The Author – Bart Busschots
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Jun
17
WebifyImages.pm – My Image Editing Scripts (v0.2)
Filed Under Computers & Tech, Software Development, Photography on June 17, 2012 | 6 Comments
Yesterday I posted my thoughts on watermarking images for uploading to the web. This post formed the basis of myself and Allison Sheridan’s discussions in the Chit Chat Across the Pond segment on tonight’s Nosillacast Mac Podcast. During the discussion we talked a little about how I watermark my images, and I realised that I hadn’t released a version of my image processing scripts since 2008! I promised I’d remedy that, so today, after a little tidying up, I’m releasing the current snapshot of my scripts under the FreeBSD license.
I’m not releasing these scripts as a polished software package that’s ready to use, but rather, as a starting point for anyone who wants to create their own watermarking scripts. If you’re not prepared to get stuck into the command line and a little Perl (VERY little is needed mind), these scripts are of no use to you!
The scripts rely on the free and open source ImageMagick command line image editing tools, so you’ll need to install ImageMagick before you get stuck in. If you’re running OS X, I’d recommend installing ImageMagick via the free and open source MacPorts package manager.
Jun
16
The Big Watermarking Question
Filed Under Photography on June 16, 2012 | 3 Comments
As soon as you begin to get even slightly into photography, you’re likely to start sharing your images online, and inevitably, you’ll face the watermarking question. Do I watermark my images? Or not? If I do, how do I do it? Subtle? In your face? Somewhere in between? What ever choice you make, someone will tell you you’re wrong, and probably not politely.
One of the reasons you’ll get five opinions on watermarking from four photographers is that there is no universal right answer. Depending on why you’re publishing your work, whether you’re an amateur, pro, or something in between, what license you’re sharing your work under, and how high a resolution you’re uploading your images at, the best solution for your needs will change.
Rather than try to convince you all that the approach I’ve taken is the one everyone should take, I just want to provoke some reflection, and to help people who are just getting started arrive at a good solution for their situation. The main thing I want to do is pose some questions that I hope people will find helpful in making their own decisions. I’ll also describe the choices I’ve made, and my reasoning. My aim isn’t to share my choices as some sort of prescription, but rather as an example. And finally, I’ll end with some tips for making your watermarks subtle, if that’s the road you choose to go down.
Jun
5
The RPSI Garret Fitzgerald Commemorative Rail Tour
Filed Under Photography on June 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment
I’m still about a month behind when it comes to processing my shots, but I am now fully up to date with special trains, at least until the special next Saturday 🙂
Anyway, on the 5th of May 2012 the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) ran a special train to commemorate Dr. Garret Fitzgerald, who passed away last year. Dr. Fitzgerald was a very well respected former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), as well as a former president of the National University of Ireland, and, a former Vice President of the RPSI. It’s because of this link to the RPSI that the organisation paid him this tribute.
Jun
2
Why the Death of “Save As” is a Good Thing
Filed Under Computers & Tech on June 2, 2012 | 5 Comments
Recently, I was part of a very lively discussion on Twitter between myself and a few Mac users on the replacement of Save As with Duplicate in OS X 10.7 Lion. Everyone in the conversation but me was angry about it, while I think it’s a fantastic step forward, and just a very small piece of a much bigger picture. The discussion on Twitter included three podcasters, myself, Allison Sheridan of the Nosillacast Mac Podcast, and Mike Potter from For Mac Eyes Only. I suggested the topic could be great fun for a podcast discussion, and the others agreed, so this weekend’s Chit Chat Across the Pond segment on the Nosillacast will be a three way discussion between myself, Allison & Mike on this topic. While preparing my notes though, I realised that I should go beyond just writing a few bullet points, and instead construct a fully formed argument in the form of a blog post, so here it is 🙂