Tired Of Giving Jeff Bezos All Your Money? Read On...

You may have seen mention here in the past of Readers Cove Used Books & Gallery, our used book store in Deming, New Mexico,,, one of the 7 best bookstores in New Mexico! And yes, we sell the crap out of used books, which are one of the greatest deals in the modern world.

But let's say you're looking for a new book. You either hop in the car and drive 5 miles (or in our case 50) to the new book store, or you get online and order it from A-----. 

What if I told you there was a third option? And that third option would help (in a very financial way) your favorite local book shop (that being Readers Cove, of course!). 

Well, here's the deal: we've partnered with Bookshop.org, and rather than me just repeating the info in the image below, just read on:

When you're in the market for a new book just use this link, or even easier, just scan the QR code above, and you'll be taken to our "storefront", place your order, and we'll get a nice little piece of the retail pie. 

Everybody wins, and you'll even save a buck or two! I did a little comparison shopping the other day for prices on the newest releases. It seems the mega-behemoth mail order retailer you all know and hate sells new releases at cover price, while Bookshop.org discounts $1-$2. Check 'em out!

Tis The Season...

 

Expand More Than Your Waistline This Holiday Season!

The third generative AI tool for Luminar Neo, GenExpand, released just a few hours ago. It is available for all subscribers (and Lifetime owners who have purchased the Creative Journey Pass) as update 1.17.0.  If you don't have the CJP, or worse yet, you haven't purchased Luminar Neo at all (!), there will be good news at the end of this post!

So, what does GenExpand do. Let's look at a very simple example. Here's a picture I took a few years ago in Silver City. We were just wandering town "walking and shooting" as the saying goes. I wasn't spending a lot of time worrying about the "rule of thirds" and other compositional dogma.. so, when I checked it out later, I put it in the discard category.

Now, with GenExpand available, I took a look at it with "new eyes". I wanted some more space at the top of the image, and I definitely wanted the whole bumper in the shot, too. Into Luminar Neo the image went:

To expand the image, simply "grab" the edge you want expand, (below) and uh, expand it. They recommend working one edge at a time.  I was just looking for a complete bumper, but you can request anything in the expanded area: Like maybe, "hit and run victim face-down under vehicle bumper" ? Hey, you do you. 

As with the previous generative tools, an internet connection is required. So after you select your expanded area, and hit "Expand", you'll have to wait a few (or several) minutes until your result comes back. Like it? Hit "Save". Not what you were looking for? Hit "Expand" again. I was extremely happy the first time, and was particularly impressed that it included the rust and corrosion from the original, and the reflection of the pavement! So, I hit "Save", and completed the rest of my editing until I had an image ready for Instagram (or printing... or whatever). And there it is: 👇

Silver City Dodge-em Cars ©Daniel Gauss/Shot On Site

I've grabbed a couple, more extensive examples from the Skylum marketing Dropbox, which will give you a better idea of what GenExpand is capable of. And I'll continue to play with it and when I get something super-duper, you'll be the first to see it!

So, basically, the folks at Skylum are feeling in a holiday giving mood, and they've brought back the Black Friday/Cyber Week promotion for another 10 days, beginning tomorrow, December 15 at 7:00AM EST and ending December 26, 7:00AM EST.  Try it risk free... click this link!

New Users will get:

• 12 Months Pro Subscription + Holiday Assets Collection    $49 ($479 value)
• 24 Months Pro Subscription + Holiday Assets Collection    $119 ($659 value)
• Lifetime w/Extensions &CJP + Holiday Assets Collection   $149 ($998 value   

And, as always, save an additional 10%  with coupon code PHOTODAN at checkout. 

 

Playing All Up In My Head. And....

The latest update to Luminar Neo (v.1.16.0) which includes GenSwap, dropped yesterday morning. I didn't install it until late, so I haven't had a chance to play with the final version yet, but I have been trying some wacky shit with the beta.  Some of my projects follow, and all will include the starting image.

Be sure to stay till the end, where I'll lay out all the deets on Luminar's Black Friday promo which starts TODAY!

Stunt Plane, Las Cruces NM ©Daniel Gauss/Shot On Site/GenerativeAI

Highlands Pursuit ©Daniel Gauss/Shot On Site/GenerativeAI

    AND NOW: BLACK FRIDAY, 2023!

Enough with the fanciful creations. It's time to get to the meat of this post- the Black Friday promotion, which actually began at 7AM EST this morning,  but you've still got more than a week, and to make the details crystal clear, I've created this handy, dandy chart: 

You've got questions; of course you do. So do I. Firstly, what the heck is the "Creative Assets Collection", and why the heck is it worth so much? In a nutshell, it's a mammoth collection of presets, sky replacements, textures, backgrounds, LUTs (Lookup Tables, for color grading cinematic effects), and possibly (but unconfirmed) some tutorials from well respected international photographers. Stuff like that. When I get more details, I'll edit this post, but basically you're getting items that sell for $20 and up each, for free when you purchase Luminar Neo.

You might also question what's the best deal for you? From a purely economical standpoint it's the 24 month subscription for both new users ($119 - less than 10 bucks a month), and for current Lifetime owners ($99 which works out to $8.25/mo.. they really want to convert those Lifetime guys to the subscription model, right?).

And I don't want you to forget, that your purchase is completely risk-free. Buy it, try it for 30 days. If it ain't your cup of tea, you get your money back. But right now is the best time ever to spend as little as possible to get back in the unlikely eveny you're unsatisfied. I think you'll love it as much as I do. So easy, so intuitive.

Even if you don't find it easy, or intuitive, and I've failed to mention this in previous posts, I'll be here for you. Whenever you have questions, you need only message me on either my Shot On Site Facebook page, or my personal Facebook page. I might even, in the future when I've got a big enough number of Luminar Neo customers, start doing actual tutorials, via Zoom or similar platforms, covering any and all facets of the program. Sound like fun? Hit the link! (and mind the fine print below😁)

Posts may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these, I may receive a small commission at no increased cost to you. Thanks.

 

Alternate Reality Using Generative AI.

 

So, here I am, dressed h̶e̶a̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶t̶o̶e̶ ...er, neck to shins in workout gear from Baleaf, except for the Global Cycling Network

headband, and socks from Thorlo, the most comfortable socks you will ever wear (I've been wearing them since 2000! -not the same pair, of course- Click that link☝ and save $15 off your first order of $25+). And the shoes are Dr Comfort, (courtesy of the Veterans Healthcare System and taxpayers like you... and me).  

And now, suppose I was a Baleaf affiliate (I am) and wanted to make a blog post featuring the long-sleeve base layer, thermal tights, and (not visible), sustainable 9" base layer half-tights... w/fly!.

Well, if that were what I wanted to do, I'd probably set up my cell phone in the dining/living/workout room and take a selfie, maybe leaning on a piece of workout equipment (like the Total Gym here). I would then look at the resulting image, gag a bit, and think, "well, that's unacceptable".

But guess what (you knew there'd be a "guess what", right?). Many of you have probably played around with the AI programs like ChatGPT which can take your requests or suggestions or queries and return your senior class history final essay in a matter of seconds. Well, Luminar Neo, this coming Thursday (November 16) will release it's next generative AI editing tool called GenSwap. Actually, it's more of a "creation tool" than an editing tool.

It will come as no surprise to you that I've been privy to a beta version. I can tell you it is much more ready for prime time than GenErase (which Skylum developers promise will be much improved with the Thursday update!).

How does it work? Pretty simple, as illustrated by the screen shot here. The interface is similar to GenErase with Select and Deselect buttons, a brush size slider, and most importantly, that long empty

box just below the image that says, "what do you envision here?".  You tell it what you envision, in nouns and adjectives, and (this is important) without verbs. I can't remember word for word what I envisioned for this image, but it was something along the lines of "spacious patio, large backyard, autumn colored trees".  Pressed the "SWAP" button, and waited while the image went to the cloud where the magic happens, and returned with this:

I did a middling amount of editing to finish this off, (like adding the sunrays... cool, huh?). Some elements needed removing with the erase tools, but in the end the results were quite satisfying.

"Work" out of the way, it was time to just play! I wanted to just have some fun with the tool, so I selected a Ford Model A coupe with a vintage teardrop trailer that I shot at a local air show a few weeks ago, thinking it had some potential. I selected everything but the car, trailer, and the foreground pavement, and requested: "Yosemite National Park, 1932"

©Daniel Gauss/Shot On Site

And here is the result.  I had to remove a one-legged person from the right-hand side, and crop out the oddly configured front of the background vehicle. Also, the car retained its yellow color, while the AI generated background was black and white, because duh, 1932. That was easy to fix. You might also notice there might be two Half Domes in the left background, so that would be, what, Full Dome? To complete the vintage look, I added a crinkled paper overlay, and a sepia LUT.  Would make a fun post card, right?

©Daniel Gauss/Shot On Site

So, until Thursday I'll continue to play with the beta version of GenSwap, and if I come up with some more fun creations, I'll probably put them in another post.  If you want to have fun with your editing and creating there are two ways you can get the latest tools. If you're already a Luminar Neo subscriber, you will receive GenSwap in the Thursday update, just like you've received all the latest tools previously. If you have a "Lifetime" version, you'll need to purchase the Creative Journey Pass which will give you all the updates for the next year. And never never never forget to use the coupon code: PHOTODAN at checkout to save additional 10%

If you have more patience, you might be rewarded if you wait till the Black Friday promo begins. Skylum promises the best prices of the whole year! Patience, my friends. Whatever you choose, this link will take you to the Luminar Neo website where you can shop to your heart's desire.

And in case you missed them, there were a bunch of other links at the top of this post, for Thorlo socks, ($15 off), and Baleaf active-wear, with 10% off coupon code: DANIELRGAUSS. Be sure to check them out, too!

Posts may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these, I may receive a small commission at no increased cost to you. Thanks.

 

Big Doin's Coming Monday Morning. (But Today Ain't Too Shabby, Either!)

 Monday morning at 11am EST, I'll be premiering the next big generative AI tool from Luminar Neo. Until then I can only tell you that it will include the Witness Protection Program  photo to the right, here. 👉

Today, all I can offer you is 30% off on any purchase from Luminar...  Luminar Neo subscriptions, Luminar Lifetime, Creative Journey Pass, and thousands of creative assets from the Luminar Marketplace. So, in essence, "site-wide". Just use this link to go to the Luminar website, and  my special coupon code, GEN30 at checkout.

**This exclusive offer only runs from November 10, 3am EST to 3am EST Monday, November 13. So don't miss it!**

(But if you do miss it, well, there's always Black Friday. I'm sure something will be happening then, dont'cha think?)

Posts may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these, I may receive a small commission at no increased cost to you. Thanks.

Not Ready For Prime Time? Luminar Neo GenErase; You Be The Judge

"GenErase: A next-generation Erase tool that not only removes unwanted distractions from your images, but also intelligently replaces those areas using content-aware AI tools, providing a focused and distraction-free composition. This feature preserves the integrity of your photos by filling in the gaps with textures and other elements using AI to match the surrounding area. GenErase can seamlessly remove objects such as trash, street signs, utility poles, vehicles, graffiti, crowds, and more to preserve the beauty of the composition."

The above description is from the October 20 press release from Skylum Software, makers of Luminar Neo, and describes how the new GenErase generative AI tool performs.

I've been fortunate enough to have access to a beta version of the tool, and some images from Skylum to play with, as well as some of my own images from a local air show this past weekend. (People just can't stop walking into my pictures! A perfect test).

The image above was supplied by Skylum. The boat in the foreground is obviously a distraction. The next image shows the tool UI. Fairly simple, you have a "Select", "De-select", and "Erase" tool which is pretty self explanatory. Select the items you want to remove, De-select if you get a little sloppy, and Erase when you're ready to send your image to the Cloud where all the heavy lifting is done. Depending on your internet (required!) speed and strength, the resulting image will show up in the Generative Creations folder (created when you first use the tool) in a few seconds, or a few minutes. Mine were running about 2 minutes because my internet sucks😏 Below is the resulting "GenErased" image. (On a subsequent use, I got rid of all the little buoys in the background). Looks very good. Click to enlarge, and you won't see the telltale repeating elements you sometimes get with clone and stamp, or the basic Luminar Neo erase tool. Because it's a simple task in this case. Challenge it, and it seems to struggle a bit. (But I do remind myself, this is a beta copy, and the Skylum folks do a pretty good job of  fixing all the bugs when the official releases roll around.)  Below, I'll show you one of my air show results, and will then close with some comedy. Or, Halloween horror. I haven't decided yet.

Okay. I said it was an air show, and it was, but you know I can never resist a car shot. PhotoBro Dale had to lean in a little too close to this gorgeous 1937 Studebaker. Guy walking up in the background annoyed me as well. They had to go. 

I

If you look at the background-left of the resulting image (middle), you can see some weirdly warped artifacts created by the AI. Not too awful, because 1) I was going to use the blur tool on the background, and 2) I was going to crop it. (bottom)

I also just realized that tiny rectangle on the rear fender is not part of the car, as I originally thought, but it probably an artifact from that background dude's shoe. No problem, it can be removed easily with the standard erase tool.

Now, read on for a hilariously scary result...

So, back story: A couple of months ago a long time friend of mine  messaged me and asked what was wrong with Luminar Neo erase tool. He'd been given a picture by a family friend of herself, a deputy, and a third person who was not identified. The deputy (personal bodyguard) was between the two women. She wanted the bodyguard removed from the picture. He'd been trying to use the erase tool. I told him this might be best fixed with a new generative AI tool coming in the Fall, or clone and stamp. He sent me the picture, (with the third person- a celebrity- cropped out. You can just see the edge of her jacket, extreme left corner.) I got the process started with clone and stamp with some success. I think he finished it and was generally satisfied. (I have obscured the faces to protect the identities... handy tool that Blur tool!)

Fast forward to last week when I downloaded the beta version of GenErase, and thought, let's see if I was right. Could I remove the cop? I was very meticulous with the Select brush, carefully avoiding any part of the other subjects in the image, said "here goes", and pressed Erase, thinking how I would crow to my friend how awesome GenErase was going to be.

First my jaw dropped as I stared dumbfounded at the resulting image. I could make no sense out of the content the AI created from presumably whole cloth.

Then I started to laugh, because it was so ludicrous. Finally, my laughter became hysterical as I became ready to swear allegiance to our AI robot overlords, because if it can summon denizens from the Multiverse of Madness to populate our photos, then there is no hope for us and we are doomed!

Just look:

Whaaaaat? Let's just say, I was expecting a completely different result and leave it at that.

Anyway, GenErase is scheduled to go launch on October 26th. It will be available to all subscribers and Creative Journey Pass owners. If you are neither of those, and you want access to all the goodies and tools included in the current version of Luminar Neo, and those to come for the next 12 months just follow this link, and between 7AM (EST)October 28 and  7AM (EST) November 2, save 31% off any purchase at Skylum with the code: NEO31OFF

Trust me when I say, GenErase  will improve with use, because that's how AI works, and all the currently existing tools are well worth the time you'll save, and the images you'll create versus many of the other players out there. Give it a try, RISK FREE!

Posts may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these, I may receive a small commission at no increased cost to you. Thanks.