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ADHD brains are more creative – and we might have worked out why

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While not everyone with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is creative, there are a lot of creative people with neurodivergent brains. Now, new research suggests this could be due to the way our minds wander.

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Category: ADHD & Autism, Brain Health, Body and Mind

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Ants also use social distancing when exposed to a pandemic

Gizmag news -

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world responded with public health measures, including nationwide lockdowns, social distancing measures, and travel restrictions. The idea was that we needed to avoid close contact to reduce the transmission of the virus. But it appears that humans aren’t the only ones to modify their spatial environment to mitigate epidemic risk.

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Category: Biology, Science

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Bizarro backpack camper turns everyday cars into hard-sided RVs

Gizmag news -

I'd like the pickup camper without the pickup truck, please. Serbian RV upstart Roofroomer has exactly what you crave in its Native camper, a fiberglass elbow that reimagines automotive living. The unique L-shaped rooftop camping pod packs all hard walls with no pop-up roof or tent fabric and houses a functional kitchen-cum-bathroom to complement its roomy, over-cab double bed. It's a vehicular mullet that's all party and no business.

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Category: RVs and Motorhomes, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors

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A new FCC rule raises the prospects of a DJI ban in the US

Digital Photography Review news -

Photo: DJI

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently voted unanimously to give itself sweeping new powers to ban electronic devices retroactively. The vote makes a nationwide DJI ban even more likely after December 23, 2025. This decision builds on years of threats to ban DJI products due to apparent security concerns and legislative action against the most popular drone maker.

The move, first reported by The Verge, means that the FCC can ban devices previously approved for entry into the US if it deems the company behind them a national security risk. It's being framed as a national security measure aimed at protecting US networks from backdoors in Chinese telecom gear. But it's also part of intensifying efforts to restrict technology from foreign companies, especially Chinese firms.

The FCC's decision is just the latest threat to DJI. There have been calls to ban DJI products since 2017, driven by worries that the drones could send sensitive data to China, a risk the company has repeatedly downplayed. At the end of last year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual defense spending bill, outlined a potential path toward a ban, although it did not specifically name DJI. It requires an "appropriate national security agency" to declare that a company's products don't "pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States." That risk audit must be completed by December 23, 2025.

"It would result in an automatic ban of all new DJI products that use radio transmitters in the US"

If the risk assessment isn't completed by December 23, DJI products (and those by other companies) will be added to the "Covered List" under the Secure and Trusted Communication Networks Act. That move would result in an automatic ban of all new DJI products that use radio transmitters in the US, which would include drones, gimbals and the Osmo line of pocket-sized cameras. At the time of writing, no security agency has taken up the audit, despite more than 10 months having passed and only a few months to go before the deadline.

In a statement to The Verge, DJI's global policy head, Adam Welsh, said the company welcomes an investigation. "As the deadline approaches, we urge the U.S. government to start the mandated review or grant an extension to ensure a fair, evidence-based process that protects American jobs, safety, and innovation," he said.

"[T]he continued use of such equipment that is already in the hands of users would remain authorized"

There are limits to the potential ban, though. A 60-page document outlines how the FCC order will work; importantly, it won’t confiscate or deactivate products that are already in the hands of consumers in its current form. "[T]he continued use of such equipment that is already in the hands of users would remain authorized," it says. Additionally, it says the FCC must provide public notice, conduct a "public interest analysis," and allow the opportunity for public comment for a minimum of 30 days.

With the December deadline approaching, DJI's future in the US market remains tenuous. The company hasn't made any of its releases this year officially available in the US (though some units have snuck through to stores), and that looks likely to continue as DJI’s next steps remain uncertain.

The allure of historic photo processes: finding connection through analog portraits

Digital Photography Review news -

Plate: Markus Hofstätter

While many choose to focus on the fast-moving world of modern photography, Markus Hofstätter, an award-winning photographer, builds his art on patience, tradition and tangible connection. Using large-format analog cameras and labor-intensive wet plate processes, he creates portraits that are as much about human interaction as they are about photographic technique. I had the opportunity to (virtually) sit down with Hofstätter, learning more about his background, technique and mindset.

His passion for photography began around 2008, well past film's heyday, while photographing billiards games, a challenge that soon turned into far more than a casual hobby. After learning the ropes, Hofstätter started capturing weddings, local events and more, to make money from his photography. It was all digital, though. But one day, he picked up a Mamiya 645E. While Hofstätter still photographs digitally, from that point on, analog processes became central to his personal work.

Plate: Markus Hofstätter

With his Mamiya 645E in hand, Hofstätter started taking portraits of people on the streets, which sparked a general love of portrait photography. Another turning point came when he had a friend let him try a 4x5 Linhof Master Technika. The large-format camera sparked a new interest for him.

However, Hofstätter says he got a bit bored with that as well. He then stumbled on a video of photographer Ian Ruhter making massive collodion wet plates and fell in love. "I tried to learn that by myself on 4x5 plates, and I failed so badly for many months. I only made black plates, so that was very frustrating," he said. But he didn't give up. He picked up a book by Quinn Jacobson and started making his own chemicals, eventually figuring out the process. Hofstätter says he hasn't looked back since.

These days, Hofstätter uses a Kodak 2D camera (which he modified, as you can see above) for studio setups and a Century No.2 for outside. He's mostly working with historical processes like wet plates and salt prints.

He explained that he is a very independent person and loves to work with his hands, which is part of why he's so drawn to the old analog processes. It is stressful trying to get everything right for a successful print, but Hofstätter says the demanding process keeps him sharp, a kind of creative tension that helps him focus. "I was always a little stressed or anxious before pool tournaments," he said. "Then I learned that when the stress comes, it means I get extra energy. It means I'm ready now, and I'm going to be extra careful and extra good because the stress is here. It's the same in the darkroom."

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Hofstätter sees benefits for portraiture from the slow analog process. His sessions result in only a single plate, which is drastically different from a portrait session with digital cameras. Of course, that also introduces challenges. You only have one shot to produce an image, after all. Hofstätter said that means you have to really figure out the individual before starting to take the photograph.

Plate: Markus Hofstätter

Hofstätter also explained that with wet plate processes, the subject is involved in the whole process. They get to see the plate getting prepped, the camera set up, the development and so on. That means he gets a lot more interaction with the people he's photographing, which lends itself to a different type of connection. The longer exposure times also lend themselves to unique results for portraiture. "I get to capture something different with the process because you have to sit still for two to three seconds," he explained. "You cannot fake good energy if you're not in a good mood for three seconds. So you get a different kind of personality, a real personality."

"If you want really great portraits, take at least 30 minutes per person."

Looking at Hofstätter's work reveals truly intimate, powerful portraits. Creating portraits like that involves a deep knowledge of how to work with people. "Portrait photography is mostly not about technique, it's about how you handle people," he said. It also requires a lot of trust and connection with the subject. When asked how he builds that trust, Hofstätter emphasized the importance of time. His main suggestion: take time. "If you want really great portraits, take at least 30 minutes per person," he said. "Chat with them before you even get started. Get to know who they are."

Plate: Markus Hofstätter

Of course, every person is different. Each individual will require a slightly different technique to get them comfortable in front of the lens. One method he likes to use is to have the subject close their eyes and only open them when they are ready. Then, when the eyes open, he takes the photograph. It gives the subject time to collect their thoughts and relax before he creates the image.

When asked whether he plans to explore other historical processes, Hofstätter said it isn’t a priority right now. "I want to create, I don't want to try. I figured it out now, and I just want to create portraits. At some point, when I'm limited, then I'll try something new," he explained. He gave an example of this problem-solving from when he was photographing a couple comprised of a woman with really dark skin and a really light man. The process is only blue-light sensitive, so she nearly completely disappeared. So, Hofstätter had to figure out a different recipe for his chemicals and tweak his lighting, which enabled him to get all of the skin tones to better handle such situations.

That doesn't mean Hofstätter is entirely opposed to trying new things, of course. A few years ago, he came across an antique retouching desk dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century. While many only associate retouching with digital processes and Photoshop, retouching has been around nearly as long as photography itself. After staring at it for those few years, he finally decided to put it to use. In a recent video and blog post, Hofstätter shared the process of learning how to retouch a plate with the antique table, which he said is more comfortable than the LED table he had used in the past.

Hofstätter was retouching his plates prior to buying this table using Photoshop. He explained that his retouching is always to make the digital copy look like the original. Seeing a plate in person is a much different experience, since tilting it or moving around it changes how the shadows and highlights appear. Because of that, he'll dodge and burn in Photoshop to get the digital version closer to the original. These days, he also shares videos of his plates to provide a better view of how they look in real life.

A preview of "The White Rabbit," an image included in his storytelling-based portrait series.
Plate: Markus Hofstätter

As his practice continues to evolve, Hofstätter is preparing a book that pays tribute to the individuals who have inspired him. At the same time, he is delving into more story-driven work, weaving narratives into his plates while continuing with these historical processes. You can see more of his work on his website, his Instagram or his YouTube channel, and you can sign up for his newsletter to stay up to date on his Inspired series.

Demoing the latest and most interesting features in Lightroom and Photoshop

Digital Photography Review news -

Photo: Mitchell Clark

Disclosure: DPReview is attending Adobe Max, with Adobe covering travel and lodging expenses.

Over the past few days at the Adobe Max conference, I've been able to talk with product managers from the Photoshop and Lightroom teams, and demo some new and in-the-works features that didn't get much time, if any, in the keynote presentation. We'll go over the most interesting ones here, and wrap up with some of the things I'd like to see in future releases.

The Lightroom Demos Assisted Culling and Auto Stacks The tool lets you fine-tune most of the parameters.

The headlining Lightroom feature this year is Assisted Culling, which is available as an "early access" feature in Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. We've gone more in-depth on it here, but essentially, it's a way to quickly sort through dozens or hundreds of photos so you only see the ones that are exposed properly and in focus. There are controls to set how picky you want it to be, and you can easily mark photos the system rejected as selects, or vice versa.

The culling tool can be accessed either in your library or in the import window, depending on where you're trying to use it.

Adobe has also updated the Stacks feature in Lightroom. While it has long been able to group photos by capture time, it can now do so based on visual similarity too (and, again, you can choose how similar photos have to be to be stacked together). Combining the two features lets you process a lot of photos very quickly. When you have your selects, you can run a batch process on both them and the rejects, applying colored labels, star ratings and/or flags, or adding them to an album.

The system generally works with both files in the cloud and on local files, though at the moment, you can only do visually similar stacking on local files in Lightroom Classic, not Lightroom.

Adobe says Assisted Culling is currently geared towards portrait photography, but that we can expect to see controls that make sense for other genres of photography in the future.

A better remove tool Note that this selection doesn't include the player's shadows.

Adobe has also been hard at work on the remove tool, which photographers can use to automatically get rid of distracting elements in their photos. For one, it can now detect and delete dust spots from your sensor or lens, and can do so as a batch process. So, if you've just come back from a shoot and realized your sensor was dirty, you won't have to go through each photo to fix them manually one by one.

The remove model also now supports smarter object detection. Previously, if you selected a person and asked Lightroom to remove them, it'd do it, but might leave their shadow or reflection. Worse, it might look at the image, see that there's a shadow, and try to insert something into the selected area, defeating the point entirely. Now, if you select the Detect Objects box, it will automatically detect and remove shadows and reflections too, even if you've only selected the object.

With the "Detect objects" option selected, Lightroom fully selected the players' bodies and their shadows, even though I didn't completely scribble over them.

Adobe also says it's updated the model used in its reflection removal tool, allowing it to handle more complex situations.

While all the features we've talked about so far have been available on the desktop versions of Lightroom, there's a new one coming exclusively to the Mobile and Web versions (for now): automatic blemish removal. It's available as a Quick Action in the retouch menu, and, as with most Quick Actions, there's a slider to control how strong you want the effect to be. Adobe says it's one of the most requested features, but that it's rolling it out in Early Access to get feedback before making it more widely available (it is messing with people's faces, after all).

Smarter searching It worked in this example, but didn't do so well in others. When I tried "black and white portraits" and "people with cats," it included images that didn't match those descriptions, and didn't find all the ones that did. Clearly still a work in progress!

Another feature that's in beta is an improved search tool that's much better at the semantic-type searching you may be familiar with using in cloud-based photo management tools from the likes of Apple and Google. While you've been able to search for things like "dog" or "person" for a while now, the improved search is much more granular. In the demo I saw, the presenter searched for "man standing at the end of a pier," and it was able to find the photo he was looking for.

It's currently only on Lightroom for the Web (which means it only works on photos you've uploaded to your account), and it has to do a scan of your library after you turn it on. While Adobe says it plans on bringing it to the desktop in the near-to-mid-future, you'll currently have to go to your profile, then enable the Improved Search feature in the Technology Previews section to use it.

What the heck is color variance? The color variance slider, with no changes applied.
Photo: Richard Butler

If I'm being honest, when I originally wrote about Adobe adding a "variance" slider to the point color panel, I wasn't completely sure what it did. After seeing it in action, though, I get it: it essentially lets you select a hue in your image, and then move similar hues either closer to it or further apart, removing or adding color contrast.

Turning the slider up can (in this case, over-)emphasise the difference between similar hues in your image.

The original use for it was for evening out skin tones, which helps demphasize blemishes without entirely smoothing someone's face. However, it can also be used to emphasize subjects in your scene without having to resort to globally increasing contrast, saturation or clarity. I saw demos of it being used to make foliage, which had looked relatively monochromatic in the original picture, really pop, or to make the Taj Mahal stand out despite being behind a thick layer of smog.

Agentic Editing Suggestions are like presets, but instead of preset changes, they analyze the actual image you're applying them to.

The Lightroom team also showed me a beta feature called Edit Suggestions, which they described as their first toe into the waters of "agentic style" editing. It's a bit of a mix of the current Quick Actions found in Lightroom Mobile and Web and the Adaptive Profiles that analyze your photos to give you a better baseline for your edits (though the team tells me it doesn't rely on the tech from the latter).

Essentially, it's a tab that says "make my photo look" and then gives you several pre-made options, such as "vintage" or "cinematic." It will then change a bunch of parameters, such as color mixing, grain settings, curves and, of course, the standard exposure sliders.

Lightroom explains what changes it made, and of course lets you refine the tweaks it made.

The team made it clear that these aren't just presets, though; it won't make the same exact changes each time. Instead, the adjustments it makes, and how far it takes them, will be based on the specific photo. Ask for the same thing on a different photo, and you'll get different settings.

It's easy to imagine a more open-ended version of this in the future, similar to the AI assistant that's coming to Photoshop, though the team isn't making any announcements in that direction yet.

The Photoshop demos

With Photoshop, I didn't get to see many features that I hadn't already written about, but I was able to get some insight into how they worked under the hood and how the folks at Adobe were thinking about them.

Same remove tool improvements

To start, the Remove tool received the same updates as the one in Lightroom, and should now be better at removing both an object and any reflections and shadows it may cast. And while the process still uses cloud-based generative AI, Adobe says that they were able to make the model so efficient that the feature doesn't cost any of the generative credits that come with its plans (which is good news for those using the standard Creative Cloud plan or the inexpensive Photography plans, which only come with a few).

I also got a pro tip from Stephen Nielson, Sr. Director of Product Management of Photoshop, who said that people often try to use the Generative Fill feature to remove unwanted elements from an image, rather than the Remove tool. He doesn't recommend that. For one, it costs credits, and two, it's actually not as good at erasing something from an image; you might end up with the problem that most of us are likely familiar with, where you try to get rid of something, only to have it replaced by something else.

Generative Fill and Partner Models You can now use Topaz's Gigapixel upscaling model from right within Photoshop, though doing so will require premium credits.

With that said, Generative Fill has gotten a big upgrade with the introduction of Partner Models, which let you do image generation not just using Adobe's own Firefly AI, but also with services like Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (AKA Nano Banana) model. Nielson says the new models available, including Adobe's latest-gen one, will now be much better at following prompts, when they couldn't before (though that didn't stop users from trying). For example, if you wanted it to change the color of someone's sweater, or even add a whole new overcoat, Generative Fill is now much better equipped to do so.

While a lot of photographers would rather not use generative AI to alter their images, Partner Models touches on other features as well. For example, if you frequent DPReview's forums and comments, you'll likely have seen recommendations for several of Topaz Labs' AI tools, such as the Gigapixel upscaler and its denoise software. The AI models underpinning those are now available to use in Photoshop, alongside Adobe's own models, without you having to have a separate subscription for them.

The local selection The select tool did a pretty decent job with this very complex object (even if it did miss a few very low-contrast spokes and treat the two bikes as one).

Speaking of AI models, the subject select tool, which lets you cut out an object from an image, has been improved, too. Nielson said this actually came in April, when Adobe added the ability to run the subject recognition process in the cloud, using a more complex model that could do a better job with fine details. Now, though, that model no longer requires the cloud; it can run right on your computer.

I asked Nielson if that was something the Photoshop team was interested in bringing to more AI features, and while he cautioned that not every model could even be run on today's desktops and laptops, it was definitely something the team considered. "If we can bring a model to run locally, yeah, we'll do it," he says.

Jarvis, label my layers

The splashiest feature was likely the Photoshop AI assistant, which I actually didn't get to see a demo of; it's currently only available in closed beta and in Photoshop for the Web. The idea is that you'll have a chat box that you can type commands into that an AI will try to execute within Photoshop. The crowd-pleasing demo shown during the keynote asked it to name all the layers, but Adobe says it'll be able to make adjustments to how your image looks and even give you feedback on your current edits.

The latter part was, to me, a surprisingly big focus for Adobe. Nielson says the AI isn't analyzing whether the image or design is good or bad, per se, but rather just looking for ways that it could be better (though it wasn't exactly clear where the definition of "better" comes from). While he conceded that it could be used as a tool to learn how to do more complex edits or to remind you how to do a specific operation, he says they don't want it to just be a super-powered help tool. They view the AI more as an automation tool, something that'll do repetitive tasks that you can't be bothered with, but with a contextual understanding of your image that you wouldn't be able to get with, say, Actions or macros. Speaking of, though...

Action-packed Adobe is carefully reworking the Actions panel.
Image: Adobe

I also got a sneak peek at some of the progress being made to the updated Actions panel, which can also suggest edits to you based on the image you're working on. According to Pete Green, another Photoshop product manager, it pulls suggestions from a bank of over 500 pre-made actions. The team is also working on revamping the workflow for creating and recording custom actions, letting you add icons and labels to them to make them easier to pick out from the list.

According to Green, there's been a lot of effort to make sure the actions made by the new system are backwards-compatible, and that all your existing actions should still work. He says the team is being meticulous about the updates it makes, with the knowledge that actions are a long-standing and vital part of many people's workflows.

What's next?

Looking at the demos I saw this week, the thing that stood out to me most is that the gap between Lightroom and Photoshop's purposes has never been wider. Photoshop has become Adobe's main tool for dealing with imagery, and several of its features may seem like utter anathema to those who care about capturing moments and whatever truths may lie within them. Lightroom, meanwhile, is laser-focused on the needs of photographers, gaining features that I suspect will be quite popular, especially with our audience.

I do think there's room for a bit more of Photoshop to bleed into Lightroom, though. I was honestly surprised that Lightroom isn't getting the Topaz partner models, as I can imagine a lot of photographers wanting to use those, especially on older photos. The Lightroom team told me that they haven't ruled out the possibility of adding them and that customer feedback would be an important part of their considerations.

That raises the question: what would you like to see in Photoshop or Lightroom? Leave a comment down below or in our forums.

Update: Our forums are in read-only mode while we upgrade software

Digital Photography Review news -

Our Community Manager, Mathew Anderson, created this 5-minute video to give you a preview of what the updated forums will look like.

As previously announced in our forums, on our homepage, and via a Halloween‑orange banner on the site, we will be upgrading the software that powers DPReview's discussion forums. During this upgrade, the forums will be in read‑only mode while we migrate all existing forum data to the new system.

The forums will enter read‑only mode on Friday, October 31, at 1:00 pm Pacific (20:00 UTC). During the read-only period, you can continue to browse, read, and search the forums, but you won't be able to create new posts or upload photos. We expect the forums to come back online beginning Wednesday, November 5.

The move to a modern platform will ensure the forums remain healthy, secure, and sustainable for the years ahead. It will allow us to roll out important performance improvements and new features.

When the upgrade is complete, your discussions, posting history, photo albums, private messages, and other data will all be preserved.

Want a preview of the new forums? Our Community Manager, Mathew Anderson, put together a 5‑minute video walkthrough, which you can find at the top of this article.

To learn more about the upgrade and why we're doing it, please see our detailed forum post.

Read our post about the forum upgrade

We've also published a comprehensive FAQ about these changes. If your question isn't covered, add it to the FAQ forum thread and we'll find the answer.

Read the FAQ

Finally, thank you to everyone who's contributed to the forums over the years – the experts, the beginners, and yes, even the trolls. We can't wait for more discussions, debates, and shared discoveries in the years ahead.

Friendly reminder: DPReview forums will enter read-only mode on Friday while we upgrade software

Digital Photography Review news -

Our Community Manager, Mathew Anderson, created this 5-minute video to give you a preview of what the updated forums will look like.

As previously announced in our forums, on our homepage, and via a Halloween‑orange banner on the site, we will be upgrading the software that powers DPReview's discussion forums. During this upgrade, the forums will be in read‑only mode while we migrate all existing forum data to the new system.

The forums will enter read‑only mode on Friday, October 31, at 1:00 pm Pacific (20:00 UTC). During the read-only period, you can continue to browse, read, and search the forums, but you won't be able to create new posts or upload photos. We expect the forums to come back online beginning Wednesday, November 5.

The move to a modern platform will ensure the forums remain healthy, secure, and sustainable for the years ahead. It will allow us to roll out important performance improvements and new features.

When the upgrade is complete, your discussions, posting history, photo albums, private messages, and other data will all be preserved.

Want a preview of the new forums? Our Community Manager, Mathew Anderson, put together a 5‑minute video walkthrough, which you can find at the top of this article.

To learn more about the upgrade and why we're doing it, please see our detailed forum post.

Read our post about the forum upgrade

We've also published a comprehensive FAQ about these changes. If your question isn't covered, add it to the FAQ forum thread and we'll find the answer.

Read the FAQ

Finally, thank you to everyone who's contributed to the forums over the years – the experts, the beginners, and yes, even the trolls. We can't wait for more discussions, debates, and shared discoveries in the years ahead.

Lovable Toyota tiny camper somehow gets even tinier and more lovable

Gizmag news -

Toyota won minds and melted hearts at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show with a compact concept van and mini-adventurer it called the Kayoibako, going so far as to show what it would look like as a light camper. The modular x-mover was as functional as it was adorable ... in a concept van way, at least. Two years later, the Japan Mobility Show is back, and so is the Kayoibako. This time around, Toyota is talking up an entire family of vans, including a newborn baby: the Daihatsu Kayoibako-K, a flexible kei transporter that works as an urban delivery solution, micro-camper, small family hauler, self-driving adventure shuttle and mobile storefront.

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Category: Campervans, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors

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