Mastering Macro Photography

What if I told you an expert macro photographer is ready, willing, and able to answer your questions, for free? It’s true! All you need to do is watch a one-hour long live-stream on YouTube every Tuesday from 8 pm to 9 pm Central Time Zone.

Image Credit: Allan Walls Photography.

The program descriptor is as follows.

Mastering Macro Photography is a weekly Q&A for anyone trying to learn closeup photography, and is brought to you by @Allan Walls Photography. The livestream is for all macro photographers, at every level from beginner to seasoned expert. As a dedicated and experienced macro photography teacher, Allan has made hundreds of videos and written as many articles on every aspect of closeup and macro photography and can answer all your questions on cameras, lenses, accessories, focus stacking, insect preparation, editing and retouching, focus stacking software, or anything else you need to know – and he does it all with his trademark sense of humor. So if you want to learn some macro photography and have a few laughs at the same time, you have come to the right place. Source Credit: Allan Walls Photography.

Tech Tips

The Central Time Zone is five hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) when Daylight Saving Time is in effect in the United States of America; six hours earlier when Standard time is in effect.

Time Zone Converter with GMT time difference can help you figure out the correct time to watch Allan’s live-stream from other locations around the world.

Viewers pose questions by typing comments during the live-stream.

Related Resources

A recorded version of each live-stream program is available online, including a transcript of the Q&A chat. Programs are listed in reverse chronological order.

• Mastering Macro Photography – Week 6 – 9/20/22
• Mastering Macro Photography – Week 5 – 9/13/22
• Mastering Macro Photography – Week 4 – 9/6/22
• Copy of Mastering Macro Photography – Week 3 – 8/30/22
• Mastering Macro week 2 – A Barely Alivestream Event [8/23/22 (37:21)]
• Mastering Macro Photography – Week 1 – 8/16/22

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Add Fujifilm film simulations fast!

RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 3.0 powered by SILKYPIX is a free application available for download from Fujifilm USA. The current version for both Mac and Windows is Version 8.1.10.0, last updated 29 September 2021.

The application can be used to convert Fujifilm RAF files to TIFF files. “RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 3.0″ can be used to edit photos too. One editing feature I like a lot is the capabilty to quickly add Fujifilm film simulations to RAF files, Fujifilm’s proprietary raw format.

First, select “Development / File output settings…” and configure the menu settings as shown below (or as appropriate for your purposes).

If you’d like to export several files, then select “Development / Batch development settings…” and configure the menu settings as shown below (or as appropriate for your purposes).

Use the left sidebar to navigate to a set of RAF files, then choose the images that you’d like to edit. Select one of the RAF images, as shown below. Next, click on the button in the right sidebar that is labeled “Camera setting” [highlighted by a red rectangle in the following annotated image].

A menu displays all of the Fujifilm film simulations that can be added to the RAF file, including several options that don’t appear in the in-camera menu of film simulations for my Fujifilm X-T3 digital camera.

In order to export an edited RAF file, select “Development / Batch develop selected images…” You can repeat the process over and over to add multiple film simulations to the same RAF file.

For example, the SEPIA film simulation was applied to the first image.

Here’s the SEPIA file after “development” [export]. The SEPIA film simulation is used to make photos look old and yellowed, in this case, as old as a dinosaur.

Next I selected “Edit / Undo.” Then I applied the ACROS film simulation. ACROS is used to “Shoot in Black and White in rich details with sharpness.” Source Credit: Fujifilm.

Here’s the ACROS file after “development.”

The process is easy and fast — much easier and faster than using Fujifilm X RAW STUDIO to add film simulations!

Tech Tips

When your camera is set to record either “JPG” or “JPG + RAF” files, Fujifilm film simulations can be added in-camera as you are shooting but are only applied to the JPG files, not the RAF files.

It’s worth noting FUJIFILM applies the “PROVIA” film simulation to its JPG files by default.

Related Resources

• The ultimate guide to Fuji’s Film Simulations; A DEEP dive to de-mystify one of Fuji’s best features, by Dave Etchells, Imaging Resource.
• Your Guide to FUJIFILM Film Simulations, by Todd Vorenkamp, B&H Photo.
• Fujifilm X RAW STUDIO. The current version for both Mac and Windows is Version 1.15.0, last updated 28 June 2022.
• Fuji Guys – FUJIFILM X Raw Studio – Walkthrough, by Fuji Guys Channel (9:04)
• Using Fujifilm X RAW Studio, by pal2tech (8:59).
• How to use FUJI FILM SIMULATIONS with RAW files in LIGHTROOM using CAMERA PROFILES, by Reggie Ballesteros (5:50).

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Fujifilm/Fringer/Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens

In a recent blog post I mentioned that I was looking forward to testing the Fringer EF-FX Pro II lens mount adapter with my Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens.

The MP-E 65mm doesn’t have a ring for focusing on the subject — you set the magnification ratio (from 1x to 5x) and move the camera/lens rig back and forth until the subject is in focus. For all photos, I focused on one eye of the model.

Dimetron

The first studio model is a toy Dimetron, photographed at a magnification ratio of 1:1. The toy is ~3.6 cm (~36 mm) long. The size of the APS-C sensor in the Fujifilm X-T3 is 23.5 mm x 15.6 mm. At 1x magnification, the entire length of the toy doesn’t fit on screen.

Dimetron toy | 1:1 magnification | 1/16 flash power ratio

With the camera/lens set for the same f/stop, shutter speed, and ISO (f/5.6, 1/250 s, and 400, respectively), less light reached the sensor when the magnification ratio was increased from 1:1 to 2:1. So I increased the flash power ratio by one stop, from 1/16 power to 1/8 power.

Dimetron toy | 2:1 magnification | 1/8 flash power ratio

Triceratops

The last studio model is a toy Triceratops, photographed at a magnification ratio of 1:1. The toy is ~4.3 cm (~43 mm) long.

Triceratops toy | 1x magnification | 1/16 flash power ratio

As with the first model, when the magnification ratio was increased from 1:1 to 2:1 it was necessary to increase the flash power ratio by one stop.

Triceratops toy | 2x magnification | 1/8 flash power ratio

Gear Talk

The Fringer EF-FX Pro II lens mount adapter enables one to mount Canon lenses on Fujifilm X-Series digital cameras. As you can see, my Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens works well with the Fujifilm X-T3 camera.

The APS-C sensor inside the Fujifilm X-T3 digital camera has a crop factor of 1.5x, so the Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens has a focal length of ~98mm (35mm equivalent) when mounted on an X-T3. The net result is an increase in apparent magnification, …

Post Update Update

Just because something looks like a duck and seems to act like a duck doesn’t mean it’s a duck. And so it is with the Fringer EF-FX Pro II lens mount adapter — although it looks like an extension tube, it isn’t. Why was I deceived by its appearance? Because I didn’t understand something called “flange focal distance.”

For an interchangeable lens camera, the flange focal distance (FFD) … of a lens mount system is the distance from the mounting flange (the interlocking metal rings on the camera and the rear of the lens) to the film or image sensor plane. This value is different for different camera systems. Source Credit: Flange focal distance. Wikipedia.

For example, the FFD for Canon EF-mount is 44 mm and the FFD for Fujifilm X-mount is 17.7 mm. In order to make a Canon EF lens perform properly on a Fujifilm X-series camera body, an adapter must move the Canon lens 26.3 mm farther from the digital sensor. (44 mm – 17.7 mm = 26.3 mm)

Not surprisingly, when I remeasured the thickness of my Fringer EF-FX Pro II lens mount adapter it turns out to be closer to 26 mm than my original course estimate of 30 mm (cited below). The net result is the 17.7 mm FFD of my Fujifilm X-T3 combines with the 26.3 mm thickness of the Fringer adapter, resulting in an FFD of 44 mm — exactly the right FFD for the Canon lens to work properly on a Fujiflm X-series camera body!

It’s worth noting that “apparent magnification” is still a real thing when a camera lens designed for a “full-frame” camera is mounted on a camera with an APS-C size sensor. The image formed by the lens is exactly the same size regardless of the size of the digital sensor used to record the image, but a smaller part of the image is “seen” by an APS-C sensor than a full-frame sensor, resulting in the misperception that the image is magnified.

I hope this sets the record straight. Sincere apologies for any confusion I might have caused — I never heard of “flange focal distance” before I bought the Fringer adapter!

---

[Post Update: From this point forward everything I wrote is incorrect. Is my face red, or what? I’ll explain further when I have a chance to use a desktop computer to edit this post.] … although the images appear to be magnified more than can be explained by this fact alone.

In the opinion of this author, the Fringer adapter functions like an extension tube. The adapter is ~3.0 cm (30 mm) in thickness. There aren’t any optics inside the adapter but it does move the lens 30 mm farther from the camera sensor. That, my friends, is an extension tube.

I used an online, interactive Macro Extension Tubes Calculator to estimate the effect of a 30mm extension tube on photos taken with the Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens at magnification ratios of 1:1 and 2:1. The calculator shows the magnification ratio increased from 1:1 to ~1.5:1 and 2:1 to ~2.5:1 respectively.

Macro Extension Tubes Calculator | 1:1 magnification ratio

The values for “new minimum focusing distance” are in millimeters, despite the fact that the second “m” only appears when you click an insertion point in the box and scroll to the right. The values for magnification ratio seem reasonable; the values for new minimum focusing distance, not so much.

Macro Extension Tubes Calculator | 2:1 magnification ratio

[End of segment with information that is incorrect.]

---

Related Resources

Full-size photos of the preceding studio models are featured in the following blog posts. Those photos should help to give the reader a better sense of how much the subjects were magnified by the Fujifilm/Fringer/Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens rig.

• What is it? (published on 21 DEC 2020)
• What is it? It’s a toy Dimetrodon. (published on 23 DEC 2020)
• Toy dinosaur: focus-stacked composite image (published on 08 JAN 2021)
• Flange focal distance, by Wikpedia.
• Sensor Size and Magnification – correcting a common misunderstanding, by Allan Walls Photography (20:02). Fast-forward to 5:48. See also Sensor Size Matters – Part 1 (the Front Half) – A Demonstration (19:51).

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Fujifilm X-T3: Focus Peak Highlight

I like to use manual focus to shoot photographs with my Fujifilm X-T3 digital camera. Set the small dial on the front of the camera to “M.” The beauty of manual focus on Fujifilm X-series cameras is back-button auto-focus still works!

When the small dial is set for “M” both manual focusing and back-button auto-focusing can be used in combination with what Fujifilm calls “Focus Peak Highlight,” or more simply, “focus peaking.”

The following YouTube video by pal2tech explains a technique that makes it much easier to see the focus peaking.

BEST Fujifilm Manual Focus Setting, by pal2tech (6:01).

The process is simple. Set the camera to record JPG + RAF [Fujifilm’s proprietary raw format]. Select one of the black-and-white Fujifilm film simulations, e.g., ACROS. [More about Fujifilm film simulations in an upcoming blog post.]

The camera display will be black-and-white. As Chris Lee (pal2tech) explains in the preceding video, it’s much easier to see focus peaking on a black-and-white background.

JPG files saved to a memory card are black-and-white too, as shown below.

Buzz Lightyear plastic toy. [Focus Peak Highlight not shown.]

RAF files are saved in full color, as shown below.

Buzz Lightyear plastic toy.

Tech Tips

“Focus Peak Highlight” can be activated when the camera is set for manual focus mode. Using back-button focus (AF-L button) in manual mode enables one to retain full control of the exposure triangle, focus quickly, and see what’s in focus before shooting a photograph.

Fuji Back Button Focus (4:06), a YouTube video by Ashraf Jandali, provides a clear demonstration of how to use back-button focus on the Fujifilm X-T1. The same technique works with the Fujifilm X-T3.

Related Resources

• BEST Fujifilm Manual Focus Setting, by pal2tech (6:01).
• Fuji Back Button Focus, by Ashraf Jandali (4:06).
• The ultimate guide to Fuji’s Film Simulations; A DEEP dive to de-mystify one of Fuji’s best features, by Dave Etchells, Imaging Resource.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Sample photos: Fringer EF-FX Pro II lens mount adapter

Oh look, it’s the “Made in the shade” monkey and Buzz Lightyear — two of my favorite studio models! Whenever I need to test new photography gear and/or techniques, they are always willing to help.

As promised in my last blog post, here are a couple of sample photos taken with my Canon EF 100mm macro lens mounted on a Fujifilm X-T3 digital camera body using a Fringer EF-FX Pro II lens mount adapter.

Single point focus was used for both photos. For the first photo, the focus point was located on the monkey’s right eye (bottom eye, relative to the photo). The real world size of the toy monkey is ~4.8 cm long.

“Made in the shade” monkey toy.

The Canon lens is controlled by the Fujifilm digital camera via the Fringer adapter. EXIF information (shown below) is available for each photo. As you can see, the photos in this set were taken using an aperture of f/5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/250 s, the default sync speed for the X-T3.

The “sweet spot” for the Canon EF 100mm macro lens is either f/5.6 or f/8. The depth of field is shallower at f/5.6 than f/8, but I thought the former might be a better test for sharpness than the latter.

Apple Preview | Inspector

Buzz Lightyear reporting for duty, sir. I don’t remember exactly where the focus point was located, but it was probably somewhere near Buzz’s face/head.

Buzz Lightyear plastic toy.

Regular readers of my blog might be happy to know Buzz will be back again for my next blog post.

What are the take-ways?

As you can see, my Canon macro lens works well with the Fujifilm camera. Does it perform better than my Fujinon 80mm macro lens? It’s too early to tell.

The APS-C sensor inside the Fujifilm X-T3 digital camera has a crop factor of 1.5x, so the Canon EF 100mm macro lens has a focal length of 150mm (35mm equivalent) when mounted on an X-T3. The net result is an increase in apparent magnification.

Some of the advantages of mounting the Canon lens on a Fujifim digital camera (rather than my older Canon DSLR camera) are really about features available on the X-T3 that enable me to get more from the same lens.

For example, there are only nine (9) focus points on my Canon EOS 5D Mark II; the Fujifilm X-T3 can be set for either 117 or 425.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II doesn’t feature focus peaking; the Fujifilm X-T3 does. Focus peaking is a useful aid for focusing the Canon lens manually. More about this topic in my next blog post.

And of course, don’t forget that all of my Canon lenses (including several L-series lenses) can be used with my Fujifilm cameras via the Fringer adapter. I’m especially looking forward to testing the Fringer adapter with my Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens.

In summary, the Canon/Fringer/Fujifilm rig works as expected. During limited testing, I discovered something that doesn’t work. (Again, more about this topic in an upcoming blog post.) The problem isn’t a deal-breaker and it should be something that can be fixed in a firmware update of the Fringer adapter. Editor’s Note: I just contacted Fringer as of this writing. I’m interested to see whether they are receptive to customer suggestions for improvement. I’ll update this post to include their response. Post Update: Fringer replied to my message promptly. Details in an upcoming blog post.

Related Resources

• How to Find Your Lens’s Sharpest Aperture or Sweet Spot, by Todd Vorenkamp for B&H Photo “Explora.”
• Depth of Field, DOFMaster.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

What’s wrong with these pictures?

Remember “What’s wrong with this picture?” puzzles? For example, a kangaroo hidden in a tower of giraffes. That’s right, “tower” is the collective noun for a group of giraffes. So what’s wrong with the following pictures?

Nothing is “wrong” with the pictures, other than the fact that they are quick-and-dirty photos taken using my Apple iPad mini 6 camera and built-in flash. But there is something incongruous. Look closely and you should notice that a Canon lens is mounted on a Fujifilm camera body. How is that possible?

A closer view shows a Fringer EF-FX Pro II lens mount adapter located between the Canon lens and Fujifilm camera body. Net result: The Canon lens works with my Fufifilm camera just like Fujifilm/Fujinon lenses.

During limited testing, the lens worked perfectly with the camera. I plan to post some test shots in an upcoming blog post.

The Backstory

The Canon EF 100mm macro lens is one of my favorite lenses — it takes tack-sharp photos that look great! I don’t use the lens as often as I should because my Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLR isn’t as feature-rich as relatively newer digital cameras such as my Fujifilm X-T3.

I’ve been thinking about upgrading my 5D Mark II to one of the two new Canon APS-C sensor camera models, but for now I decided to save money and buy the Fringer adapter instead. So far so good!

Related Resources

• Fringer EF-FX Pro II Lens Mount Adapter for EF- or EF-S-Mount Lens to Fujifilm X-Mount Camera (avaialable from B&H Photo)
• User’s Manual (provided by B&H Photo)
• Use Canon or Nikon Lenses with Fujifilm Cameras! by pal2tech (5:51).

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Blog posts related to instar

A while ago I created a series of single-topic blog posts related to instar. I just converted the Web versions of those blog posts to PDFs (Portable Document Format).

The PDF version of each blog post is available in two “flavors”: an interactive version (with Internet access), meaning the embedded hyperlinks work as expected; and a non-interactive version. Both versions are ad-free.

• “How to estimate instar”: Web version; interactive PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (119 KB); non-interactive PDF version, Apple iOS and “Safari” (533 KB).
• “How to estimate instar, revisited”: Web version; interactive PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (474 KB); non-interactive PDF version, Apple iOS and “Safari” (2.5 MB).
• “How to estimate instar using Photopea”: Web version; interactive PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (154 KB); non-interactive PDF version, Apple iOS and “Safari” (308 KB).
• “Determining final instar the Cham way”: Web version; interactive PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (195 KB); non-interactive PDF version, Apple iOS and “Safari” (1.3 MB).

Related Resources

• How to convert a Web page to PDF – a blog post by Walter Sanford
• Another way to convert a Web page to PDF – another blog post by Walter Sanford

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Identification guides for Sable Clubtail

Identification guides for Sable Clubtail dragonfly (Stenogomphurus rogersii) were created for both adult and larva/nymph forms. (Remember, a well-preserved odonate exuvia is a perfect model of the final instar larva.)

Sable Clubtail has a limited range and is classified as rare to uncommon.

The adult flight period is from May 21 to July 24 in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Source Credit: “CHECKLIST OF THE DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF VIRGINIA, April 2017 and April 2020 updates” by Dr. Steve Roble, Staff Zoologist at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage.

Adult

Apple macOS and Safari (interactive)

Apple macOS and “Safari” were used to convert the Web page version of “Field marks for identification of S. rogersii” to PDF (Portable Document Format). The PDF version of the same Web page is 351 KB, ad-free, and is interactive (with Internet access), meaning the embedded hyperlinks work as expected.

Apple iOS and Safari (non-interactive)

Apple iOS and “Safari” were used to convert the Web same page to PDF. The PDF version is 5.4 MB, ad-free, and is not interactive.

(See complete PDF version of “Field marks for identification of S. rogersii.”)

The preceding screenshot shows what the output looks like.

Apple “Photos” can be used to view PDFs on iOS devices. For macOS devices, Apple “Preview” can be used to open the complete PDF version; select “View / Actual Size” and resize the window as necessary. And of course PDFs can be opened using a Web browser.

Exuvia

Apple macOS and Safari (interactive)

Apple macOS and “Safari” were used to convert the Web page version of “Stenogomphurus rogersii exuvia” to PDF. The PDF version of the same Web page is 692 KB, ad-free, and is interactive (with Internet access).

Apple iOS and Safari (non-interactive)

Apple iOS and “Safari” were used to convert the Web same page to PDF. The PDF version is 4.8 MB, ad-free, and is not interactive.

(See complete PDF version of “Stenogomphurus rogersii exuvia.”)

The preceding screenshot shows what the output looks like.

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Another way to convert a Web page to PDF

In my last blog post I explained how to use Apple macOS and “Safari” to convert a Web page to PDF (Portable Document Format).

In this post I will explain how to use Apple iOS and “Safari” to do the same thing. Well, almost. More about that later.

I use an Apple iPad mini 6 running iOS version 15.5 to convert Web pages to PDFs. Before you begin, go to Settings / Safari / Reader …

Turn on Reader for “All Websites.”

Launch Apple “Safari” and open a Web page such as Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia. The page should open in the “Reader” view; if not, then tap the “Refresh” button.

Take a screenshot of the Web page by pressing the “Power” button and one of the “Volume” buttons simultaneously. (Press “Power” and “Home” simultaneously on older models.)

A thumbnail of the screenshot will appear in the lower-left corner of the screen. If you do nothing, then the thumbnail will disappear and the screenshot will be saved to “Photos.” Don’t do that!

Instead, tap the thumbnail and the following screen will appear …

Notice there are two buttons located near the upper-center of the screen: “Screen” (default); and “Full Page.” Tap the “Full Page” button. Also notice the scroll bar located on the right side of the screen. Use the scroll bar to check to see that the entire Web page was captured.

Tap the <Done> button located in the upper-left corner of the screen and select “Save PDF to Files.”

(See complete PDF version of “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia.”)

The preceding screenshot shows what the output looks like. Using Apple “Preview” to open the complete PDF version, select “View / Actual Size” and resize the window as necessary.

Pros and cons

The PDFs created using this method are relatively large files. For example, the PDF version of “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia” is 4.6 MB. [Editor’s Note: Limited testing suggests 25 MB is the maximum size that can be created.]

The PDF files are ad-free but they aren’t interactive, meaning the embedded hyperlinks don’t work. The output looks nice but larger file size and no interactivity is lose-lose, in my opinion.

In contrast, the PDF version of the same Web page, created using Apple macOS and “Safari,” is only 238 KB, ad-free, and is interactive (with Internet access).

What are the take-aways?

The method you choose to convert a Web page to PDF might depend upon the type of hardware that you own. Given a choice of either Apple macOS or Apple iOS, I think the former works better than the latter. But hey, if an Apple iPad is all you have then you can still get the job done.

Related Resources

• “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia”: Web version; PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (25 MB); PDF version, Apple iOS and “Safari” (4.6 MB).
• How to take a full-page screenshot on your iPhone or iPad — Apple Support (1:23)
• Use Markup on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, by Apple Support

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

How to convert a Web page to PDF

It’s possible to save a Web page as a PDF (Portable Document Format). Print-to-PDF, rather than print to an external printer, is a feature of many Web browsers that works well in some cases.

For example, when I pay bills online I use print-to-PDF to make electronic copies of the payment receipts from my bank.

In contrast, print-to-PDF might not work well when printing a blog post with embedded advertisements.

I tested print-to-PDF using Google “Chrome” and Mozilla “Firefox” to save a few of the posts from my photoblog. The results looked bad. I had to find a better solution.

That’s when I discovered Apple “Safari” can be used to convert Web pages to PDFs that look fairly good. Some of the Web page formatting might be lost but the PDFs are ad-free and interactive (with Internet access) — that’s win-win! Here’s how it works.

How to use Apple Safari to convert a Web page to PDF

A computer running Apple macOS is required. Step-by-step directions are as follows.

1. Launch Apple “Safari.”
2. Open a Web page in Safari.
3. Select View / Show Reader
4. Select File / Export as PDF…
5. Click the <Save> button.

The “Reader” view in Safari displays text and graphics only; advertisements are not shown.

For example, I used Safari to create a PDF version of “Collecting odonate exuviae,” one of my recent blog posts. The following graphic shows a screenshot of the first page from the PDF. A link to the entire PDF is provided in the image caption.

(See complete PDF version of “Collecting odonate exuviae.”)

Buoyed by success, I used Safari to create a PDF version of “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia,” another one of my recent blog posts. The following graphic shows a screenshot of the first page from the PDF.

(See complete PDF version of “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia.”)

If you compare/contrast the Web version with the PDF version of both blog posts, then you will see the PDF version isn’t a perfect copy of the Web version. Some PDFs will look better than others.

How to use Apple Preview to “mask” unwanted content

Some minor clean-up of the PDF output might be necessary, depending upon the Web page. Here’s how I use Apple “Preview” to “mask” unwanted content.

1. Launch Apple “Preview.”
2. Select View / Show Markup Toolbar
3. Set the border color to White. Set the fill color to White. [See the larger red rectangle that highlights these two settings, as shown in the following screen grab.]
4. To add a new all-white shape, click the Shapes icon and select the rectangle shape; click-and-drag to reposition and resize the rectangle, as necessary. [See the smaller red rectangle that highlights this setting, below.]

Screen grab showing Apple “Preview.”

In case you’re confused by what is shown in the preceding screenshot, notice you can see two iterations of the “Markup Toolbar”: the upper version is the one used to add the red rectangles to the document that appears in the “floating” window; the lower version is the one used to create three white rectangles that were placed over content that I wanted to mask. You can’t see those white rectangles but they are there.

Related Resources

• “Collecting odonate exuviae”: Web version; PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (360 KB).
• “Hunting spiketail dragonflies in Virginia”: Web version; PDF version, Apple macOS and “Safari” (236 KB).

Copyright © 2022 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.