noinput.net | plug it in

Earlier tonight I ran across this quick technote on adobe for maximizing performance in Photoshop. Some really simple tweaks that can help make a difference. You can find the full list here: Optimize performance in Photoshop (Mac OS) - Support Knowledgebase. But here’s the basics:

1. Set a huge scratch disk
2. Fine tune File browser
3. Check if you need 16bit images
4. Adjust image cache
5. Deselect export clipboard
6. Minimize palette preview thumbnails
7. Make sure Async I/O plug-in is enabled
8. Disable Watermark plug-in
9. Optimize layers
10. Optimize resolution
11. Turn off maximize compatibility
12. Use Filter Gallery before applying filters
13. Drag and drop. Don’t copy paste
14. Give more memory
15. Get a new PC

Speaking of PS, I found some really awesome plugins that I’m trying out right now, i’ll probably be buying both in the next few days. PT Lense & Photomatix. More on that later.

That’s right, paid another card off baby! It just seems like yesterday this thing was through the roof. I’m glad I got my act together and started consolidating some of my old debt.. feels so good to check another one of these off my list of bills. Now if I could just run accross a spare $5,000 to throw down on a first phase loft in downtown, we’d be talkin.

Hey on a side note Greg found this sweet Foxy Extension today called FireBug. This is awesome for debugging pages in FireFox. Each page you get a console, debugger and DOM Inspector with Rollover Block-level highlighting for easy diagnostics.

< /end geek transmission>

So I had a great Memorial weekend. It started off with Me, My Dad and My Uncle Mike heading to Puddingstone Lake and taking the boat out for her 2nd Maiden voyage.. first time back out on the water since I was about 8years old.

Hi there ~

Today, I went swimming for the first time in 13 years!
I slid into Puddingstone Lake and putted around for about a half hour!
I began to overheat and don’t quite know yet why….. 8-(
I found out I can still go forward and backwards and it feels great to have my body polished and to have my interior restored!
I even got a few compliments.

I can’t wait to get back out again – hopefully real soon…. Hope You can come along!

–The ’65 Arkansas Traveler

Narrative hat tip -> Dad

Microsoft Announces New Photo/Image Format…Windows Media Photo: Digital Photography News

Greeaaat. One more compatibility issue to deal with in 2029 when Microsoft Releases this OS.

Microsoft has announced a new photo/image format called Windows Media Photo or .wmp. The new format is said to have a higher image quality than the popular .jpg format as well as smaller file size. The new format will ship with the new Windows Vista operating system.

Windows Media Photo Specification
Version 0.9

Windows Media Photo is a new file format for continuous-tone still images that surpasses the limitations of existing image formats. Windows Media Photo supports a wide range of features including:

• Multiple color formats for display or print
• Fixed or floating point high dynamic range image encoding
• Lossless or high quality lossy compression
• Extremely efficient decoding for multiple resolutions and sub-regions
• Minimal overhead for format conversion or transformations during decode

Windows Media Photo delivers a lightweight, high-performance algorithm with a small memory footprint that enables practical, in-device encoding and decoding.

Version 0.9 of this specification includes some important revisions, new information, and other minor changes. This is the version of Windows Media Photo that was shipped with Windows Vista and WinFX Runtime Components Beta 2. Future updates to the specification will be posted here when they become available.

More information is available here and here.

Nothing else left to say

I can’t wait. Was it really 1991 when the first one came out? Wow.

Brings back memories of the good ‘ole days.