Posts filed under ‘PhotoLite’
Updates Released
Important updates to PhotoLite, PhotoStage and PhotoSpin have been released.
Version 1.2.2 of PhotoLite and PhotoStage implements the following changes:
- Revises internal channel protocols for PhotoLite, PhotoStage and PhotoSpin so that each product now communicates via separate internal channels. This change allows you to rez PhotoLite, PhotoStage or PhotoSpin within close proximity of each other without causing conflicts between products when controlling lights, effects, gazers or backdrops. (Formerly, you would have had to set each product to different channels to avoid conflicts. This is no longer required. However, if rezzing multiple instances of the same product, you will still need to set each instance to it’s own channel, as usual. See Settings in the User’s Manuals for details.)
- Changes the term “gaze point” to “gazer” on all relevant components (menus, HUD, gazers) for PhotoLite and PhotoStage.
- Resets the default rez points for lights, effects and gazers, so that each type now rezzes at a different vertical position.
- Refreshes the appearance of the HUD with new panel backgrounds and top logo.
Version 1.2.1 of PhotoSpin implements the following changes:
- Revises internal channel protocols (see above).
- Improves update functionality.
To update your product, please click on the Control Box or Sphere to open the Main Menu, select Options, and then click Update. The new version for your product should arrive within a few moments. If you have any questions, please contact Serenity Mercier inworld via IM or notecard, or by email serenitymercier@shaw.ca.
Latest Update Includes PhotoStand II
The latest update for PhotoLite, PhotoStage and PhotoTools Pro has just been released. The new version 1.1.5 includes the redesigned PhotoStand II.
PhotoStand II comes loaded with features that make it a breeze to find the perfect camera angle, including nifty spin controls that let you spin your model continuously in either direction, using three different speed settings. The newly added HUD makes controlling the PhotoStand II quick and easy.
Also included are a set of eight new poses designed exclusively for AMS by Helianthus Mesmer of :::sunflower poses:::
The new :::sunflower poses::: brilliantly complement the 52 poses from the earlier PhotoStand, including exclusive poses from Myllie Writer and Kali Mead.
Brimming with personality, the :::sunflower poses::: will be a welcome addition to any photographer’s pose library.
PhotoStand II comes packaged with the much praised PhotoStage, PhotoLite and PhotoTools Pro, or you can purchase it separately for 490L. If you already own PhotoStage, PhotoLite or PhotoTools Pro, just go to your Options menu and click Update (Main> Options> Update). The latest version will be sent to you within minutes.
For all the details on PhotoStand II, please visit the product homepage.
You can also try out a demo of the new PhotoStand II at any one of the AMS stores: the AMS Store in Lady Vale, the AMS PhotoStage Store at LeeZu! , or upstairs at LionSkins.
Prim Light in Windlight
It’s been a while since I posted anything here. Nothing wrong. Just been extremely busy working on a major RL project. And in SL, my main focus the last several weeks has been helping with the Makeover Magic event put on by the American Cancer Society and Faces Modelling Agency, as well as writing some articles for the soon to be released revival of GLAMWorld Magazine.
Over on my fashion blog, I recently posted a tutorial on using the lighting from PhotoStage and PhotoLite to complement the effects that can be achieved using the Environment Editor in Windlight. You can see the full post here. To whet your appetite, here are a couple of “before” and “after” shots.
Photo using windlight settings only.
Photo using AMS light sources.
In the bottom photo, I used a soft front light together with a combination of cool and warm side lights from opposite directions. You can see how the additional lighting lifts the model off the backdrop and gives more definition and dimension to her face and clothing.
For the full post and credits, please click here.
Close-up on the AMS Position Editor
One of the coolest features of PhotoStage and PhotoLite is the Position Editor, which allows you to position lights, effects generators and gaze points quickly and precisely anywhere on the X Y Z axes. The editor also provides intelligent positioning which finds the model and locates the selected element in relation to her.
The Position Editor can be accessed using either menu, chat or HUD controls. For the purposes of this post, I’m showing the HUD interface since it visualizes the editor’s functions most effectively. Here’s how the Position Editor panel appears on the HUD:
Once you’ve selected an element to move (light, effects generator or gaze point), you can use the intelligent positioning buttons to move the element around the model. The buttons showing a grey human torso plus a yellow circle indicate how the element will be positioned when you click the button. The available options are: (left to right, top row) Right, Left, Back, Front, Back Up, Front Up, Toplight, Footlight; (l to r second row) Centre, Closer and Further (these last two buttons move the selected element closer to or further from the model).
You can also use the X, Y and Z buttons to manually adjust the element’s position. Clicking the minus and plus icons will decrease or increase the element’s X, Y or Z coordinates. The distance that the element will move each time you click one of these buttons is set by the 1.00, 0.25 and 0.05 buttons, which correspond to 1 metre, 25 cm and 5 cm, respectively.
A very nifty and easy to use tool, and one of the prime reasons why PhotoStage and PhotoLite allow you to focus on what matters!
On-Location Photography
Second Life offers an abundance of amazing locations for great shoots. Yet optimizing the lighting for an on-location shoot can be challenging, which is one reason why many SL photographers opt for studio shooting. I recently took Ananke Media Systems‘ PhotoLite toolkit to the beach to see how this highly versatile system can enhance the look of images you capture inworld.
This first photo shows our lovely model (none other than moi – of course!) posing on the beach with the existing night lighting. Nice location – what you can see of it!
Here’s the same location with lighting and effects added from the PhotoLite toolkit. I’ve used lights to brighten certain elements in the background (the pampas grass and palms) as well as the model (isn’t she gorgeous? — okay, I’ll stop). I’ve also added a very light mist with two effects generators to soften the reflected light from the sand and provide another colour detail.
After hiding all the lights, effect generators and the pose stand with a couple of quick clicks on the PhotoLite HUD or menus, the scene becomes a vivid yet still natural looking setting perfect for capturing the romance of LeeZu Baxter’s Noir line!
Moving in for a closer view, I made some minor adjustments in the positioning of the lights using the PhotoLite HUD – all without ever changing the camera frame! One of the beauties of AMS products is the ability to stay focussed on the specific camera angle you want while using the HUD, menu or chat controls to adjust lighting, effects and even the direction the model’s eyes are looking. (Click “More” to see the photo.) (more…)
PhotoLite at the wheat fields
The other day I took PhotoLite for a tour at the Dreamworld North sim. Yes, where the beautiful wheat fields are. I wanted to try lighting on the fields themselves rather than the usual model or prop. Here are the results.
I wanted the grass to shine; you may be able to see some coloured hues on the distance. I used five lights with different colours in the yellow-orange range for these photos. The PhotoLite control box was sitting to the left, out of frame.
PhotoStage and PhotoLite update available now
Version 1.1.2 of PhotoStage and PhotoLite is available now via automatic updates for current owners. To obtain these free updates, please go to the Options menu and click Update. Check your User’s Manual (here or here) for detailed information.
An improved version of PhotoStand is also included with these products.
The major new features and changes in the new version are:
- TRU textures are no longer included with PhotoStage; 42 great textures from other providers are being used now (36 before).
- Backdrop texture tiling and editable glow for PhotoStage. You will need the latest Windlight-enabled Second Life viewer to enjoy backdrop glow.
- Create commands are not necessary now before editing a light, effects generator or gaze point.
- The interaction radius of lights, effects generator and gaze points has been extended to 50 metres (it used to be 10 or 20).
- 43 modelling poses are pre-loaded on PhotoStand, including 7 exclusive poses by Kali Meads.
Also, please remember that a gift card for 6 Animah poses is included with this new release.
This update will be made available at the Ananke Media Systems demo site in Lady Vale (112, 225, 301) and the web stores OnRez and SLExchange in the next few hours.
Enjoy!
Lights under new viewer
It seems that the new Second Life viewer, version 1.19.1 (4), has some quirks about local lights that may affect PhotoStage and PhotoLite. In particular, there are some situations where one or more local lights apparently switch off when other light sources are nearby. This happens, for example, when you are wearing a facelight.
We have observed the following. If you are wearing a facelight and use PhotoStage or PhotoLite to create a light, it rezzes up correctly in an “on” state, but apparently switches off (i.e. it stops illuminating the scene) after one second or so. If you right-click and edit the light object it will switch on again instantly and, in fact, if you look at the Light checkbox in the Features tab of the Edit floater, you will see that it is ticked. However, the light object apparently does not emit any light when it is not being edited.
Evidently, this affects the look of your photos, since lights that are supposed to be “on” do not illuminate the scene as they are supposed to do. The workaround is to avoid wearing any facelights or similar light sources when operating the PhotoStage or PhotoLite.
This seems to be caused by the way in which the new viewer version handles local light precedence, which is different to what previous versions of the viewer used to do. If you have any feedback about this behaviour, please post a comment here. Many thanks.
Tutorial: Updating your PhotoStage or PhotoLite
In this tutorial I explain how to update your PhotoStage or PhotoLite. Owners of these products are entitled to lifetime updates, which basically means that once you buy from us, you will receive any future version of the same product for free, forever.
Having the latest version of your product is important, since we often introduce fixes for all those Second Life glitches and performance improvements, as well as new features. Also, we usually do not support products that are not up to date.
If you want to stay up to date, the first thing you need to think about is how to find out whether a new version has been released. There are basically two channels that we use to publicise updates: this web site and the Ananke Media Systems User Group. We suggest that you join this group to receive notifications about new releases and the occasional exclusive gift.
An alternative way to find out whether an update has been released is to make your product check for updates. I explain how to do this in the next section.
New updates of PhotoStage and PhotoLite
We have just made available a new version of PhotoStage and PhotoLite, numbered 1.1.1 in both cases.
The major new features in this release are:
- A chat interface has been added. This means that you can control your PhotoStage or PhotoLite by typing commands on the chat area.
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The much improved PhotoStand 1.1.0 is included. This new version of PhotoStand features rotation pinning.
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Technical fix: we have rewritten most of the communications infrastructure in both products, which works around the cause of the dreadful stuck menus effect.
Please see your User’s Manual for detailed instructions on how to use these new features.
If you already own a PhotoStage or PhotoLite, remember that you can obtain this update for free by click Options, then Update from the main menu. As usual, you can buy these products from the Ananke Media Systems demo site in Lady Vale as well as the online stores OnRez and SLExchange.
Ananké Media Systems 