Gallery/Pictures Question

[dchawk81]

Does the Transformer have a gallery app or photo viewer with features to star or tag images as favorites?

 

[VydorScope]

It comes with the stock Android Gallery, but I do not think you can star/favorite them. At least when I poked around this morning for you I could not find any such feature in the Gallery.

 

[dchawk81]

Okay thanks for checking!

 

[jonathan7007]

Although not directly on-topic: you will be searching for a Gallery replacement because that bundled software shows out-of-focus versions of your pictures. I wish I knew why, but that SAME issue was one of the key reasons I returned a XOOM over a month ago. For both the XOOM and the Transfomer the easy fix was downloading the free QuickPic software from the Market.

I do not remember any tagging; however, it does the basics really well and allows folder addition, change, or re-assignment. Check it out. Price is right. I am a commercial photographer and this is how I will be showing my portfolio in most situations. So I really have to have this right.

Good luck and report back what you find.

jonathan7007

 

[dchawk81]

Thanks. My usage is similar. I intend to use a tablet for proofing/image selection on site or at the client's home. I do have quickpic on my phone but I haven't seen any tagging features. I may just *gasp* write down their selections or enter them in my phone while they scroll through the tablet. I'm only talking 5 filenames most of the time so it wont exactly be torture. Haha.

I used to do this with my laptop but it took a dump a few weeks ago, so I'm thinking instead of another heat generating, heavy notebook I'll just get the transformer.

 

[VydorScope]

Although not directly on-topic: you will be searching for a Gallery replacement because that bundled software shows out-of-focus versions of your pictures.

What do you mean? They are sharp on mine, and every other Android device I have ever seen.

 

[jon_stewart]

Funny, must go and check out the focus thing.

However, I'm surprised any commercial professional (gentle poke ) would use this for displaying portfolio when it still can't be colour calibrated. On that note, though, I've just read that Datacolor are just bringing out and app for iPad (spit, spit) to use their Spyder 3 for calibration. Wouldn't be a big jump to get a Honeycomb application written!
Jon

PS I suppose if your client's can't descriminate colour fidelity, it'd be fine. Unfortunately mine can!

 

[VydorScope]

Jon,

On my phone the images open blurry, but then snap in to focus. I guess its a loading thing, but I do not see this behavior on the handful of images I have on my tablet right now, so not sure on that. I have a mSD card in my phone, so maybe they are loading slower there then the native memory on the TF.

 

[jonathan7007]

jon_stewart
I did not spend a lot of time checking the embedded program after I saw a blurry image upon first moments of use. I knew QuickPic worked well so I downloaded it right away. Perhaps this supplied Gallery is *not* the same as the XOOM code, bit it looked a lot like the same code. I kinda thought it was the Honeycomb code... anyway, the main difference in observed behavior between the two programs discussed in this thread is the "focus". ...or more exactly, the display of an image that is in focus. My experience: QuickPic takes about a half-second to render the image sharply, which I think works OK for a quick pitch view. More on the sales tool issue in a moment. I never saw a re-rendering or sharpening of the offered app "Gallery" until I touched the screen to enlarge or shrink with a pinch. Then it became sharp at the new size. Weird. I hope others will investigate. As usual, YMMV.

The color-management argument came up in the forums for users of the XOOM. It got pretty bitter. It's enough work to keep all the "production" monitors and machines calibrated. I probably won't be waiting eagerly for a screen calibration for this Transformer. The TF value to me is help in selling.

I wouldn't mind feedback on this. Here's my "intended" (might change!) sales scenario: I am out and about and stumble on someone who might be a client. In my non-urban part of Hawaii there are many who don't know what a "commercial" photographer" does. They know weddings, portraits, etc. and may not have even tried using photographers in their business. They may know someone who has an appropriate business although not directly buying images themselves. The role of the Transformer: establish if I should have a more formal sales meeting with them or someone else o whom they refer me. This is in a coffee shop. Maybe even more on the fly than that? We'll see.

I sweep through three images that are teasers. They show through voice or body language that they are interested in more. I might explore a different kind of image or idea. If there is real selling to do we make another meeting. Maybe they are already sold. I did sell one job with the XOOM over lunch. So I know it can work. One job more than pays for the tablet.

Here's my untested opinion. I think even my previous East Coast high-end Designer/Art Director clients wouldn't care about slight oddities of color in the screen. They don't have the original RAW file in front of them for comparison, of course. But as long as I have looked at the file I want to show and determined that this display is pretty representative of the image's power -- they will "get" what kind of work I am doing and what level of value I bring to the company/client.

Background: I was a twenty year commercial shooter some years ago and have taken up pro work again in the new digital photography age. I am having so much fun! ..and I am getting OK work. Commercial assignments are limited where I live now, but that's OK.

Sounds like you know the tools, so tell me if you see any reason I wouldn't establish a color profile in Lightroom or PS to compensate for the TF screen and export these teaser portfolio images through that profile. (I also like DxO.)

A couple of months ago I put the same image on a friend's iPad and the XOOM to see if I might switch to the iPad. The XOOM (no profile established for "correction") displayed more correctly. The iPad was too red and too contrasty. I guess that Apple did that to make snapshots look pleasing. So not a good fit for me. The iPad has a snappy screen that is good overall though. My successful close friend in New England sells with a pretty informal iPhoto slideshow on his MacBook Pro laptop screen and that's not calibrated.

I'll keep adapting. If some manufacturer improves the tablet screen I'll jump right away because this is a sales tool and so far it works.

Pardon the long post. Perhaps it should have been a new post. Any thoughts?


jonathan7007

 

[jon_stewart]

@Vydorscope: Thats must likely a progressive load of some sort.

@Jonathan7007
Had to laugh as I read your post! The whole commercial / product / interior / advertising photographer explanation is the same the world over, especially when you are away from the big urban centres.
You explain what you do, and then they ask 'do you do weddings as well' ROFL.

My post really was a very gentle poke on that point. I think to have a number of photos, suitably arranged by folder so you can load them in quikpic is fine. That app just has a slickness to it that I don't think any others, and looks good to the users.

I think your untested theory is probably sound enough about CD's & AD's not noticing, or being concerned about the colour being slightly askew. However, part of that may well be down to the experience & competance of said individuals. I have never had a problem with same, but I've read so much on a certain few forums where very many of the most experience and / or leading photogs frequent, indicating their feelings about the declining quality of such individuals. As I say, I'm repeating what others (including those from your part of the world) have said and not from my personal experience.

The other thing I would remark on is that the newer my screens are, the less correction they seem to require in calibration. Hopefully that's true of the panel on these machines!

As a sales pitch, using a tablet should be quick, convenient, and perhaps has a small value in demonstrating that you are design conscious / led, without distracting from the product you're selling. Provides a beautiful snapshot, without the hassle of getting a notebook going!

I think I would definitely be careful about apparent depth of field when screen viewing at this resolution and size. It always seems to me (and I've only shot digital in working environment) that moving from a 15" MBP with Capture One processing a 39Mpixel raw image, to a small screen with a jpeg scaled to fit, you might end up with more apparent dof than you really want. Please forgive me for mentioning that, if you've thought of it already, but with a lot of product, and even some interior, you'll be using movements to precisel y control plane of focus etc. Maybe there are other adjustments to be made as well. There's so much we take for granted in our workflow tools!
Best
Jon