Hello All,
Here are my Notes from the SLO Bytes Photo Group Session of 04/11/2021
Notes from the Meeting of 04/11/2021
TOPIC: Black and White - Architecture The meeting took place via Zoom

In the First Segment, we saw images of architecture on-line from humble to haughty and then rendered in black and white.

Stanford Brown showed sharp images of ancient temples in Cambodia

The Second Session opened with Ralph Sutter showing chicken coops and local buildings first in full color and subsequently reduced to black and white.

Kaye Raul followed suit, sharing houses throughout the San Luis Obispo area.

Alan Raul opened with structures and vessels by the sea; Morro Bay, Port San Luis and Avila, along with driftwood shelters and the iconic Halcyon Temple of the People.
View Alan's pictures at https://www.365.acdsee.com/en/album/alan/2191366/

John Waller, using Photoshop, showed the different results to be achieved by first allowing Photoshop to transform color images to black and white and then manipulating custom color ranges for much different results. John used familiar sites for his transformations; the Santa Barbara Mission, Oceano Train Depot and the Arroyo Grande one room schoolhouse.

Bob Ward carefully edited a chicken coop before moving to the old ranch house beside Costco San Luis Obispo and finally applying several of Luminar AI's portrait tools to change the look of the subject.

Doug Depue introduced the group to iFun Screen Recorder, https://recorder.iobit.com/ using it for a video capture of content from Surfline.

Our next meeting will take place on May 16th pushed back one week by Mothers' Day falling on May 9th.
The topic is Color Please share images in which color stands out; not just color photographs but eye-catching images dominated by one or more colors. The meeting will take place via Zoom.

A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting
The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2021 is as follows
   May 16 (Mothers' Day falls on May 9th)
   June 13
   July 11
   August 8
   September 12
   October 10
   November 14
   December 12

Ralph Sutter

Hello All,
I just uploaded the April 2021 PUSH articles offered by SLO Bytes' parent organization, APCUG
View the Table of Contents at https://www.slobytes.org/push/push-condensed.html and
https://www.slobytes.org/push/0421/index.html
Ralph Sutter

Hello All,
Here are my Notes for the SLO Bytes Photo Group session of 03/14/2021
TOPIC: Perspective  The meeting took place via Zoom

In the First Segment, Alan Raul shared historical photos of San Diego Bay

Doug Depue documented erosion along Highway 1 above Cambria with numerous before and after images showing the changes wrought by water.

Bob Ward offered nostalgic photos of a sawmill near Shaver Lake, Laguna Lake emptied by drought and a young girl riding a turtle at Knotts Berry Farm

The Second Session opened with Ralph Sutter displaying common objects from uncommon angles.

Stanford Brown brought images of falling fences, curving paths and reflections on a wine glass

Alan Raul shared images of railroad tracks, walkways, bridges, staircases and a unknown tunnel in Pismo Beach. He also showed images of the Pismo Beach Pier in both color and black and white. His images were modified using Aurora HDR and Luminar Ai and are available to view at
http://www.365.acdsee.com/folders_public.php?profileid=1618852&folderid=2190592

Kaye Raul took us to Avila Beach for seascapes before moving inland to towers and skies below the Nipomo Mesa

John Waller strolled the Boardwalk from Grand Avenue toward Pismo Beach demonstrating the technique of foreshortening through his choice of lenses

In the final segment, Alan showed modifying an image in Aurora HDR and also converting the image to his preset black and white template.

Ralph closed out the meeting with a demonstration of the Historical Imagery feature of Google Earth Pro

Our next meeting will take place on April 11th.
The topic is Black and White Photography
For that meeting, Ralph uploaded a pair of color images, a .jpg and a raw image, inviting each member to convert them to black and white and share the results with the group at the April meeting.
Download them at https://www.slobytes.org/digital/images/sample-for-bw.jpg and https://www.slobytes.org/digital/images/sample-for-bw.RW2
The remainder of that meeting will be devoted to black and white images of architecture

The meeting will take place via Zoom.

A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting
The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2021 is as follows
   May 16 (Mothers' Day falls on May 9th)
   June 13
   July 11
   August 8
   September 12
   October 10
   November 14
   December 12

Ralph Sutter

Hello All
What follows is a re-post on Wednesday workshops offered this month by SLO Bytes' parent organization, APCUG.
Information regarding registration for these free events is included in the body.
Ralph Sutter

MARCH WORKSHOPS
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

March 10 – Macs vs PCs
March 17 – Linux
March 24 – Mailchimp
March 31 -  Backing Up
 
3/10/21
 
Macs vs Windows PCs registration
https://forms.gle/Q2gSX669NhobwX8QA
Registration closes at 11:30 pm (your time) on March 9.
 
MACS VS WINDOWS PCS
Join Larry for a presentation on MAC vs PC where he compares features and shows you the pros and cons of each.
 
Many of you are probably Windows users, but maybe you're a Windows user because that's what you have used all your life and probably have never considered anything else. But, there may come a day when you will be faced with the need to upgrade or get a new computer.
 
Larry will show you why you should consider leaving Microsoft Windows and go with an Apple product such as a MAC Mini, Macbook Pro laptop, or an integrated unit such as the iMac. 
•   Some of you will undoubtedly say that you don't want to learn a new operating system.
•   Some of you will dismiss alternatives as too expensive.
•   Some of you may fear the unknown because of having to learn something new.
•   Some of you will say there are Windows programs you have to have that you can't get on a MAC.
He hopes to dispel some of these myths as he explains the similarities between a MAC and a PC. Larry will show you that you can switch without it costing an arm and a leg as you may have thought.
 
Larry will give you compelling reasons why MAC PC's are easier to use, safer from virus’, and provide applications that are not bloated in size, saving you money on storage costs, not to mention the ease of transferring applications from one MAC to another or even that of transferring your Windows files using the built-in features in the MAC. He will also show you how backup and restoration of your files are made simple and, more importantly, testable so that should the day come that you need them, you can be assured they will work.
 
As a certified Microsoft Engineer with hundreds of Windows applications to his credit, he discovered the ease of using a MAC when he decided to write an iOS application for his iPhone. The only way to compile it was on a MAC PC, so he purchased his first MAC Mini in 2012 and after a short time using it, switched exclusively to using a MAC for all of his computer needs. Larry has never looked back but, as you will learn, there are ways to have your cake and eat it too by running a copy of your favorite Windows OS right on your MAC for those times when nothing but Windows will solve your problem.
 
________________________________________
 
3/17/21

Learning Linux #6 registration
https://forms.gle/CXMdjoGAEdtPzJoC9
This is the same link as the Linux #5 workshop in January; if you registered for that one you do not need to register again.
Registration closes at 11:30 pm (your time) on Tuesday, March 16.
 
SETTINGS AND FILES AND COMMANDS, OH MY
At the March Learning Linux workshop, we will cover a number of topics. First, we'll take a look at the differences between selected Distros and what they offer in terms of settings and preferences. Some distros give you a limited selection and others give you the kitchen sink.  Then we will present a Beginner's Guide to the Linux file structure, which varies a bit from what is found in Windows. Finally, we'll begin a series of presentations on Basic Commands for the Terminal for Beginners. Another session will be offered at the May workshop.
 
________________________________________
 
3/24/21
 
Mailchimp registration
https://forms.gle/p6aVaVy3mWnfjjEq9
Registration closes at 11:30 pm (your time) on March 23.
 
EASILY STAY IN TOUCH WITH YOUR MEMBERS WITH MAILCHIMP
Mailchimp is one of the most popular email marketing tools used for communicating with your group’s target market – members and prospective members. In this APCUG workshop, we will show how to utilize this free web-based app for sending information to your club or group. We will also show how to create a free account, build a mailing list, and develop an informational email for your members. The app has built-in templates to create compelling and interesting electronic messages, eBulletins, newsletters, and more. Our panel will share their experiences using Mailchimp and how they develop content for their messages. The Mailchimp team members are from the groups that won 1st place in the 2019 and 2020 eBulletin contests.
Bill James, VP, Computer Club of Oklahoma City
Deb Meisels, VP, Westchester PCUG, New York
Pierre Darmon, President, Westchester PCUG
 
________________________________________
 
3/31/21

Backing Up registration
https://forms.gle/5TzUVaPCgyrjK1Fg9
Registration closes at 11:30 pm (your time) on March 30.
 
IT IS WORLD BACK UP DAY ON MARCH 31, WE WILL BE TAKING THE PLEDGE 😉
 
HOW AND WHY TO BACK UP YOUR HARD DRIVE
Don’t lose any or all of your important data: documents, photos, music, or videos.
• Your computer could be hit by a virus.
• Ransomware could hold your files hostage.
• You should be prepared for a natural disaster
• Hard drives sometimes fail.
 
We will look at an overview of backing up your hard drive and your smartphone during this workshop. There will also be demonstrations of various back-up apps: Bob Gostischa will demo Aomei, Bill James will show us how the Windows 10 File History works, plus another (TBD) demos of backup programs. Maybe you will find the one for you!
 
Received from Judy Taylour
 
 




 

Hello All,
Here are my Notes from the Photo Group meeting of 02/14/2021

TOPIC: Close-up Photography  The meeting took place via Zoom
With this meeting, the Photography Group implemented the new meeting schedule shown above. It was successful with broad participation across all segments.

In the First Segment, Doug Depue provided numerous images of flowers and other objects from his portfolio.

John Waller led off the Second Segment with details of Big Falls, Little Falls, Nojoqui Falls, Salmon Creek and his pet dog.

Ralph Sutter showed thumbnail images found in his tutorial on creating a router jig for fluting screwdriver handles turned on a wood lathe.

Stanford Brown followed with closeups of pier planks, rusty nails and Toyon berries.

Bob Styerwalt continued sharing images of flowers, door hardware and several very sharp images of assorted items attached to a wall plaque.

Connie Sutter offered closeups of flowers and dog paws

Doug Depue chose coins, bolts, padlocks, lichens and ground squirrels

The Final Segment brought a discussion of the software editing program, Luminar AI.
Ralph showed his tutorial on Masking with Luminar AI; https://youtu.be/K44wbwinOEU and shared his Notes to Self on using the program; https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/luminar-ai-notes.docx

Sutter observed that Luminar AI does not offer layers, unlike Luminar 4. Various participants expressed their disappointment with this change.

John Waller demonstrated photo enhancement by color separation. He also showed images of frolicking dogs in overlapping freeze frame.

Finally, we investigated how to successfully share screens inside Zoom.  Several members were unable to do so.  After the fact, Ralph Sutter wrote a tutorial on screen sharing and posted it on this bulletin board at https://slobytes.org/smf/index.php/topic,538.0.html

Our next meeting will take place on March 14th.
The topic is Perspective; as defined by each member

A Zoom invitation will be e-mailed to Photo Group members shortly before the meeting
The meeting schedule for the remainder of 2021 is as follows
   April 11
   May 16 (Mothers' Day falls on May 9th)
   June 13
   July 11
   August 8
   September 12
   October 10
   November 14
   December 12

Ralph Sutter

Hello All.
This is a re-post of a message from APCUG, SLO Bytes Parent Organization

Ralph Sutter

FEBRUARY WORKSHOPS
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET

February 17, 2021

Quick and Easy Tips for Speaking in the Virtual World
Frank DiBartolomeo, President
DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC

Registration  https://forms.gle/Mu9TmwXF9HqCy3zC7
Registration closes at 11:30 pm (your time) on February 16   

Are you interested in giving online presentations or would you like to give a better online presentation? If so, this is the workshop for you.
 
Some of the topics Frank will cover are:
•   Virtual Communication Methods
•   Pros/cons of virtual communication
•   Practical Tips for virtual communication
•   Zoom video communication platform, and more
Frank DiBartolomeo is an award-winning speaker, speaking coach, and a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association (NSA). He has developed and honed his extensive public speaking abilities over his forty-year career, both in military service (retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel) and as a US Government contractor influencing military, US Government, and industry leaders in their national security decisions. In 2002, he was awarded Toastmasters International's highest individual award: Distinguished Toastmaster. In 2007, Frank started DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC. The DCI mission is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals through improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence.
 
________________________________________

February 24

Modems, Routers, and Wi-Fi
Bill James, APCUG Advisor, Region 8, Speaker Bureau Member, VP for the Computer Club of Oklahoma

Registration - https://forms.gle/vnh6VLkJVZCjA9ux9
Registration closes at 11:30 pm (your time) on February 23.
 
We all want fast, reliable, and secure Internet. This workshop will discuss the latest developments in modems and router hardware, buying and using your own equipment,  and best practices for setup and deployment. We will discuss Wi-Fi as the best option and how it fits into Home Automation; demystify terms like WPA, WiFi-6, 802.11, Ethernet, and DOCIS 3.1. We also discuss the pros and cons of using a professional tech service to solve our technical difficulties. If one or more of these topics piques your interest, then this 2-hour workshop is for you. We will conclude with a robust Q&A.
 

 
 
 
 
 



 



   



   










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Hello All,

John Kennedy’s Linux presentation for APCUG is now on line at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acNyObxGiZg&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=APCUGVideos

Ralph Sutter

Hello All,
Luminar AI; https://skylum.com/luminar-ai-b is commercial software for the photo editing enthusiasts.  It can be used stand-alone or as a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and associated programs.
Unlike Adobe, Luminar AI does not work in layers.  Instead, it uses masking to accomplish virtually the same thing.

Personally, I did not find creating a mask to be intuitive so when I managed to create a mask, I put together a short video, both as a memo-to-self and an aid to others.

View it on my web site at https://www.fullbean.com/tutorials/luminar-ai-masking.mp4 and on YouTube at https://youtu.be/K44wbwinOEU

Ralph Sutter