Understanding ‘raw’ vs ‘jpg’ files for photos

May 28th, 2010

I finally appreciate why my camera gives you the option to save photographs in the .raw file format as well as .jpg. I’ve had the camera set to save both versions for some time now, but never had the software to view the raw versions.

There’s lots of info out there I’m sure about raw vs jpg, but here’s my summary: the raw file is the facts (good or bad) about what the camera saw, whilst the jpg is a presentable version you can show your mum. The photo loses a lot of information when it is processed to jpg – a jpg is 2-3MB whilst a raw file is 10MB+.

To illustrate, here’s are a jpg and raw of the same photo from the Conchords gig this week:

The jpg (left) and raw (right) capture the same scene but the colours are a lot different.

Here they are in close up:


Close-up of the jpg (left) and raw (right). Brett on the right was wearing a blue shirt not green!

I was surprised to see that there could be such a difference, and I’m glad I had the raw version. The honest, actual light is a much better photo the way I remember it.

If you’ve got any other tips for using raw, let me know. I’ve just started using Aperture on the Mac and I’m keen to learn more.

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Testing Everpress for blogging

May 27th, 2010
There are already lots of tools and workflows for writing posts: write by hand then digitise later; draft offline and then copy to the web; write direct to your blog; or email a private address. The best technique is the one you actually use.

I’m a big fan of Evernote and was using it to do some screengrabs for an upcoming post (it’s great at capturing part of a screen and inserting into the flow of words). I thought how useful it would be to automatically post from Evernote without reformatting into HTML. A quick search later and I’ve found the answer.

Everpress is a plugin for Wordpress. You provide the web address of a public notebook and the plugin scours the notebook for notes to convert into posts within your blog. A workflow would look something like:
  • Draft a post offline (I write on trains a lot)
  • Proof to make sure it’s ready to post
  • Move that note into a special public notebook reserved for blog posts
  • Everpress checks once a day for new notes in the public notebook. New notes get imported to the blog and take the style you’ve so lovinglt created for your blog

I’ll be tagging all of these posts ‘everpress’ so take a look at that tag archive if you want to see how it handles different types of post.

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Glastonbury 2010: Bands I’m lookIing forward to

April 15th, 2010

The line-up got released yesterday so here are my early picks:

Grizzly Bear
Flaming Lips
LCD Soundsystem
MGMT
Dizzee Rascal
Vampire Weekend
Stevie Wonder
The National
Devendra Banhart
Gomez

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Last minute Glastonbury essentials

June 24th, 2009

Some have already set off for Glastonbury by Wednesday, but if you’re like me and going Thursday there is still time to grab your festival essentials.

If this is your first festival, there may be some things you find useful on here.

First, some personal favourites:

  • Bin bags
  • Bulk pack of wetwipes
  • Painkillers
  • Wellies
  • String and gaffer tape
  • Cheap or old clothes, obviously
  • Waterproof coat
  • Batteries for whatever things you are taking, and a charger if you have the patience to queue
  • Snacks, even if you plan to buy most of your food whilst there

…some other tips from around the web…

  • Wine boxes – lighter than bottles and more efficient to packing
  • Dialyte powder (designed for replenshing salts after stomach upsets and great for hangovers)
  • A chair – a stool or a big folding chair. Something to sit on at the end of the day

…and from comments…

  • Anti-bacterial hand wash (Sooz)
  • Sunglasses! (Sooz)

Leave a comment if I’ve missed anything.

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First week in London

October 27th, 2008

It’s just over one week since I arrived in London. Here’s a little update about what’s been going on in honour of this milestone. Plus it’s easier than calling you all individually :)

The brave new world of Hotwire PR
Wow. Before I started that Hotwire were working for some pretty impressive clients in the world of social media / online PR and now I can see why. Since I rocked up to 33 Dallington Street I’ve been really impressed with my new colleagues’ speed and quality. It’s also noticable in the office that people are smiling around the clock. There’s a real positive buzz around the place. Hotwire’s the reason I moved to London and the last week has just confirmed that I made the right decision.

Travel in London
I’ve got to put something about travel, clichéd as it is. I had my first (and hopefully last!) M25 nightmare on day one; I managed to get my head clattered in the tube doors, like a bad Mr Bean sketch; I shared the DLR with a bunch of comic book enthusiasts on Saturday. Travelling in London is life in microcosm.

Wandering around with childlike awe
This week I’ve tried getting off the tube at random stops and just ‘having a look around’. Sunday was a great example: randomly chose Holborn as the off-ramp and spent an hour wandering around the British Museum. Entirely free and entirely amazing. If you’ve got any recommendations for your favourite places in town, please leave a comment as I’m up for some adventures.

The role of technology in the move
I can’t imagine how this process would have gone 10 years ago. From using sat nav on my phone on day one, to making calls back oop north with Skype, it’s been pretty smooth sailing thanks to technology. I also 100% recommend Google’s Maps for Mobile app; it gets you to museums, tube stops and – most importantly – curry houses at 10pm :)

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