| Author |
Message |
    
mike stephenson
Registered User
Username: Photoadjuster
Post Number: 30
Registered: 2-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 01, 2002 - 6:50 pm: | 
|
If you are using a memory card camera, be sure to use your camera to format all new memory cards, even if they are already formatted by the factory.
This is very important for any software to function properly.
Also remember to re-format the card twice a month when using it daily.
Regards,
Mike Stephenson |
Gale Hawkins
Member
Username: Gale
Post Number: 185
Registered: 12-2000
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 12, 2002 - 2:29 pm: |
|
Chuck they may just have a very small mailbox. We run into this from time to time but are able to offer them a larger mailbox at no charge so the files can go through. |
Chuck Deaton
Registered User
Username: Chuckdeaton
Post Number: 10
Registered: 3-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 12, 2002 - 8:17 am: |
|
Space allocation on the recieving end seems to be a problem with printing files to in PDF format and attaching them to an email.
Last night I sent three large files using Fineprint.com/PDFfactory and this morning I note that one of them did not go though.
As a back up I burned the PDF file to a cd-rom and mailed it.
Has anyone got a solution to this problem?
By the way these files went to a vendor that does not have a dedicated server or a dedicated domain name. |
Chuck Deaton
Registered User
Username: Chuckdeaton
Post Number: 9
Registered: 3-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 12, 2002 - 8:07 am: |
|
The printer assigned to Photoadjuster is set in Photoadjuster. The estimating program will automatically use the default printer.
If two printers are used, a color USB inkjet and a B & W paralell laser, printing can be done quickly and easily.
Mike tells me that he has a new version of Photoadjuster in the oven. The new version will be designed to handle photos from a memory card. It will assist adjusters that use the newer cameras and put multiple losses on one card. |
Dale Strain
Registered User
Username: Catmandale
Post Number: 6
Registered: 1-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 11:50 pm: |
|
I agree whole-heartedly with Tom. Using a tip from Mike regarding archiving my photo sheets, I have also been able to "print" the photos to a PDF (portable document format) file, and send them in without printing them (email or disk). Adobe Acrobat writes any windows based print file to pdf format, eg...Xactimate, Word documents, Cad drawings, etc... There is also a cheaper, but very useful product called FinePrint which also writes to pdf. It can be found at www.fineprint.com, and costs $50-100 instead of the $250 for Adobe Acrobat. The reader for Acrobat files (pdf's) is a free download at www.adobe.com. Most computers in use already have it loaded as many of the manuals and help documents for software are done in pdf format. So most anyone you sent it to can read and print it without having the native program you created it with.
Between PhotoAdjuster and PDF files, life is a lot simpler and more productive!
Three cheers for Mike! |
Tom Toll
Registered User
Username: Tom
Post Number: 76
Registered: 1-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 11, 2002 - 10:53 pm: |
|
JLombardo and others who have e-mailed me, you can go to photoadjuster. com or look for the advertisement on cado. You can download the program and try it out. You will be quite pleased. I know for a fact that if used properly it can save time and put a professional photo package on the examiners desk, and one they will appreciate. On top of that, you cannot modify your photos without the program discovering it. That makes the photos acceptable to the court system, and that is a known fact to me. I had a company man ask me today about the program and how to get it. His comment to me was he wishes all the adjusters used it. In other words, he was quite impressed with the photos Janice and I send with our closing package. One adjuster has two printers, one for the photoadjuster photos and while they are printing, he is printing his other reports, etc. Good idea!! |
Tom Toll
Registered User
Username: Tom
Post Number: 75
Registered: 1-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 10, 2002 - 10:51 pm: |
|
Janice and I have started using our lap tops while in the field. We check our photos on Photoadjuster to make sure the disc is okay. While in photoadjuster, we go ahead and complete everything. That way all we have to do is print out the photos when we hit the hotel room.
While we have been working in San Antonio, I asked many of the people if they would like to see their roofs on the PC. Many of them did and it cleared an excellent path when they made the statement that their roofs did not appear to be damaged, when, indeed they were not damaged. If everyone is not using photoadjuster as their primary digital photo processing sofware, you are wasting time and time is money.
I hear from Mike that the new and improved version, which contains 25% more free, will be out very shortly. Janice and I look forward to receiving it and trying it out.
We are using a Sony FD-95 digital camera with a 20X zoom lens and it is dynamite. The FD-97 has replaced it, if you are interested in a fantastic photo and zoom capability.
After fine tuning our adjusting technique and working as a team, we were able to open and close 88 files in two weeks. We could not have done it without the use of photoadjuster. Thanks Mike. } |
Merlin Orr
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2001 - 2:47 am: |
|
Best money I have ever spent - Thanks again Mike |
mike stephenson (Photoadjuster)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - 3:09 pm: |
|
Tom, when version 2.5 ships, some time before christmas, it will have a "Printable" switch for each photo, that will allow you to keep those extra photos within photoadjuster, in case a question comes up. The switch will default to "yes" (it will print) but a single click will change it to "no" (it will not print) If you should ever need to print it, you would change it to "yes".
Regarding archiving the photos. Many of us have purchased the Adobe Acrobat program. To archive, you simply click the print button, change the print driver from your printer to the Acrobat PDF driver, and the photos, with labels, are written to a PDF file on your drive or directly onto a ZIP disk. These PDF files are compressed and you can attach them to an email and send them to anyone. If they have the free PDF document reader (most do)they can view them and if they print the PDF file, they will be identical to a copy printed on your computer. We are working on other ways, but the PDF is the best way now.
Mike Stephenson |
Tom Toll (Tom)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 14, 2001 - 10:31 am: |
|
Helpful hint: If taking photos of stains or whatever in an all white atmosphere, drop your aperature down to -3, (if using Sony digitals) drop your flash to the lowest setting, take your photo and review it. Keep the stain, crack, etc., to the left or right of the photo so the flash will not flood it out.
Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words if a problem arises or question of damage. Take a lot of photos. You don''t have to use them all, but keep them on the disc or copy them to a zip disc in the event a question comes up. The mavica camera takes an excellent photo if used properly. If you are not working, experiment with taking interior photos. Learn to present good digitals to the Companies you represent, thats professionalism. That is one reason I use the photoadjuster system. I can keep them on the PC for an extended period of time. I do wish that there was some method of copying the photos in photoadjuster form to the zip. I don't like having to re-type the comments and it would keep the photo comments in original. Maybe Mike Stephenson could give us a way to do that.
We enjoyed working in Denver. Met lots of nice people and needless to say, a lot of greedy and less than honest roofers. |
Tom Toll (Tom)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 8:17 pm: |
|
Ordered an aluminum padded case for my new FD-95 and love it. It can be utilized for many purposes and costs less than $50.00. A very good investment for anyone with a digital camera or other electronic gear that needs solid protection and to stay cool. The address and phone number to order one is:
Raye Sherman Jr.
Seskia Technologies
1441 S Paso Real # 79
Rowland Heights, California 91748 USA
626-965-5179
I found it on E-Bay and these folks are great to work with and have a good product for the money, know as a good bang for the buck. I will post their e-mail or website as soon as I slow down a bit in Denver. |
mike stephenson (Photoadjuster)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 27, 2001 - 7:03 pm: |
|
John, if you will set your computer to display all files, including the hidden files and then look at the files on a disk from a floppy camera, you will see that the thumbnail you see on the camera's monitor is not always the photo you took. You must move them to your computer to insure that the photo actually took.
Mike Stephenson |
John Durham (Johnd)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 27, 2001 - 6:33 pm: |
|
Tom Toll
Try viewing your photos using the on-screen index setting on your camera, does the same thing as looking at them with your computer. In fact uses the same access dos-on-a-rom. This is something all using the Sony could/should do to save return trips. |
Tom Toll (Tom)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 27, 2001 - 12:44 am: |
|
Once again saved by photoadjuster. I, as I have informed everyone, check my photos before leaving the loss sight. New sony disc's were purchased. I have run into two bad disc's and had to do a re-take here in Denver. Check your digital photos on photoadjuster or whatever program you have, but check them before leaving the claim sight. I would have lost 1/2 a days work had I not checked the disc's. I have a new Sony FD95 and love it. Such a capable camera. |
Chuck Deaton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 22, 2001 - 7:51 pm: |
|
My operating system is Windows 98 SE |
mike stephenson (Photoadjuster)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, July 21, 2001 - 10:10 pm: |
|
Chuck thats good info to pass around. Are you using Windows 2000 or NT? |
Chuck deaton
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 20, 2001 - 8:11 am: |
|
PhotoAdjuster allows me speed up printing of the report packages in DDS. I use a color inkjet on the USB port and a b & W laser on the parallel port. While Photoadjuster is printing I am able to print black and white on the laser.
Much faster. |
mike stephenson (Photoadjuster)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2001 - 11:05 pm: |
|
Since it has been 6 months since I published PhotoAdjuster, I would like to get a few reports back from those of you who have been using it. I know may of you have phoned in suggestions for the next version, but I would like to start a community discussion on what features need to be added. Here's a few that are already in the works.
Larger buttons so your spouse will stop complaining while using PhotoAdjuster while bouncing down the road.
A one click PhotoAdjuster feature that locates all uninspected losses directly on the Delorme Street Atlas software.(version 6 or 8) Sorry Tom, can't be done with the Road Warrior version.
Selective print of photos. We all take photos that we may or may not use.
I look forward to any and all input and many thanks for your support. |
Tom Toll (Tom)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 14, 2001 - 7:50 am: |
|
I have been using the 2.4 version of photo adjuster which allows a company logo on the three photo per page. It loads faster, works faster, and is a super program. Thanks to Mike Stephenson for developing the photo adjuster. Janice has been using it and loves it. She discovered very recently that discs, (new) can fail. She loads them on photo adjuster before she leaves the claim sight. Lo and behold she had a bad one, but at least she was there and was able to do a re-take. I suggest to all that you load the disc prior to leaving your claim sight.
I have been using the Road Warrior version of DeLorme and it is fantastic. You can use the voice command and tell the program what you want it to do, which frees up your hands while driving. Hope all of you are busy this time of year. We are in Omaha for a few more weeks and then will be headed home. |
mike stephenson (Photoadjuster)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 13, 2001 - 8:16 pm: |
|
Thanks Gale, if I'm bright, it's only because I've been out in the sun too long 
Now to business:
If anyone is planning on purchasing a digital camera - one word of caution. Do not buy the Toshiba cameras. Although they are very good cameras and a good value, they take a non-industry standard sized image. The image they capture is 50% wider than the image is tall. All other cameras use the standard 33.33% When a 50% image is imported into any program designed for the currect standards, the image is less than desirable.
If you don't mind the bulk and weight, buy the Sony floppy disk camera.
If you would rather have a normal sized camera, buy the Nikon 800 ($529) or the Nikon 880 ($699). Either one allows you to create folders on the memory card to keep the claims separate. The telephoto feature on the 880 is un-believable. You can take photos from the street and someone might think you were on the roof
Mike Stephenson |
Gale Hawkins (Gale)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2001 - 10:49 pm: |
|
Having met Mike at the CADO convention I will say he is one bright programmer and I know adjusters that swear by his program. |
