Ok. I get your point, all 18 times . Glad the lens works great for you!

I tried fine tuning. It was still soft compared to my other lenses. Perhaps it was a bad copy. Perhaps I wanted too much from the lens.

After I bought and tested the Sigma I found a new home for the Nikon. The new owner was happy to have it at half of what I paid for it new.

I purchased the Nikon 50mm 1.8g for my D750 as it was what I thought to be an inexpensive bargain. I used it maybe twice before it was relegated to long term storage. It was just too soft to suit me no matter what aperture was selected. I found a good deal on the Sigma 50mm 1.4 ART. It is now one of my favorite selections. It has replaced my Nikon 85mm 1.8g as the sharpest lens in my collection (even at f/1.4).

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C%7Bcreative%7D%2C%7Bkeyword%7D&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImo2Bk_Sl1wIVRxtpCh1Bmgd9EAYYASABEgJxM_D_BwE&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1045459

Yes, the optical slaves need to be compatible with the Nikon CLS system, but only if you want to use CLS optical remote adjustments.

You can mix CLS and dumb slaves in one exposure if you like. Just set power and zoom on the dumb slaves manually, and make sure they are set to ignore the pre-flash. (assuming the dumb slaves are capable of ignoring pre-flash)

Yes (with limitations). If you use a CLS capable slave such as the Yongnuo yn-565 or yn-568, you can set your commander to provide no light to the exposure, and optically adjust slaves remotely.

However, if you are very close to your subject, and the commander is pointed directly at the subject, the tail of the command signal flash may contribute slightly to the exposure. This is true whether you use a hot shoe mounted commander or a pop-up in command mode.

In sample 1 above notice the (what appears to be) pencil buttons immediately after the words Title and Comment. Press these buttons to save your title or comments after editing.

Just add your title and/or comment. The comments will not appear in full screen mode or during a slide show. They will appear if the user just cycles thru the images in the shared folder as seen in screenshot sample 2 below.

(Download)


(Download)

Using the assumption that you have the Nikon version of the yn568, and that you are trying to use the flash in the camera's hotshoe, I will ask, is it correctly seated? If the smaller contacts do not line up properly, it may still fire due to the large center contact, but ttl will not work.

To see if ttl functions properly on the flash, you might also set it up off-camera in "Nikon remote" mode in i-ttl. Then trigger it with your pop-up in CMD mode. If flash ttl works off- camera there is likely a communication problem between flash foot and camera hotshoe.

Thanks, I'm terrible with remembering names, but I should have been able to copy it correctly.

LR stores virtual copy information within it's database file(s), not in the XMP sidecar. It does have the same ability to create and store "snapshots" in the XMP just the same as ACR. LR can use snapshots created in ACR, and ACR can use snapshots created in LR. If interested... you might look at Julian Kost's older video on reasons to use one or the other in your workflow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkPsxvd-VAc

From Adobe Camera Raw you can create "snapshots" that are stored in a single XMP file. They contain the saved settings for multiple versions. Much easier than changing the name and starting again. And, no need to visit LR.

Fastest way I know in PS CC is to open Bridge, select the images you want to rename by highlighting them. While the images are highlighted, right-click and select "Batch rename".
It will open an interactive dialog box to complete the process.

Your image, as presented here, has relatively high contrast, and is a perfect image for the Quick selection tool which looks for contrasting areas.

Select the tool and set the size to about 20 pixels for the thumbnail version(adjust as needed for a larger image). Click on the sky and move around the sign but don't get too close to the sign with the brush. I was able to cleanly select the entire sky in 3-5 seconds. Invert the selection by pressing shift-ctrl-i. You should have a very precise selection of the sign. Total time < 15 seconds.

Some selections are difficult, but not this example.

I agree. You can make selections based on shape, contrast, color, luminosity, freehand, or any combination of these. You can add to, subtract from, intersect, distort, smooth, feather, or otherwise modify and refine selections. You can save selections for future use on other layers or images.

I found free learning resources on the web useful, especially on sites like Creative Live and Plearn. One instructor that teaches both basic and advanced selections and masking is Ben Willmore. He goes slow and repeats techniques to re-enforce the lesson. Aaron at Plearn often runs a bit fast, and could leave some students lost.

Here is a link to the first 45 minutes of a two day course by Ben:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n7GBA6oNzE

This part of the class only touches on primary selection tools, and he gives some basic tips and tricks for their use. Go to 3 minutes in to actually start lesson.

No matter how you learn, I agree with John_F, the key is practice and even more practice.

You can use the 568ex off camera and trigger it optically with the camera's pop-up flash. I just browsed the d3400 manual and it appears the pop-up only operates in ttl mode. If so, just be sure to set the yn568ex to "S2" slave mode so it ignores the ttl pre-flash. You can use flash exposure comp to limit the effect of the on board pop-up in your images. The camera does not appear to be auto-fp sync capable, so shutter speed is limited to no faster than 1/200.

If you want to be able to adjust the yn-568ex power and zoom remotely, you will need a radio controller and transceiver (like the Yongnuo yn622n-tx and yn-622n), or a Nikon CLS Master flash for optical adjustments(like the Nikon sb700 or sb910). The off-camera 568ex can also be used in TTL mode with either of these last two methods, but its HSS capability still will not work with the D3400.

It's certainly possible to create some very nice portraits using the equipment you list. It's just a matter of learning how to get the most out of what you have.