Casual Tech User 11: Mobile Photography | Lessons Learned Using iPad and iPhone Cameras (Part 2) | 3 Minutes to Better Photography

3 Minutes to Better Photography: 

Vacationing with an iPad as your only camera. I primarily used my iPad during a two-week vacation last summer. Here are a few mobile photography lessons I have learned. (3 minute audio) 

View show notes at Casual Tech User.com.

How to create link to app in iPad/iPhone App Store for later reference

I explain how to use Dragon Dictation on the iPad to create a written transcript of a video soundtrack.

Along with the Snapguide, A closed caption YouTube video and the text of the written transcript are also available.

Check out How to Create Link to iPad App Store for Later Reference by Ron Stephenson on Snapguide.

How to use an iPad to create a written transcript of a video

I explain how to use Dragon Dictation on the iPad to create a written transcript of a video soundtrack.

Along with the Snapguide, A closed caption YouTube video and the text of the written transcript are also available.

Check out How to Create a Written Transcript of a Video by Ron Stephenson on Snapguide.

Creating a folder on an iPad or iPhone dock

I like to create folders on my iPad dock so I have easy access to my favorite apps from any page on my screen. This Snapguide illustrates how to create a folder and place it on the dock at the bottom of the iPad or iPhone screen.

Click the Snapguide image to open the tutorial.

Check out How to Create a Folder on an iPad or iPhone Dock by Ron Stephenson on Snapguide.
Here's the full length video on YouTube.

Using folders on an iPad dock for easy access to favorite apps

Here's a tip to avoid constantly scrolling through numerous iPad pages to access your favorite apps. Simply, create folders on your iPad dock to easily access favorite apps from any page on the screen.

This video demonstrates how to create an iPad folder and place the folder on the dock for easy access to your favorite apps.

The video was created with Mac OS apps ScreenFlow 4 and Reflector, and a Blue Yeti microphone.

Grocery Bouquet

With the fall color gone and no flowers outside, I'm capturing flowers during my visits to the grocery.

This totally iOS photo was taken with an iPhone 4 and processed on the iPad 3.

Snapseed was used for selective adjustments and the center focus old lens. Spot color was added in ArtStudio, and iPhoto was used for spot lightening, saturation and sharpening.

Hangin' on the Porch

After visiting this front porch display, I decided to add some extra qualities to help extend this pumpkin's season.

This totally iOS photo was captured with an iPhone 4 and processed on an iPad 3.

Masking was used in Superimpose to add a black texture in the eyes and mouth, along with a color texture in the nose. The PicShop stickers feature was used to add the eyes and teeth clip art, and spot healing was accomplished with TouchRetouch.

Adjusting the color curves was completed in Laminar, and saturation was increased with iPhoto. Several areas of spot color and brush techniques were developed with ArtStudio.

Finally, a 50% drama effect was applied in Snapseed.

Festive Fall Flower

Here's a festive fall flower that's been spending time on the back porch.

This is a totally iOS photo was taken on the iPhone 4 photo with processing on the iPad 3.

iPhoto was used to adjust contrast and brightness, along with adding spot saturation and an artistic vignette effect. A drama effect was added in Snapseed.

Muted Tree

Here's another Laminar and iPhoto creation from my picture processing playground. I'm not sure why, but my goal was to create a image designed for a formal environment featuring muted greens, rusts and blues.

This totally iOS photo was taken on an iPhone 4 and processed on the new iPad. After opening Laminar, I tweaked the general histogram adjustments and selected the Photo FX 2-strip technicolor and vintage rust filters. Finally, iPhoto was used to adjust the final saturation and add an artistic warm gradient filter.

Riding Sunbeams

Photo Walk for Exercise, Rock Springs Park, O'Fallon, Illinois

Shooting this image late in my walk, I really didn't think much about it until I spent a couple of minutes playing with it in iPhoto.

This totally iOS photo was taken on an iPhone 4 and processed on the new iPad using TouchRetouch for spot healing and iPhoto to adjust contrast and saturation, while also adding an artistic warm gradient filter.

Whirlwind

These leaves were stuck to a porch screen during a recent storm.

I'm still trying to learn the Laminar app. For this photo taken on the iPhone 4 and processed on the new iPad, I selected Laminar's radial blur effect at 100%, followed by the splatter texture at 50%.

Then I slightly bumped the saturation in iPhoto.

Barely Holding On, #2

Photo Walk for Exercise, Rock Springs Park, O'Fallon, Illinois

This totally iOS photo was taken on an iPhone 4 and processed on the new iPad using Laminar's auto white balance and FX vintage archaic filter at 90%.

Not Now!

Photo Walk for Exercise, Rock Springs Park, O'Fallon, Illinois

This totally iOS photo was taken on an iPhone 4 and processed on the new iPad using Laminar's saturation adjustments and iPhoto's spot saturation brush and artistic dark gradient filter.

Barely Holding On

Photo Walk for Exercise, Rock Springs Park, O'Fallon, Illinois

This totally iOS photo was taken on an iPhone 4 and processed on the new iPad using Laminar's auto white balance and FX vintage archaic filter at 50%.

Second Nature

With the incorporation of any human advancement, including technology, comes a learning curve. I remember watching adults using two hands while attempting to control the mouse on early Macintosh computers.

Today, however, I'm observing that touch screen technology is apparently second nature, even for kids at a very early age.

When stopping to reflect, we have always used our finger to point out what we believe to be important as we exclaimed, "Look there!" or "They went that way!" And, how many times do we observe fast food customers pointing at items on the menu boards before deciding on the final selection?


This totally iOS photo was taken on an iPhone and processed on the new iPad.

Superimpose was used to layer two photos, mask out some of the unwanted images, and blend the layers. I used ArtStudio to erase additional elements and add black to the background. In Glaze I added a paint filter. Next, back to ArtStudio to smudge and texture spray parts of the image. Finally, I used iPhoto to lighten parts of the photo.

Carol's Bicycle

A friend uses this bicycle as a focal point in her flower garden.

This totally iOS photo was taken on an iPhone 4 and processed on the new iPad.

First, I applied the iPhoto splatter ink effect at full saturation. Then I saved the image to the camera roll. Finally, an iPhoto chalk ink effect was added to the saved photo.

Where do the "fast" carts cross?

Photo Walk for Exercise, Stonewolf Golf Club, Fairview Heights, Illinois

While on my Photo Walks for Exercise, I collect a pictorial record of the various signs I pass along the way. Here's another in my collection, titled "Where do the fast carts cross?"

This totally iOS photo was captured on an iPhone 4 and transferred to the iPad via the Photo Transfer app. I used iPhoto to add an oil paint filter and ArtStudio to add smudge and spray textures.

Wandering

Photo Walk for Exercise, Fairview Heights, Illinois

"Hope I can find my way home!"

While on my Photo Walks for Exercise, I have begun collecting a pictorial record of the various signs I pass along the way. Here's my first entry.

This totally iOS photo was captured on an iPhone 4 and transferred to the iPad via the Photo Transfer app. I used iPhoto to soften the original background image and apply a black and white filter to the final composite.

ArtStudio was used to trim the signs from the respective photos. The signs were individually layered and merged with the background image in Superimpose.

ScratchCam HD added the final filter color effects.

UFOooo!

Photo Walk for Exercise, Moody Park on Longacre, Fairview Heights, Illinois

While walking through the park late one night, I was startled by an unexpected noise. While reaching for my trusty iPhone 4, I spun around just in time to witness, what I can only explain as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, this rotating disc pictured in the photo. And, no, the disc is not one of those soon to be unidentified objects that folks my age call a CD.

(Disclaimer: Actually, it wasn't late at night. I'm usually in bed shortly after dark. And, some "slight" post-processing might have been involved.)

This totally iOS photo was captured on an iPhone 4 and transferred to the iPad via the Photo Transfer app. I used iPhoto to crop, adjust contrast, add spot lightening and darkening, and select a black and white filter.

Snapseed was used to add additional spot lightening and darkening, along with the tilt-shift and center focus filters. ArtStudio was selected to provide brush strokes and spot blurring effects.

I returned to iPhoto to further adjust the black and white filter, and finished with TouchRetouch HD to clone grass in the foreground.

This second photo is the original, unprocessed image.

Wrath

Photo Walk for Exercise, Swansea, Illinois

With our extremely hot and dry summer, the news is filled with stories highlighting the low yield expected with this year's crop. As I saw this corn field while walking, I reflected on the ramifications.

This totally iOS photo was captured on an iPhone 4 and transferred to the iPad via Photo Stream. Using iPhoto, I added a black and white filter and adjusted the contrast.