Triscape Press Release

Triscape Introduces FxFoto Creative Edition for Digital Scrapbooking

Windham, NH, January 10, 2006 – Triscape, Inc. has released a new edition of its popular FxFoto photography software for the digital scrapbooking market.  FxFoto Creative Edition provides a unique blend of photo organization, editing and layout capabilities with all the tools needed for creating beautiful scrapbook pages digitally.  It is designed to be easy to use while providing advanced creativity tools. 

Digital scrapbooking is an exciting new segment of the $2.5 billion scrapbooking market, feeding on the rapidly growing demand for digital cameras.  Scrapbooking is the third most popular craft in the US and digital scrapbooking provides easy and cost effective means for creating, archiving and duplicating stunning layouts without paper, scissors or paste.  A large number of talented digital designers supply beautiful and often photo-realistic digital scrapbooking kits with background images and embellishments that replace the paper elements used in traditional scrapbooking.  FxFoto Creative comes with a selection of ten digital kits and hundreds of backgrounds from top designers.  It supports virtually all digital scrapbooking kits from third parties.  FxFoto Creative allows scrapbooking retailers to tap this emerging market of new digital scrapbookers and increase sales to customers who need photo editing or want to experiment with digital techniques.

Adobe have today announced Lightroom, their answer to Apple’s Aperture. Adobe Lightroom is available now as a Beta version for Mac only.

Adobe UK Press Release

Adobe Unveils Lightroom Public Beta and Delivers New Technology for Digital Photography Workflows

Professional Photographers Instrumental in Developing New Modular Software to Import, Manage, Develop, and Showcase Images

London, — Jan. 9, 2006 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) today introduced the public beta of Adobe® Lightroom™, an all-new digital imaging solution for professional photographers.  With its modular, task-based and streamlined environment, Lightroom’s goal is to deliver a complete photography workflow.  As Adobe collects more feedback from photographers, modules and feature sets will likely change, as customers decide on their popularity and priority within digital photography workflows. Initially available as a beta for Macintosh, Lightroom will later support both the Windows® and Macintosh platforms.

As with any major product release, a number of websites have published their initial impressions of Adobe’s new software program, Lightroom. Here’s a handy roundup for you…

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Adobe Lightroom Diary

Website: Luminous Landscape - Adobe Lightroom First-Look & Primer

Website: Luminous Landscape - Adobe Lightroom Tips and Tricks

Adobe have also posted a useful series of Frequently Asked Questions about Lightroom.

What is Lightroom Beta?
Adobe Lightroom Beta is a new, exciting product built from the ground up for professional photographers. It is an efficient, powerful way to import, select, develop and showcase large volumes of digital images. It allows you to spend less time sorting and organizing images, so you have more time to actually shoot and perfect them. Project Lightroom aims to get direct product feedback from the photography community, via our new Adobe Labs web site, so that photographers will have a huge say in what Adobe actually ships.

ArcSoft Press Release

New version of Embedded Auto Red-Eye Removal for Digital Cameras and Printers - Now with improved accuracy and detection rate for a better consumer experience

Las Vegas, NV— Jan 05, 2006—ArcSoft®, a leader in multimedia technologies and software solutions, today announces Version 1.6 of the red-eye removal solution SDK, an improvement over its previous solution to the age-old problem of red-eye created by digital cameras using a flash.

The ArcSoft red-eye solution embedded into the firmware of a digital camera enables users to automatically remove this common problem in their photos without the need for a computer. The feature will empower consumers to work directly on their cameras; photos can be enhanced instantly, and then sent directly to a photo-finishing printer. This flexibility and time-saving capability is a huge step toward creating a better experience for any digital camera user.

Simple Star Press Release

Simple Star Announces New PhotoShow 4 Home DVD Add On; Users Can Create and Burn DVDs at Home for Enjoying Memories on TV

SAN FRANCISCO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Jan. 4, 2006—Additional Upgrade to PhotoShow 4 Gives Digital Photography Lovers Even More Options for Organizing, Managing and Sharing Photos and Video Clips

Consumers received DVD players in huge numbers this holiday season (2.6 million as of December 2)(a), and with Simple Star’s new PhotoShow 4 Home DVD Add On, they will be able to easily create and burn DVDs at home, allowing friends and family to view memories of holiday cheer right in their living rooms.

“The PhotoShow 4 Home DVD Add On helps consumers get the most enjoyment from three of the hottest-selling consumer electronics products this holiday season - digital cameras, flat panel TVs and DVD players,” noted Chad Richard, Simple Star CEO.

LLC Press Release

The Panorama Factory™ V4.2 Adds Support for Multi-Core Processors and 64-Bit Processors

Pittsburgh, PA - January 3, 2006—LLC has released two new editions of The Panorama Factory, its popular software product for creating panoramic images.

The Panorama Factory m32 Edition runs on single- and multi-processor computers, delivering improved stitching speed on multi-processor systems (including multi-core systems) by performing image computations in parallel. The m32 Edition requires Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista.

Luminous Landscape have published their initial impressions of the new Apple Aperture software.

“‘I’ve left the question of raw editing till last. I have to say that I’m not overly impressed. Both Camera Raw and Capture One do a much better job in almost every regard, and faster to. It will also be unusual for any photographer to be happy with the overall level and variety of image control offered by Aperture, and therefore a trip to Photoshop will be necessary. Apple makes this fairly easy on the way out, but problematic on the way back because Aperture doesn’t understand Photoshop’s layers. (Layers on files coming back into Aperture from Photoshop are flattened, though if you re-export they are still there). Also, the Photoshoped file needs to reside inside the Aperture database for the whole system to make any sense without large numbers of multiple copies of files ending up all over the place. I wonder how many photographers are going to be happy with this.”

Website: Luminous Landscape - Apple Aperture First Impressions

Kodak UK Press Release

New KODAK EASYSHARE Software Version 5.2 Offers Innovative ‘Favourites’ Feature, Providing Effortless Access to Your Best Pictures Anytime, Anywhere

Favourite Pictures Automatically Made Available Anywhere in the KODAK EASYSHARE System for Instant Viewing and Sharing — On Your Camera, Computer, and Online

LONDON, January 3 2006 - Eastman Kodak Company has introduced KODAK EASYSHARE Software version 5.2, which is free, simple-to-use software that helps users effortlessly organise, edit, share and print their digital pictures. This new version helps people quickly view and share their best pictures anytime, anywhere — on their computer, online, and on their camera — through an innovative, enhanced ‘favourites’ feature. The free download is available at http://www.kodak.com/go/easysharesw/

Bibble Labs Press Release

Bibble Labs releases holiday 4.5 update with support for the Nikon D200 - Includes major improvement to Canon .CR2 Color.

Austin Texas (December 23rd, 2005) - Bibble Labs today announced availability of version 4.5 of its popular Raw Workflow software. Now supporting close to 70 of the most popular DSLR and prosumer cameras, this update includes support for the eagerly anticipated Nikon D200, as well as the Olympus EVolt E-500, SP310, SP350, Sp500UZ, Pentax *ist DS2 and Sony DSC-R1. Using Bibble’s integrated Photoshop plug-in, users of older versions of Photoshop including 7.0 and CS and Photoshop Elements 2.0 can now open raw images from the latest cameras without having to pay for a costly upgrade.

Epson have released a firmware update for the 80Gb Epson P-4000 photo viewer.

1. The new firmware provides support for 2GB SD memory cards.

2. Corrects a rotation issue that prevents JPEG images taken on PENTAX *ist D digital cameras from being rotated more than once. The rotation issue may also occur on other digital cameras that store large amounts of data (i.e. image thumbnail and other proprietary information) in the file header, such as the PENTAX *ist DL and Canon EOS 100.

3. When sending a print job with a selected paper size that is not supported by the attached printer, the viewer will prompt the user to select a supported paper size.

4. Fixes an issue that occurs when the total replay time on an ASF movie file is displayed. When the seconds segment is set to zero (:00), the hour segment would be displayed incorrectly. The hour segment now displays correctly.

Website: Epson P-4000 Firmware Update

Apple have released a new update, v1.0.1, for their Aperture software.

Aperture 1.0.1 Update addresses a number of issues related to reliability and performance. It also delivers improved image export quality and metadata handling.

Among the key areas addressed are:

- White balance adjustment accuracy and performance
- Image export quality
- Book and print ordering reliability
- Auto-stacking performance
- Custom paper size handling

Website: Download Apple Aperture v1.0.1

DxO Labs Press Release

DxO Labs puts its award-winning DxO Optics Pro technology in the hands of high-end digicam users.

Paris, France, December 20, 2005 – DxO Labs announces today that DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition is on sale via the company’s e-store (http://store.dxo.com). DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition will be available through selected retailers starting late in January 2006.

Specifically designed for advanced digicams, also known as “ZLR”, “SuperZoom” or “Bridge” cameras, DxO Optics Pro Starter Edition supports digital cameras including: Sony DSC-H1, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1, Canon PowerShot Pro S2 IS, Kodak P850, Olympus SP-500, Nikon Coolpix 8800, Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6, Panasonic DMC-FZ30, Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2, Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200, and Sony F-828. More camera support will be added in the future.

creativepro.com have just reviewed Apple’s Aperture software.

“One of the most impressive things about Aperture’s design is its lack of modality. While Aperture tries to encourage a particular workflow—import, compare and pick, add keywords and metadata, edit, output—at no time are you locked into a particular mode or operation. For example, the program’s editing tools work all the time. If you’re working on a book layout and decide an image needs a little adjustment, you can click on that image in your book layout and bring up the editing HUD. Images remain live everywhere in the program, and this flexibility makes your work much easier and a lot more fun.”

Website: creativepro.com - Apple Aperture Review

Microsoft Press Release

Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer for Windows XP Version 1.0 (Build 50)

The Microsoft RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer provides the ability to view, organize, and print photos captured in RAW image formats from supported Canon and Nikon digital cameras.

The updated version of the software adds support for the Canon EOS 5D, Nikon D50, and other recent camera models from Canon and Nikon (see list of new supported camera models below). In addition, a new Save As button has been added to the toolbar, allowing users to conveniently save either an embedded preview or processed RAW image to disk as a JPEG or TIFF file.

Photodex Press Release

Austin, TX December 16, 2005- Photodex Corporation announced a new upgrade to its award winning slide show software, ProShow Gold. Version
2.6 is loaded with new features that give a user more control over their slide shows and allows for more customizability than ever before. New features include: image transparency support, a new slide show menuing system, built-in audio and video trimmers, and many workflow enhancements.

ProShow Gold 2.6 is the industry leading photo slide show software for consumers. It allows a user to create a highly customized multimedia slide show in just a few minutes. Users simply drag and drop their photos and videos onto a timeline where they can add audio, transitions, motion effects and more. When a show is complete, a user can choose from
9 different ways to output their show, including burning to DVD.

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

Improvements in Nikon Capture v4.4.0:
- Support for D200 RAW images has been added.
- A B&W (black-and-white) option has been added to the Color Mode item in the Advanced RAW tool palette.
- Improvements to the method used to reproduce tones in highlight areas, preventing a loss of detail when Exp Comp is set to a negative value. (Does not apply to RAW images captured with the D1 or COOLPIX-series cameras.)

Images edited using the Exp Comp with a negative value with Nikon Capture 4 version 4.3.2 and earlier are opened in Nikon Capture 4 Ver. 4.4.0 or later, the results of highlights may differ.

Website: Nikon Capture 4.4.0 (Windows)

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

Improvements in Nikon Capture v4.4.1:
An issue that caused a Type 3 error to occur and Nikon Capture 4 to unexpectedly quit when attempting to print from Nikon Capture 4.4.0 has been addressed. (Mac OS 9 only)

Website: Nikon Capture 4.4.1 (Mac)

Phase One Press Release

Capture One 3.7.3 has been released on December 12, 2005.

Amongst the highlights in this release are:

Support for new cameras
The DB and PRO versions of Capture One will include support for the brand new Phase One Digital Backs P 30 and P 45, featuring 31 and 39 mega pixels respectively.

The PRO and LE versions of Capture One will now also support the cameras listed below:
•      Canon EOS 5D
•      Canon EOS-1D Mark II N
•      Konica Minolta Alpha / Dynax / Maxxum 5D
•      Olympus E-500 EVOLT
•      Leica Digital Module R for R8 and R9 cameras
•      Beta support for Nikon D200 pre-production models

Digital Outback Photo have just reviewed Apple’s Aperture software.

“Aperture retains some severe deficiencies, e.g. speed when applying several corrections/filters in RAW conversion quality or when stamping lifted metadata or settings to several images. Noise in dark areas (RAW images) seem to be much stronger than we Adobe Camera Raw, RawShooter or Capture One. It will definitely take Apple some time to rectify all shortcomings. Some of their design decisions may not be the best ones (e.g. embedding basic RAW conversion into the operating system – though Microsoft may do this soon, as well). Aperture will not replace Photoshop in the near future, and Apple may be well advised not to try this for some time.”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Apple Aperture Review