Netgear ReadyNAS 1100

When it comes to choosing network storage there are more options than I really care to consider before purchasing. It can be a huge investment however and I can personally recommend it as essential to anyone who stores a large number of images.
Compared to storing images on a USB drive connected directly to your computer, network storage allows you a range of additional facilities such as automated backup, shadow copying (automatically making multiple copies of the same file for backup purposes) and remote access, all without taking up resources on your computer.

In a medium to large scale enterprise storage system there are a huge number of factors to consider, especially cost. Some of these storage units can be £15-£20,000 each and that's before you add any hard drives. These units are simply controllers, dedicated computers designed to access huge volumes of data quickly and efficiently.

For the home office user, semi-pro or low budget pro there is a superb range of new options in terms of desktop storage. For my own particular needs I needed a low cost archival solution. This is for images that don't need accessed too often or too quickly. I don't need to spend a fortune on a system with multiple points of network connection to handle large loads, i.e. hundreds of users accessing the same images at the same time. I simply wanted disk space, and lots of it. I also have a rack unit (a box or tower designed to hold computers and other peripherals built in such a way that they take up small amounts of vertical space, such as the unit pictured above) so a rack mounted version was also required.

In 2007 NetGear released their ReadyNas units, cheap, Linux based machines designed specifically to give you storage space. Don't panic though, you don't have to understand or even use Linux to consider one of these units. Kepping Linux as their operating system NetGear have built a computer that has four slots for four hard drives in the front and a row of lights, one for each hard drive plus some more to show the status of the entire unit.
On the back is cooling fans, USB slots and network ports.

Despite the Linux basis Windows can see the files via My Network. In server editions of Windows you can point drives names to the ReadyNas units using Distributed File System but they can't be replicated automatically.

Out of the box you simply slide the unit into your rack (the desktop version simply sits on your desk) and you plug it into your network.
Add a keyboard and mouse (USB) and monitor (VGA) to the slots on the back and you're ready to go. Alternatively you can install the RAIDar software included in the box and access the unit remotely right away. Logging in using the default username and password you're presented with a wizard for setup. Beyond the wizards which setup just about everything for you the interface is very simple. It looks like a webpage and has every setup option you need including built-in backup options for adding an external USB drive. Note, you can't install additional software on these units so if your backup software requires a client version on the target drive you won't be able to use it. Instead you will have to rely on the backup options built into the ReadyNas control panel. If you use CA Arc Serve you will be able to target the drives for backing up without installing the Linux clients, saving you some licensing costs.

The early version of this interface had a few bugs, some of which requried a complete format and rebuild but the new versions of the software that have been released have cured all of these so far. The later units also have slightly improved interfaces and are faster to use.

I currently run 3 of these units, each differing slightly as time progressed but all updated to the latest version of software. Software updates are managed by the interface and downloaded directly to the unit making upgrades easy with little down time.

Access to the units is handled via 'RAIDar', a small software scanner which looks for ReadyNas units on your network and displays their current status and software version. From this software you can then enter the individual management console of the unit you want to work on.

A range of RAID options are available giving you peace of mind if you have the budget for the loss of storage. In a 2TB unit you'll actually get 1.33TB with RAID 5.

4TB units are now available and given the reduced costs of hard drives these are excellent low cost units for large storage volumes.
It is easy to fall into the trap of buying large scale storage and putting all of your images into it but don't forget to use these machines as second copies or easy access copies of your images.

Either buy two units and keep replica copies on each machine or go for tape backup. If you value your images, tape backup is expensive to setup but cheap to run. Once it's running a copy on tape and a copy on disk will give you peace of mind and fast access.
In the ideal solution you want a third copy, either a second tape or second disk. If recovery time is a major factor then a second disk is always faster than recovering from tape.
It's worth noting that the ReadyNas units have hot swappable disks and good tech support although phone queue times can be a little long.

Ultimately these units are easy to setup and use. They're not the fastest units for disk access but they're superb value for money if you need large storage quickly without requiring a degree in disk management.

Microsoft Digital Media Pro Keyboard

This is my third keyboard in two years (I wore the other 2 out) so I know I need a robust keyboard that won't install a pile of background tasks with the included software. I was also looking for a wired keyboard that didn't come bundled with a mouse. I'm quite picky about mice as the wrong one will quickly leave you with a sore hand from muscle cramp. I like the wireless mouse I have but the keyboard remains static so I don't need the hassle of changing batteries.

When it comes to choosing a keyboard buying online is quite difficult, you can't get a feel for the keys, how quickly they respond or the pressure required to make them work.

Previously I've had a Dell and Logitech keyboard in the office and several more in my home office so I wanted to be sure of getting the right one.

Lots of new innovations are available for the photo editor from dedicated image editing functions to Photoshop quick keys but as I have the main functions for Photoshop mapped to my Wacom Tablet I don't need the extended functions on the keyboard. Ultimately I need something hard wearing and comfortable for 10 hours a day use. Anything else is simply a bonus.
Budget is also a consideration as I don't expect the keyboard to last more than one year I don't want to be spending much over £50 on it.

Out of the box the keyboard is chunky, it's not massive on the desk but it's certainly not cut tight around the keys. This is good in that it doesn't slide around the desk. The removable wrist rest is a good height giving relief the wrist tendons during long periods of typing or using quick keys and the keys themselves are light and responsive but make a sufficient 'tapping' sound to let you know you've hit the key without annoying co-workers.

The keyboard features a few extras including a slide bar, volume controls, media controls, 5 mappable keys, 7 quick keys for common software applications and the F keys are dual function, working with the majority of Windows applications.

The dual function of the F keys is useful for desktop work such as e-mailing or MS Word but in Photoshop the F keys themselves are used frequently for Actions so I rarely use the secondary option.

The sliding bar is mapped to the zoom function but is useful only when your cursor is already on another tool, the crop tool for example, you can't deselect the crop tool without cancelling or applying the current crop so the sliding bar is handy to move in or out.
The sliding bar has only one setting though so when you push the bar to the top it springs back to the centre, this is one zoom change, push again to zoom again. This makes it a last resort for zooming, especially when you compare it to the likes of the tablet where sliding your finger up the bar is like a laptop control pad giving you tiny or large levels of zoom change depending on how quickly you move your finger.

The 7 quick keys are My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, Mail, Web/Home, Messenger and Calculator. This can be remapped but their names are printed under the buttons.
5 more buttons simply number 1-5 are available at the top. These can be favourite websites or in my case additional applications like Skype and Nokia Phone Manager. With extra room around the keys you can also add your own stickers (not included).

Ultimately this keyboard has lasted me well so far, is rugged but easy on the hands. It's not the most futuristic looking or stylish keyboard but it will get the job done and at under £20 it's superb value.

Note: this is a USB keyboard with a wire.

The Photoshop Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby

It was some time before I realised that Scott Kelby was quite so 'big'. I had also thought this was the first book of his I had read but it turns out Scott is something of a celeb in the Photoshop world.

I initally bought his book to see if there was something I was missing in terms of how other pros use Photoshop when editing images but I quickly realised his books are much more than simple how-to examples with well chosen images.

As a quick background, Scott Kelby is a professional photographer and picture editor, he's also the author of the official Adobe Photoshop CS4 Classroom in a Book, the 'manual' for learning Photoshop before doing the exams. His training company, Kelby Training hosts a huge range of course material and he's also the President of NAPP where he advises regularly to members via videos, news and tutorials. To top it all off he's also the Editor-in-Chief of Nikon's Capture User magazine and Editor-in-Chief of Mac Design magazine.

His writing is clear, easy to follow and includes all of the necessary steps to professionally editing your images. Unlike many tutorial books there is a real sense of 'having done it before' rather than simply explaining how to do it. You quickly get the impression Scott has edited images this way himself commercially and it has worked well for him.

He's also not afraid to quote other Photoshop users and credit them with editing techniques he's borrowed, something else lacking in many books. This combination of bringing techniques together and real world experience makes his book a must for your library.

Each tutorial is grouped into chapters based on either the Photoshop tool or the type of image you're trying to edit. The tutorials are also then divided into two where there is a simple and complex way of producing the effect you're after. This combination makes the table of contents a very quick and easy source of reference for the tutorial you're after.
If you have all weekend to work on one wedding portrait for example, portrait retouching is explained in great detail with step-by-step photos. Equally if you need to e-mail a photo quickly the short version of the tutorial will get the job done in a few minutes, it won't have the same beautiful finish as the complex route but it's definitely ten steps beyond the original image and sufficiently good looking to impress your clients and family.

The book itself is comprehensive covering a wide range of topics, tools and image types, certainly more than enough for the beginner or intermediate user. If you're after a huge array of special effects or a special focus on weddings for example this is not for you, but if you need a starting point for editing your photos, a quick reference to improving your shots or some ideas for creative editing then it's a superb book and easy to read, not too technical but you'll definitely learn something.

Notes
This is general guide to digital editing but it's firmly based in Photoshop, not Elements. It is also quite an old book (2003) but it's still perfectly relevant. If you want a more up-to-date version however Scott has a book out for digital editing in Photoshop CS4:

HP L2245w Monitor

I've worked on LaCie monitors for a long time due to their colour calibration properties. Screen colour correction is one of the most important elements in graphics work so every colour I edit must be 100% accurate when preparing for print. Preparing for digital output however, there is a lot more leeway when it comes to colour accuracy.

Ideally I want every colour represented perfectly but the moment the image leaves my screen for the newspaper, magazine or client the picture will appear different on their screen. Ultimately the printer at their end will edit the image to suit their particular printing methods and styles anyway but if I'm in the right area they will have little or no work to do.

I started out by adding a HP LP1965 as a secondary monitor but quickly found the colour to be excellent and following the demise of my old LaCie I replaced it with the much cheaper HP model. For screen size I quickly upgraded to the HP L2245w and kept the LP1965 as a secondary screen.

For ease of setting up the L2245w is quick and easy to connect. It comes with a range of software including 'tilt and turn' drivers which run a small program in the background to allow me to rotate the screen and have the applications running rotate to suit.
I quickly found this unneccessary and a drain on background resources so I uninstalled it again.

The base of the monitor is heavy and is designed as a tray which is handy for all those desk items that roll around like batteries and memory sticks. The supporting arm moves smoothly and easily but the screen can be set at exactly the height you choose without any tightening or adjustment of the arm itself, you simply push the screen up or down to suit.
While the screen doesn't tilt forward too far it does go left, right and background ensuring you can get comfortable and avoid glaring lights around you.

If the screen is low to the desk and you reach underneath it you will quickly find yourself hitting the menu buttons, bringing up the on screen menu but this isn't an issue to worry about, I think it says more about my desk space than anything.

The monitor menu (OSD) is quick and fairly easy to use although if you're making a lot of changes it can be a little tiresome to keep going through each option in the menu to get to the exit button.
You can choose the location of the OSD within the menu which is necessary when using a colour meter that attaches to the front of the screen.

Colour calibration is quite good in that you can adjust the RGB channels separately but unlike the high end monitors the range is limited so you may not be able to adjust the channels to keep a colour meter happy.

This is where I resorted to a default of 6500k and let the software of the colour meter do the rest. With the high end monitors you get much more control over the channel range giving you precise colour calibration but equally you can expect to pay around £1000 for a LaCie or more for an Eizo.
The picture is noticably different but if you don't need 100% colour calibration then the facility simply doesn't justify the price. At around £160 direct from HP the L2245w is a superb screen, bright clear and easy to manage on your desk. The menu is a little slow to work through when you're making a lot of changes but once you're setup you won't have to refer back to until your next calibration.

When viewing the screen, brightness and colour don't change dramatically depending on your viewing height so it's quite good for viewing images while editing. Side to side it's not great but this isn't a big issue unless you're getting several people around the screen. In this case the 22" size will allow them all to step back and look over your shoulder.

With a screen resolution of 1680x1050 and a refresh rate of 5ms it's not bad for games but certainly not top of the range. For working with large images, it's a bright and clear screen and easy to use.

Connections are DVI and D-Sub plus 2 USB. The DVI is HDCP compliant so you can play protected Blu-Ray content. The USB ports are a bit fiddly to reach so they're only useful for mainstay items like a card reader or USB speakers.

Lastly, the screen has a power saving function so you can power down the monitor without interrupting workflow by keeping Windows Power Saving turned off.

All in all it's a great screen for the price. You won't have full colour control for high end imaging but with the price you can't complain. It will leave you with plenty of room for tool bars and when combined with a second smaller monitor it's superb for large screen viewing and editing.

Specifications
Display Size: 22in
Resolution: 1,680 x 1,050
Display technology: TN
Brightness: 300cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 1000:1
Response time: 5ms
Connections: DVI, D-Sub, 2x USB
Adjustments: Tilt, height, pivot, rotate
Dimensions (W x D x H): 20.3 x 11.9in x 14.6in
Power consumption: 65W (max), 2W standby
Speakers: No
Warranty: 3yrs on site
Security: Kensington lock
VESA mounting: Yes

Wacom A4 Graphics Tablet

The graphics tablet is one of the most common post production tools in digital editing. A well established name in graphics tablets, Wacom have a reputation for quality products.

Included in the purchase was the tablet, mouse, pen and pen holder.

Originally I thought the tablet would be very easy to use, just like drawing with a pen on paper but it really did take some getting used to. The pen is quite sensitive but once you've had a little practice it's an extremely fast and accurate way to work on images. Included with the tablet is the appropriate software and drivers including sensitivity options so you can customise the feel of the pen and mouse to suit your style of work.

Used by graphic artists and designers, tablets give you back that feeling of control over your artwork that you lost with the mouse. While I can draw, paint and edit very quickly with the mouse, the pen and tablet mouse give you much more control.
Personally I've customised my inputs (mice & pen) to give me increasing levels of control. My normal desktop mouse will move the cursor 20 pixels at a time allowing me to move the cursor quickly around my dual screens.
The tablet mouse will move the cursor 5 pixels at a time, which is great for closeup work like editing eyes or general painting and colouring.
Finally the pen moves one pixel at a time giving me 100% precision, excellent with the pen tool or tiny details.

The tablet mouse is quite surprising in that it is wireless and requires no batteries. It works entirely by touch on the surface of the tablet, as does the pen.

One of the big benefits of the pen are the pressure options, included in Photoshop. By increasing pressure on the pen you increase the amount of ink, paint or other tool output. For example, choosing a brush and turning on 'pressure' in the brushes tool box you can hold the pen in one spot and watch the paint 'flow' off the brush, just like it would bleed on real paper.

This can be a superb way of building up layers of colour, makeup on a models face, hair highlights or working with masks quickly opens up all sorts of new possibilities.
One thing to note is that the pen cannot be rotated to a brush that isn't round cannot be turned just by turning the pen. An additional pen is available with the rotate function built in but it's pricey.

To increase your workflow speed the tablet includes 3 matching buttons and a 'slide bar' on each side of the tablet suiting both left and right handed people. These buttons can be customised to suit your working needs.
The slide bar is most often set at the zoom function and simply sliding your finger up and down the bar controls the zoom level. The other buttons can be ALT, SHIFT, CTRL or any other key you choose but when matched up with the most common tool you'll use, e.g. the brush they're invaluable time savers.

If you do a lot of painting, changing the slide bar to the brush size control can be useful but not very accurate.

When you combine the tablet with a media keyboard you'll find yourself capable of setting up a very fluid workflow for editing and manipulating images. All in all the Wacom tablet is a superb piece of kit I can highly recommend.

Pros

• Easy to install
• Customisable
• Good build quality giving a long life
• Wide range of sizes to match monitors and desk sizes
• Improves speed of work and precision
• Wide range of pens available for specific applications
  

Cons

• Gets dirty fairly easily (cotton gloves with the index finger and thumb cut off will reduce hand grease on the work surface)
• Quite pricey initially but will definitely last for years
• A4 is the minimum size I would recommend, A5 and A6 are too small to comfortably work on for long periods
• Additional pens are expensive