When you’re out and about with nothing but your iPhone and come upon a striking scene, this tutorial from the iPhone Photography School provides the “exact blueprint” for capturing breathtaking imagery. It’s all about choosing the appropriate camera and app settings so you never miss a great opportunity again.

Today’s instructor Tom is a professional photographer who says he often shoots with his iPhone and achieves impeccable results. He kicks off the episode with this promise: “Whether you’re capturing sunsets, portraits, landscapes, or everyday moments we guarantee that you’ll never see your photos the same way again.” In other words, no more missed opportunities.

Tom uses his new iPhone 15 Pro to demonstrate the camera settings he recommends, but much of what you’ll learn applies to older devices as well. He also explains several key settings on Apple’s iPhone Camera app that will assist you in creating incredible imagery.

Along the way you’ll gain a better understanding of the best formats for different type of shots, and how to choose between high-efficiency and JPEG formats to save space without sacrificing quality. He also explains the concept behind ProRaw and how to employ this mode to for unparalleled image quality and post-processing flexibility.

There’s more to this lesson than camera and app settings, however, because Tom also reveals other camera tools and shooting techniques. He provides very helpful advice on composition that will enable you to frame your shots perfectly every time.

Tom ignores the iPhone’s video capabilities in this lesson and concentrates solely on configuring the phone for still photography. These options appear lower down on the Camera Settings page. Tom says that Format settings are extremely valuable because “it’s where you control “massively important” image characteristics like Resolution.

Resolution is particularly key because of the small sensors in your phone, as compared to those in the “real camera you left at home. You’ll also see how Tom shoots in Raw and the techniques he employs to edit these files for maximum impact.

Another important discussion has to do with the iPhone’s Preserve Settings feature. This is because it’s one thing to configure the camera, and quite another to save your settings so that they’re always at your fingertips for every shot.

The foregoing is just one small taste of the all the “essential” iPhone and app settings covered in the video, so be sure to watch until the end. Then take  look at the iPhone Photography School YouTube channel where you’ll find a wealth of tips and tricks for improving your mobile photography.

Leica just announced the Leica SL3, the third model in their storied SL series of mirrorless cameras. Shutterbug was given access to a not-quite-final sample for several days. Here’s our report and a small gallery of images we captured.

Featuring a new hybrid autofocus system, new GUI, CFexpress Type B compatibility, IP54 certification and an 18% beefier battery, the new Leica SL3 wildly eclipses its predecessor and somehow manages to weigh in more than 10% lighter — 26.8 ounces vs 29.6 (762 g vs 838).

It also boasts significantly enhanced video capability (C8K), expanded ISO range from ISO 50 to 100,000 (native is ISO 100), optimized ergonomics and Leica’s now-familiar CMOS sensor with Triple-Resolution Technology (60/36/18 megapixel). Wow. That’s s lot to unpack. And the price? Same as the Leica SL2.

Key Features
Full-frame BSI CMOS sensor
User-selectable resolution 60, 36 or 18 megapixels
ISO 50-100,000 (base ISO is 100)
Hybrid AF system (PDAF + Contrast Detection + Object Detection)
Maestro IV signal processor with 8GB buffer memory
15-stop dynamic range (per Leica)
5-axis body-integral image stabilization (5-stop efficacy)
DNG, JPEG and DNG+JPEG

New and much more intuitive graphical user interface
Up to 8K video HEVC (.h265) and ProRes
CFexpress Type B and SD UHS II slots
Full-size HDMI 2.1 Type A interface
USB-C interface
Timecode interface

Tiltable high resolution backlit LCD
5.76 million dot OLED EVF
IP 54 Certification
New 2200mAh battery (BC-SCL6)
High speed connectivity (Bluetooth 5.1 + Wi-Fi 2×2 MMO)
Compatible with Leica Fotos 4.4
Leica L-mount
Optional DC Coupler and double charger
Optional new handgrip
Lighter weight vs SL2 (26.8 ounces, 762 grams)
Made in Germany

Price & Availability
The Leica SL3 is available now from Leica Stores and authorized Leica Dealers for $6995.

For a deep dive into the significance of the IP54 certification, check our detailed explanation here: Is Your Weather Resistant, Splashproof, Waterproof Camera Impervious to Water & Dust?

Click to read Shutterbug’s review of the Leica SL2 from 2019 and the original Leica SL from 2015.

Image Quality
At the end of the day, the image is what matters most. Since the sample we borrowed did not have final firmware, we did not conduct a review-level field test. That said, we did capture a couple hundred images. A few examples are found below. All were captured using a Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH zoom lens ($2,895).

Look for our full review in the near future.

GALLERY

 

 

 

 

 

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In a surprise announcement, Nikon is acquiring the cinema camera manufacture RED, one of the foremost professional cinema camera companies today, and making it one of their subsidiaries. Nikon says that this decision will help with “accelerating expansion in [the] professional digital cinema camera market.”

If you’re new to Photoshop’s Gradient tool the tutorial below is just what you’ll need, because you’ll learn everything you need to know for putting this technique to use. There’s also something valuable for those already familiar with Gradients; namely the two new modes that are important to understand.

Instructor Brendan Williams begins with an overview of why and how to employ Gradients to enhance the photos you capture. He covers a lot of ground in just 11 minutes so we suggest taking a few notes. By the time you’re done watching you’ll know why Williams prefers the Classic Gradient to the other mode for most (but not all) of his edits.

To create a Gradient in Photoshop the first thing you need to do is find the tool, and Williams illustrates where it resides. Then you’re faced with a couple of options, the Gradient mode and the Classic Gradient mode. He begins with the former and explains how to create a Gradient at the most basic level with a simple click-and-drag approach.

He explains it like this: “wherever you click first defines the starting point for the first color in your Gradient, and wherever you cursor ends up after dragging defines the end point of the Gradient; namely, your second color.” In his example the Gradient is black on the left, white on the right, with other shades in between. You’ll also see how to choose specific colors if monochrome isn’t what you want.

So what’s the difference between the aforementioned Gradient mode and the Classic Gradient option? With the former you can actively adjust all of the settings relating to your Gradient even after it was applied to the canvas. As you’ll see, this isn’t the case when using the Classic Gradient.

When enabling this mode you’ll notice that that a few additional settings become active. Moreover, in the Classic mode Lightroom applies a Gradient to whatever layer is active in the Layers panel. Now when you click-and-drag things look appear differently than they did with the initial approach described above.

Williams walks you through a straightforward, step-by-step process for unlocking the power of Lightroom’s Classic Gradient mode so you’ll understand which approach works best for the specific image at hand. Throughout the video he provides helpful keyboard shortcuts and explains how to obtain his free Gradient cheat sheet for future reference,.

Once you’re done watching pay a visit to Williams’s instructional YouTube channel and explore everything he has to offer.

We also suggest watching a tutorial we posted recently from another image-editing expert who demonstrates why Photoshop’s new Layers feature is a gamechanger for users of all skill levels.