In the editing world, the sequence in which these clips are arranged is called a timeline, and the process of switching between camera angles or between two different scenes is known as a cut. The editorial cuts are as much a part of your storytelling as the footage itself, but your filming bears this in mind in the planning phase.

Here is an example of editing cuts in the opening of a short documentary. We see a car driving through the desert from various angles. The camera was positioned in multiple locations on the car’s path. In the editing process, a flow was maintained, and the best parts of each video were cut into the timeline. 

Editing cuts must serve the purpose of moving the narrative forward

In the example above, the cuts are called Standard Cuts; they are quick and instant. Standard Cut is the most basic cut, with no special meaning beyond advancing the story. 

Why Are Cuts Important in Video Editing?

With the help of music and sound effects, a cut can transition from one shot to another, evoking certain emotions based on where you are in the story. Cuts also help hide mistakes; for example, if you are recording an interview with two cameras, a camera angle can be cut from one to another if the person being interviewed pauses with “mmm” and “aaam” or stops to clear his throat. 

Here’s a simple cut that shows the transition from a potter’s studio to nature. This happens when she tells the audience that touching clay grounds her. Also note the position of her body, and the camera angle exactly matches between the two cuts. The cut creates a moment of awe. 

A cut helps invoke emotions and also hides mistakes

Now that we know what cuts are and how they help the film’s momentum, let’s discuss a few cuts I use in my editing process. 

1. The Jump Cut: Time Jump

The Jump Cut disrupts the film’s continuity. It involves cutting between two shots of the same scene but at different points in time, causing a jump from one situation to another.    

Have a look at the examples below, where I unpack my camera bag, but the cuts jump from one action to the next without showing the movement of my arms or what happens in between. Also see the jump from a messy studio to a clean one in an instant. 

Editing cuts is simple; knowing when to do them requires planning and practice 

When to use a Jump Cut: 

• To show the passage of time.
• To change the audience experience from one situation to another.

Editing Tips: 

• Create nervous energy by using sound effects.
• Introduce it when the viewer least expects it.

2. The Match Cut

A Match Cut joins two different shots together that share a similar shape, color, or movement. For example, in the ceramics video we saw above, the potter’s body shape and position are exactly matched in the two clips, linking the narration from one scene to the next.

When to use a Match Cut: 

• To create a visual transition between two vastly different locations or time periods.
• To create a link between two objects or ideas.

Editing Tips:

• Clips in which shapes are meant to match, overlay the first frame of the second clip above on the second last frame of the first clip in the editing timeline. Set the opacity of the second video (i.e., the top video) to 50%. If the shapes in the two shots do not align, scale one up or down and adjust its X and Y positions to align the shapes manually. 

3. The Cutaway

A Cutaway is a shot that briefly interrupts the main action or what a person is saying by showing something relevant to the storyline. I primarily use cutaways in my vlogs or documentaries to supplement what is being described in the film. 

When to use a Cutaway: 

• To cut away to an object or a situation when the character is talking about it.
• To hide mistakes in an interview

Editing Tips:

• Do not cut away from your main subject for too long; keep the shots changing and always bring the story back to the subject by showing their face. 

Cutaways complement what is being said or described by your subject.

4. The Cut on Action

Editing cuts on action is the secret sauce of making a long sequence feel smooth, and even short. Cut on Action is achieved by cutting right in the middle of a character’s movement. For example, pouring coffee into a cup, you start wide and end with a close-up.

When to use a Cut on Action: 

• Whenever a character is performing a physical task. 

Editing Tips: 

• Cut during the motion, the brain is so busy following the action that it ignores the edit itself. This is the most effective way to maintain invisible continuity and keep the pacing fluid.
• The action in the second clip must not be a jump of time; there must be continuity between the two shots.

Cut-on-action edits must be considered in the pre-production phase.

5. Sync Cut

A Sync Cut is also known as editing on the beat. In a sync cut, the scene changes with the chosen music, beat to beat.

When to use a Sync Cut:

• To show the progression of a task being performed using jump cuts on a beat.
• To depict an action sequence.

Editing Tips:

• Try to skip a beat and do not use too long a sequence of sync cuts in one video; it becomes predictable that the scene will change on the next beat.

Sync Cuts are best suited for fast-paced action videos 

Final Remarks 

Editing is not only about the visuals you choose to display, but also about their timing. Cuts are only one way to influence your audience’s emotions. The editing process also involves music, dialogue, color grading, and sound effects; to make your cuts more impactful, ensure that all these elements are in harmony with each other in your editing timeline. 

Happy cutting!

The post Editing Cuts in Video: Techniques to Engage Your Audience appeared first on Adorama.

What Is Apple Creator Studio?

Apple Creator Studio is a bundle of apps designed to meet creators’ needs for editing photos and videos, writing text, producing and editing music, and creating content of all sorts. It includes premium content for four built-in apps on any Apple device:

1. Pages
2. Keynote
3. Numbers
4. Freeform (Will be added soon)

And six new installation apps:

1. Final Cut Pro, for editing and creating films
2. Motion, for creating animations
3. Compressor, for compressing and exporting videos
4. Logic Pro, for music production
5. Main Stage, for live music performance
6. Pixelmator Pro, for creating and editing images

As a wildlife and landscape photographer and creator of written and video tutorials, I am mostly interested in having one integrated ecosystem. It should cover my photo and video editing requirements, helps me write, and eases my content management. Thus, from all the apps and premium content offered by Apple Creator Studio, my focus during these three months was on Pixelmator Pro and Final Cut Pro.

However, I was no stranger to Pages, Notes, and Compressor when the need arose. Out of curiosity, I looked at how my workflow would if I switched to Apple Creator Studio. Here’s how my three months using Apple Creative Studio passed.

What I Liked About Apple Creator Studio During the Three Months of Using It

First of all, I find it very efficient (and rather affordable) to have all apps bundled up under one subscription. Instead of multiple subscriptions, I have only one payment to worry about. And it is less than paying individually for each app, at least in the short run.

I also like the fact that I can use Pixelmator Pro and Final Cut Pro both on a Mac and on an iPad. Additionally, the premium content for Pages and Numbers applies to the iPad and iPhone versions as well. I probably won’t do major editing tasks on small-screen devices, or do quick retouches on the go.

However, for drafting a tutorial or script, or taking notes, they are a lifesaver. Also, once you find a premium content template or smart formatting that you like, it would be frustrating not to be able to access it on all your devices. The less frustration I can accumulate, the better the workflow I have.

Apple Creator Studio apps are optimized for Mac users in terms of workflow and shortcuts, as well as computer performance. It means the apps know you have a certain type of chip and run smoothly and efficiently on it. For Final Cut Pro and Pixelmator Pro, it means fast rendering, smooth playback, support for advanced AI features, and extensive iPad functionality (even though an iPad has less processing power than a MacBook). 

Going from Final Cut Pro to Compressor takes just one click, and your videos are exported in the desired format. These apps are designed to work together and smoothly integrate within the Apple ecosystem. Finder, Photos, and iCloud are just a few of the many familiar faces you’ll come across while using the Studio.

Inside the Apps: Smart Tools and Asset Libraries

If you like AI-based features, you’ll be glad to know there are more of them in the bundle than in individual apps. For instance, Pixelmator Pro comes with a Warp tool, an enhanced upscaling tool, a smart functionality for background removal, and intelligent suggestions for cropping and others. Final Cut Pro features a Montage Maker, visual search, transcript search, and even beat detection.

And although I don’t usually cut directly on the beat, I can appreciate the Beat Grid feature. It enables one to align the video with the beat of a potential music. Plus, users have the option of creating music in Logic Pro and then importing it into Final Cut Pro in two clicks. I think many creators will like this.

During these three months, I browsed through Apple Creator Studio’s libraries a lot. Final Cut Pro has plenty of resources for creating titles, generating objects, textures, and backgrounds, and adding sound and visual effects. Pixelmator Pro includes mockups for digital and physical products, as well as royalty-free stock images you can use. You can customize templates from Pages, Numbers, and so on in Pixelmator Pro.

Although my work doesn’t require many assets, I appreciate the effort that goes into providing them, and I’m sure many content creators use them regularly.

Where Apple Creator Studio and I See Things Differently

Where’s The Lightroom Alternative?

At the beginning of the test, with all the apps installed, I was ready to dive in and begin to edit one of my photos. But wait, where’s the tool that helps you organize and cull your photos and raw files efficiently? 

Apple wants me to use the built-in Photos app for this! The thing is, this only works if you import your photos directly through the Photos app, instead of just copying the files to your hard drive, like I usually do. 

However, I don’t like having all my precious photos baked into a single Photo database file, which, in the event of file corruption, could cause me to lose all my photos. So, without an easy way to browse my files, I felt a little annoyance beginning to grow. If you already use the Photos app and are happy with this approach, you will likely not be annoyed by this. 

I understand that Apple considers Pixelmator Pro an alternative to Adobe Photoshop, a tool for image editing and manipulation, as well as for creating images from scratch, as needed for graphic design and similar tasks. 

What I struggle a bit to understand is why the image processing software included in Apple Creator Studio doesn’t have a photo asset manager. You simply can’t expect professional photographers, videographers, and content creators to use the built-in Photos app or the Finder app solely. They definitely need something more feature-rich and efficient than that for organizing thousands of files.

For Creators or Professionals: Simplicity Instead of Features

Don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s worth making a distinction between creators and professionals within photography and videography. They have different needs.

As a professional photographer, I want control over every aspect of the creative process. I need luminosity masks to create my landscape photos. I need a full-featured Lightroom alternative, just like professional video editors need efficient video editors that integrate with special editing panels and so on. We need the features to create the absolute best work we can.

Creators (who aren’t professional photographers or videographers) need simpler photo and video editing tools to be more efficient when creating videos and editing photos. As the name “Apple Creator Studio” implies, it is these types of creators that will benefit from this bundle.

Creator Friendly Pricing

Because my work is focused on photography and videography, I don’t need all the apps included in the Studio. However, the bundle’s price is low enough that it doesn’t matter much. You can get the entire bundle for $12.99 per month or $129 per year. Fair pricing that’s for sure.

However, if someone already has a Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro license, purchasing the Creator Studio subscription effectively doubles the cost of the software. I would prefer to configure my subscription and pay only for the added apps.

Is Apple Creator Studio for Me?

Apple Creator Studio’s value for money comes from using all its apps and reaping their benefits. For instance, it makes sense when you use the family sharing option, frequently use apps on iPad, create mixed media, and need nothing more than what Apple Creator Studio offers. 

I wouldn’t recommend getting Apple Creator Studio if you are a professional within photography and videography and need the features from Adobe Creative Cloud, Avid Pro Tools, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, and so on. 

Also, keep in mind that if you want just one or two of the apps included in the bundle and don’t need the additional features, you may consider purchasing them individually. Choose the best long-term offer.

On a personal level, during the three months I tested these apps, I didn’t find myself ready to give up the software I already have. Not because I didn’t like the super-integrated ecosystem (I did!), but because I needed more advanced and precise photo and video editing tools and a more complex digital asset manager. I use DXO Photolab, Adobe Photoshop, and DaVinci Resolve, three programs that have nothing in common but provide me with the specific tools I need, albeit not as an integrated workflow.

In the context of Apple Creator Studio, my work is a niche. I don’t do graphic design, animation, music production, or music performance. So, it doesn’t justify me getting the whole package. However, considering the exquisite fluidity, intuitive workflow, and valuable AI support, I’m sure many creators will be very happy with it.

Final Thoughts

I gave three months to testing Apple Creator Studio from the perspective of a nature photographer and videographer. In the end, I made up my mind to stick to my current software. However, I was drawn to the intuitive ecosystem that makes switching between apps effortless and speeds up your workflow.

I advise you to try the free trial and see if it suits you. In my opinion, Apple Creator Studio excels for those who utilize its full ecosystem and AI features. However, it may not suit niche professionals like me.

The post I Used Apple Creator Studio for Three Months appeared first on Adorama.

Problems

Let’s begin with the problems you might encounter when photographing garden birds.

Firstly, by walking around, you immediately make most birds fly away or at least take shelter, where they feel most protected, which is the most obvious nightmare for high-end bird photography. The birds will seek cover in a tree, bush, or a hedge. Even when they are out in the open, you will likely find that your otherwise favorite tree is adding to the clutter in the background.

It is rare for birds to land on a beautiful perch with an uncluttered background, and the light is just perfect. However, there is a simple approach we can take to create the perfect conditions for this to happen, while helping the birds find what they need to make it through the day. Feeding garden birds is widely accepted, and we can use that to our advantage.

Step 1: Gear

Before you get started, here’s what I use for this kind of photography.

I’m using a Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 lens on a Nikon Z8 camera body. However, less can definitely do it. A focal length of around 200-600 can work, as the setup is fairly flexible. And since garden birds are active throughout the day, you aren’t depending so much on shooting early mornings as is usual in wildlife photography.

Full-frame, crop-factor, or micro 4:3 sensors don’t matter much here. You do get an advantage with noise and depth-of-field roll-off with a full-frame camera, but it is not needed by any means.

Don’t forget a sturdy tripod. Birds have their own rhythm — sometimes they’re everywhere, sometimes they vanish for a while. Even a quick shadow or a sudden move can clear the whole scene for ten minutes. The less you move, the better your chances.

Step 2: Look for optimal spots in your garden

If you’re already feeding birds, that’s great. But it might be worth rethinking where you’ve put the feeder.

Try to put it close to where you want your perch.

Consider where the light hits specific spots in your garden, and whether you prefer front, side, or backlighting.

You also need to consider the background. It should be far enough away from the feeding station and perch so that the background is smooth when using a shallow depth of field. At least 6 meters is preferred for a smooth background. However, it depends on the camera-to-perch distance, the focal length, and the aperture.

Place the feeder at your chosen location, and fill it up with seeds.

It usually takes a couple of days for the birds to find the seeds if you haven’t fed birds in your garden before. They need to learn that this is a reliable spot and that they should begin visiting your feeder regularly.

From inside your house, take a look at where the birds rest and how they fly towards the feeder. From which branches do they take off, and do they fly directly to the feeder?

Step 3: Finding the Perch

Finding a suitable perch can be as easy as looking around your garden or going to a nearby forest to pick up a mossy, worn branch that can make the setup look more natural.

I usually avoid branches with cutting marks or fresh signs of being broken off a tree. Look for mossy branches on the forest floor, preferably a bit crooked or gnarly. You want the opposite of flat.

Step 4: Positioning the Perch and Camera

Now we come to the crucial part: making the birds land on the perch instead of flying directly to the feeder.

I have had success with two setups.

The first one: you create a sort of middle station, positioned between the trees where the birds rest and the feeder. The middle station needs to have the perch higher than the feeding station. You can use a small table, or hammer some sturdy poles into the ground.

If possible, you can also lower the feeding station a bit, because you don’t want the middle station so high in the air that you will be shooting too much upward from your camera position. I usually set the perch at 1,20 meters, as I will be sitting in a chair with my camera on a tripod.

The second setup is similar, but with the feeder hanging just below the perch and out of sight. Usually, the birds use a small roofed board, but when I want to photograph them, I place the seeds in a hollow coconut on a string and use that as the feeder. Remember to remove all other feeding spots in the garden for the photo session so the birds fly to the one you want.

I feel that it is much easier to get the birds to land on the perch this way, and you solve the height issue with the feeder.

Wait in the queue

With this setup, birds will find the easiest route to the feeder is to land on your chosen perch, pause for a few seconds, then jump to the feeder. With only one feeder, they might even form a small queue on the perch until it becomes available.

This is when you should press the shutter and take your burst of shots.

After photographing, refill any other feeders you were previously using.

Camera Position

One of the things that mostly determines the look you get is where you position your camera relative to the perch setup and the background.

If you are without a hide, you need more distance than when using one. Without any cover, I would suggest a distance of 8-10 meters to the birds and the feeder as a starting point. See how the birds react; you might be able to move closer. However, a little bit of cover (for you and your camera) will go a long way in making the birds comfortable. Even just wearing green and earth colored clothes will help.

I prefer to use a hide because it allows me to place it approximately. 5-6 meters from the feeder.

Step 5: Settings

The settings for high-end bird photography in your garden are pretty straightforward, as you control almost everything, from the setup to the positioning and the light conditions you choose. So the settings fall into two categories: Portrait settings and Action settings. By the way, I always shoot in manual mode with Auto-ISO for any wildlife.

For portrait shots, you can use as wide an aperture as your lens permits, and a shutter speed around 1/400 for stationary subjects. You can use subject detection mode for focusing on stationary subjects. This is usually fast enough for these types of shots.

For action shots, you need to raise the shutter speed to around 1/2500s-1/4000s. Because the birds will also fly towards the perch, a little extra depth of field will help you nail shots with the wings in focus. I suggest you bump the aperture to around f/8. When shooting backlight, I also use a little bit of negative exposure compensation around -1 to -2 stops, which helps make the rim light stand out.

With action-type shots where the subjects fly in from outside the frame, even the fastest auto-focus motor will fail. The only way to capture a bird mid-air is to pre-focus on an area the bird is likely to fly through on its way to the perch. Press the shutter button early and hope to nail a shot of the bird with its wings fully stretched as it moves through the prefocused zone.

Concluding words

There are several ways to adjust the setup, so you can get a wide range of high-end bird photography from a single location. You could change the perch or hide position to get a different background or light direction. However, simply changing the seeds you use can attract other species, giving you a chance to catch truly special high-end bird photos.

The post The Backyard Studio: Gear, Setup & Settings for High-End Bird Photography appeared first on Adorama.

The Barcelona-based creator, who co-founded Koalitic Kollective with brother Arnau Puig, is internationally known for photographs and videos that seem impossible at first glance. Fish float through the sky. Portals appear to open from book pages. Magical storm-like swirls fill the sky as a Harry Potter-esque character holds up a wand. Surreal perspectives emerge from everyday objects.

The secret isn’t AI, elaborate CGI, or massive production budgets. Often, it’s just a tennis ball, a fish tank, a guitar, or a mirror. Ordinary objects used in extraordinary ways.

“We’re kind of the opposite of AI,” Jordi explains. For him, the appeal lies in creating effects physically rather than generating them digitally. “We still love practical effects. We still love going somewhere to shoot the sunset and create authentic content.”

That commitment to hands-on creativity, along with a focus on lighting, practical effects, long-exposure photography, and in-camera techniques, have transformed him into one of the world’s most recognizable photography creators, It’s also led to collaborations with brands including Nikon (for which Jordi is an official ambassador), Adidas, Lamborghini, McLaren, Xiaomi, and more, including a new one with Adorama. The team has also worked with many celebrities, including Will Smith, Scarlet Johansson, Jared Leto, and Machine Gun Kelly, among many others.

From Filmmaker to Social Media Sensation

Long before millions of followers discovered his work, Jordi was working as a filmmaker, producing music videos, corporate content, and commercial projects. While photography remained a hobby, filmmaking paid the bills.

But the constant client direction began to wear on him.

“I had a lot of briefings, a lot of people telling me what I should do,” he recalls. “I didn’t like that.” Photography offered something different, he says: creative freedom.

The turning point came in 2019, when he began sharing not only his finished images but also the process behind them. He developed a distinctive visual style built around transforming ordinary objects into tools for optical illusions and creative effects and sharing captivating behind-the-scenes reels.

The combination proved explosive. Within just a few months, his audience grew from roughly 100,000 followers to more than one million. The rapid growth attracted major brands and celebrities alike. Today, Jordi has 7.3 million followers on Instagram and 20.6 million on TikTok, with almost 450 million likes. In turn, his YouTube channel has amassed, cumulatively speaking, more than 4.095 billion total views and has 6.61 million subscribers.

Building the Koalitic Kollective

While Jordi remains the public face and creative force of the brand, Arnau is listed on the website as “a driver of visual innovation.”  Jordi Escrigas has worked with them since 2019 as brand manager and, together with Jordi and Arnau, co-founded Koalitic Kollective in early 2025. Pedro Cadena, meanwhile, has more recently taken on a strategic role in helping expand the brand internationally.

Interestingly, much of their creative development happens internally. Unlike many social-first creators who frequently collaborate with others, the Koalitic team has largely followed its own path. (Their talented Kollective members include Mike Grandio (creative and action video), Mirko Vigna (creative filmmaker), Manu Angles (filmmaker and PPV creator), Marcos Alberca (photographer and videographer), Alex Ortega (filmmaker and PPV creator), and Dave Castaño (creative filmmaker).

“We like to work from our own ideas, keep experimenting, and develop a visual language that feels very much our own,” Jordi says. “It’s not that we don’t value what other creators do; there’s a lot of talent out there, but we’ve always worked best by following our own creative path.”

That independent mindset has become part of Koalitic Kollective’s identity and helps explain why their work remains instantly recognizable across platforms.

The Power of Revealing the Secret

For many photographers, techniques are closely guarded. Team Koalitic chose the opposite approach.

One of the defining characteristics of the brand is its willingness to reveal exactly how images are made. “We were among the first photographers sharing the secrets of our work,” says Jordi.

Those behind-the-scenes videos became as important as the photographs themselves. Followers weren’t simply admiring the final image; they were learning how creativity can transform simple materials into visual magic.

Despite operating in a social media ecosystem driven by trends, Jordi says the team has never built its identity around following them.

“We’ve always tried to define ourselves more by creating our own ideas than by following trends,” he explains. “Sometimes there’s a trend we find interesting, but if we explore it, we always try to give it our own twist and bring it into our creative world.”

“A good idea is better than a good execution most of the time,” Jordi says. “You can improve your execution, but first you need the idea.”

That philosophy has helped attract an audience that extends far beyond professional photographers. Many followers are aspiring creators looking to learn how imaginative thinking can overcome limited resources.

Why Real Beats Artificial

In a world increasingly filled with AI-generated imagery, transparency has become even more compelling.

As AI-generated imagery advances, Jordi and his Koalitic Kollective stand out by demonstrating that authentic, handmade creativity still captivates a global audience.

Many of Jordi’s images initially appear impossible, leading some viewers to assume they were digitally generated. Yet much of the appeal comes from discovering that the effect was created physically, in-camera, through experimentation and clever perspective.

One image, for example, uses a fish tank filled with water and ink positioned in front of a subject to create the appearance of a swirling, ominous storm cloud. Another relies on a tennis ball attached to a string, photographed with long-exposure techniques to create a Saturn-like planetary effect.

The process frequently involves trial and error rather than software.

“We analyze and try a lot,” brother Arnau explains. “If one thing doesn’t work, we try another.”

Post-production remains minimal. Koalitic primarily uses Adobe Lightroom for color and exposure adjustments, while Photoshop is reserved for small cleanup tasks such as removing support strings used in practical effects.

Taking the Show on the Road

This practical approach to creativity will be front and center during Jordi’s upcoming visit to New York City as his ongoing collaboration with Adorama becomes even more cemented.

The trip will bring the entire Jordi Koalitic Team to the U.S, including Jordi’s parents, who will be visiting New York for the first time. “They gave us everything,” Jordi says. “So, we’re bringing them with us.”

The Adorama partnership includes an in-store workshop on June 10th, an interview on Seth Miranda’s Coffee with Creators podcast (also on June 10^th), live demonstrations, photo walks, and a new print collaboration with Adorama’s Printique lab that allows collectors to purchase Koalitic’s work. 

During the workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to see some of Jordi and the team’s signature practical effects in action, including his long-exposure techniques and fiber-optic light painting.

The New York events are part of a broader relationship between Koalitic Kollective and Adorama. The team recently joined Adorama as brand ambassadors as part of a year-long collaboration focused on showcasing how creative ideas, not just equipment (like Jordi’s trusty Nikon Z 9), drive memorable photography.

Keeping Creativity Front and Center

“We’ll always put the creative idea at the center of what we are doing and then show how the gear helps us bring it to life,” says Jordi.

One recent example is a project inspired by the anime One Piece, in which the team recreated stylized visual effects using practical techniques and equipment sourced from Adorama. The campaign generated more than 100 million views and reflects the kind of imaginative, hands-on work that has become synonymous with the Koalitic brand.

In the end, despite changing algorithms, emerging technologies, and shifting trends, the core of Jordi and his team’s approach remains consistent:

“Stay curious. Experiment often. Think creatively.”

Some of the most rewarding feedback, he says, comes from viewers who tell him they picked up a camera or simply started looking at the world differently after watching one of Koalitic’s videos.

“When someone tells us that, thanks to one of our videos, they tried an idea or started seeing photography in a different way, it really motivates us.”

The post Jordi Koalitic on Practical Effects, Creativity, and Building a Global Audience appeared first on Adorama.

Consumers may be willing to tolerate some uses of AI in advertising. However, they have shown far less patience for campaigns that feel deceptive, inauthentic, or poorly executed. Awkward AI-generated faces and unrealistic imagery make them question what is real and what is not. That growing skepticism is helping fuel a broader movement toward transparency in advertising. This movement has found its way into law in New York State.

Advertisers Who Use Synthetic Performers Beware: Reckoning Day is Coming

Beginning June 9, New York’s Synthetic Performer Disclosure Law (S.8420-A) takes effect. Signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in late 2025, it requires advertisers to clearly disclose when “synthetic performers” are used. The same is true for AI-generated people. Violations can result in fines of $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for subsequent offenses. The law applies to advertisements distributed to New York audiences. It applies regardless of a company’s headquarters. This marks a significant shift in how brands may use artificial intelligence across email campaigns, social media advertising, and other digital marketing channels.

When asked about the new law, attorney Aaron M. Arce Stark, whose client base includes creative professionals, expressed relief that lawmakers are beginning to address the rapid expansion of AI-generated content in advertising and digital media.

“As AI-generated people become nearly indistinguishable from real humans, these disclosure laws are becoming less about the technology itself and more about transparency and trust,” he explains. “For photographers and visual creators, rules like this may help preserve the value of authentic, human-created imagery in an increasingly synthetic marketplace.”

Ultimately, the goal is to prevent consumer deception as synthetic media becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from traditional photography and video.

United We Stand: Other States Join a Broader Framework

New York is not alone. While its first-of-its-kind law focuses specifically on transparency and disclosure when these “synthetic performers” are used in advertising campaigns, other states are pursuing broader AI transparency and accountability measures.

In March 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-5-26, building on the state’s evolving AI regulatory framework, including the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act (TFAIA), scheduled to take effect in August 2026. According to the California Executive Department, the order expands upon existing efforts to promote watermarking and provenance metadata for AI-generated content while establishing guidelines for the responsible use of generative AI by state agencies.

Taken together, New York’s law and California’s initiatives suggest that AI disclosure is evolving from a niche concern into a broader regulatory expectation.

Other states are moving or have already moved in similar directions:

• Tennessee passed the ELVIS Act in 2024, protecting voices and likenesses from unauthorized AI replication, particularly for musicians and performers.
• Illinois has enacted new rules requiring informed consent for digital replicas when they are used in place of a performer’s work.
• Washington State has adopted laws addressing digital likeness protections and AI disclosure.
• Colorado continues developing broader AI governance and accountability frameworks that may affect businesses using AI systems.

According to media and events company Ad Exchanger, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin have already passed or are considering AI-related disclosure requirements, particularly for political advertising.

The direction is becoming increasingly clear. The question is no longer whether brands can use AI in advertising, but whether consumers are clearly informed when they do.

Now Celebrities Are Registering Their Likenesses

The push for transparency is also intersecting with another growing concern: AI impersonation.

Beyond disclosure laws, celebrities are increasingly taking steps to protect their names, images, likenesses, voices, and other distinctive personal attributes through intellectual property and publicity rights protections. Several public figures have registered elements of their identity with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including distinctive catchphrases, gestures, and vocal characteristics.

For example, Matthew McConaughey has registered a sound mark covering the phrase “alright, alright, alright” in his own voice, along with protections for elements of his image and persona.

“Federal trademark registrations can provide more uniform and broader enforcement rights across the U.S. for distinctive elements of a celebrity’s name, image and likeness,” says Donna Tobin, chair of the intellectual property group at Royer, Cooper, Cohen and Braunfeld. “Federal registrations can also strengthen takedown requests made to social media platforms.”

These efforts reflect a larger reality: “As AI-generated content becomes more convincing, both lawmakers and individuals are seeking new ways to establish authenticity, ownership, and trust in digital media.”

No Generated People or Bodies: An Ongoing Commitment to Non-AI Advertising

As lawmakers, performers, and public figures push for greater transparency and control over AI-generated likenesses, brands are also recognizing that consumers increasingly value authenticity over synthetic content. For some companies, that has meant not only disclosing AI usage but publicly pledging to avoid AI-generated people altogether.

One of the most prominent examples came in April 2024, when Dove committed to never using AI-generated women in its advertising as part of its longstanding “Real Beauty” platform. The company stated that it would continue featuring real women in its campaigns, avoid digital distortion, and never replace people with AI-generated imagery. Dove reaffirmed that commitment in 2025.

Since then, brands including Aerie, Polaroid, Nintendo, and others have made similar commitments. On the flip side, brands including Nike, Heinz, Adidas, Virgin Voyages, and Mint Mobile have disclosed their use of AI synthetic performer campaigns.

These pledges come as consumer skepticism toward AI-generated content continues to grow. A Gartner Marketing Survey conducted in October 2025 found that more than 68% of U.S. consumers frequently question whether online content is genuine, particularly when AI and synthetic media are involved. “The combination of AI-generated content and synthetic media is creating a ‘high-risk’ landscape for brands making unsubstantiated claims,” it concluded.  

The Bottom Line on AI-generated Advertising

The bottom line? AI itself isn’t necessarily the problem. What consumers seem to object to is feeling misled. That’s why, after the Gartner survey, it was recommended that marketers treat AI as a trust issue as much as a technology issue, making its use transparent, optional, and clearly beneficial to consumers. As AI-generated content becomes more common and harder to detect, the brands that are upfront about how they use it may be the ones that earn the most trust. And with New York’s new law imposing fines on advertisers that fail to disclose the use of synthetic performers, transparency is quickly becoming more than a best practice; it is becoming a business and legal necessity.

The post Trust in Transparency: A New AI Disclosure Law is Coming to NY State appeared first on Adorama.

Not long ago I purchased an ASUS 4K TUF Gaming monitor. The first thing I did was load one of my images as the home screen background. Then I made a full screen shot. Afterwards, I calibrated the monitor using a Datacolor SpyderPro. Comparing Figure 1 with Figure 2, it should be apparent that the uncalibrated Acer monitor in Figure1 has a cool tint and the uncalibrated ASUS monitor in Figure 2 has a warm tint. No two monitors are the same. So, don’t count on them to be calibrated out of the box.

I frequently host on-screen reviews and critiques for workshops, camera clubs, and private portfolio sessions, often online. To guarantee that my screen’s hues, tones, and contrast match the student’s display exactly, I maintain a strictly calibrated monitor. In fact, I recalibrate (ReCAL) my display before every single session. It only takes about three minutes, functioning just like a musician tuning an instrument before a show. Since a shared baseline is vital for a good critique, I always ask students if they have calibrated their monitors before we start looking at their work.

Protecting Your Artistic Legacy

If you are reading this article, it means that you are serious about the images you create. It means you are someone who has fallen in love with photography, an art form that allows you to explore and record the world in which you live. It means you harbor the hope that your images will have meaning for those who view them. That you will be remembered for having created them. 

It also means that you are likely reviewing and correcting your photos in an editing program before you share them. Considering that down the line a curator, gallerist, or art collector may be viewing your work online, you want your images to appear to them as they do on your screen. Assuming their displays are calibrated as they should be, if yours is not, your images will look as different as the images in Figures 1 and 2.

Now, supposing you send hi rez files to a pro lab to make prints for a show. A Pro Lab always profiles their printer. So, what appears on their screen is as close as possible to what appears on their reproduction. Let’s say you send them something that looks good on your uncalibrated screen. If it looks too warm or cool on their screen, that’s what you’re going to get on your print.

Some online “experts” brag that they never calibrate their screens or printers because they “like the way their prints look,” even if the tint, hue, and saturation are not what’s on their screen. This means they are either not clear about their message, or don’t know how to use the tools at their disposal, justifying their lack of skill by accepting whatever comes back from the lab or their printer spits out.

Considering the above, consider the implications of the warm and cool tints in Figures 1 and 2. A warm tint draws the viewer in; a cool tint creates a distance. Both are valid, but which message is the photographer trying to convey to the viewer? If the photographer doesn’t care, then their message is irrelevant.

Calibrating Your Monitor

There are several monitor calibration devices available. Among them are the Calibrite Display 123 Colorimeter, Calibrite Display Pro HL Colorimeter, SpyderExpress, and SpyderPro. This article will focus on the SpyderPro, as I have been using the Datacolor system since Spyder 3 was introduced in 2007.

Calibrating using SpyderPro is one of the easiest things you can do in digital photography. There is virtually no learning curve. Once you have gathered a few pieces of information about your display, downloaded and installed your SpyderPro software, and attached the colorimeter to your device, you can open the program and begin. Datacolor will walk you step-by-step through the process with prompts and instructions.

The first time you use the program you will require your serial number. This can be found in the bottom of the box the unit came in.

You will also need to know what type of display you are using. You can usually find this out on the Display Specifications website. As a final resort, Datacolor will read your display and make a recommendation.

Navigating Brightness Controls

During calibration you will be asked to adjust the display brightness based on the ambient light. If you have a detached monitor, before you begin, learn to use the buttons or toggle switches on the front or back.

If you are using a laptop or any display that does not have manual controls, use the following method.

With a Windows laptop open Settings > System > Display. With a MacBook, open Control Panel > Display. Drag the brightness slider to 100%. Leave the window open so you can access it later during calibration.

If you use a laptop or a detached monitor without manual controls, wait until the calibration software prompts you to adjust the brightness. At that point, press Alt+Tab (Windows) or Opt+Tab (Mac) to switch from full screen to the Settings or Control Panel window you opened earlier (see the previous paragraph). Move the display slider to the left to lower the brightness, and then press Alt/Opt + Tab again to return to the Spyder brightness screen. Repeat these steps until you bring the brightness within a point or two of your target.

With my laptop’s slider, I can get as close as one point from the recommended 180 cd^m² brightness level. Using the Fn keys I can’t get within 26 points.

Ambient Light

In the motion picture film industry, rooms are intentionally kept dark to mimic the way movies are meant to be seen—in a darkened room. Keyboards are illuminated to see in the dark and usually shielded so that the light doesn’t spill over onto the screen. But for general viewing in a lot of different situations that you cannot control, editing in a fully darkened room is not necessary.

Adjusting ambient light in the room will help with display calibration and image editing. If the room is too light, you will tend to make your images too dark. Conversely, if the room is too dark your images will tend to be too light.

If you create images for general viewing, that is, in a variety of lighting situations, then dim the lights in the room where you are calibrating your monitor, but don’t make the room so dark you can’t see the keyboard or mouse. For editing, I turn off all unnecessary lights and close the window shades. I also recommend shielding your monitor from any additional ambient light using a monitor hood. 

You can purchase a custom hood from PhotoDon or you can make your own out of black Foamcore and duct tape, Figure 5.

Final recommendations

• Allow your monitor to warm up for about 20 minutes before calibrating. 
• Reset the monitor’s On-Screen Display (OSD) settings to factory defaults.
• Turn off “Eco Mode,” “Dynamic Contrast,” “Vivid Mode,” and any other auto-brightness features.
• If this is the first time you are calibrating a monitor, use FullCAL. If it has been previously calibrated you can use ReCAL.
• Use Datacolor’s recommended presets for gamma (2.2 for both Mac and Windows), color temperature, and brightness
• Choose a target color space of sRGB (or Adobe RGB if your monitor supports it).
• Recalibrate once a month or prior to any important editing of your images (it only takes about 3 minutes).

Monitor calibration may appear to be one more thing that takes time and money. Time you’d rather spend editing, and money you’d rather put towards a new lens, printer, or camera bag. But if you have something to say with your images, and want to be clear about your message, then consider monitor calibration as an investment in your digital workflow, as much as SSD drives for storage, SD cards for capture, and extra batteries are for your camera.

Steve Anchell is an internationally published writer, award-winning photographer, and teacher with work exhibited in more than 61 exhibits. His next workshop, Delta Blues, October 3 to 10, coincides with the longest running blues festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival.

Steve has five books on photography published by Focal Press: The Darkroom Cookbook 5th Edition, The Film Developing Cookbook, Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera, The Variable Contrast Printing Manual, and Digital Photo Assignments.

The post Monitor Calibration for Photographers: Tips, Tricks, and Insider Advice appeared first on Adorama.