Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

The forum is just too quiet!  Can't sit back waiting for someone else to ask.
I know for a fact that there are new Qimage Ultimate users every day.
OK, you got the hang of printing and borders and stuff, but Qimage can do it all. Can you?
For example, you may want to jazz up some Xmas cards, or invitations to something.
See attached and get a small taste. What will you make that is special?

Fred

I check in here one or two times a day and it's sure quiet! I've been trying to do as much of my image processing in Qimage as possible, thus my recent question on cropped sizes. I was doing that elsewhere, but it's one more thing where I don't have to. My next learning needs to be on color adjustment. I'm just not up to speed there and need to watch some tutorials.

The problem is that Ultimate is too good.

I have had a minor problem for some time, I thought ok I will ask.

Fired up QU created the problem, all ready to raise it here only to find problem was a user issue.

Jeff   

What area?  Sel Color in editor, Smart color in Refine, or your camera color space, profiles, saturation, .....
Remembering that the A/B button in refine is a great tool for answering: Did I make it better or worse?
As for the editor, sometimes, I will make a fast JPG using Convert (right click menu), and then put that into the queue also.
Then I flip from 1 to 2 and back and forth. I can add sharpening, oops too much, add contrast.... more, more.  Now compare again with original.
Or sometimes I will use Comparator (from the right click menu) and have two images side by side looking for color, detail, ets.
I mention all these tools hiding in the shadows that help make your prints perfect.
How about this one for a hidden button? I am in the editor and I see that I want a tad more detain in a red flower. Just a tad too bright or dark. I need to get back into refine and use ODR.
There's a button in the Image Editor, that flips you right back to the Refine screen without closing the Editor?
Finished in Refine? t goes back into the editor where you were.
So much to talk about....
Happy Printing....Stay well all.
Fred

No problem with profiles or printing, just the editing of colors. I think I'm used to pre-bottled functions in my other programs like "vibrancy", which doesn't seem to be the same thing as saturation. There are also sliding hue adjustments I use quite often. Qimage works on a more fundamental level, which I like, but I can't always duplicate what those other programs do.

If you take some time to get comfy with this tool, there is nothing you will not be able to do and quickly.



https://www.youtube.com/embed/8voqBtCf6aI

Fred

Thanks, that helped a lot. Now I just need practice. I find with the pandemic I'm not shooting as much as I used to because I don't go out and about as much. Probably need to do some old fashioned table-top photography.
CH

The part with the three numbers in one box is a a little tricky to follow, but play it a few times. It will break through.
Yes, I agree.... just sour news all the time.  My trouble is getting too old to chance walking on uneven surfaces, and the key to living to a ripe old age is DON'T FALL. .

Stay well all.
Fred

You must be a mind reader! I did try the 3-number trick and concluded I needed to watch it a couple times to grasp it. Also, walking on uneven ground is the worst. I remember being young and my feet were my zoom, but today I choose my vantage points carefully. We have some really nice trails around here, ex-rail beds, that are flat and wonderful. We also have some trails that follow creeks where I can't get to some of the places that I used to. None of the photos are mine but I love this place and it's only a short distance away- https://ontariopathways.org/gallery

We live near the water, and that usually was a wonderful back drop for everything. Sky with cloud formations, boats, people, dogs. and changes in light with the seasons and the time of day.

Here's some places that we liked a lot.
https://goo.gl/eWXFCg

Fred

Great job with the birds, Marilyn's too!

Last thing I shot was Neowise. Not much color but did tweak it in Qimage.

Nice Fred - I couldn't even see the darn thing - too many city lights one night - then thunderstorms - but I want to take this opportunity to talk about my "dirty little Qimage secret."

Well as long as we are looking for something to talk about let me try to start something – maybe not quite the firecracker in the fishpond, but I would like to mention a feature of Qimage that is central to what I do, and yet I think I have seldom – if ever – seen it mentioned in this forum.

Unlike Terry, who has everything profiled and calibrated, and strives to get it right the first time (his words I think) – I never get it right the first time – and I no longer try – at least not since my first monitor and printer both went kerflooey at the same time. I always make at least one test print.  OK I’m an amateur, and all of this is just fun for me, so I don’t worry if I waste some ink or paper. And while in many ways, I’m not that good a photographer, I am proud of many prints that line the walls of my house, and friends and relatives as well, and also some custom photo books that I have created.

So – what’s my substitute for the calibrated monitor (I do use paper profiles) ?  Here is my dirty little secret.  When you move the cursor around in the image editor, you get a nice readout in the lower right, of the RGB value.  Over the 15 or so years that I have been using Qimage, I have developed a sense of what I expect those values to be for certain subjects – especially flesh tones – based on analyzing the values from earlier prints that I found to be really satisfactory.  For example, for average Caucasian flesh tone, for portraits – I have found that 240, 200, 180 is a wonderful value for the center of the forehead. (this may be a carryover from something similar I used to do in the darkroom).
 
Now – before I make my “test” print, I will first use the eyedropper on a white or known neutral color, then I will move the cursor to the spots where I have sense of what I want those RGB values to be and adjust what I need to. I know how unorthodox – even perhaps revolting – this approach may be for some of you – but it really works for me. More than 90% of the time – my test print is close enough that only a little tweaking is necessary after that.

Although I've done little printing this year I have taken quite a few photos, even during the CV19 lock-down. We were allowed out for exercise so local walks and bike rides were an opportunity for photography. Now we can visit places like our National Trust properties. Back in April, the weather here was unusually good so being able to do these little excursions was great. I spent time in the garden too which again provided opportunities for some photography, particularly macro.
If you look at my Flickr Albums, the last 20 are this year, mostly during the pandemic period. Many just record shots but good to keep my hand in for observation, composition and processing.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/terry-m_flickrphotos/albums/with/72157715000871161

Terry

Mel, you do fine work. Over the years, you have shown us plenty of good stuff with your own innovations.  I love the topic you chose.
Little tricks we developed over the years that generally are not documented.
For example, a hot spot on a forehead or a nose can easily (with some practice) be fixed using VANISH especially if that hot spot is blown.
See attached. Terry gets a nod since he took the shot.
Of course, I have been touting taming a too bright monitor by matching it to a test print in sunlight or a good OTT light or even a decent lamp.
Works like a charm.   Good topic. How about some more?

Fred

Here is a little problem which has been baffling me for some weeks, not a Qimage problem but an email problem.

If I attache an image of any appreciable size to a email the email is returned not delivered with the following comment.

Delivery has failed on the enclosed message for the following
reasons reported either by the mail delivery system on the mail
relay host or by the local TCP/IP transport module:

   *** TCP/IP error while processing job ***
   A network error has occurred while WinPMail attempted to send
   your message. This error could be caused by many conditions,
   including the following:
     * The remote host may have gone down.
     * Your network may have been broken or gone down.
     * You may have a configuration problem in your WINSOCK.DLL.
     * If running on a SLIP line, you may have experienced a
       timeout (increase the value in WinPMail's Network Config.
       Dialog), or the phone line may have gone down or suffered
       from excessive line noise.
   WinPMail will requeue your message and try again later.

My regular email prog is Pegasus,  2nd choice email prog is eM Client

both fail with attachments, some reasonable size at 86%.  Test 9.5 Meg at 46%

However if I use Agent News Reader it will send them OK

I think it is a Win 10 problem, probably   WINSOCK.DLL

Any Ideas Chaps ?

Jeff

I use Pegasus mail.  The only thing I can think of is the timeout.  Pegasus has a setting for this:

Click on Tools, Internet Options, then click on the "Sending (SMTP)" tab.  With the configuration in the list (hosts) selected, usually the top one, click the Edit button.  Change the "Timeout" from 30 to 60 seconds.

Don't know if it'll work but it's the only thing I can think of.

Regards,
Mike

Fred -

Funny that in responding to me you should mention hot spots.  As you know they are - for me - La spécialité de la maison.  Ok - not so much on forehead, but the tip of the nose, flower petals, bright colorful leaves, dinner jackets, and butterflies, to name just a few guest appearances.  And, yes, the latest version of vanish is great for removing them with grat ease.  Only problem now is that people see these prints and they don't believe that their mine.

Hello Mike

Many thanks for suggestion.

I increased  the time out to 120 seconds did not appear to make any difference. except % sent now increment 1 at a time instead of big jumps.

I have spent most of today experimenting including switching of Avast antivirus and then back on.

I have got both email progs to send attachments, (don't know how) but if I put an alternative address in the 'copy to' that one fails, I have two addresses one hosted by the ISP other one with 1&1 which is forwarded to the ISP address.

I am now giving up for today and retiring to an easy chair in darkened room.

Thanks again

Jeff 



 
 

In accordance with keeping busy in a positive way during the virus policies, and at the same time showing some stuff you can do in QU that is not obvious or documented; just fun stuff. Stuff like what Mel explained above.

Set the scene!! Quite oftenI make DVDs for the neighbors. Recently, I was handed a bunch of Dolly Parton Mp3s and a few MP4s, and asked to make a disk. That's easy. The hard part is a round label to paste on to the DVD.  Of course, you will need a pack of DVD lable paper.
So See  screen snap 039. That is what I made.

Step 1, add a 4.75 x 4.75 template to the queue. (In custom size, enter 4.74 x 4.75) then click on the template thumbnail.

Step 2 Go into Page Editor and add Floating text, sizing and placing it where you wish. See screen snap 040

Step 3 Select a thumbnail that you wish for the mood of the DVD and click the + sign. That image now resides in the queue under the text.

Step 4 Open the Image editor and add a cutout that says CD or DVD. You will get an oval shape depending on the shape of the image.
Close and save filter.

Step 5 Open the page editor. see screen snap 041. It is an area at the upper right  corner where you can slide the image to where the important part is in the box. Now look at the left side. There is your round print. You now can adjust the position of the text, or size of the text, and make the important parts of your creation fit inside the circle.
It sounds like a lot, but really, fun, creative and easy after you do one.

(and then you can dare anyone to say, "Dolly Partons biggest hits" 3 times fast and not laugh.)

Have fun,
Fred

But the real secret here is how you turned that dark heron into a white one.

I know you are being subtle and trying to tell me I am For The Birds, but that happens to be a great white Egret.
And we also have white Herons here in Florida just to keep, us confused.
I realize that you have no (r)egrets where you live.
Fred
Behold the Snowy Egret from Qimage

Unfortunately, my ornithological knowledge is very limited, to only one type of bird, the Baltimore Oriole i.e. Eddie Murray, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson etc. etc. and even at that I have to go back in time to reference those birds in their prime

and the most notable, Jim Palmer.
Aah, baseball, my lifelong addiction. New York Giants, and The NY Yankees. I lived 6 blocks from the Yankee Stadium, and Joe Dimaggio's mother lived in an apartment in a building across the street. Our neighborhood had never seen a Caddy Convertible until Joe visited him mother during the season.
But my real love was the Giants...we hated the Dodgers... Pewee Reese, Pete Rieser, Dolf Camilli, Cookie Lavagetto, etc.
Later on, on off days, I would get to the Polo Grounds at noon, (game was 2:30) just to see Willie Mays do batting practice, and throwing from the outfield.

I must apologize to all for getting carried away on a topic not germane to the forum.
Fred

OK – I promise this will be my last off topic post as I’m sure Mike doesn’t want us to fill this forum with baseball talk, but it is a passion of mine as well, the game itself even more than my love of any one team.

About 30 years ago I was at a sports card event with my (then teenage) son.  And there sitting at a table together, signing autographs (for a fee of course) were Bobby Thomson and Ralph Branca. To meet and talk to them really was a thrill. October 3 1951, one of the great days in baseball history, and even in the small sleepy Maryland town where I grew up, it was all anyone could talk about.  On that same day, in St. Paull Minnesota, a baby was born – his name – Dave Winfield.

I was at Memorial Stadium when Cal Jr. hit is final home run.  I still remember it was to the lower bleachers behind left field.  :)

Mike