Hi Dave. I don't know how my reply ended up responding to your comment. I was responding to Up-2-it, who said If it is brand new out of the box there should be instructions either in the box or on a CD as to making the adjustments needed. Actually, the more I read other comments, her problem may well lie in converting Adobe RGB to sRGB, both in Photoshop and/or in her printer. I don't use a printer, as everything I do is for the internet, however the sRGB conversion in Photoshop definitely lightens exposure and washes out color. But, back to 3rd party calibration equipment, the whole point of calibrating is to match your monitor to finite, mathematical reference points that are universal. If you adjust your screen by sight, then you are relying on what you see not what the rest of the world sees, not to mention the fact that room paint, lighting, or even the color of your shirt can alter the way you see your screen. Its computer stuff, 0's and 1's. Only 0's and 1's can communicate accurately with other 0's and 1's.

Its more complicated than that. Thinking that you can adjust your monitor yourself is like thinking you can paint like Rembrandt because you bought some paint and brushes. There are infinite combos of gamma, contrast, black, white, gradient banding, etc. Don't fight it. Buy a good calibration system like the Spyder 4 Pro or better.

Red Shale Formation processed on a calibrated monitor, no doubt! I can tell because it looks great on my very modest, un-calibrated Dell monitor here at work. Which brings up another point; if you process for the internet you absolutely need to calibrate to reference because most of your viewers' monitors, phones, tablets, and whatever will be out of whack somewhat. Calibrating limits the cumulative effect of a poorly calibrated monitor causing you to incorrectly color grade pictures that end up looking even worse on all the other inconsistent monitors viewing your work.

I don't think it matters much which monitor you use. The important thing is that it must be calibrated regularly and for changing ambient light conditions. The Spyder 4 Pro costs about $170 and comes with a license for use on all of your computers, including laptops and (TVs with a HD upgrade). Start with the Spyder; even a $1,400 monitor needs to be calibrated. I couldn't believe my eyes when the Spyder adjusted my new i7 laptop from a cold blue haze to vibrant, warm, rich color. Take a walk through the TV department at your local Wal-Mart and see that there is no consistency out of the box. You gotta calibrate!

Ain't technology great! Forgot to say before, with or without dots, that is a wonderful picture. I am really enjoying blogging with you UHH guys and gals.

I agree! And, I think I would have removed the dot size reflections in the window too.

Natural art would be, for instance, painting in watercolor using brushes and paint and paper you made yourself, like, say, American Indians 200 years ago. When you buy modern technology you enter a world of endless options provided by other people. You didn't make the lens, or the camera, or the software. As a photographer, your job is to use all of it to create whatever you want. Ansel Adams didn't make his camera himself either. I think he felt just fine about dodging and burning and whatever else he could do to make great pictures. If he had PhotoShop in the day, I think he would use it. Today's art is mastering the ever changing technology. We gave up true art when we quit drawing pictures with chalk on cave walls.

SendYourFiles is not too bad at $10 a month. From its site, you send an email and attach a folder or file from your computer up to 2GB. It is FTP, however and can be slow with files over 50MB.

B&H reviewers love the Rokinon. I want one!

Yes, I started with the Cowboy triggers, but sometimes didn't get a flash when the receiver was hidden behind a wall, which was frustrating in that I do too much running around as it is. Didn't like the AAA batteries either. The Phottix Aries uses AA batteries just like the YN 56's which makes it easier to manage the 72 AA's that I more or less rotate in use. Using the Phottix, I shot a condo that had a swimming pool located about a hundred yards across a parking lot. The customer said that the flashes left behind fired when I went out to shoot the pool area.

Here are a couple of examples of the YN 560s at work. In the first pix I have a strobe in the upstairs bath, bedroom, hall, downstairs dining, and I think, 1 strobe on the ceiling over the camera. Exposure was probably about shutter 80, f/5.6, ISO 160 with YN 560s at 1/2.

Second photo the same with a strobe upstairs, deep back in the kitchen, on the right in the dining room, right in the living room and one at the ceiling over the camera.

Definately Yongnuo 560's at about $70. I use 5 of them simultaneously to shoot real estate pictures strobist style. They are very sturdy; I've dropped a couple of them on hardwood floors. Still going strong after 10,000 exposures; and so are the Energizer AA rechargeable batteries. I highly recommend Phottix Aries wireless triggers with 200 yard range through walls at $60 for a kit and $30 each for additional receivers. Two strobes bounced on a ceiling straight over the camera but aimed apart about 8 feet gives the effect of a high mounted giant softbox, good for people portraits too.

I mostly shoot RAW so I work in PS Bridge. Take the card out of the camera and stick it in the computer. Open Bridge, click File, Get Photos from Camera, migrate to the card, choose a folder to store the pix, add a custom name, (also adds your copyright, etc.}, run it. Take the card out of the computer and put it back in the camera, menu, format, yes, you're done and ready for the next shoot. Never had a problem over 20,000 exposures using only 2 16GB cards rotated more or less.

Leicaflex is right, just go out and buy a consumer HD video camera like the Canon Vixia HF R42 for $450. You'll get great autofocus, autoshake, autoexposure, and run time over an hour shooting 1920 x 1080 HD. The camera is the least important part of what you need to make good DIY YouTube videos. You'll need light stands, shoot-through umbrellas or soft boxes, lights, a good short shotgun mic like the Sennheiser ME66-K6 ($450), a wireless lavaliere mic like the Sennheiser G2 or G3 ($750), an adequate recorder, here are some on B&H http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/newsLetter/Digital-Audio-Recorders-Buyers-Guide.jsp and you'll need editing software like Premiere Pro ($350 - $800). Since you are all about music, you'll want to use audio editing software like Adobe Soundbooth ($150) and then you'll need Red Giant DualEyes or PluralEyes ($150) to sync your sound to the video in post production. Of course you'll need a robust computer like an i5 or i7 with at least 6 GB of ram. Then you will want to subscribe to Lynda.com http://www.lynda.com/member.aspx at $25 a month to learn how to use all of this new software. You can do it, I did, starting in 1994 when I bought a camera with the idea to shoot a documentary. I quickly learned through trial and error and spending $10,000 that the camera is the least important part of making movies. Good sound is the most important part. Microphone technology hasn't changed much in 50 years. Buy the best mics you can afford. They will be your friend for life. Good luck! You can do it!

Here's 3. Gotta go to bed. You guys are great! Love sharing photo love with you.