UBUNTU FOR PHOTOGRAPHY (PART 1)

There is a wealth of information out there about editing photographs on Windows and Mac platforms, but not so much about Linux. So I hope to rectify that here with information that may be beneficial to the Linux-based photographer or those simply contemplating a move to Linux.

As a wedding photographer coming from a long and heavy Windows background, I wasn't very fluent or capable with Linux when I first started investigating it last year. I tried out a lot of versions until I came to Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu was the first version of Linux that worked on both my desktop and laptop, and that sealed the deal for me. I then began dual booting between Ubuntu and Windows XP. And little by little, I started moving more and more work over to Ubuntu until one day late December 2006 when I installed a new sound card in m y desktop, Windows decided it didn't like that, and told me I had to get permission from Microsoft to keep using my computer. Well I got tired of doing that all the time, and can't really afford the unreliability this introduces into my computer, so I denied Windows ' demand, and instead backed up all my data before the 3-days hut-off date expired. Thes witch over was complete, and I have not looked back since.

My sparkly new Linux computer now runs a semi-different line up of software than it did with Windows: instead of Adobe Bridge for editing RAW files, I use Bibble Pro 4.9.5; instead of running Nero to burn CD's and DVD's, I use a program called K3b. There are a few Windows –based programs I still need to run for lack of better Linux-based alternative. Some notable examples are Photoshop 7, Memories On TV, and Star Wars Jedi Knight II, all of which I am happy to report are working very well in a program called Wine. The makers of Wine describe the program as a Windows compatibility layer that makes the Windows based program you want to run think it is running in Windows. Wine still isn't at the 1.0 level of completeness, but it is close enough now that Photoshop 7 and many other Windows-based programs run very well.

The first task for me when I made the switch in operating systems was to find a RAW editor I could use. Right now that editor is Bibble Pro 4.9 .5 from Bibble Labs. It took me a little bit of time to get used to the interface and ways of accomplishing tasks (coming from an Adobe back ground), but I have been ultimately able to do all m y RAW work with Bibble as efficiently as I did with Adobe Bridge. The nice thing about Bibble is that it runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms so you really have the most freedom to use which ever system you want. If you think you may want to switch operating systems, you can start using Bibble now on Windows to the switch; you are light years ahead of the learning curve when you use Bibble in Linux.

Some of the program highlights in addition to standard RAW editing are spot healing and patching, Noise Ninja, lens distortion correction, vignette control and B& W conversions. The Bibble support forums are very helpful too and there are various how – to 's, documentation, and videos to help out the new comer to Bibble. Don't be shy about signing up for the forum, they will treat you well.

The Noise Ninja capability in Bibble is limited if you don't have a Noise Ninja license, but if you do have one, or purchase the Home Standalone version, then all the features open up for use. Just be aware to use Noise Ninja sparingly, as it will really slow things down if you apply Noise Ninja to every photo in the folder you are working on. The development of Bibble is very active and useful features are being added all the time. The price is affordable too, currently $129 .9 5 for the Pro version and $69 .9 5 for the Lite version.

(Written by: Shay Sthepens)

HOW TO ADD/REMOVE SOFTWARE

If you are new to K /Ubuntu, you may be wondering 'How do I install software? Where can I find it? Is it easy? 'To put things simply for you: If you have used windows it will be a doddle .

Installing software is easy. From the menu, simply select Applications - > Add/Remove

in Kubuntu, Kmenu- > Add/Remove programs

There will then be a mesage saying 'Checking installed and available applications ', and a loading bar. After a few seconds , you will be presented with an easy to use interface , with categories down the side and a list of applications

can use to search for software .

Lets say you want to design graphics for a website , and have tried the GIMP, but don't think it has the features you need. Simply open the Add/Remove applications program , or in Kubuntu, Adept Installer, and either choose a category from the left, or use your own search terms , for example , "graphics ." You can now sort the programs alphabetically or in Ubuntu by popularity. NOTE: Popularity is the number of times a program has been downloaded. Don't ignore a program just because it has a low rating. It just means it hasn't been downloaded a lot. You can also search within the graphics section for 'design' or 'web ', to narrow your results more . Read the description, to find out more about a program .

Once you have found a program you would like (for web graphics I recommend Inkscape), simply click the check box next to a program and click on Apply or Next. The program will ask you if you are sure , then for your administrator password, and automatically download and install it for you.

You will get a message telling you where the shortcut is . For Inkscape it will be under Applications > Graphics . That's it. The program has been installed and is ready for use . You will be provided with free program and security updates ,

with out cost!It's just as easy to remove a piece of software , if you don't want it. Simply remove the tick in the check box, and click Apply or Next.

There are lots of other ways , other than Add/Remove Applications , to install packages and applications on K /Ubuntu. In Ubuntu you can use Synaptic Package Manager, which gives you control over individual packages . Synaptic can be found under System > Administration. If a program , that you want can't be found under Add/Remove Applications , but it is on the internet, you can get the packages it depends on from synaptic.

 

(Written by: Robert Clipsham)

HOW TO CONVERT FROM WINDOWS

The first thing you will need to know is how to get the software you want on your computer. Believe it or not, it's easier to do this in Ubuntu than it was in Windows. Simply click Add/Remove in the Applications menu, and then search for the kind of program you're looking for. Click the check box next to the program, click "OK", and you should be good to go.

If you can't find a program in add/remove, try adding a repository which has it (a repository is an online database of software — Add/Remove generates its list from the repositories).

Second — dealing with application hangs and freezing. In Windows there was Ctrl-Alt-Delete for all your freezing needs. In Ubuntu, you have a bit more available to you. You can restart your session by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Back space —which is highly effective in every case I've encountered. If you don't feel like dropping everything just because one application froze, you may want to right click on one of your panels and add two programs there : and. w ill k ill whatever application window you click on, and will give you a list of processes .

Of course, you have to be mindful of compatibility if an application keeps hanging. Software made for Edgy won't work very well in Gutsy. You can check your system version in
system monitor (far le ft tab), and you can usually check the version
of the software before you
download, or under the "Help"
menu on the "About" option.

    There are some things that are just plain different, that you'll need to get used to. The most notable of these are work spaces. Linux gives you four desk tops in one — just to help keep things organized. You can switch between them by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Right arrow (left arrow also works), or by clicking on the gray boxes in the bottom right.

If organization is your thing you might also want to consider a "home partition." This is an area of space that you set a side on your hard drive that both Windows and Ubuntu can read (you can form at this partition in FAT32, NTFS or ext2, but with NTFS, you may need a configuration tool for Linux, and with ext2, you'll need a plug in for Windows ). If you want to be able to view certain files from both operating systems (like pictures, movies, etc.), this is a wonderful idea to implement when you install Ubuntu.

To make it more accessible in Linux, you may want to change your ~/home folder to point to that drive. You can do this by clicking on System > Administration > Users and Groups. Find your profile, click properties, click the advanced tab, and change the location of your home directory.

Now, you're probably used to directories named "Windows" and "Program Files" In Linux, these are all over. Configuration files are usually under /etc. More important executables are under /bin, while the less important are under /usr/bin. /lib contains a bunch of libraries (similar to .dll files in Windows, but they work in a fundamentally different way), and /media will give you a list of all the drives you can access. There's more, but that should give you a basic idea of how it works.

Ubuntu will keep all these organized very neatly if you stick with repositories and Add/Remove. In general though, you're going to want to keep all movies, pictures, and other media in your home directory, and just make additional directories to help organize them.

Last off — to help keep things nice and neat you're going to want shortcuts. For a program, it's called a launcher and you just have to know the exact name of the program to make one (example, the Terminal program is actually called gnome –terminal in some distributions).

To make a link to a directory, run the terminal (Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and type:

ln -s filename linkname

This means: make a symbolic link (ln -s ) of this file in this location. An example of this would be:

ln -s /home/user

/home/user/Desktop

That would make a shortcut to your home directory on your desktop.

Try Ubuntu, I promise that you'll never want to go back!

 

(Written by: Todd Millecam)

HOW TO GET UBUNTU

You can get Ubuntu by different means : ordering through ShipIt!, which will send you free - of- charge CDs ; buying them from online vendors ; or, finally, downloading an image file (*.is o) that you have to burn to a CD or DVD . This is what we will be showing in this how - to for Windows users. You will need a working DVD/CD writer and proper software for that purpose – we recommend InfraRecorder, which is free and open- source .

Downloading the Image File

To download the ISO file go to the “Get Ubuntu Page”. We warn you that this file is about 700Mb so if you’re on a slow or limited connection may b e you should look for other means for getting Ubuntu.

You will be presented with a table (figure 1, above ) w here you’ll have to choose what edition you w ant – Desk top or Server – and also the version and architecture . For this guide we chose Ubuntu 6.10 Desk top edition, for a standard 32- b it computer (x86 architecture ), which is the most common setup. Choose the location nearest to you from the dropdown menu and it “Start Download”.

Now that we downloaded t e ISO file , fire up your Image burning software and insert a blank recordable cd in your burning drive . If the auto-start pops - up, just ignore it by hitting cancel.

Now open the “actions ” menu and select “Burn Image ” (above ). You’ll have to browse to where your ISO is located and select it. If prompted about burning to
DVD media answer “No”.

The burning options (above) will pop-up. Except for the Writing Speed, which we recommend that you use the 1X - 4X , to make sure that you end up with a perfect CD , all other options can be kept at their defaults . Just press “OK” and the burning process will begin.

Just to make sure that your CD doesn’t have any defects , boot it and run the “Check for defects ” procedure .

POSTED BY: ansleyir@gmail.com

SOURCE: Joao Santiago, Full Circle (The Ubuntu Comunity Magazine) April 2007