Reviews on gear and software

Speed up your workflow with Reblum

24-04-2026/0 Comments/in blog, Reviews/by Frank Doorhof

Skin retouching has always been “a thing.”

This blog is about Skin retouching with Reblum. Ever since I started with model photography, one of the hottest topics has been skin retouching.
Let’s first talk about why you should do it and how Reblum comes into the picture.
Because we didn’t need it with film… right?

Well, not really.
First of all, when people only used film in most beauty shots. Filters were used to make the skin glow, and thus make it look just like in the movies, nice and soft.
And also remember that with film, the surface never was 100% straight. Focus was never 100% accurate, and the film itself didn’t have that insane 100% artificial build that film had.
With digital, we have insane quality in lenses. 60MP sensors that now focus on the sensor itself, so our images are razor sharp without any possible pitting for our models.

In other words, you won’t just see all the skin details; no, you will literally see stuff you don’t even see yourself in the mirror; the camera is ruthless.

But luckily, we don’t have to shoot with soft focus filters (you still can, of course).
In fact, I’m always shooting with a K&F Black diffusion filter. Which is awesome for backlighting and does give a very slight glow to skin; it’s hardly visible, and I mostly use it for smoother and larger lens flares.

Photoshop for skin retouching

I don’t remember the first versions of Photoshop (I did start with Lightroom 1.0), but Photoshop did change the world for Photography.
When I started with skin retouching, it was pure hell. It took hours when you wanted pro-quality. And it was just boring and repetitive work that you would rather not do.
If you ever hear someone say, “dodge and burn the skin,” it means literally going over every pore and taking them out with highlights and shadows to make sure you keep the original structure.

Later on, we all started to develop smarter ways to do skin retouching.
Photoshop got more filters, and in essence, it was possible to get an ok skin retouch that was good enough for the internet.
One of the disadvantages of the automated skin retouching plugins was that they didn’t really do a good job. It was often more like a Barbie doll than a human. And getting that detail back was often solved by adding a noise layer. When you look at some magazines from the 90s-2000s, you know what I mean.

I actually created a simple action in Photoshop to bring detail back in the skin, but it’s not the real detail.
So, is there a perfect solution?

The perfect solution

Like with almost everything (except, of course, my wife), there is no perfection in life.
And that also goes for skin retouching.
Over the years, I’ve tried several solutions, and some I really liked, but most were slow, changed my whole model (even before AI), or just didn’t work on high-resolution images.

Nowadays, I mostly use Luminar NEO, which does a great job in most cases, and you can even stack effects.
If you are looking for an all-around solution for looks, slight retouch work, portrait work, and a lot more, Luminar NEO is one I can highly recommend.
However, it has one huge drawback for me. I love using presets and that is the Achilles heel; even on my M4 Pro MBP, it takes a while to load all my presets.
But don’t let that hold you back, it’s still one of the best all-round solutions.

Enter Reblum for skin retouching

I love the expression “keep it simple, stupid.”
Or the Steve Jobs approach, “one button is already one too many.” Well, ok, he didn’t say it like that, but you know what I mean.

The first time you look at the interface of Reblum, you might be a bit disappointed.

Yes, that’s it.
Well, not really, there is also an eye on the bottom for the before and after.
And export.

So we have two options and three sliders. Is that really all you need?
My first response was no.
But let’s be honest, what more do you actually need…..
If you run it in Photoshop, you can use Photoshop for masking if necessary, but in all honesty, everything I ran through it was fine and didn’t need any masking.

How you can use Reblum, and where it shines

There are many solutions for skin retouching. But what I really like about Reblum, and the reason you are reading this review, is the speed and integration into any workflow.
Reblum works under Lightroom, Photoshop, and Capture One.
For me, it’s key to work on 1 image, finish the image, and open the next one. I hardly work with batches, but even for me, Reblum speeds up my workflow a lot.
Reblum can be run straight from the top in Photoshop (recently used filters). And it will just run the filter on your present image, and after that, you can start the rest of your retouch process.

And it’s fast, and I mean really fast!
On my M4 Pro MBP you don’t really it working on 60MP files, its just there almost instantly.
It means my workflow has been considerably shortened, which is always a good thing 🙂

Reblum skin retouching, examples

So let’s take a look at 2 examples.<br class=”yoast-text-mark” />>Of course, I can redirect you to their website, but you never know if a company cherry picks photos (I’m 100 sure everyone does). And of course, there is nothing wrong with that, but I think real-life examples are always done best with your own images. And Reblum gives you a 7-day trial version so you can, of course, test it out for yourself.

The first image is a standard high contrast portrait. I like to keep some pores on the cheeks, which keeps the model looking real.
But I don’t like it to be “rough” due to shadows and color differences.
With most skin retouching software, it’s great on flat light and a model looking straight into the camera. But it becomes a lot harder when a model is at an angle, and you are using high contrast lighting.
So… that’s what I tried.

If you are looking for Barbie skin, you are in the wrong place, as you can see.
But for me, this is the “perfect” retouch. Loads of detail in the skin, but it looks so much “fresher” and natural. On the original image, you really see the relentlessness of the camera and the harsh lighting (not something you always want your model to see).
The retouched image keeps all the contrast in the skin, but it smoothens out the things you don’t want in the skin.
For me, this is the preferred way of retouching. I sometimes call it “retouching around the pores”.

But how about a shot that we did with our model Nadine?
We did a quick shoot with Nadine after the birth of her daughter, and we had a little less time for makeup. So let’s see how Reblum skin retouching works its magic.

It detected two faces, and in this case. I show you how it worked on both faces.
Of course, you can also uncheck faces, so for example, only the ladies are retouched and the men keep their roughness.

So in essence, you really don’t need more than a few sliders.

General is great for control over the effect.
Texture is exactly what it says; it controls the details and the “sharpness” in the skin.
This is a slider that is really interesting to play with.
Tone works wonders on some models that have different colors in their skin, or it can smooth out colors, as you can see in the example above. I wanted to disable the filter for the baby, but it actually shows you exactly the power of the tone slider; this is not to be underestimated. It’s a slider that I used a lot when working in Capture One. And can make a huge difference.

Fashion vs Natural

In all honesty, the difference is very slight.
The Fashion setting is a bit more “aggressive” and would, for me, be the standard setting for flash photography.
For event photography like weddings, I would prefer natural in most cases.

Weddings….?

Reblum is awesome for event photographers.
When I started the review, I was not 100% convinced it would fit in my workflow or if it would stand out from other solutions.
And in just the skin retouching part, there is a lot of competition. In just batch processing, there are also other solutions. However, I think that Reblum just takes the best from all and combines them in one blazingly fast and super simple plugin. It does batch processing, and …. well, it just works. What more do you need… honestly?

Well ok because you asked

While I was testing Reblum skin retouching, I found myself using it more and more in my standard workflow.
Especially when combining it with BorisFX for the film looks it speeds up my workflow a lot.
But there is one thing I would love to see added.
“Eyes are the soul of the shot,” and I would love to see them add just a simple slider that will lighten up the eyes, nothing more, just a bit more light.
When I mailed Reblum with this request, I got a very quick reply…. “working on it.”

Conclusion: Do I like Reblum skin retouching?

The market for plugins is overwhelming, and

I’m pretty sure there are more solutions out there.
For me, Reblum is interesting for the way it can speed up your workflow. Especially when you shoot events and have to work through hundreds of shots. This will shave off hours or make it possible to deliver much higher quality photos to your client, simply because now skin retouching is a press of a button.

Another thing I really like is the one-time buy and get a lifelong license idea.
Let’s be honest, we already pay a lot o

f money to listen to a streaming service for music (where you can also find my music), and also watching TV and movies is getting more expensive by the year.
The thing I really hate is paying for plugins. I have no problems with the Creative Cloud concept; you get a boatload of software for a price that is a LOT cheaper than upgrading every year (we did that in the past, and trust me, that was painful). Both Apple and Adobe deliver a lot of goods for the money.

But paying for every photo, simple plugins, or one piece of software really has to stop!

OR give the option for a lifetime license.
Reblum runs locally, so no Ai us used to train on your photos. You don’t have to buy credits, and you can choose a subscription or a lifelong license for use on 2 machines.
For me, this is the perfect mix, and I’m using the lifelong license.
Now, as with most reviews of software, the software was gifted to me, but I would also have chosen the lifelong license.

So, if you are working with boatloads of photos and want to have a simple but great solution for skin retouching, I think Reblum will fit your needs perfectly.
But also, if you’re like me, working on 1 photo at a time speeds up your workflow, and the results are good enough for publication. For high-paying jobs, I would do a proper check and some extra retouching, but with most budgets nowadays, this works like a charm.

You can download a trial version from their website.
If you use our link when buying, you also support our work, and you get a cool 20% discount.

As always, the review is done 100% without input from the manufacturer.
I’ve also declined two reviews this week of software that I liked but did not stand out.
I try to only select products to review that can really add something to my and your workflow.

BenQ Creative Pro PD2770U monitor: a totally new workflow

27-03-2026/in blog, Reviews/by Frank Doorhof

BenQ Creative Pro PD2770U review by Frank Doorhof

Workflow has to be easy

When it comes to calibration and backups, we can always talk about backups, but for today, let’s talk about something that a lot of photographers forget or simply never do: calibration. This is the BenQ Creative Pro PD2770U review. It’s the first BenQ monitor with a built-in calibrator.

Let’s first talk a bit about what calibration is, and why it’s important for you and your clients.

But first:
Disclaimer
I’ve been a BenQ ambassador for many years.
I have chosen BenQ due to their dedication to calibration and color accuracy. They did not read the review beforehand and have no input on my opinions.
What I advise my readers is 100% my personal opinion, and I think it is the only way to deliver reliable reviews.

Color Evokes Emotion

When we watch movies or look at art, there is an almost 100% chance that the creator of that piece of art/movie has spent hours determining the exact color he/she uses for a particular scene or work.

Movies

Think about movies like The Matrix, where we see a slight green cast when we are inside the matrix and a slight blue tint in the real world.
Same thing with Terminator, the start-scene is incredibly blue while the rest of the movie has a more warmer tint.
This is not an accident; it’s done 100% intentional.

Photography

But also think about your own photography.
How many of you empty the card, look at the images, and go “done for today, it’s perfect”?
Most of the time, we will adjust the exposure, contrast, and maybe add some sharpness.
So I hear you think “this is my workflow, so I don’t need color calibration”.
Sorry to burst your bubble.

When we talk about the calibration of a device, we don’t just talk about color; we talk about much more.
Including the perfect black point, where we see all the shadow detail, and the perfect white point, where we don’t see any clipping in our images.
And of course, don’t forget about the so-called Gamma curve, which makes sure we see a nice smooth curve from black to white.

Let’s quickly dive further

When we look at colors in the digital domain, we first have to have a base to build on.
When we look at our TV sets, for example, we talk for example a bout REC709 and BT2020 in most cases.
Maybe you have already seen these 2 settings on your screen.
The REC709 colorspace is for standard movies, and the BT2020 colorspace is for HDR movies.
And some TV sets will have the label “Native”, which means literally the native colorspace of the screen itself.

When we talk about photography/design, we mostly use 3 colorspaces.
sRGB, AdobeRGB, and ProPhotoRGB.
The first 2 can be stored as JPGs, ProPhotoRGB must be stored as TIFF.
So why is that?

When we look at color spaces, we are, in essence, determining the maximum “performance” of the colors.
sRGB will show great colors, but it won’t give you the saturated colors of AdobeRGB, and ProPhotoRGB is even more saturated.
For now, let’s focus on sRGB and AdobeRGB.

A color space needs space

As we have seen, we can have several color spaces.
But how do we make sure we use the right one, and how do we make sure …….. loads of questions right?
Don’t worry, it’s actually not that hard.

A color space is nothing more than a table where you can find coordinates for the colors inside that space.
You probably already know the names from these coordinates, x,y,Y, or in other words, HSL.
Hue, Saturation, and Luminance.

Now that we know that each colorspace has a table with the coordinates of the colors, it’s important to know in which colorspace we have to work, and how we make sure that what we see on the screen is also what we see in real life.

Horses for courses

When we publish on the web, we use the sRGB color space.
It’s a smaller color space, and this means it’s highly compatible with smartphones of older generations, laptops, TV sets, etc.
In most cases, sRGB will look fine.
Also, when working with a non-colormanaged app or operating system, sRGB is often the only one colorspace that looks right.
So when you deliver to clients… It’s often best to choose sRGB.

Personally, I love to work and store my final results in AdobeRGB.
You can always do a near-perfect conversion in Photoshop from AdobeRGB to sRGB.
Do make sure you are also using a monitor that can display the colorspace as accurately as possible.
Over the years, monitors have gone from 95 to 99% Adobe RGB accuracy, so you can get a perfect result with the new generation screens.

Workflow kills

Now that we know how a colorspace works, we have to choose one to work in, and we need to know the monitor’s colorspace.
The question that remains open is….” how do we make sure this all fits together”.
In fact, that’s the easiest part, to be honest.

When I look at the work I do for the ISF (Imaging Science Foundation), this often means using external software with a high-end calibration tool and making all the adjustments by hand. In fact, in the old times we had to lift the hood of a TV/Projector and use a screwdriver to adjust the drive and bias, which was not safe or fun.

For screens like the BenQ, I’m taking a look at in a moment, it’s literally all automated (if you want).

So why do so many people “forget” to calibrate, or simply don’t see the need?

To get a proper calibration, it’s always necessary to warm up the screen for 15-30 minutes. I guess that we are then already fully at work and forget.
Or the reason is “the client doesn’t calibrate, so why would I?”
That one is easy to explain; the client is used to his/her screen, and doesn’t need to deliver color accuracy in their work.
Simple example.
How often did you order a scarf and a sweater that looked great in the catalogue, but when they arrived, they looked totally different?
Well, that’s why WE as photographers/designers need to make sure our screens are as accurate as possible.

Enter the new BenQ Creative Pro monitors

I’ve been a BenQ ambassador for a long time, and you probably already guessed why. Color accuracy and understanding color are not only my profession but also my passion.
So finding a company that lives and breathes color was feeling at home from the first moment.
And I think BenQ did something incredibly smart. Listen to the market, and do exactly what we want, but even better.

The BenQ Creative Pro PD277oU

It took me a while, but here we are. First off, I love the fact that BenQ recognizes that the market is not Photographers vs Designers vs Videomakers vs Musicians.
When I started teaching workshops many moons ago, one of the things I told attendees the moment video arrived in cameras was that they would better learn how to create short videos because before you know it, clients will choose all-around content-creators instead of sending two employees to an assignment. And nothing has changed.
As many of you know, I love creating music, but this also means taking the photos for the band, creating the artwork, and of course, filming and editing the music video.
As a professional photographer, I have to edit my images, create artwork for workshops, and create videos showcasing my work or tutorials.
We are all-round creative pro’s, and it’s awesome that BenQ now labels us as the multifaceted creators we are.
We need it all.
And boy does the Creative Pro PD2770U deliver!

The looks

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I have to be honest.
I really like the design of the BenQ monitors; they are a nice centerpiece on many desks.

As you can see in the image, the new Creative Pro PD2770U is using the same remote control “puck” as the previous generation.
It’s a very nice addition that can take over the control of the menus, but also is able to switch between color spaces and some more cool tricks.
It’s one of those accessories where at first you think you don’t need it and after a few weeks find out you love it, that’s it’s wireless because you start using it more and more.

Not every desk and position is the same, so of course, you can adjust the monitor to fit your position.

But there is one more design change that will make a lot of people really happy.
When I ask people, “What is the biggest frustration when getting a new monitor?”, in a lot of cases, you will get the same answer.
“That blxxdy hood”, and I totally agree, it feels sometimes like a puzzle.
And with the new Creative Pro PD2770U, I can honestly say, they solved it.
This is a totally newly designed hood that literally just snaps on via magnets. Love it.

Specifications of the Creative Pro BenQ PD2770U

The BenQ PD2770U is a 4K 27″ monitor with a 99% AdobeRGB colorspace accuracy.
But there is one thing that you have not yet seen on another BenQ monitor. Or did you already wonder what that bump in the middle was?
That’s the brand new color analyzer.

Indeed, the BenQ Creative Pro PD2770U has the color analyzer built in.
Now, many things can go wrong when a monitor has a built-in calibrator.
The first one is, of course, the position where it measures.
This is why, as you can see in the image, BenQ uses a slightly longer arm, combined with their great uniformity across the screen; this is a perfect way to overcome the biggest issue with built-in calibrators.

But how about deteriorating over time?

This is where you can see BenQ not only understands color, but also the whole workflow.

As you can see in the image, you can still use an external calibrator and use it to “train” the internal calibrator, if needed.
I cannot express how important this is. When you buy a screen like this, you expect years of perfect performance, and the monitor can deliver this without a problem, but the reality is that both screens and calibrators drift. Never in the same direction for all devices, especially when taking into account the level of detail the meter has to measure. So having a way to keep it all running as accurately as new is a protection of your investment and something other manufacturers would have to take note (or not, of course :D)

Time, and always too late

I know, life runs super fast nowadays. So calibrating your screen is not something you are looking forward to doing, I totally understand.
So what if I tell you, you don’t have to… never again.

Yes, you absolutely see it correctly.
The BenQ PD27770U is part of a new series of monitors that take calibration as seriously as I do.
And that means you can automate the whole process. No more waiting when you don’t want to, no more excuses about forgetting the calibration.
Set the software and forget about it.

But that’s not all, we can make it even crazier.

What do you think about running a whole office building with dozens of screens?
Do you want the design department to be calibrated to setting 1, the photography department to setting 2, etc., etc.?
Just program it in the software, and it will all be done behind the scenes, and nobody will have to think about it.
Never worry about the color accuracy of your intern anymore, or that one photographer who is sloppy with calibrations; it’s now all centrally done.
This is HUGE.

Although I’m a big fan of a “shadowbox” setup, this is not always possible.
And also there, the BenQ Creative Pro PD27770U has you covered with an available light meter that will adjust the calibration to your surroundings.

And I’m not done yet

The BenQ Creative Pro PD2770U is full of tricks, as you can see.
And I did not even talk about the connections.
In the past, I used a desktop and a laptop. But with today’s performance of the MacBook Pro, I don’t see any need for a desktop anymore. So that means I want to connect my MacBook with as few cables as possible, but still use everything I need.

The PD2770U supports the one-cable connect method. (Have to be honest, I thought that up, it’s not an official feature, I think)
Meaning when I’m at my desk, I just plug in the cable from the monitor, and I’m done.
I can scan my images, access my hard drives, and of course use an external keyboard and mouse.

Talking about the mouse and keyboard.
The PD2770U has a built-in KVM switch, which means you can seamlessly switch between machines and use the same keyboard and mouse, very smart and super handy.

Conclusion: Do I like the new BenQ Creative Pro PD2770U?

Normally, I always wonder what to write about a new monitor.
But with the rebranding into Creative Pro, BenQ really raised the bar.
This is an insanely complete monitor with finally a hood that is super easy to put on, a built-in calibrator that can be “trained” as protection of your investment. And I did not even talk about the screen surface that is not only tested and designed for the best possible corner-to-corner uniformity, but also has a beautiful coating for much better blacks and reflection rejection.

It’s a whole list, but I think I covered most.
Of course, you still get a 1-year free Pantone subscription with the Creative Pro monitors.
And of course, the BenQ PD2770U is compatible with the Display Pilot 2 software from BenQ.
Read more here .

I think that when you are like us, doing a lot of different things ranging from photography to video editing, the Creative Pro series hits the nail on the head, and I can highly recommend them.

Also want a new monitor and decided on BenQ?

If you live in the EU, drop me an email for a 10% discount code, not only on the BenQ PD277U but on a lot of BenQ Creative Pro monitors.

The BenQ has another monitor specially for MacBooks, with a one-cable connection: the Creative Pro BenQ272U

We are proud that BenQ is a sponsor of our Digital Classroom: a free live shoot from our studio, often with a model shoot. BenQ also supports our explainer videos in the Digital Classroom Playlist

Besides monitors, BenQ also released a tiny monitor to put directly on your camera for viewing your pictures more easily. Check the review of the PVS7 on-camera monitor

Synology BeeStation: Is this the perfect external drive setup?

23-01-2026/in blog, Reviews/by Frank Doorhof

Demand for storage is growing. Is the Synology BeeStation the perfect external drive?

As creatives, we love to create. It doesn’t matter if it’s video, photos, artpieces or the music we create.
All these files need a place to be, and very soon, you are running out of space on the main drive.
And because it’s never a good idea to store your data on the main drive. It’s easy to end up with a closet filled with USB drives. This is not only a problem when you use a system like Lightroom, but also when you want to create a proper backup strategy. This blog is about the Synology BeeStation.

Storage

As you probably know, before we started the studio, Annewiek and I ran a computer company. And there are, of course, plenty of people who don’t need a lot of storage.
If you work on some documents, surf the web, and read the paper, you probably are more than happy with the internal hard drive.

However, in today’s world, most people use smartphones and shoot loads of images and videos. The problem with digital is that if something is gone, in most cases, it’s really gone. You will be shocked at how many people have thousands of photos on their phone but don’t make backups. Meaning if they lose their phone, everything is gone.

Dataloss

If there is one thing that freaks me out, it’s dataloss. During the 20+ years in the computer company, we have experienced real dramas with people losing every single piece of family history. Simply because they saved all their photos and videos on the internal hard drive. And there is one thing very sure about hard drives.

There is a day they WILL fail; this day can be today, or tomorrow, or in 10 years.
And it will ALWAYS happen when you are not ready for it.

So if you care for your data, always make sure you create at least one backup on an external device or in the cloud, even if you never run out of space.
With smartphones, this is pretty easy; both Apple and Android have solutions that you can use for “almost free”.
But, if you want to backup a lot of data, there are several solutions on the market. Today we are taking a look at the BeeStation from Synology.

The Synology BeeStation vs NAS

You probably know the name Synology from their NAS systems.
I’ve been using Synology myself for as long as I can remember, and also in the computer company we often advised Synology due to their durability and support.

Let me start by explaining the difference between the BeeStation and a NAS.
Both the BeeStation and a NAS are connected to your network and the outside world. They are designed to be run 24/7. However, there is a large difference between the two. The BeeStation runs with one hard drive where a NAS always runs with several hard drives.

NAS for backup

With a NAS, the data is usually stored spread out over several drives. This means that if one drive fails, you don’t have to panic. Take out the drive, put in a new one, and let the NAS rebuild. Also, when you run out of space, just add a new drive (that is larger than what you replace), and your NAS will add it to the storage pool. A NAS is the perfect backup solution.

In our studio, for example, we use two 8-drive Synology NASes.
In the Synology OS, there are several options to create backups; in our case, we chose to have a mirror setup.
The system automatically starts up at a certain time. The main NAS is mirrored to the backupNAS and when it’s done, they shut down. A pretty foolproof solution as soon as it’s set up. You can even have the system email you when there is a problem.

Clean your NAS

Do make sure you check your NAS ever once in a while, make sure it is off the floor so dust is less of a problem. And make sure that you occasionally clean the NAS, also on the inside/Fans to make sure the dust doesn’t shorten the lifetime.

As you probably guessed, on a NAS, your data is pretty safe; if a drive fails, there is no problem. Howeve,r if several drives fail at the same time, or the NAS dies itself you will still have dataloss in most cases. So, also when you use a NAS, never use it as your only backup. I know it sounds expensive, but always ask yourself, “If I lose all my data, how much would it be worth to have it back?” I can almost guarantee it’s a lot more than an extra drive/NAS/cloud storage.

The Synology BeeStation

When I saw the first announcements of the BeeStation it immediately caught my attention.
In fact, I believe this is the perfect device for a lot of groups, due to its many features and super simple OS.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can use your BeeStation, and how we use it.

Backup from Phones and Time Machine

Annewiek and I both have iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.
If there is one thing that Apple really nailed, it’s making backups.
For our MacBook,s we use TimeMachine which you can use with an external drive or a NAS system.
Annewiek and I have both created a TimeMachine backup on the BeeStation.
This means that as soon as we start our day, the Mac is synced with TimeMachine without having to connect an external drive. This not only reduces the chance of “forgetting” to create a backup, but it also means we have a lot more points to go back to due to the continuous backup process.

For photos made on our phones/iPads, we use the Photos app.
The app is installed on the phones and BeeStation, which means that as soon as we shoot images or video, they can be uploaded to the BeeStation.

Sharing memories or work

The Photos app is not only for backup.
In fact, in the last few years, the app has grown into a full ecosystem for photos/videos.
First of all, you can of course create your own albums or use the AI functions, which work pretty well, to be honest.
But you can also choose to share different albums with different people.
For example, when we travel, we love to keep our parents and friends updated. With the Photos app, it’s very easy to create albums where we back up everything from our phones and select the images we want to share with that group. It’s a fun way to keep the family updated.

And of course, you can also use the Photosapp for assignments, share ideas like moodboards, or use it as your portfolio.It’s a lot more powerful than most people think.

Backups on the Synology BeeStation

Besides Photos and TimeMachine, you can also use the Synology BeeStation’s own sync system to back up files or whole drives.
I’m actually using the BeeStation sync for my external 4TB SSD drive, which I have connected to my MacBookPro. If your OS doesn’t support TimeMachine the BeeStation sync is a really nice alternative; it’s been running very smoothly so far.

Each Synology BeeStation device includes one 3-year Acronis True Image Essentials license for one computer, if you want yet another backup solution.
I think we can say that Synology got you covered with backups.

But there is more

Using the Synology BeeStation in your Home Theater

We live in an age where we can experience movies in a real cinema-like experience.
So the demand for ways to watch and store our movies has also grown over the years.
You can, of course, stream your entertainment via online services like Netflix. But often we have collected loads of DVDs, BDs, and “downloads”, and because that material is often not available online, it would be great if there was a solution to browse your catalog, read about the movie, and start the movie.

Loads of people have digitized their DVDs and BDs and use PLEX to browse, access information about the movies, and start playback.
The Synology BeeStation supports PLEX integration, which makes it a great centre for your Home Theater.

Personal Cloud storage

There was a time when the term “cloud” or “cloud storage” had the same magical effect as AI today.
But with solutions like the BeeStation, having your own personal “unlimited” cloud storage is no problem anymore. With the BeeFiles app, you can always access your files, upload, and share.

Seeing the situation in the world today, I think it’s wise to use a personal cloud instead of an online cloud service for data you would normally store on OneDrive, GoogleDrive or Dropbox. BeeFiles is a great alternative that I can highly recommend.

The Operating System itself

I’m one of those nerds who can work out software and gear without needing a manual in most cases. But don’t let me fix your car. But we also know people who are the opposite, or think about our parents/grandparents, who probably also shoot a lot of images and videos on their phones.
Giving them a NAS can be problematic; the setup can be complicated, and there are often too many features and procedures to keep everything working perfectly, and if it goes wrong…. long story short… enter the Synology BeeStation.

The OS is super simple.
Setup is almost 100% automatic, and after tha,t it’s a matter of simple screens with clear instructions.
If you make a mistake, it’s really 100% your own fault. I can vouch for that because I made a mistake, because I literally overthought the system.
After turning off my brain and starting agai,n it all worked flawlessly, to prove how foolproof the setup is.

Back up your Synology BeeStation

You can use the USB connection on the back of the BeeStation to copy files from an external drive to the BeeStation for a faster backup. Especially with a lot of smaller files, a first-time backup via the USB connections saves a lot of time vs over the network.
However, I would highly recommend buying a proper external drive with the same capacity as the Synology BeeStation and using that as a backup drive for the BeeStation. This way, you have a pretty good backup strategy.

Is it all positive?

Yes, pretty much.
During my review, I’ve used the Synology BeeStation extensively and found it to be very similar in usage compared to the professional Synology NAS units I’ve been using.
Due to the simple setup procedure, I think it’s the perfect device for people who want something that is simple to set up and maintain but doesn’t really limit them in use cases.

Yes, for creators!

But also for creators that demand speed and being able to share and access their data all over the world, but also want to make sure the data the images they shoot on location are safely backupped. What I didn’t mention yet is that the Synology BeeStation is a great performer when it comes to speed. Synology really did their best here to create a device that will fit a really broad range of people from 5-105 I dare to say.

The Synology BeeStation is available in 4TB and 8TB versions.
When you use it for several TimeMachines and backups of photos I would highly recommend getting the 8TB version.

Read a Dutch interview about Synology in Shoot.be

Check this video from 2021 about the use of a Nas

In this blog I show an easy local way to backup

https://sy.to/pk2jp (one of the Synology partners)

A videoclip with the DJI Osmo pockets

2-01-2026/in blog, Reviews, Visions and technique, Webinars and instructional videos/by Frank Doorhof

Making a video clip with the DJI Osmo Pocket

When testing cameras, what’s the most fun to do?

Of course, do something creative with it.
This is not a genuine review, but rather a comparison of the usage of the DJI Osmo Pocket, the first and last edition.

For the livestreams and tutorials, we have been using an Osmo Pocket 1 for a few years. A great camera, and in essence, everyone can take great footage.
But, to get great behind-the-scenes footage, the Osmo Pocket 1 was not as good as we wanted in low light.
Thanks to the quick delivery from Kamera Express, we were able to test the Osmo Pocket 3 just before Christmas.

What’s the difference between the DJI Osmo Pocket 1 and 3?

It’s huge!.
The first thing that is a huge upgrade is the display; for me, this was the biggest problem with the Osmo Pocket.
The Osmo Pocket 3 has a great bright display, you can switch between landscape and portrait mode, awesome!

Of course, I could test the camera quickly in a dimly lit room. But between Christmas and the New Year, we had a bit more time. So I decided to do something a bit different.
Record a song and create a “simple” videoclip with both cameras. And also test how well the Platypod system works in this kind of setting.

The DJI Osmo Pocket

I think we can keep it short in this department.
Both cameras perform well enough in dimly lit situations to get some very usable material.
However, the colors, detail, and movement are a lot better with the Osmo Pocket 3.
Also, when adding special effects (switch into overdrive mode in the clip :)), the Osmo Pocket 3 material stayed much better and showed more detail.

Remote control with both cameras is possible. But the Osmo 3 is a lot easier and is out of the box usable as a webcam. It can be controlled with an app on your phone.
For the Osmo Pocket 1, you need a separate wifi module for remote control; the Osmo 3 wins here hands down.
Also, when using the camera without a remote, the Osmo 3 wins on all fronts.
And let’s be honest, with one whole generation between them, this is not really a surprise.
But I still wanted to test both cameras in the same setup.
Conclusion for the Osmo Pocket is that we will be using the 3 as one of the main cameras during live streams and tutorials. And when there is proper lighting, the Osmo Pocket 1 is a great B-roll camera.
It’s insane to see how well these small cameras have become.
The quality of the Osmo Pocket 3 is actually better than one of our older 4K “semi pro” cameras 😀

Platypod

If you can’t use a tripod, use the Platypod!
And in this situation, a tripod was out of the question.
I decided to film myself playing guitar from different angles. Which meant placing the cameras pretty close, and there is not a lot of room.
By using the smallest platypod foot (which works fine for the Osmo Pocket), I could raise the Osmo Pocket to the level I wanted, and even bent the gooseneck if necessary

In this photo, you can see a similar setup with an iPhone.
Quick tip: Don’t film a multicam clip with your iPhone if you want to sync on the audio. The iPhone films in a variable frame rate. And this means syncing on audio becomes impossible.
You can use separate camera apps, but the built-in app I could not get to sync properly.

You can get the Platypod products in our webshop at frankdoorhof.com/shop

The final result and conclusion: DJI Osmo Pocket

The Osmo pocket 3 material was great to edit with, even with the heavier effects, the material from the Osmo 3 held detail more easily.
If you want something better than an iPhone for video? Make sure to check out the Osmo Pocket series. The built-in gimbal, webcam function, wireless remote and of course great subject tracking make it a great camera to walk around with. When it powers down, it turns the camera into a protective position. (Something I missed in the 1 and never felt comfortable putting it in my pocket)

The app has some great features that will give you more than enough options for super creative videos. From hyper lapse to slow panning, and you can even zoom from 1 to 2x.
But for me, it’s the size and the fact that, in combination with the Platypod, we have a super portable video system I can bring with me wherever we go to create videos, and if needed, go live with the webcam function.
Use software like OBS, and you can use the Osmo Pocket 3 in combination with your built-in webcam and screensharing for a 3-camera live stream setup, all in your backpack next to your camera gear.

But for now, let’s take a look at the video.
I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did creating it.