Need Help -- new camera/software(mac)/image size/upload

[rcarlisle85]

So, got my new camera last week (Nikon D5300) and got to play with it a little bit this weekend.

I definitely have a lot to learn, but the biggest right now is more of a software question.

I have a Macbook Pro that I bought a couple years ago. Love the computer but have not played with any sort of image editing on it at all.

Got my weekend pictures loaded on the computer but of course they are giant file sizes. So i have a couple questions:

1) what software should i buy/download for editing?
2) I found a way to resize pics in iPhoto, but when i made them smaller the quality went to crap, am i just doing it wrong?
3) what size do i need to go down to in order to upload pictures on here?

Thanks for any advice/help.

[Chew]

For just quick resizing and cropping I use Preview on the Mac. Not a fan of iphoto. The people that are really into photo editing use aperture but I think Apple quit making new versions.

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[Chew]

Photos will upload here if they're under 800 either way. Tapatalk app does a decent job of resizing automatically

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[rcarlisle85]

when you say "preview"....is that in the photo app?

[Chew]

It's separate. When I open up an individual photo it opens with preview. Check your apps and u will see it.

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[Chew]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preview_(macOS)

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[agtex42]

Lightroom is a pretty cost effective software that gives you a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to what you can do with it. I've been using it for a few years now and haven't found the need to upgrade to the more powerful stuff that's available. There's a few threads floating around on here regarding the latest version that you should pull up to get a feel for whether or not it'd be a good fit for you.

[rcarlisle85]

Just downloaded Lightroom. Maybe I'll manage to get some pics up soon.

[yaqui]

What you want to do is size the pics to 72 dpi at about 5x7 or 7x5 for the web, maybe a little bigger but keep it at 72 dpi. Important when saving to Save As. Or else you will replace your original pic, You don't want to do that. If you want to make a print. Choose what size you want your print to be at. Hit a little sharpening and bump the contrast.

For example if you want to have an 8x10 set your output to 8x10 at 240 up to 300 dpi. These are for prints. You can't really see higher res than 300 dpi.

Here is the weird part. As you go to prints larger than 16x20, drop your resolution back down. But not less than 150 dpi. When you look at a print that large, you don't look at the whole print that close to it.

I've had banners done as large as 12x9 feet. They look amazing. You do want to experiment a little, and keep notes.

If I am shooting outdoors I usually use a gray card but auto white balance is okay too, I add some red and magenta to warm up the photo. Contrast bump and sharpen.

One of the settings you want to look at on your Nikon is the setting for natural, which is the standard setting, or the vivid color setting. The neutral setting is a little flat.

P

[rcarlisle85]

Ok...need more help....got Lightroom.....how the heck do I get my photos (which are currently in my "photos" app on my mac into Lightroom????

This is crazy....making me want to switch back to a Windows based laptop!

[Chew]

Quick google search...hopefully it works with the latest version:

Control-click the folder named Masters and choose Duplicate. Drag the folder named "Masters copy" from the iPhoto Library Finder window to your Desktop. Open Lightroom and drag the Masters copy folder into the Grid view of the Library module. The import window opens, with your iPhoto files selected in the preview area.Nov 16, 2013