Learn With Betsy

Blow Up 3 Photo Enlargement Plug-In for Photoshop

Betsy Finn — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:10:17 +0000

I finally got a chance to explore Alien Skin Software‘s new release of Blow Up. I have to say, I’m impressed! The interface has gotten much nicer, and is simpler to understand. And, I’ve been told the image quality is even sharper than the previous version. “Our best achievement in Blow Up 3 is image [...]

Inkling by Wacom

Betsy Finn — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:24:41 +0000

I got to test drive Wacom’s newest product, the Inkling… see my review over at Professional Photographer. It’s a nifty device that records your pen strokes (e.g. drawing or text), allowing you to download the images onto your computer!

Nook Simple Touch

Betsy Finn — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:00:40 +0000

Over Christmas, I acquired a new toy that actually has me putzing around on the computer less! While I may still be looking at a screen, the Nook Simple Touch doesn’t really feel like it. The e-ink screen definitely is more reminiscent of a physical book. As an avid reader, I anticipate my Nook will [...]

Babywearing = Mobility for the Working Mother

Betsy Finn — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 00:08:58 +0000

Since the little one arrived, I’ve been finding new ways to be productive, and learning how to get things done effectively while juggling my baby’s needs. One of the techniques I’ve found most helpful has been babywearing. My little guy is very well-behaved, but he is such a social butterfly… he’s not too happy to [...]

PicktureThat! Bracelet Review

Betsy Finn — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:18:15 +0000

I recently stumbled upon a neat website that offers photo bracelets…. PicktureThat! The bangle bracelets are a bit chunkier than I personally would wear, so once I ordered a sample bracelet (pictured at right), I lent it to someone with more “style” so she could try it on for size. She got a lot of [...]

CollageWall – Easy to Install!

Betsy Finn — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 02:44:19 +0000

I recently reviewed Bay Photo’s CollageWall for Professional Photographer magazine. The floating collage display piece was actually very easy to install — I think it may have taken me longer to write my review than it took to put the CollageWall up on my wall! The CollageWall by Bay Photo has a patent-pending hanging system [...]

ExamDiff Pro: A Visual Directory and File Comparison Tool

Betsy Finn — Tue, 24 May 2011 11:49:31 +0000

The time finally came this year for me to replace both hard drives on my PC. No, I didn’t experience a data loss, and there was no catastrophe… It’s just after five years of wear and tear, I could tell that my hard drives were no longer “up to speed” with the latest technology. Plus, [...]

X-Keys Product Review

Betsy Finn — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:29:22 +0000

Check out my review of X-Keys over at PPmag.com. The keyboard is very flexible to program and I’ve found it helpful in increasing my workflow efficiency. X-keys Professional, from P.I. Engineering, is a 58-key customizable keyboard; straight out of the box, it might look unassuming. But that’s the beauty of it—you can customize X-keys to [...]

Book Review: Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers

Betsy Finn — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:13:26 +0000

I recently reviewed Photoshop CS5 for Nature Photographers, by Ellen and Josh Anon. Check out the full review over at Professional Photographer: Practical Photoshop Instruction for Nature Photographers Is Applicable for All. The goal of this book is to provide photographers with an easy and efficient workflow. With that in mind, the Anons discus workflow, [...]

Kubota Creative Tools :: Lensbaby Pak

Betsy Finn — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 13:49:03 +0000

If you rely on Lensbaby lenses for any of your photography work, then you may want to look into Kubota Creative Tools — the Lensbaby Pak. I recently tested out these filters for PPmag.com, and while I’m not the type to incorporate Lensbaby images into my normal client work — the Kubota actions did do [...]