Not every text editor has a spell checker. But this is not a reason to give up your favorite text editor: Type Pilot will allow you to create a spell checker and use it wherever you want: in any text editor, mailing program, web browser etc.

What Type Pilot actually does is automatically replace any word with a phrase or a paragraph. So if you tell it to replace a misspelled word with a correct one, it will become a spellchecker!

Here are the steps you should take:

1) Download, install and start Type Pilot.

2) Download the Autocorrect file. This file contains 926 entries of misspelled words and their correct spellings.

3) Double-click the downloaded autocorrect.phr file to import the words into Type Pilot. The AutoCorrect folder will appear in the program.

4) Now you can type in any text editor. Type Pilot will be looking over your typing to see if there are any misspelled words. It will automatically correct them.

If you use a different language, you can use this tutorial to export Microsoft Autocorrect from MS Office into Type Pilot.

Type Pilot – main page

Humans perceive most information visually. We process thousands of images in our lifetime. Their number has dramatically increased with the gaining popularity of Internet technologies. Image files on the web and our personal devices exist in various formats.

Each format is optimized for a particular purpose. Some pictures serve the needs of online users. The others get printed and turn into material objects, such as clothes, books, etc. The variety of formats helps us make images look exactly how they are meant to. Selecting the best-fitting image format is a prerequisite for a first-class customer experience, be it online or offline.

For non-graphic designers, this article will shed light on some basics of image formatting. For professionals from the industry, it might bring several insights into never-ending debates about the most comfortable and flexible image formats. So, if you’ve ever thought about becoming a photo editor (that, by the way, is often done remotely and gives you much freedom and flexibility), it could be a robust introduction to the topic. We’ve put together a brief guide on the pros and cons of RAW and JPEG formats. When should you use them, and what purposes do they serve?

What is JPEG?

Saving the picture on your device, you will most likely discover that its format is JPEG. It is the first and the most common format photographers use to store digital images. Its popularity can be traced back to the time of early Internet times when small sizes of photos were a thing. To download and transfer image files faster, users had to sacrifice the quality of the picture.

Why is JPEG still popular? The time of the slow Internet is long gone. Yet, this format is still popular due to pretty much the same reasons. People have started producing way more visual content and actively using mobile devices. The latter can’t process visuals as effectively as computers do. The abundance of images requires some compression. For example, photographers, bloggers, and publishers from various media prefer JPEG because it ensures quick loading and better access to content.

Therefore, JPEG files are compatible with all possible types of software, applications, and browsers. Yet, while being a space-saver, this format seriously limits the quality of images. As a result, posterization occurs, i.e. loss of smooth color transition. If you want people to comprehend the whole abundance of color and shades, you need an alternative.

What is RAW?

“Baby, don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt me, no more”, – that is exactly what your fresh stunning photo of the wild nature or a monumental building would have said if they had been able to speak. Indeed, saving pictures in this format doesn’t hurt their quality at all. Jokes aside, a RAW file is a viable solution if you want to leave your image uncompressed and unprocessed. Nothing gets lost because the RAW format can store and biggest amount of details. Professional photographers usually edit such high-quality images using various Photoshop modifications. They usually improve white and color balances, exposure, and other settings. However, the picture ultimately gets resized and compressed because otherwise, it will take an eternity to download it.

RAW files keep all the details of the photo. It adds much work while editing. Yet, you present the fullest picture to the audience. The secret behind such high-quality images is the number of colors RAW files can contain, millions more than are available for JPEG images. Also, you don’t lose this quality and diversity of colors when compressing the image. Specialists easily modify contrast, color, brightness, and gamma correction in RAW files.

However, large sizes of pictures require additional storage space. Not every software can read the RAW files. Converting process takes more time than usual. Before sharing the files, one has to compress them. Without the necessary software, it, again, may take much time. Judging by the characteristics, the RAW format is a better fit for professionals who value freedom and flexibility while processing images.

Here is a point when we need to introduce another feature of this format. Don’t forget that each manufacturer has its own RAW format, and in addition, RAW has its own modification for each camera model. Therefore, to work with the RAW format, it is better to use programs from the manufacturer of the photo camera. To be able to process images in different programs, it is recommended to convert them to the most common formats, such as JPG. Again, we see that working with RAW format requires more.

RAW VS JPEG. WHAT IS BETTER?

Having acquainted with RAW and JPEG formats, we conclude that they can both be of great service, however, for different purposes. Professionals, as well as amateurs, benefit from the unprecedented quality of RAW files and the adaptability of the JPEG ones.

Nowadays, more devices (including smartphones) can record raw photos. This feature makes the RAW format more available. Yet, due to the lack of literature and the necessity to process such pictures every time, many photographers still prefer good old JPEG alternatives. Shooting in RAW format is not enough. You have to get exposure correct and possess some sophisticated editing instruments and artsy filters.

The size is another pain point. If one doesn’t have enough storage space, working with huge files might put you in trouble and slow down your personal device. Another problem is timing. On one hand, if you’re a professional photographer who produces several brilliant rare pictures, shooting RAW is your choice because it helps expose all the beauty and complexity of the picture.

On the other hand, if you must take dozens of photos every day (for example, working as a sports photographer and filming people in motion), JPEG is undoubtedly better. Thus, the whole debate over the formats is rather a discussion which one can be a one-size-fits-all solution. The answer is simple: none. Their use strongly depends on the ultimate purpose of shooting, your professional background, and technical support. Therefore, you have to answer this question yourself. Don’t hesitate to experiment!

Author: Glenn Corvera

“If you, an artist, the one who cannot manage figures,
you look like an orator who cannot manage words.”
Leonardo da Vinci

Photography Composition – Your Photo as a Story

What is a photograph? It is a story. What is a story? It is is a series of sentences connected to each other. The same is true about photography. To create a photograph, it is not enough just to take an image of something. The first impression from a photograph is determined by the composition balance of an image.

To increase the expressiveness of your digital pictures, apply the picture composition rules while taking the photos or modeling their edges.
 

Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is based on the fact that the human eye is naturally drawn to a point about two-thirds up a page. Crop your photo so that the main subjects are located around one of the intersection points rather than in the center of the image:

Your landscapes will be optimally pleasing to the eye if you apply the Rule of Thirds when you place your horizon line. If the area of interest is land or water, the horizon line will usually be two-thirds up from the bottom. Alternately, if the sky is the area of emphasis, the horizon line may be one-third up from the bottom, leaving the sky to take up the top two-thirds of the picture:

Golden Section Rule

It has been found that certain points in a picture’s composition automatically attract the viewer’s attention. Similarly, many natural or man-made objects and scenes with certain proportions (whether by chance or by design) automatically please us. Leonardo da Vinci investigated the principle that underlies our notions of beauty and harmony and called it the Golden Section. Long before Leonardo, however, Babylonian, Egyptian, and ancient Greek masters also applied the Golden Section proportion in architecture and art.

To get a clearer sense of these special “Golden” composition points, imagine a picture divided into nine unequal parts with four lines. Each line is drawn so that the width of the resulting small part of the image relates to that of the big part exactly as the width of the whole image relates to the width of the big part. Points where the lines intersect are the “golden” points of the picture:

Diagonal Rule

One side of the picture is divided into two, and then each half is divided into three parts. The adjacent side is divided so that the lines connecting the resulting points form a diagonal frame. According to the Diagonal Rule, important elements of the picture should be placed along these diagonals:

Linear elements, such as roads, waterways, and fences placed diagonally, are generally perceived as more dynamic than horizontally placed ones:

Tips for Beginners

• Hold your camera at the main object’s level. Taking a picture from above or below brings in the photo an element of exertion.
• Ordinarily, the main source of light should be placed behind you. To take a picture with the light between you and the object is the task for a specialist.
• Use a dark background for taking a picture of a light object, or, alternatively, a light background for doing so of a dark object. Note though, that the absolutely white background causes flare effect that leads to reducing the contrast of a taken picture.
• When the main object of an image is located on the long shot, the whole image will look better if the foreground objects will be taken into the image as well.
• A space in a shot should be reserved in front of an actually or potentially moving object.
• Don’t be afraid of breaking rules! As Edward Weston said, “Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk.”

The Two Pilots team wishes you having excellent photos!

See our line of digital photo software.

Documents taken by a mobile phone camera often have perspective distortions:

Perspective Pilot, with its “Perspective correcton on reference lines” tool will help you to correct the photographed document. Open the image in the program. Select “Perspective correcton on refernce lines” tool from the Tools panel.

To achieve better results, apply this tool several times.

1. Draw a line along a text string in the middle of the document. After you release the mouse button, the program will rotate the image accordingly:

2. Now, specify the border line of the left edge of the paper:

3. Specify the border line of the top edge of the paper:

4. Specify the border line of the bottom edge of the paper:

The perspective distortion is corrected. Before and after:

– Perspective Pilot main page –

If your profession is somehow related to real estate floor plans, our software Perspective Pilot might help you a lot. In particular if you use to make photos of floor plans. Architectural drawings that are photographed usually come with distortion:

Perspective Pilot, with its “Four-points perspective correction” tool will help you to correct the floor plan. Open the image in the program. Select “Four-points perspective correction” tool from the Tools panel and point the four corners of the largest distorted rectangle in the image:

Click the “Apply” button. Result:

– Perspective Pilot main page –

Sometimes we need to change orientation of a JPG image. One simple way is just to rotate it in an image editor. However, in this process your JPG image needs to be re-encoded. As a result, your image losses quality.

The other way to change orientation is to change EXIF metadata of a photo. In this process, no re-encoding is required.
 

How edit orientation meta tag in Exif Pilot:

1. Open Exif Pilot.

2. Browse to select your JPG image.

3. Select the “Exif” tab, go to the “Image” section and find “Orientation”:

4. Double-click on “Orientation”. In the opened window, select one of the options:

5. Click OK.

You’ve managed it to rotate JPG without loosing quality.
 

Example from our user:

 
“Just wanted to say thank you for creating Exif Pilot. I was trying to do a pano stitch and 1 NEF image was showing as oriented the wrong way. This meant that Capture One could not create the pano at all. Exif Pilot fixed it and the pano works great.”

Bill Boswell
 
 
 

Exif Pilot lets you edit about 7600 different image meta tags. With Exif Pilot & Batch Editing Plug-in, you can change orientation of a JPG image or edit any other meta tag in a batch mode. More about Exif Pilot…