This means I can convert my Fujifilm photos to jpg and then do small ajustments in this software. I can also use Capture NX-D to make adjustments to film scans. Capture NX-D has recently reintroduced u-point technology which is very useful for selecting and making adjustments to specific parts of a photo without having to apply masks, etc.
A few days ago I cancelled my subscription to Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Now I’m using all free software that will do everything I want. Frankly, if a photo needs more adjustments than what I can do with these three programs then it was probably a terrible photo in the first place.