Photography

Sure, you could mess with Photoshop and its Background Eraser Tool to remove a background from a photo, but what if you don't own a copy of pricey Photoshop? I do own a copy of it but have never mastered it and don't like to use it. I don't even like waiting for it to load. For the Photoshop-less and Photoshop-averse, Web app Clipping Magic is worth a gander.

After navigating your way to Clipping Magic, you can simply drag and drop an image on the site or select a photo via the Choose File button. With … Read more

Digital photography is a blessing and a curse. OK, it's more of a blessing than curse. Freed from the cost of purchasing and developing film, digital photographers can take multiple shots of the same scene in an attempt to capture the perfect shot. Unless you dutifully manage your photo library and cull the extra shots from each photo shoot, your library quickly becomes difficult to navigate and your hard drive cluttered. PhotoSweeper for Mac identifies duplicate and similar photos and lets you dump the ones you don't need in the trash. The app costs $9.99 in the … Read more

I'm a big fan of Sony's Alpha NEX-7 and NEX-5n mirrorless cameras. They're practically more lens than camera, but both deliver exceptional image quality and advanced features for their small size.

For the past month I've been casually shooting photos and videos on the NEX-7 and scouring the Web for advice on getting the most from this camera. One tip that really changed the way I shoot video is Camera Dojo's advice on matching shutter speed with your camera's frame rate.

In the above video, I'll walk you through the steps to optimize … Read more

Step aside, home photo printer! The age of the 3D printer is just beginning. But then what are you supposed to do with all those digital photos sitting on your hard drive?

Well, thanks to Amanda Ghassaei of Instructables -- who showed us how to make a 3D-printed record -- you can try printing them in 3D. Using an Objet500 Connex 3D printer that prints at 600dpi, along with ModelBuilder library and the Processing open-source programming language, Ghassaei converted her photographs into a printable topography.

How do they work?… Read more

Update May 9, 2013: This offer has been extended, thanks to the folks over at Zoner!

The full-featured image-editing suite Zoner Photo Studio 15 has a bit of something for everyone, from budding amateurs to eager enthusiasts to professional photographers. Whether you need to retouch a few snapshots or batch edit huge photo collections, ZPS has you covered. Need to organize your entire image gallery? Try Zoner Photo Studio's built-in Manager feature. You can create beautiful panoramas, have fun with high-dynamic range (HDR) imaging, or even develop eye-popping 3D images.

Zoner Photo Studio is easy to pick up without … Read more

One of my favorite features on the HTC One is its camera. Beyond the picture quality, which is great, HTC really went the extra mile to pack in a bunch of cool software extras.

Two of these extras that really caught my eye are called Sequence Shot and Zoe, and you can see them in action in the above video.

Using the Sequence Shot feature allows you to composite multiple images into one picture. The trick to this one is to hold still and fire off a bunch of snapshots by holding down the camera button. This will create a … Read more

If you have used the new Yahoo Weather app for any amount of time, then you've seen the beautiful photos it displays to match a location, time of day, and current conditions. If you have a Flickr account, you can add your own photos to be considered for the app. And you can upload directly from your iPhone, using the Flickr app. Here's how:

Launch the Flickr app and tap the More button (the one with the blue and pink dots) in the lower-right corner.

Next, tap Search. From the Search screen, tap the Groups button below the … Read more

It's not often you come across a new app that deserves consideration for a spot on your iPhone's home screen, but the new Yahoo Weather for most likely will have people giving your current weather apps the boot. I use a mix of the stock iPhone weather app and The Weather Channel app, but will now turn to the Yahoo Weather app first.

The most interesting feature of the Yahoo Weather app is its integration with Yahoo-owned Flickr. It features Flickr photos to match not only the location you are looking at, but also the time of day … Read more

Do you fancy yourself an Instagram artist? If you have masterpieces on Instagram, Facebook, or tucked away on your phone's camera roll that are begging for a spot on your living-room wall, give Pixuru a whirl. This free iPhone app lets you order a variety of prints. Pricing is reasonable, and Pixuru promises quick turnaround and free shipping. It also states that an expert will carefully review your work of art before shipping it to you. Photographers without iPhones, fear not. Pixuru also offers a Web app and says an Android app is coming soon.

The process of ordering … Read more