Mar 04 2010

Jay Kinghorn: What’s a GPU and Why Should I Care?

Category: Technology InsightsEthan G. Salwen @ 10:59 pm

AfterCapture_Blog_100304_GPU_1I’m currently considering which new Mac to buy, and so Jay Kinghorn’s blog post today was of particular interest. Kinghorn is a digital imaging educator who is always articulate and often ahead of the curve. If he’s ahead of the curve on this one, I’d better look into the GPU of my next purchase, not just the CPU.

GPU What?

“In most specifications, the Graphics Processing Unit, or GPU, is way down on the spec list and is rarely, if ever, considered by photographers looking to purchase a new computer,” Kinghorn writes. “This is likely to change by the time you purchase your next computer.”

Actually, truth be known, I’m on a limited budget and choices for Macs are few, so GPU appraisal might not factor into my purchase. However, truth be known, I’m pleased to know about the GPU, of which I will appraise, and of which Kinghorn explains the importance:

“GPU vs. CPU
“Traditionally, when we make corrections to our photos in a program like Photoshop or Lightroom, the application applies those corrections serially, one pixel at a time, until all the pixels in the photo are adjusted. This is the way CPU (Central Processing Unit) computations are made and is the current standard for most applications on your computer. Continue reading “Jay Kinghorn: What’s a GPU and Why Should I Care?”

Tags: , , , ,


Mar 01 2010

Panoramic Photos and Videos on Steroids

Category: Multimedia & Video, Technology Insights, The Industry, ViewpointEthan G. Salwen @ 12:05 pm
AfterCapture_Blog_100301_Panorama_1

Still from "Haiti 360º"

“Panoramic photos and videos and how to create them” is a great post that “10,000 Words” featured on February 17. The featured video panoramas — in which you can pan 360 degrees, zoom and pause all while riding on the car or head of a journalist — are truly incredibly, at least from a technological point of view.

As always with “Wow!” technology, I find myself asking, “What’s the point?,” or, perhaps less cynically, “What is a real, applicable use for this technology for working non-journalist photographers?”

While I couldn’t come up with a good, clear answer to this question, you should still really check out the “Wow!” technology featured in this post. After all, technological innovations always come before practical applications, and so my posing (let alone trying to answer) the “why?” question is probably inappropriate.

Wedding photographers may or may not be able to market panoramic videos. What’s important is to understand how quickly this technology is advancing. I myself was startled. It really is amazing. Continue reading “Panoramic Photos and Videos on Steroids”

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


« Previous Page