Checkout a few of my favorites below:

If you want to learn how to create awesome HDR images like the ones that you see above then you need to check out the SLR Lounge HDR DVD Set. It is 13 hours of comprehensive information on taking images and then combining them into HDR images that will drop jaws. The SLR Lounge HDR Series is available as a Digital Download or on Physical DVD disks, so you can enjoy it on whatever medium you prefer. Click here to learn more…

[via Crisp Me]

The post Awesome HDR Wallpapers appeared first on Free Photography Tips Tutorials Reviews and Wordpress Themes.

Sell Media is a free plugin for WordPress that allows you to sell your photos (or any digital files) directly from your WordPress powered website. You can organize your photos into collections, assign different prices for different license purposes (personal, commercial, and media for example), you can even sell prints through Adorama Pixs (other labs coming soon). You can also accept payments through PayPal or Stripe.

Extended Features

Sell Media is a great plugin on its own, but what really makes it neat is that it has extensions available that you can purchase to extend its abilities even further. Some of these extensions give you the ability to add watermarks to your photos, an advanced search feature, give commissions, enable email list integration and more.

Sales Reporting

Sell Media also has great sales reporting built right into the plugin. It is a great way to keep track of how much you are earning and when people are coming to your site to buy images.

Possible Uses

Well the photography uses for this plugin are everything from client print sales and proofing, to stock photo sites and art sales. The only limitation is the storage available through your hosting plan, and the power of your hosting server.

Introduction Video

My Thoughts

I can see how this could be a viable option to lower volume studios and photographers who can’t afford or don’t want to use a third part service like ShootProof, SmugMug or Zenfolio. However, I would hesitate to use Sell Media if you are doing lots of business or are managing a lot of images.

Third Party services optimize their sites for hosting lots of images. They utilize advanced CDNs and other techniques to make sure your images load fast and are secure from hardware failures. If you were to host all of this yourself then if something goes wrong you could lose it all vs if something happened with a service they have backups upon backups that protect your images.

Setting up protections like this on your own could get really expensive if you are managing lots of images. But if you have the means and know how to do this then I highly recommend it, as it gives you full control over your images and how they are being stored and protected.

To learn more about this plugin or to download it and try it out visit the plugin homepage here.

The post Sell Photos Directly from your WordPress Website with Sell Media Plugin appeared first on Free Photography Tips Tutorials Reviews and Wordpress Themes.

Check out Adobe’s CS6Beta Test Download HERE.

Click HERE to learn more about the new features in CS6…

DPReview.com has an even more in-depth overview of the latest features, HERE.

The most notable changes are:

• New interface, very Lightroom/Bridge-esque and sleek looking.…Yay?

• New graphics enhancements for increased performance.…Basically, certain tools go faster.All I care about personally are the few actions I use.Everything else already seems to be pretty darn instantaneous in Photoshop CS5, on my computer at least…

• Content-Aware Patch.…Basically, just the next generation of cloning.Cloning is already pretty easy in CS5, but now instead of “erasing” a single object, …now you can just move it around?This is hard to explain, but I don’t think it is going to be useful very often.Cloning is already quite easy in Photoshop CS5. When I can clone things just by looking at them, THEN I’ll get excited…;-)

• ACR 7 – essentially the same RAW processing tools as Lightroom 4.(Available by opening RAW / JPG files in Bridge CS6 Beta, or by opening a RAW file in Photoshop CS6 Beta) This is certainly a whole different subject for discussion another time, but basically I am a huge fan of Adobe Bridge as an alternative to Lightroom.For any photographer who shoots a low volume of images, and simply is not ready or interested in undertaking the huge learning curve of a catalog system such as Lightroom, Bridge gives you all the same editing power but without requiring any importing / cataloging.Just browse your folders the same as you would in Explorer / Finder, and edit.

Yeah, yeah , …okay, none of these features are probably worth the $600 that Adobe will likely charge.are you ready for something AWESOME?Here it comes: 

• AUTO-SAVE Functionality.Um, hello Adobe.Party like it’s 2003?What a LONG-OVERDUE feature!!!!This feature has been available in other programs since before digital cameras had surpassed even ~3 megapixels, and now we’re up to 20-30 megapixels.Thank you for this much-needed feature, Adobe..

Last but not least, a couple benchmark tests and notes on general speed:

• At fresh-open idle, Photoshop CS5 consumes 99 MB of RAM (less than the average Google Chrome window) and ~200 MB with a 12-megapixel RAW NEF image open.Photoshop CS6 Beta consumes 101 MB of RAM at idle, and ~290 MB with a 12-megapixel RAW NEF image open.(So both consume almost nothing compared to the 1-3 GB of RAM that Lightroom 3-4 gobbles up!)I can’t quantify it because it’s already so quick, but it seems as if Photoshop CS6 is able to open / save images faster.Often I’m going from Lightroom to Photoshop just so that I can play a single action, and then quickly back into Lightroom.So now with Photoshop CS6 and button mode enabled for actions, sometimes I don’t leave Lightroom for more than NINE seconds!(For you nerds out there, that would be CTRL-E, Enter, Click action, CTRL-S, CTRL-W, Alt-Tab.Done.)

The question is, …is it going to be worth it, when the final version is released for sale?Usually Adobe Photoshop can cost $600 for a full version, without any student discount etc.An upgrade can cost $180 usually, which is still quite a lot especially considering that Adobe Lightroom 4 is “only” $150 for the full version and $80 for the upgrade.So quite honestly, my initial recommendationis going to be the same as always-If you already have CS4 or CS5, and if you don’t use Bridge very much, then you can skip this version.

And you know what?Often times, even official Adobe spokespeople acknowledge that most buyers will “skip a version” and only buy every-other upgrade.Well, this sounds like it’s leaning in that direction.

Bridge CS6 doesn’t seem to have a full-screen version like Lightroom and Photoshop have, at least not until you enter the ACR window.Also, Bridge CS6 still seems to freeze from time to time, just like Bridge CS5 does, and seems slightly less responsive than Lightroom 3 or 4.

Lastly, Bridge / ACR does not seem to have gained the “hover-to-adjust” capability that Lightroom’s develop module has, where you can adjust settings simply by hovering your mouse over them and then hitting the up/down arrows on your keyboard.(Which I have found to be a MINIMUM REQUIREMENT for editing at the speed that our studio needs…)

So, while I’m sure many will be excited to try out this new version of Photoshop, and some will find the new specialized tools very useful or even essential; this is once again something that the average hobbyist or pro will not ABSOLUTELY need to have.

If you have $180 laying around, let alone $600, and you want to improve your photo editing experience; my preliminary recommendation is to just buy Lightroom 4.0 especially if you already have Photoshop CS5
or even CS4, and then if you’re STILL itching for something to do, maybe buy an SSD, or a new graphics card, or something.That’ll give you a LOT more mileage for your $$.;-)

Of course we’ll have a more in-depth review to publish once the final version is released, but until then, enjoy toying around!I can at least promise you that if you have a decently fast machine, Photoshop CS6 Beta won’t bog down and crash all the time, like the un-usable betas of yesteryear.(Anybody remember the Lightroom 1.0 Beta? Ouch!)

Take care,
=Matt=

Related Products:

The post News: Adobe Photoshop CS6 Beta Available For Download! appeared first on Free Photography Tips Tutorials Reviews and Wordpress Themes.

We’ve included a few important updates for all of your SLR Lounge v2 users to iron out a few bugs. If you downloaded the theme prior to 6/28/2012, we recommend updating the theme to the current version. For instructions on how to update your SLR Lounge V2 WordPress Theme, please click on our forums.

Here are a list of fixes/updates:

1) Expanded the type styling (Font) options - We’ve added a few more options for font sizes and font colors for the text used on the site. Among other things, we added the ability to change the font color in the drop down menu and added the ability to change the color of the commenter link within the comment system.
2) Added the ability to control the profile border color – We’ve added the ability to select the exact color of the border surrounding the profile picture.
3) Added the ability to hide or show the tags at the bottom of each post – The tags and categories shown at the bottom of each post can now be hidden.

Cost: Free!!! For a Whitelabel Version (without credit to the creators, please click here)

Download: Click here to Download for Free!

(If you’re already signed up for our newsletter and would like to download, please email slrloungers@gmail.com for the direct link. Include “WordPress Theme” as the subject and the email address that is subscribed to the newsletter in the body)

Example: LJP Associates, Los Angeles Event Photographers

1. Slideshow Banner compatible with iPhone and iPads
2. Control over which pages Slideshow Banner is displayed on
3. Full control over placement of logo
4. Full control over background images and color
5. Full control over FAVICON
6. Full and independent control of all fonts on the page
7. Featured profile section that you may choose to display or not
8. Robust Commenting System featuring an AJAX popup
9. Control of Alt Text of all images Uploaded for SEO
10. Full Instructions and guidance on setup and customization

1) Sign Up for Hosting – This theme requires a self-hosted wordpress account. Click here to sign up for affordable hosting.

2) Install WordPress – For video instructions on Installing WordPress, see this post on HOW TO INSTALL WORDPRESS.

3) Download the Theme – Download by Signing Up HERE

4) Install Theme

The easiest way to install the theme is by Adding New Themes using the Administration Panel.You can download Themes directly to your blog by using the Add New Themes option in the Appearance sub-menu.

• Log in to the WordPress Administration Panel.
• Select the Appearance panel, then Themes.
• Select Install Themes
• Use the sub-menu or the Search or Filter options to locate a Theme you would like to use.
• Click on the Preview link to preview the Theme or the Install link to upload the Theme to your blog.
• Use the Upload link in the top sub-menu to upload a zipped copy of a Theme that you have previously downloaded to your machine.

You may find more information on installing themes on WordPress.com – USING THEMES
We also did a quick video tutorial on installing themes for our previous themes. Though the themes are different, the installation should be similar. You can view these video tutorials here.

5) Customize Theme

Under “Appearance” click on “SLR Lounge Options” and begin customizing! We’ve included instructions on each tab, so it should be pretty simple. If you have any questions, please refer to the “Common Questions” below.

• Can I change the height of the slideshow?No, that is not a feature of this theme, although it is achievable through custom coding
• Why is my menu not displaying correctly?  What do I do? This theme uses “Custom Menus.” You can find instructions and info here.
• Can I add archives to my menu?  This theme does not support archives in the menu.
• How do I add Facebook Comments? We will add tutorials on this later, but if you’d like to give it a shot, we recommend this free plugin.
• Are there other resources to help me? We encourage comments below. In addition, we released a beta version and has a discussion here.
• How much does it cost to remove the credits? For a Whitelabel Version (without credit to the creators, please click here)

Feel free to ask more questions in the comments below. Thanks!

The post New Free WordPress Theme for Photographers | SLR Lounge v2! appeared first on Free Photography Tips Tutorials Reviews and Wordpress Themes.

Today is the beginning of CES in Las Vegas.(ConsumerElectronics Show)So, naturally, we’re going to see TONS of awesome new products announced in the next few days; many will have absolutely nothing to do with photography,and some will.

I’ll post another news article later this week to discuss all the awesome things announced in the photography world,(Sigma 180mm f/2.8, Canon GX1, SWEET!!!)…but for now I’d just like to mention that I’m curently downloading and testing the Lightroom 4.0 beta, and I’m pretty excited to see what comes up.

As usual, here are my random thoughts on what I see so far.I’ll probably update this article as I get a chance to play around and learn more, so check back often!

CLICK HERE to download and try out the new Adobe Lightroom 4.0 Beta!

• 2012 process version, yay!Hopefully it will be a significant enough improvement that I’ll get cleaner images at high ISO’s!

• I’m scared that they merged exposure and brightness.That is REALLY surprising, considering how much I use those two adjustments separately, to manipulate my dynamic range…

• It SOUNDS like they’ve dramatically improved highlight recovery options, but I can’t be sure yet.

• Local WB adjustments, NICE!Now I guess I don’t have to use my warming / cooling preset color brushes anymore!

• RGB curves – YESSSS!!!!!This was one of the things on my LR 4.0 WISHLIST.I cannot begin to explain what new worlds this opens up.Simply put, I just cut my Photoshop needs down by 50-75%…(Except now, HOURS AND HOURS of work creating Photoshop actions may have been in vain, OUCH, but that remains to be seen…)

• Direct book design, including Blurb.Thank you, Adobe.I will be using this like there is no tomorrow.From clients to personal photos, I’m loving this.Honestly I hardly ever used the other Lightroom modules before now; I’ve been 100% “Library + Develop” for years.This is exciting…

• GPS maps.Creepy, but inevitable and probably VERY useful for many.(I’ll be surprised if every camera doesn’t have GPS capability within the next 1-2 generations.Although I’ll be sure to turn it off ANY time I shoot a photo that includes someone’s face, but that’s a “big brother” discussion for another day!)

• A bunch of video features.Nice, but it doesn’t sound like LR is a video editor, yet, just a catalog system.And I don’t see any way to compile time lapse videos from still frames, that’s lame.I guess I’ll just keep using Quicktime Pro…

• It sounds like we can now CATEGORIZE our PRESETS a little better.I just hope I can DELETE the hundred useless Lightroom presets!I hate those things!(If that was possible in LR3 I’m gonna feel kinda dumb, but please feel free to point it out if you want!:-P

• Unfortunately, there are plenty of wishlist items that did NOT make the cut…
- No word on multiple catalogs
- No word on access to in-camera processing
- No sign of that “relative adjustment” capability I was brainstorming
- Nothing about easily programming hotkeys for individual adjustments
- Yeah, youget the idea.There is of course the fact that this is a BETA release, and the final version could and probably WILL be quite different.So for now, I’m just gonna fire it up, see how buggy it is, and probably close it and go back to LR 3.0 within 30 mins LOL because I can’t get work done.(AT least, that’s how it was with the LR 1.0 and 2.0 betas.:-(

Take care,
=Matt=

The post Adobe Lightroom 4.0 Beta Is Here! Finally! appeared first on Free Photography Tips Tutorials Reviews and Wordpress Themes.