Photography/Artist Tips…
As a creator of image whether it be photography, art or illustration it can be hard to keep track of your work when it is in digital format, therefore it is important to be aware of the creative commons license which is your protection against image stealers. It was launched in 2006 after a landmark case against photography images being published without the owners permission. Since then this non-profit organisation has expanded its definition and licenses. Each ‘creator’ of image has the right to publish the all rights reserved creative commons license on their site which is also the case for Fruit Magazine. We would never use an image without permission, each image on the site is either owned by us or is being used by the owners permission. More information on the creative commons license can be found at http://creativecommons.org/.
Another issue that we creatives face is a massive backlog of images, whether we have jpgs clogging up our hard drives or stacks of CD’s filled with our work, keeping on top of and tracking work can be very difficult. Which is why I recommend Picasa by Google and Photoshop Express by Adobe. Each site offers a easy to use way of uploading and cataloging work. With Google’s Picasa you can download a application which allows to edit the images on your desktop before uploading them to your web album. These albums can be made public or private allowing you to email albums and slideshows for others to see. You can also upload on the go from mobile devices, GPS track the locations of your images (particularly useful if your are a wildlife, landscape or press photographer) and tag people in your photos. The images can be easily edited with Picasa 3 desktop, cropping and red eye are some of the features including advanced adjustment tools such as white balance. Picasa online offers 1GB of storage (which can be expanded for a price), however if you are looking for something a little more advance that will let you seamlessly edit your images remotely then Photoshop Express is for you. Uploading high res images is a breeze depending on your internet connection as your Express account has 2GB, but you can also import images from Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket accounts. Once uploaded the images can be assorted into albums and categories allowing you to decorate and customise your images or edit them online. Tools such as touch up and exposure are a step up from Picasa’s red eye, you can even use filters such as sketch and distort. Express also has a more professional composition nothing less than you would expect Adobe to offer, however it doesnt have the versatility of Picasa, because the site’s platform is Google you can smoothly link your email, YouTube Blogger and Picasa accounts together and uploading on go from your mobile is another plus. Either way each site will allow to digitally catalog your work online for free and thats always a good thing.
www.photoshop.com/express/landing.html
XOXO Charlotte
