Digital Darkroom Tag

For the benefit of any of you that are interested in the Photokina happenings, but didn’t want to travel to Germany, weren’t able to go to Germany, or, like some of us, had to stay behind and work while your colleagues went to Germany, we will be updating you with all the latest goings-on via the WEX blog and Twitter. What’s more, in an exciting new venture for WEX, we will be bringing you a visitor’s-eye view of some of the stands and products in the form of WEX TV video clips!

Wacom are in a class of their own, literally. I can’t think of a single competitor who makes a range of tablets that are as synonymous with the digital side of photography as Wacom. They are the pen and tablet. If you Google pen and tablet, and see what else comes up, you’ll find it’s not much of any consequence. Maybe the rest are playing catch up…

Despite sounding like some kind of washing powder technology that stops your colours running and still keeps whites whiter than white, colour management is all about ensuring that what you see on your computer monitor is what you get out of your printer. The ColorMunki X-Rite Photo is a device that helps you manage your colours, and one that is excellent on several counts…it is by far and away the easiest colour calibration tool I have used to date.

Fancy a quick way to jazz up your Photoshop skills? Put your mouse back in its cage and try a graphics tablet – the benefits will surprise you! Using a graphics tablet has been a long-standing tradition for designers & illustrators, but photographers need get in on the action too. The fine control on offer will allow you make selections and apply effects with greater accuracy, with fewer mistakes along the way to producing professionally edited images.

Colour management doesn’t feature in many photographers’ workflow and quite frankly they’re missing out. Calibrating your monitor is an essential first step; viewing images with accurate colour can save you hours of photo-editing that often result in grisly prints (featuring your portrait subject with glowing orange fake Tan-Go skin tones).

Deciding to buy the latest photography software can be a tricky; especially when it’s a choice between a shiny new lens and software. Luckily there’s a solution: Free photography software. We aren’t going to show you tons of software that does exactly the same thing – just 10 great pieces of 100% free photography software and tools for photographers!

It’s not just the camera manufacturers that will be releasing new products at this year’s Photokina. Adobe will be raising the curtain on Creative Suite 4 on September the 23rd. Those not attending the exhibition can sign up for Adobe’s release webcast.