Brian

All of the original Star Wars Movies were filmed using a Panavision PSR 35mm Film Camera. 20th Century Fox primarily used Cinemascope with a 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio in the 1970's and 1980's. There were instances in movie theaters that had the movie shown with a 2.39:1 ratio, but you are splitting hairs at that point. Now, if you are trying to create the scene based on TV, that's a whole other thing. 4:3 (1.33:1) or 16:9 with a common aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is what you would see at home. To really re-create the scene based on the movie, I'd just use 2.35:1 and call it good. Oh, I'd use a full frame camera to create this shot as well. No sense in dealing with the Angle of View change since the movies were shot with a 35mm film camera.

You could use a service like Dropbox, and purchase the 1TB version. I think it's $99 a year. Then charge your clients a yearly fee to hold their images. It could be as low as $20 and all you would need is 5-6 clients to break even. 1TB will hold A LOT of JPEGS and you can organize things by year / project / session. If things need to be recovered, simply copy the session to a Public Folder and e-mail them a link to the files. Since you are using Amazon, maybe use them instead of Dropbox? Edit: I just re-read your question. The Dropbox software will automatically back up their phones if you allow it. All I do on my Mac is simply plug in my phone and the Dropbox software does it's thing.

Get some lights/light-bulbs which are from the 5000k-6500K color-temp range. Some folks like around the 6000k-6500K range, I find them to be "too blue" for my eyes and work better with a 5000K-5200K range.

Conversationally speaking, a 32-bit operating system caps out at 4GB, with 3.5GB usually being accessible. Yes, I have heard of people getting around the 4GB limitation with some sort of hack/work-around (I think you can get it to 6GB or something,) but between you and me...and for the 99.999999% of us out there, we will stick with the 4GB Limitation of what Microsoft says. You can not upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit. You are going to have to nuke the HD and do a fresh install of the OS. The Windows Media Creation Tool will create a 64-bit installer, but there is not an in-place upgrade path. 64-bit is completely different than 32-bit. Fortunately, your friend is half-correct...the reformat and re-install everything part is correct, but the Windows Media Creation Tool will create a 64-bit installer and I think the Key will be the same, provided that all the hardware is the same and since this is the same computer, you should be good. First, before taking the plunge, is your system 64-bit capable? Do you have 64-bit drivers for the various components in your computer? Video Card Drivers, Sound Card Drivers, Chipset Drivers, Network Card Drivers, etc. The most important driver out of everything is to get the Ethernet Driver. That allows you to connect to the internet to download other drivers to get things running if needed. Windows 10 has a fairly large database of drivers these days, so it's not as big of a deal as it once was, but I'm still paranoid about this driver. Second, once you have everything backed up and you have a list of license keys for everything, download the 32-bit Windows Media Creation Tool. Make sure your Windows 10 is activated (it should be,) and then run the Tool. Have a fresh/clean/no software/blank 8GB Thumbdrive (or 16GB would be a safer bet) at the ready. When you run the tool, select "Create installation media for another PC" and under the Architecture Drop Down Menu, select 64-bit (x64). Create the Windows 10 64-bit installer on that clean Thumbdrive. When you reboot off the Thumbdrive, select a custom install and choose "Overwrite the Current Version of Windows," or something like that. Since you are staying with the "Home" Edition of Windows 10 and are just switching from 32-bit to 64-bit, your License Number should work. Now if you were upgrading from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro, that's a different story. Then you'd need a different key. If your friend builds any future PCs, tell him to stick with 64-bit. The ONLY reason to install 32-bit is if you have a old piece of software that requires it. For the people here who edit photos and use Photoshop / Lightroom / Photoshop Elements, there are 64-bit versions of the software and are Windows 10 compatible. Not only will it make things run MUCH faster, it's less of a hassle down the road, especially when an end-user wants to upgrade from 4GB to 16GB / 32GB.

Even the very expensive Mac Pro is getting long in the tooth, again.

I don't think it will be anything amazing, just a natural progression technology-wise. USB-C & Thunderbolt 3, maybe a Bluetooth Keyboard with a touch-bar (sold separately of course,) though I wouldn't hold your breath. Different video card with more video RAM, maybe the RAM will increase to 64GB max, another don't hold your breath thing, Maybe a larger Fusion Drive, such as a 4TB model The removal of the DVD drive and then the 5000k screen was the last two big "Things." Still it's worth waiting a few months, just to see.

Please humor me and try using the shutter button to focus and take the photo. Back button focusing is not the end-all-and-be-all method that it's made to be. It's not a super-secret, it's not a game changer; the Chorus of Angels will not sing when you use it, even though every other easy blog-post makes you think that it will. Does it work? For some, yes. Others it produces more focus problems than it solves. You have to be really steady and not move when you BBF. In addition, the shutter button setting needs to be changed so that it doesn't engage AF when it's pressed. You can BBF all day long, but if the shutter button still activates the focusing system and you focus & recompose, or your subject moves slightly, you are gonna have blurry / not sharp photos. So let's get back to basics. Use the shutter button to focus, and use the center AF point, since it is the strongest. Let's get a few test shots with your 70-200 and see if things improve. Try ALL apertures from f/4 to f/16. Focus on something like a coffee can with bold lettering or something similar and post the results in this thread.

Stupid question alert! You are using "Single Point AF" and not "Zone AF" or "19 Point Automatic Selection," correct? You aren't trying to use the stupid Back Button Focus that everyone raves about?

One other question, are you using some sort of live-view or are using the focus points when looking in the viewfinder?

BUY IT!!

What focus point are you using? What focus mode are you using?

Always need? No. Should you? If the picture is worth taking, then you should use a Tripod or Monopod. I know, I know...I get that it's not always convenient and sometimes, you can't use one. So before I go on one of my famous rants, can you show me some examples of what you are talking about? Post a few shots in this thread.

Some info on the 2017 Spring releases. USB-C look like it will make its way to the iMac line. http://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/20/usb-c-imac-touch-bar-magic-keyboard/

You can also go one step further, have a "Personal Photos" Catalog and then create a new Catalog to go with the editing for the project that you are working on. Catalog Management is something that should be learned, since a large LR catalog has slow performance and can get grumpy. I'm glad you have a process in place.

Ideally, you want to reserve the C: Drive for the Windows OS and Programs. So yes, put the LR catalogs on the D: Drive. Is this D: drive built into the Laptop or is it an external?

Hard Drives really do not care what computer system they are attached to. That said, it needs to be prepped with the correct partition type / filesystem and be formatted so it can be used. You are used to purchasing Hard Drives that are pre-formatted for use with Windows, meaning you just plug them in and they work. Sometimes, you have to blow away with that setup and redo things so it will work with your computer. (Like if you were prepping a HD for use with a Mac.) There is nothing you need to buy as it's built into the OS. It just takes about 5-10 min of prepping. Unless it's already reformatted for use with Windows. Since this is a HD that is meant to hook up to an Xbox One, there might be some configuration. It's not a big deal.

Believe it or not, I'd get this drive and reformat it for use with your computer. It takes about 5 Min to do. Yes, I know the HD says it's for the Xbox 1. It's a higher quality drive, has better transfer speeds and doesn't come with the stupid WD backup software that doesn't work.

It's really hard to say what's wrong with the drive. The worst thing you can do is try to "Fix It" by throwing all sorts of software recovery at it. That will do more harm than good. Unfortunately, extreme data recovery is not cheap. Like $1500 not cheap. Can you copy anything off that EHD or is it just showing up as empty folders?

Personally, I like G-Drives myself. They are a little on the pricey side, as I tend to avoid the "$79 Special" at a big box store, but that's just me. Here is the drive that I have, as pictured on the left in my photo. Since I have a 2009 iMac, I only have a FireWire 800 Port and not a Thunderbolt Port. If I were to buy a drive today, I'd get a Thunderbolt Version.

Looks like a new External Hard Drive is in your future. What make / model is this drive? How large is it?

I use CleanMyMac weekly. You should be able to find a coupon code online. It's worth the money. You can download it and have it do a scan, but in order for it to delete stuff, you have to pay for it. Just buy it. I found a coupon code: SPECIAL20. Hopefully it will work for 20% off. That's not good. I'm sure it's just data files, but you are in dangerous territory with that drive. Macs treat ALL hard drives as if they were like the Internal HD. You really don't want to go above 75% full on ANY Hard Drive for two reasons: Performance takes a hit and the spinning ball becomes more frequent HDs that are above 95% full can become corrupted without any warning. I would eject that 4TB HD and see if your performance improves. Oh, completely clean off your desktop. No files or folders. The only thing that should be on your desktop are the HD icons, and things called "Aliases," which is Mac-Speak for Shortcut. The reason is the MacOS treats all those files stored on your desktop as open files. So those 1000 images of the Smith-Jones wedding that are on the desktop are 1000 images that are considered to be "Open" and are utilizing resources. THE FASTEST WAY to improve performance and stability on a Mac is to clean off the desktop. You don't need any fancy software, and it's easy to do. What I do, is create a folder inside the Macintosh HD called, "Desktop Stuff" or "Junk Drawer." Then I right-click and choose "Make Alias," then drag the Alias to the Desktop. Then all you do is drag the stuff on the desktop to the Alias Icon and it puts it in either the Junk Drawer Folder or Desktop Stuff. This is how clean it should be, and I actually have a couple of icons more than I should:

I would hold for now. Apple has been pre-occupied with getting its iPad line stable and manufactures like Intel haven't given Apple the latest and greatest stuff. iMacs have been flat technology-wise these last few years, and the only #amazeballz update is the new MBP with the touch bar thingy. Apple usually does upgrades to their iMac line in the spring, around April-ish. Waiting a few more months won't kill you. As for the beach balls... How full are your HDs? How much crap do you have on the desktop. Do you own and use CleanMyMac from MacPaw to keep things from getting gunned up? What MacOS are you running?

For those wondering, in order for an i7 Processor to be truly faster than a i5, the software needs to be programed to take advantage of the architecture of the i7 that makes it so fast. Photoshop is not programmed to take advantage of these features. In fact, there is only about a 5-7% performance boost with a i7 over a i5 when it comes to PS. That said, if you do anything with video editing, or play video games, then the i7 is the better choice between the two, hands down. Photoshop? No-so-much. In fact, it's better to have 16GB - 32GB of RAM, and a beefy video card with 2-4GB of Video RAM to make PS run fast.

Are they impossible to calibrate? Impossible is relative. It may not be truly impossible, but is extremely difficult to calibrate, at least on the first 10-20 tries. The real question you should be asking is... "How much money do I have set aside for Vodka or Tequila? Is there enough left over for the aspirin for the hangover after trying to calibrate the damn thing?" Truth be told, I DO NOT RECOMMEND LAPTOPS FOR PHOTO EDITING. PERIOD. I just don't. But I got tired of arguing, because so many members have love-affairs with laptops. SMDH Personally, I'd get this one: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1183450-REG/asus_gl552vw_dh71_i7_6700hq_16gb_1tb_windows_10_64_960m_15_6.html See these specs? This is what you look for: That's what I keep stating to look for over-and-over-and-over again. Thread after thread after thread. I just don't understand why people are so afraid. i5 or i7 CPU 1TB 7200 RPM Hard Drive at a Minimum 8GB RAM, 16GB RAM Preferred A Video Card that has separate and dedicated Video Memory A Display that is IPS Based. Windows 10 Home, but I prefer Windows 10 Pro cause I'm a techno-weenie like that and need the "Pro" features. In reality for the average user, either is fine. If you don't find a unit that meets those 5 hardware requirements, then I'm not going to recommend it for photo editing. Windows 10 is the standard thing you get these days. Don't make it harder than it is. It's just 5 things to look for. LOL!!

Yes.