O’Reilly Press Release

Tap into Tapp for Workflow Expertise - O’Reilly Releases “Photoshop Workflow Setups: Eddie Tapp on Digital Photography”

Farnham, UK—Most photographers are passionate about their work, but that doesn’t mean they’re passionate about sitting in front of a computer tweaking photographs. Although they have a powerful ally in Photoshop, some photographers struggle with a love/annoyance relationship with the application. It’s understandable: many of Photoshop’s features are intended for photo editing, but some are strictly for print and web design. The wealth of features and options can be confusing, distracting, and downright unproductive. In “Photoshop Workflow Setups” (O’Reilly), Eddie Tapp shows why nothing is more critical than setting up an efficient Photoshop workspace, optimized for the way you work as a photographer. The book is the first volume in the Experts’ Studio “Eddie Tap on Digital Photography” series from O’Reilly. It lays out a step-by-step approach to creating an uncluttered and efficient workspace in the midst of Photoshop’s vast collection of menus, palettes, and tools.

Apple Press Release

Major Update Adds Open Library Option and Extends Workflow

PHOTOKINA 2006, COLOGNE, Germany—September 25, 2006—Apple® today released Aperture™ 1.5, a major update to the all-in-one post production tool for photographers that delivers enhancements across each phase of the entire workflow. Aperture 1.5 delivers a powerful new open library, seamless iLife® ‘06 and iWork™ ‘06 integration, XMP metadata support, powerful new adjustment tools and an export API that makes it easy to extend the Aperture workflow to third party applications and services. “Aperture has given photographers around the globe the confidence to work in exciting new ways,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. “Now with Apple Aperture 1.5, we’ve opened the library and extended the workflow to provide a solution that is as flexible as it is powerful.”

DxO Labs Press Release

Automatic image enhancement software introduces advanced color features, new optical and image geometry corrections, improved workflow and speed as well as plug-in compatibility with Adobe® Photoshop®

Cologne, Germany, Photokina Hall 4.1, Aisle F, Booth 036 (September 25, 2006) – DxO Labs announces today the immediate availability of the Windows PC release of DxO Optics Pro v4 on the DxO Labs Web site (www.dxo.com).  A free, fully functional demo version is available in addition to the commercial version. DxO Optics Pro software improves the image quality of Digital Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras and advanced digicams. The Mac and Intel Mac release of DxO Optics Pro v4 is expected to be available for download at the end of October. Purchasers of the current Macintosh version (v3.55) are entitled to a free upgrade when version 4 Macintosh ships. DxO Optics Pro is the award-winning digital image enhancement tool incorporating revolutionary optics, noise and exposure corrections in an easy-to-use, feature rich application for Mac and PC users. “DxO Optics Pro v4 brings a wealth of true innovations that are simply not available in other products,” said Luc Marin, vice president of the Photography Business Unit at DxO Labs. “In the ten months since releasing the previous (v3.5) DxO Optics Pro software, our engineers have worked diligently to add the kinds of improvements photographers world wide have been requesting.”

Ulead Press Release

Northampton, UK September 25th, 2006 - Ulead Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of InterVideo Inc. today announced the release of Ulead® PhotoImpact® 12, Ulead’s flagship image-editing software.  The latest version of PhotoImpact adds innovative features that allow beginners to immediately enjoy success in editing their digital photos and sharing images in creative projects. “PhotoImpact 12 does so many things in such an uncomplicated way, once users get started they never want to go back,” said Mark Wurdemann, Ulead European Marketing Manager. “What we’ve done with this new version is open the door wider to enter the exciting world of digital imaging.  We think users will find ExpressFix mode and the new photo projects invaluable additions to this award-winning product.”

Adobe Press Release

Adobe Brings Lightroom into Photoshop Family with Introduction of Beta 4 - New Round of Enhancements in Latest Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Beta Unites Feature Set for Macintosh and Windows Versions

SAN JOSE, Calif. and COLOGNE, Germany — Sept. 25, 2006 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced an update to the public beta of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom™ software at the Photokina tradeshow in Cologne, Germany. Available immediately for download from Adobe Labs (http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom ), this update unites the product feature set for Windows® and Macintosh platforms, giving professional photographers a new way to import, manage and showcase large volumes of digital photographs. More than 325,000 people have opted to try Lightroom during the beta period and feedback has been fueled by over 3,400 of them sharing input in Adobe online forums. The final version of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is expected to ship in early 2007.

Serif Press Release

Serif (Europe) Ltd, the UK’s leading independent desktop publishing, design and graphics software developer, is delighted to announce the release of PhotoPlus 11 Studio Pack. PhotoPlus 11 Studio Pack (List Price £59.99; upgrade prices available*) is the powerful new version of Serif’s digital image editor and it’s now more flexible and easy-to-use than ever. Combining an astonishing array of professional-level image correction and adjustment tools with enhanced usability features, PhotoPlus 11 Studio Pack is a superb choice for anyone wanting complete control over their photos and digital images. Also including AlbumPlus 4, Serif’s flexible digital image organiser, PhotoPlus 11 Studio Pack offers exceptional value-for-money too.

Light Crafts Press Release

Light Crafts, Inc., a Palo Alto (CA) based photo editing software company, ushers in a new generation integrated digital workflow tool—Lightzone 2.0—to be announced formally at Photokina Cologne, September 27, 2006. LightZone 2.0 is a new intuitive tool which extends the capabilities of professional and amateur photographers, based on Ansel Adam’s Zone System. LightZone provides photographers with precise control over exposure, contrast and color, in a straightforward interface that streamlines workflow
and dramatically saves time. With LightZone, photographers regain the use of their intuition in processing their images.

Bibble Labs Press Release

Bibble Labs Releases Version 4.9 Upgrade, Including Clone & Healing Tool, Sensor Correction and 5-Star Ratings - Last major upgrade before 5.0 supports Sony Alpha a100, Nikon D80, Canon 400D Rebel XTi, and localized interface. 

Photokina 2006 Cologne, Germany (Sept 22, 2006) - Bibble Labs, Inc announces the immediate availability of version 4.9 of Bibble Pro and Bibble Lite. This upgrade to the Bibble 4 product line includes the frequently requested Clone / Spot Healing tool, sensor defect correction, image rating and support for the latest cameras. Provided as a free upgrade download for all current Bibble 4 customers, version 4.9 represents the ultimate version of Bibble 4. Digital photographers have been asking for a single tool to perform all their image adjustments - not several tools for specific jobs. Adding Noise Ninja technology and one-touch image optimization with Perfectly Clear in releases 4.6 and 4.7 went a long way to building a single tool for all digital darkroom needs; and with the Cloning & Healing tool in 4.9, Bibble Pro and Bibble Lite now offer the most complete and self contained workflow. “Many customers were telling us that cloning to remove blemishes and dust spots was the only correction they needed to perform in another application” says Eric Hyman, president and CEO of Bibble Labs. “Including Cloning and Healing, lens distortion correction, and stuck-pixel removal in one RAW-enabled application makes Bibble Pro and Lite the one-stop-shop for the digital darkroom.”

FotoNation Press Release

September 21, 2006, Galway, Ireland—FotoNation®  (www.fotonation.com), one of the world’s leading embedded imaging and connectivity companies, announced today that it will demonstrate its new patented FotoNation Dust Removal Technology at Photokina 2006, held in Cologne, Germany from September 26 - October 1st, 2006. The FotoNation Dust Removal Technology completely and automatically removes dust from digital images. FotoNation has been awarded a U.S. patent for this technology and has 10 additional patents pending in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.  FotoNation eliminates dust from images using in-camera software which distinguishes between dust and real detail in the photo.  The software dynamically builds a map of every dust-spec and then tracks changes and movement of the dust particles to distinguish dust from the details of the photograph.  The technology has been designed to scale across multiple platforms is optimized to run as embedded software in digital cameras and mobile phone cameras as part of image acquisition.

Extensis Press Release

PORTLAND, Ore. — September 21, 2006 — Extensis, a division of Celartem Inc., today released free updates to Portfolio 8 –– the leading Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution for creative professionals. The updates bring improved stability and performance,
updated Raw camera support, added InDesign CS2 support, and a QuarkXPress 7 Drag-and-Drop support filter for Mac users. Registered owners of Portfolio 8 are eligible to receive the free upgrades immediately through the Extensis website at http://www.extensis.com/portfolio .

Nik Software Press Release

The new Nik Professional Suite bundles the complete versions of Nik Software’s award-winning Nik Color Efex Pro™ 2.0, Nik Sharpener Pro™ 2.0 and Dfine® 1.0 and will be presented for the first time at photokina in Cologne. Come see us in hall 4.1, booth E-011/F-019, on 26th September – 1st October 2006. It is now easier and more affordable then ever for all photographers and digital artists to benefit from all that digital photography has to offer.

Nikon have released a new version, 4.4.2, of their Capture 4 raw conversion software for Nikon digital SLR cameras.

Nikon Capture
  *    Supports D2Hs and D2X RAW/NEF files after firmware 2.0.0 firmware has been applied (available soon).
  *    Improvements have been made with the following processes: Image Dust OFF, Advanced RAW palette, Batch process, D-Lighting, LCH Editor, Save Progress, White Balance Palette, PictureProject Transfer Options, Fisheye-to-rectilinear conversion feature.

Nikon Capture Camera Control
  *    Supports new Custom Setting options applied with D2Hs and D2X firmware 2.0.0
  *    Images captured with the image-authentication feature enabled, the following settings are disabled when images are saved: Embed ICC Profile, Attach IPTC Information, Automatic rotation of images capture in tall (portrait) orientation.  When TIFF images are transferred to a computer with Camera Control Pro, the image-authentication feature will be disabled.
  *    Use for Camera Curve Sample has been improved
  *    Embed ICC Profile in Download Options dialog has been improved.
  *    When shooting in manual mode with the D200 shutter speed and aperture changes are reflected in Nikon Capture Camera Control window. (Windows version only)

Website: Nikon Capture 4.4.2 (Windows)

Website: Nikon Capture 4.4.2 (Mac)

Phase One Press Release

September 20th, 2006, Copenhagen, Denmark:  Phase One®, the world leader in professional digital imaging solutions and SanDisk® Corporation, the world’s largest supplier of flash storage card products, are helping photographers to realize the benefits of shooting in RAW. Starting October 16, 2006, for a limited time only, SanDisk will include a coupon in their Extreme packaging for online registration and download of Capture One for free in Europe, Americas and a few countries in Asia. Capture One LE normally retails at $ / € 99. The bundle of the two products will enable photographers that shoot in JPEG to easily join their professional peers in working in RAW. Extreme III users who already shoot RAW images can now process their images in the industry leading Capture One at no additional charge. Purchase of Extreme III cards also offers upgrades from Capture One LE to Capture One PRO at a 15 per cent discount. Upgrades can be purchased through Phase One’s on-line store at www.phaseone.com.

Adobe have officially released Camera Raw 3.5 for both Windows and Mac platforms. Support for the following cameras has been added in this update.

- Kodak EasyShare P712
- Nikon D2Xs
- Panasonic DMC-FZ50
- Panasonic DMC-L1
- Sony A100

Note: Adobe Camera Raw 3.6 development has been accelerated to accommodate recently announced cameras such as the Nikon D80 and the Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel Xti. The update will be provided this fall.

Microsoft Digital Image Suite Anniversary Edition is available for an estimated retail price of $79.95.

Microsoft Press Release

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/—Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) today announced the launch of Microsoft(R) Digital Image Suite Anniversary Edition, which consists of Digital Image Suite 2006(1) along with a free value pack loaded with $198 worth of offers.(2) This comprehensive offering reflects 10 years of leadership in developing intuitive tools to help everyone from the novice picture-taker to the sophisticated photographer learn and grow in the art of digital photography. Whether snapping shots on the go with a camera phone or experimenting with a new single-lens reflex camera, today’s shutterbugs have made digital photography more popular than ever. In fact, IDC predicts that the number of digital images captured, shared and received will continue to grow at a rate of 24 percent per year through 2009.(3) Microsoft Digital Image Suite Anniversary Edition provides a range of tools to help photographers at every level preserve, organize and perfect these images.

ExpressDigital Press Release

Englewood, CO—September 20, 2006 — ExpressDigital announced today the availability of the newest release of its award winning Darkroom Assembly Edition software, specifically designed for professional school and team day photographers. This latest version adds to the already powerful features and functionality that has made Assembly Edition the most productive software in the industry. Included in the new version 8.7 release are many features designed to help professional photographers make more money.

ProFotoSoftware Press Release

20th September 2006 - London, UK - ProFotoSoftware Ltd, the London, UK, based Digital Imaging Software House, have today released V2 of PFS Image Darkroom for Windows. This new version uses V2 of our Integrated Image Engine, which treats RAW Images and ‘standard’ images in exactly the same way. PFS Image Darkroom supports almost every RAW format in existence, provides fast RAW image processing and high quality image editing. PFS Image Darkroom automatic image downloading from cameras and memory cards, and can produce ‘web ready’ images with very little effort.

Full details and trial versions can be obtained from http://www.profotosoftware.com

Phase One have released version 3.7.5 of Capture One, which adds camera support for the Nikon D2Xs, D80, Canon 400D, Leica M8, Epson R-D1s and Sony ? (alpha) DSLR-A100.

Website: Capture One 3.7.5 (Windows)

Website: Capture One 3.7.5 (Mac)

Phase One and Leica Camera

September 18th, 2006, Copenhagen, Denmark: Phase One® and Leica Camera AG have engaged in cooperation in order to provide the best image quality for LEICA M8 owners. Therefore, Leica’s brand new rangefinder camera: LEICA M8 ships with Phase One’s award-winning Capture One® LE workflow. The Capture One workflow is included in the LEICA M8 box as a CD with a license code. The Capture One LE license is cross platform (Windows® and Mac® operating systems) and includes 2 computer activations and one free major LE update.

Preclick Press Release

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, N.J. – Sept. 2006 – Digital photographers capture three times more images than they did with film, yet most collect unseen on hard drives.  For the price of two movie tickets, Preclick PhotoMovieMaker ™ lets consumers make unlimited photo movies to play on any DVD player. Maybe family photo night is back. PhotoMovieMaker lets digital camera users create compelling movies from their photos to play on DVD players. In minutes they can turn up to 250 still digital photos into a stylized movie, complete with music, captions and titles. They can enjoy their digital photos on their TV like their parents enjoyed family memories on their movie projector.