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Here is how Luminar and Photoshop Sky replacement tools compare

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I have tested Photoshop’s new sky replacement feature which yielded some very nice results. But, how does it compare with Luminar? Skylum was the first software developer to implement an AI algorithm that swapped a boring sky with a nice one with no effort. Of course, this has caused some controversy and plenty of discussion among photographers.

Skylum has kindly allowed us to test the beta version of the upcoming Luminar AI. I decided to pit the two pieces of software against each other. I did so with some challenging photos to see how they par and what are the differences if any.

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The Zhiyun Crane 2S is a powerful 3-axis gimbal that’s small enough to fit in a backpack

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I’m going to open this post with a very subjective, but completely honest, opinion. The Zhiyun Crane 2S (first look review here) instantly became my favourite gimbal as soon as I took it out of the box.  Ever. That’s it. Review over. Ok, not really review over, but it really has become my new go-to gimbal for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.

The Crane 2S is the followup to Zhiyun’s extremely popular Crane 2 (review here), launched in September 2017. Although already a very capable gimbal, the Crane 2S offers some very noticeable upgrades over its predecessor. So, let’s talk about those.

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Here is how Photoshop’s sky replacement handles a night photo

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A few days ago I tested Photoshop’s new Sky Replacement feature on a tricky waterfall image. Since Photoshop handled that challenge so well I, started wondering if the same “sky replacement” feature will work the same with a night photo. Well, actually, it was shot in the early morning in Jotunheimen, Norway. The sky, however, was shot in the evening that same day.

I was hanging with Dag Ole Nordhaug, testing the Samyang 18mm. We had some amazing scenery around us, but sadly very little going on in the skies. There were no clouds above, just low hanging clouds and fog rolling from the mountains. I had actually planned to trash the morning image, but when Photoshop released their latest update I changed my mind. It is very difficult to add a new sky to an image when fog and clouds bleed into the sky. How will the “new” Photoshop handle this challenge, I thought to myself. Let’s find out.

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The Insta360 ONE X2 has a touchscreen OLED UI, IPX8 waterproofing and longer battery life

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When Insta360 released the original Insta360 ONE X in 2018 (review here), it kind of shook things up for the pocket-sized 360 camera market. It shot 5.7K footage with pretty revolutionary, almost gimbal-like stabilisation with better dynamic range and more features through its smartphone app than just about any of its contemporaries at the time.

Well, today, Inta360 has announced an update with the launch of the new Insta360 ONE X2. I’ve been having a bit of play with one for the last couple of weeks, so let’s take a look at some of the changes, see how it differs from its predecessor and what I love about the new ONE X2.

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This drive holds 2 Terabytes and it’s the size of a credit card

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I remember when my office had a 10-Megabytes drive (Mega, with an M). It was (give or take) the size and weight of a car tire. A few weeks ago, I got the T7 SSD from Samsung. It is two Terabytes big and the size of a credit card. I feel old.

Not only does this drive boasts an impressive 2TB storage, but it also claims to run at read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s and writes at speeds up to 1,000 MB/s.  This is quite impressive, so, of course, we had to put it to the test.

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We have tested photoshop’s new sky replacement feature – here’s the verdict

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The major Photoshop upgrade of October came with several new features. For landscape, cityscape, and architectural photographers, the most interesting update is the Sky Replacement feature. Luminar has had this feature for about a year already, and finally, Adobe has caught up.

I have a rather tricky waterfall image shot on a gray day with a more or less blown out sky, and I am keen to test out the new feature on this image. How will Photoshop handle all the branches protruding into the sky? Will the algorithm recognize what is the sky part of the image? Blending a sky into this image by hand using masking techniques would most likely have been very time-consuming.

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We have tested lightroom’s new color grading tool – here is what we think

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In Lightroom’s newest iteration, Adobe has replaced the split toning tool with a brand new color grading tool. It is not only videographers who will benefit from a new and powerful color grading tool; it’s helpful for photographers. Landscape photographers have, for example, extensively use split toning to warm up highlights and add colder tones to the shadows.

I want to share a brief explanation of the various options the tool offers + reveal some hidden panels. I’ll also look at how hotkeys provide full control of the center points and knobs outside the color circles.

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Photocentra – taking a look at another photo sharing platform

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The photo-sharing platform Photocentra has been around a few years. A few weeks back, they reached out to me and asked if I could have a look, scout the platform and provide some feedback. They told me that they worked hard to improve the platform in order to reach a wider audience, so I said yes.  Their hope is to make Photocentra into an interesting alternative for those who are frustrated with the likes of 500px and Flickr.

I have used the platform daily lately. The images I upload look very nice on the site. It is even possible to enlarge them so that they cover the entire screen. I find that the platform is very fast and responsive. The layout is also very pleasing to the eyes.

Photocentra offers many pages where your images can be discovered and viewed. Your image starts out in All Photos. After the image has received a few ‘Recommendations’ it is also displayed in the Recommended section. If your work receives a sum total of fifty or more ‘Recommendations’ the image is considered Popular.

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The Zhiyun Smooth X is the ideal gimbal to be the centre of attention in your smartphone content

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The first smartphone gimbal I ever purchased was a Zhiyun Smooth C back in 2016. Smartphone gimbals have come a long way since then, particularly from Zhiyun. So today we’re going to be taking a look at the Zhiyun Smooth X folding smartphone gimbal.

It’s a 2-axis smartphone gimbal that offers some unique advantages over its competitors in this sector. Of particular note is its small size. This is one of the smallest smartphone gimbals I’ve seen when folded, and easily slips into a pocket. It also has a built-in selfie stick, allowing you to capture more of the scene in the shot when vlogging or travelling.

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The Hohem iSteady X is a great smartphone gimbal for vertical video social media users

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It’s been a while since I last had need of a smartphone gimbal. Ever since I switched to larger gimbals and DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, gimbals for smartphones weren’t high up on my list of priorities anymore.

Recently, however, I’ve found myself in possession of several, including the Hohem iSteady X 3-axis smartphone gimbal. So, in this review, we’re going to kick things off with that.

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