I’m a new digital photographer, and I like to look for ways of making my images presentable or for adding cool effects to my photos. The post-processing aspect of photography can generally be more time-consuming than preparing your environment to be photograph-friendly as in a studio or when you compose your image in the field. With new Digital SLR (Single Reflex Lens) cameras that have more manual control over comparable point-and-shoot cameras (actual camera bodies may vary), unless you’re a real pro and know everything about composition before you take the shot, chances are you’ll be opening your photo in your favorite photo editor (we’re hoping for Adobe Photoshop in this case) and making some serious adjustments.

Back in the day when podcasts weren’t known as a visual tool, we had books. Books and books of photoshop tutorials, some with images, some without. Some that assumed that you knew how to access tools, and others that would walk you through the steps. Now we have PhotoshopTV.com, a weekly video podcast for photographers like myself and aspiring graphic designers hosted by Scott Kelby, president of NAPP (the National Association of Photoshop Professionals) and author of several highly regarded books on using Photoshop, Dave Cross, and Matt Kloskowski.

Each week, Kelby, Cross, and Kloskowski walk through basic to advanced steps of photo editing, creating cool borders, restoring faded photographs, adding blur effects, and adding watermarks to your images. Occasionally, there will be guest speakers who share their knowledge as well.

There are also weekly contests for special giveways, including this week’s Epson R2400 Printer giveway as well as books from the authors and a membership to the NAPP and Photoshop User magazine.

The podcast episodes are aired every Monday (usually) and last about an hour long. The website only allows you to access the last two episodes. Additional episodes can be purchased either by buying the DVD in the Photoshop TV Shop or by becoming a member of the NAPP (where all episodes are available).

Hey, we still have books, but we also have weekly free podcasts to help us along the way. For an enthusiast or someone interested in getting to know more about Photoshop, this weekly program is a must-watch.

From today’s Daily Mail:

Apple is waging war against companies that use the word “pod” in product and company names, arguing customers will be confused by what brand they are buying.

The action has been fuelled by Podcast Ready, a 13-employee company, which has developed software to allow podcasts to be delivered directly to digital music players.

Lawyers for Apple, makers of the iPod, have demanded the corporation stop using the word “pod” in its name and software.

Does this mean that they will soon be targetting P.O.D (a heavy metal band), the POD Network (Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education), PODS (Portable On Demand Storage) and so and so on…

Take a look at what you get when you type pod into Wikipedia. A whole lot of meanings if you ask me…

Hi folks - sorry for the delays in posting but we are back and better than ever before! Over the next couple of days we are going to be introducing new writers, new features and everything you need to know about the world of podcasting. Stay tuned….

If you looking for show that offers simple fun and uncomplicated chat then the Neural Caffeine podcast presented by Mike and David from Austin, Texas is a show worth checking out.

You won’t find any complicated content here as they seem to spend most of the time talking about sex and pounce on any slip of the tongue that has potential to expand on an innuendo. Mike in particular finds everything funny, a bit like a drunk teenager would and I’m sure their both drunk and stoned when recording the show but don’t let this put you off as the presenters are well educated and have an open & well informed outlook on the world (despite the occasional descent into self indulgent ranting).

The presenters are brothers and are clearly at ease with each other, allowing for a good flow of enjoyable banter and that’s about all you are going to find from this easy going show with a splash of podsafe music. Infectious laughter features heavily here, helping keep the show alive as does the odd guest presenter and sight seeing tours of the local night life all add to the mix. Interestingly enough that when out and about, Mike’s alter ego as a camp interviewer comes to the fore, much to my surprise and enjoyment.

Take Neural Caffeine with a shot of your favourite coffee and if this is your kind of show you’re sure to arrive at your destination with a smile on your face and a lighter outlook to the day. Premium Blend.

Format: Conversation/ Music
Content: Comedy chat
Rating: 7/10
Length: 30 minutes
Codec: MP3
Frequency: Twice weekly

Web

RSS

iTunes

Odeo

This nice little podcast from the British Isles is a music based show featuring mixes and covers from independent and unsigned artist from around the world. Our presenter Tim hails from London and seems to have an extensive knowledge of music and the underground music scene not only in London but all over the world. Tim gives us news of upcoming gigs and releases of the tunes he spins. This knowledge allows him to give us the gossip and backround on a given tune and helps make this podcast a quality show.

To say his choices are eclectic would be an understatement, you will hear the most weird and wonderful choices of music you’ll ever find but his choices are very listenable. Well mostly they are enjoyable, you will find the odd track that’s going to annoy the hell out of you but that’s the price you pay for a show that’s not afraid to be different and is the point of the ‘cast. Tim presents the show with his natural unassuming personality which is quite “John Peel-like” in character, giving you a rye view on the songs history and any stories surrounding it and then moves on to the next track. All in all - the whole show ticks along nicely.

It’s shows like this that make podcasting such a great medium, Tim has probably been doing this sort thing for years but never had an outlet to reach a wider audience and now we have the pleasure of listening to his show and people like him. A prodigious talent is he and worthy of taking on the mantle of the likes of John Peel and hopefully someone will give the backing to do it full time and become a respected muso/journo in the process.

A very good music podcast, one to put at the top of your list to checkout, this weekly show has already reached episode number 67 and is clearly a labor of love for Tim, all the best shows usually are. John Peel reborn.

Format: Music/ Conversation
Content: Eclectic Music
Rating: 9/10
Length: 60 minutes
Codec: MP3
Frequency: Weekly

On the Web:
http://www.mutantpop.net/radioclash/

RSS:
http://www.mutantpop.net/radioclash/rssfeed.php

Odeo:
http://www.odeo.com/channel/314/view

iTunes
Can ‘t seem to find an iTunes feed.*

* Editor’s Note - Tim has informed us about the iTunes problem: “…reason for no iTunes feed is that they won’t let me into their directory, I signed up over a year ago and wasn’t allowed in. I either offend their copyright sensibilities or they don’t like the show.”

For those of you that like your podcasts to contain music, it’s quite hard to find non podsafe music that’s free but over at Recoverworld, a well respected record and DJ label, they are offering the highest quality dance, trance and techno mixes at higher than average bit rates for your toe tapping and head bopping delights.

Among the vinyl spinners you will hear are DJ’s John Askew, Mark Sherry, Chris Hampshire, John O’Callaghan, K90 and guests. Each of them are polished performers and spend an hour or so spinning some of the latest tunes from the world of dance.

If you’re looking for some tunes to rock to on your journey towards work then look no further than Recoverworld podcast to fire you up for the day.

RSS
http://www.everecords.org.uk/xml/recoverworldradio.xml

John Askew
http://www.djjohnaskew.com/

Recoverworld Home
http://www.everecords.org.uk/index.php

The standard pair of headphones that most company’s bundle with their players are at best average and if your looking to make the most of your podcasts and music then the best mp3 player and highest bit rates wont count for much if the device your using to actually reproduce the sound are not up to the job.

Here we have a look at a pair of headphones from Audio-Technica, a little heard of yet major company in the world of audio reproduction, the ATH-CK7 with titanium housing and 11 mm driver with Neodymium magnet.

For those that don’t know what use a titanium housing and Neodymium driver is to you then basically it means the whole thing is stiff and as such means more of the energy used to create the sound is retained and doesn’t dissipate through the housing meaning in theory better sound, as for the Neodymium bit that’s just a very light and expensive material that allows the part that produces the sound to move faster allowing faster changes in frequency’s i.e. from bass to treble. This becomes even more important if you only have one speaker producing all the sound as is the case with in-ear ‘phones’.

What makes the ATH-CK7 standout from the crowd are that they come with 11mm drivers (or speakers for us laymen types) and still manage to pump out a frequency range of 12 - 24,000Hz. Until now all in-ear headphones come with a 9mm driver, which is all well and good until you realise that the bigger the speaker the better the bass, treble is easy to reproduce in such a small speaker, but when it comes to bass and lower mids size is everything and the whole extra 2mm that your getting makes all the difference.

The ATH-CK7 are not cheap, you can pick up a pair from Audiocubes or Semsons & Co for around $120 but after running these very attractive transducers in for about 12hrs you’ll have no doubt that this is money well spent. Spin some high quality podsafe music above 128kbps and immediately you get a sense of involvement normally reserved for hifi speakers. The bass is there but it is a tuneful bass not some in your face boom that pretends to be bass. Mids and treble are dealt with equally well without a hint of sibilance, meaning it doesn’t scream at you. Move on up to a wav file and if you’re an audiophile looking to satisfy your audio fix then the Audio-Technica’s wo’t disappoint.

To top it all off the ATH-CK7 are very comfortable to wear and come with three different sized sleeves to cater for all ear canals. If you are looking to upgrade your ‘buds then these are definitely worth checking out.

PodFly rating: Highly recommended.

Product Specifications:

• Type: Dynamic type
• Driver: 11mm neodymium magnet
• Output overpressure value: 104dB/mW
• Playback frequency zone: 12 - 24,000Hz
• Largest input: 250mW (IEC)
• Impedance: 16 ohm
• Plug: 3.5 gold plated stereo mini-plug
• Cord/code length: 1.2m