Digital SLR Blog

Step OK Image Lab has updated their Turbo Photo image editor. Version 6.5 features an updated 4th-generation noise reduction algorithm for enhanced performance and also fixes known bugs. Turbo Photo is available for Windows and can be purchased for $59, which includes lifetime free upgrades.

Roxio has announced the Roxio PhotoShow® Touch for Windows 7-based systems. The software lets one create and share slideshows using simple finger gestures to directly manipulate objects on screen. PhotoShow Touch is expected to be available shortly on PCs from major manufacturers.

The latest update to Phase One Capture One 4 is now available for download. Capture One 4.8 supports the new Phase One P 40+ and the Olympus E-620 and includes Image quality improvements include: enhancements for the Phase One P 65+, the Leica D-LUX 4. For more information please go to http://www.phaseone.com/4.

The AKVIS MultiBrush v.4.0 for Windows and Macintosh is now available for download. The application, which is a retouching tool can remove wrinkles, scars, scratches, and enhances imperfect skin on portraits. AKVIS MultiBrush is a new enhanced version of AKVIS Stamp and one can download a free trial from here.

Panoweaver 6.00 Professional and Panoweaver 6.00 Batch are now available for download courtesy Easypano. For the uninitiated Panoweaver lets one stitch panoramas automatically and Panoweaver 6.00 supports cylindrical panorama stitching. Main features of Panoweaver 6.00:

Support automatic stitching and manual stitching
Recognize the lens type automatically
Stitch spherical panoramas from fisheye photos
Stitch cylindrical panoramas from single-row/multiple-rows of photos
Support creating HDR panoramas

Pricing:

Panoweaver 6.00 Professional: US$499.95 / 499.95€
Upgrade to Panoweaver 6.00 Professional from 5.00 Professional: US$200.00 / 200.00€
Panoweaver 6.00 Batch: US$999.95 / 899.95€

Cooliris version 1.10, which is a plug-in for browsers likes Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer is now available for download. Version 1.10 not only lets you browse and search popular websites like Google Images and Youtube but can also access a hard drive. One can now also view shutter, aperture and ISO of Picasa Photos, see image size and source of Google images, view ratings and related videos on YouTube.

National Geographic Digital Media’s Infinite Photograph is a Web 2.0 photography mosaic application that lets one interact with shared online photographs by clicking on color patterns. The application will debut on April 15 at http://www.ngm.com/infinite. Each mosaic is composed of 200 to 500 photographs.

Ginpic for Windows is an application that can beutilized to find pictures, photos and images for projects or other personal usage. With Ginipic one can search multiple sources with a single click and use search results in with a simple drag & drop. Ginpic  requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

FotoMaps, which is a photo gallery built with flash and XML has been updated.  FotoMaps 2.0 can be accessed at http://www.fotomaps.net/demo and it makes it easier to put your photos on a map. The 3D interface lets one zoom, scrolls and drag images with smooth dynamic motion. In fact for $29 one can get the FotoMaps Pro version which has added functionality.

AKVIS Sketch v.8.6 for Windows and Macintosh is now available for download. The new version improves the way a photo is converted into a watercolor and fixes a number of bugs. It also improves plugin compatibility on Windows and adds support of 32 bit images. For more information go to http://akvis.com/en/sketch/index.php and upgrade for registered users is free.

The Iridient RAW Developer 1.8.3 for the Mac OS is now available for download. The update adds RAW support for the Olympus E-620, Canon SX1 IS, and Casio EX-FH20 and also adds support for 3FR and FFF format files produced by recent Hasselblad backs and from Phocus software conversions. It also fixes a number of bugs and more for more information on this release go here.

The ACDSee Picture Frame Manager seeks to simplify the usage experience of digital picture frame owners. Available for both Mac and PC users, the picture Frame Manager allows effortless management of digital frame images in just a few simple steps:


• Picture Frame Manager connects the computer with any removable memory device such as a picture frame, SD card, USB drive or other portable display that mounts as a mass storage device.
•Once connected, drag-and-drop features make loading, moving, changing or deleting images a snap.

• To increase memory capacity, the software optimizes images for frames of any size or resolution, even for today's high-definition television screens. Because each image is set to the correct resolution for each frame, up to 10 times the amount of images can be stored and displayed.

• Picture Frame Manager makes waiting for photos to display a thing of the past. All types of decodable image files, including TIF, GIF, PNG and RAW-format files from today's DSLR cameras, are converted automatically to JPEG format, ensuring smooth, professional transitions every time.

• Users can manage multiple frames at the same time and save settings for each frame.

Order it online for US$39.99.

Imagenomic has announced the availability of Portraiture 2 for Aperture. The plug-in claims to fit seamlessly into Aperture digital image management, editing and output and now includes features like; Automatic Skin Tones Mask generation and “One-click” skin retouching, Advanced Skin Masking controls and Enhancement sliders and settings. Portraiture 2 for Aperture can be purchased for  $199.95 (SRP).

onOne Software has released updates for its popular Photoshop plug-ins. The Plug-In Suite 4.5 and the FocalPoint 1.1 plug-in now supports Adobe Photoshop CS4, Lightroom 2 and Apple Aperture 2.1 and also fixes a number of bugs. Plug-In Suite 4.5 combines FocalPoint 1.1, Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition, PhotoTools 2 Professional Edition and PhotoFrame 4 Professional Edition in addition to Mask Pro 4 and PhotoTune 2.2.

Digital Anarchy has unveiled the Knoll Light Factory and ToonIt! Photo applications for Apple’s Aperture. Knoll Light Factory generates lighting effects where as ToonIt! Photo creates cartoon-like images from photographs. Knoll Light Factory 3.0 for Aperture is priced at $129 USD. ToonIt! 2.0 for Aperture is priced at $129 USD and products are also currently available for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

At the Focus on Imaging 2009 show, Corel Corporation will be demonstrating Corel® Paint Shop Pro Photo and Corel Painter. Both products are image editing software’s and the Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate will be available for just £57 at the show. For further information, visit: http://www.corel.co.uk/foi

Hamrick Software have released VueScan 8.5.01 which apart from offering an enhanced performance also adds support for 180 Raw file formats.  The Standard Edition of Version 8.5.01 can be downloaded for $39.95 and the Professional Edition for $79.95. The software is available for Linux, Mac OS X 10.3.9+ and Windows platforms and for the full list of the 321 supported Raw formats go here.

Nikon will soon release a dedicated iPhone application for accessing the company’s Picturetown application. The application will be available on the Apple iTunes App Store and will be compatible with iPhone and iPod touch devices running firmware version 2.2.

[Via Imaging- Resource ]

AKVIS Sketch v.8.5 for Windows and Macintosh which converts photos to pencil drawings and watercolor paintings is now available for download. The new version is available as a stand-alone application, as well as a plug-in to a photo editor and the plug-in version of AKVIS Sketch is compatible with Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter, Corel Photo-Paint, and Paint Shop Pro, ACD FotoCanvas, and Ulead PhotoImpact.

Picture Resize Genius 2.9.4 is a new resize, shrink and crop utility that’s useful for resizing images for posting them on blogs or emailing to family and friends. Available for Windows only, the application saves images in true color, 256 colors or gray scale.

Some features:
Select and process pictures in batch mode.
Allows you to force a specified width or height and keep the proportions or define fixed picture dimensions.
View, add and remove pictures in a list with sorting features.
Add watermark and rename your pictures at once.
After processed, the Jpg EXIF and Tiff Tags cannot be lost.
Keep file creating date time.


You can download it from here.

Apple has released the Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.4. The new version addresses issues related to specific cameras and overall stability and also extends Raw file compatibility to the following cameras:

• Canon EOS 5D Mark II

• Canon PowerShot G10

• Pentax K2000/K-m

• Leaf AFi-II 6

• Leaf AFi-II 7

• Leaf Aptus-II 6

• Leaf Aptus-II 7

• Leica M8.2

For more information and to download the update head over here.

Portraiture 2, which is an upgrade to the Portraiture Plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, is now available for download. The updated version supports latest versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Creative Suite, including full support for CS4 32 and 64-bit versions. Portraiture 2 supports both Mac OSX and Windows XP/Vista operating systems, and is fully compatible with Photoshop Elements 4/5/6/7, and Photoshop CS2/CS3/CS4 (32 and 64-bit versions), as well as Creative Suite Extended.

For more information, visit http://www.imagenomic.com.

Apple users can now download the Mac OS X 10.5.6 update which not only fixes general operating system bugs but also includes fixes for possible graphics distortion issues with certain ATI graphics cards and improves printing for Adobe CS3 application suite and USB-based Brother and Canon printers.

Graphics

    * Includes general improvements to gaming performance.
    * Includes graphics improvements for iChat, Cover Flow, Aperture, and iTunes.
    * Includes fixes for possible graphics distortion issues with certain ATI graphics cards.


For more information head over here.

Datacolor has extended its  mail-in rebates on its line of Spyder color calibration systems including Spyder3Pro, Spyder3Elite and Spyder3 Studio till December 31, 2008.

Datacolor’s mail-in rebate program includes:  $15.00 off of Spyder3Pro; $35.00 off of Spyder3Elite; and $100.00 off Spyder3 Studio.  Customers must send a copy of the sales receipt (dated between December 5 and December 31, 2008) to the following address:

Promotion #21150
Datacolor US Spyder3 Rebate
P.O. Box 22092
Phoenix, AZ. 85285

Photography Blog reviewed the PhotoFrame 4 Pro software and give it a solid 4 out of 5 rating. The latest version of  the software is easy to use and one can create professionally designed borders without any hassles. The reviewer calls the PhotoFrame 4 a “solid upgrade” and praises the help system which also includes video lessons.