Rough Cuts Ltd Blog

I'm currently chatting with a good friend about their (new) phone options. They have an iPhone 7, but aren't happy with the picture quality of it. This means, there is something wrong. The first time photographers started taking smartphones seriously was around the time of the iPhone 4. Since then, cameras have only gotten better. So if your images aren't coming out the way you want, then perhaps the technique is wrong. So here are my top tips for getting much better images with your current handset. CLEAN YOUR CAMERA LENS. The first thing, with ANY smartphone, before you take a shot is to clean the lens. While the delicate optics will be behind a hardened glass cover, the glass will likely need a clean. This simple action in itself will produce sharper results, will cut down on glare or haze and allow the camera processor space to calculate the best exposure for the image. If you use a DSLR, then you will always want to ensure that the lens is immaculate, and your...

In the not too distant future, most households should have the ability to generate and store their own power supply. Solar Panels installed on rooftops, which drip feed energy into a wall-mounted battery will supply power to the home. This is a principle recently brought into alternative-reality in the gaming world courtesy of No Mans Sky. (If you find this stuff entertaining, you can play it on the Playstation on a planet of your choice!) When our energy-ownership world happens, people will inevitably become much more switched on to the power they're using and how efficient their homes are. For now, we're all pretty much at the learning stage. To be honest, it's only in the past few years that I've become interested enough in our Gas and Electric supply to get the calculator out. But in a nutshell, it's pretty simple maths. Every device in your home draws power, measured (by in-home displays) in watts. If you're using 200 watts, then every 5 hours, you...

If, like me, in the past, you've dabbled with Google Classroom, it's perhaps time to have another look. Although you may feel like the amateur or the pupil again, the payoff is well worth going through the learning curve pain, and as I've learnt today, the kids will really help you through it. Lessons are grouped together on the welcome screen. In addition if you're struggling, (like with so many things on Google;) , you can collaborate, meaning a willing teaching assistant, or another Teacher can share the workload and you can do everything together. While the layout of Classroom hasn't changed, some of the functionality has made it a powerful tool for any Teacher with additional benefits for the school. If you're unfamiliar with Clasroom, it's a portal that allows you to collate all of your school lesson plans, activities and resources, and now it indexes childrens work, provides detailed (albeit simple) reports showing who has 'Turned in...

Before the end of this year Rough Cuts Ltd, permission for commercial drone operation from the CAA will expire. In 2020 we do not intend to renew this license for a number of reasons. It has been a genuine pleasure to serve some of the regions finest estate agents and we have been passionate about creating the best quality videos for the lowest costs, we've seen some truly stunning properties. But the annual cost of insurance, the time required to maintain and operate the drone, the constantly changing parameters for (and cost of) licence renewal and lack of recurring business in this field simply mean it's no longer sensible for us to continue. Moving forward we will look to maintain our relationship with existing partners to provide event photography and video services, as expected, but we will also focus much more on educational and social projects. Sharing the Knowledge we have of technology with pupils and people across Flintshire. We will still be a part of the Do-W...

So the iPhone night mode is really pretty cool, yes? For all those times you need to take a photo in near dark conditions. Having this feature could prove useful. But the chances are, if your phone has a manual mode, or 'Pro' mode, you can probably do something pretty much as good. Let me tell you how in a few simple steps. 1. Start your camera app 2. Open the settings and look for Manual or Pro mode and select it. 3. Look for ISO and put it as high as you possibly can. I have the Samsung S7 Edge and 800 is the limit. 4. Look for the shutter speed and set it to 1/20 5. Hold your camera very still and take a photo. If you kept the phone still enough, you should find that, in very low light, you get a well exposed image. If it's over exposed, you have more light than you need and you can set the shutter speed higher, try 1/40 or 1/60. If you have very steady hands, you may find you're able to drop the shutter as low as 1/5 of a second and still get a clear bri...

There are several rudimentary tech skills that every year 7 pupil should start High School with. By this age, it would be beneficial if a pupil knew how to complete their school work with a minimum of anxiety. In my experience, we currently do not have parity or equality when it comes to children transitioning into high school. Knowledge levels will be varied depending on the school that the pupil came from and the structure that the school has in place. Some children will complete their first assignments with minimum effort, focusing on the topic, instead of the technical problems, and others may become overwhelmed and anxious, which would lead to a loss of confidence and worry. What skills do I mean? I'm talking about advanced skills that reduce anxiety and pressure when the expectation is put on a child to complete a specific piece of work. Just using presentations and an example, (feel free to use as a checklist) in order of complexity; Adding slides Adding text boxes ...

18+ content only Do you find that films nowadays just don't scare you like they used to? For those not aware, the Resident Evil games have been around for over 2 decades. They've always been a blend of jump scares, complex puzzles and realism. To overcome the lacklustre processing power of earlier computers and consoles, they would paint an ultra realistic scene, where the only 3D animated aspect of the image was the main character. The hero, would collect items explore mansions or scientific laboratories and solve complex puzzles to progress. In between at key moments, usually when the players mind would be in a state of inquisitiveness, dogs might crash through a window, creatures might appear from nowhere or plants might burst into life to attack. These jump scares are usually infrequent enough to make the game enjoyable, but frequent enough to keep players on their toes. Relaxing, they are not. So far, so normal. Over the years, as consoles have become more powerful ...