Ulead Systems Press Release 20/09/04

Ulead Releases CD & DVD PictureShow 3 Deluxe, the Newest Version of its Complete Software Suite for Organizing and Creating Photo Slideshows.

A new three-step workflow with Instant-Show templates turn photos into memorable slideshows with themes such as Birthday, Wedding, and Holiday, complete with graphics, animated effects, transitions and music.

Northampton September 20th 2004 - Ulead Systems, a 15-year, industry-leader in digital media software development, introduces Ulead DVD PictureShow 3 Deluxe, the newest version of its easy-to-use digital photo slideshow suite. The software lets anyone organize, enhance and transform photos into DVD and CD slideshows to watch on TV or a computer. With a long history of creating user-friendly consumer software, Ulead has upped the ante for ease of use with CD & DVD PictureShow 3 Deluxe. The software’s new three-step workflow and Instant-Show templates make it possible to turn photos into entertaining slideshows within minutes. CD & DVD PictureShow 3 includes Photo Explorer 8.5, the newest version of Uleads popular digital media management software, which offers a host of new features including Calendar View and Albums for better organizing photos according to date. Together these two best-of-breed Ulead digital image programs form CD & DVD PictureShow 3 Deluxe, a powerful and intuitive suite of tools for managing, enhancing, and sharing digital photos.

Shortcut Press Release 20/09/04

Shortcut is going to show its complete range of software at Photokina, world’s leading photo fair, Germany. Shortcut will demonstrate its products PhotoZoom (Pro), updated PhotoClean, recently launched PhotoArtist and the new PhotoPrint. Curious? Contact us for more details or visit us at Photokina at our booth, hall 10 booth F21. 

Starting from the 28th of September till the 3rd of October Shortcut is exhibiting at Photokina. Shortcut wants to brand its name there and show amongst others PhotoPrint and PhotoClean.
The recently released Shortcut PhotoPrint is one of a kind, unique in technology. No other software product before has offered seamless borderless high quality printing with just one mouse click, without the hassle of setting difficult printer adjustments.

DxO Labs Press Release 15/09/04

DxO Labs Introduces DxO Raw Engine and DxO Optics Pro 2.0 for Optimal Automatic Image Quality

Award winning software solution for serious and demanding photographers gains ability to convert and enhance RAW files - company announces free upgrade

Paris (France), September 15th, 2004 - DxO Labs, a software company focused on research in image processing to enhance image quality, today announces version 2.0 of its flagship product DxO Optics Pro. Simultaneously DxO Labs is announcing DxO Raw Engine, a new module for DxO Optics Pro which allows RAW files to benefit directly from the image enhancement capabilities of DxO Optics Pro.

Digital Outback Photo have published a brief preview of Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0.

“Even if Camera Raw (ACR-E) for Elements 3 does not support the full functionality found in PS CS Camera Raw 2.x (read our review and/or get one of our e-books) it features all(!) the key tools from ACR. To be honest we hardly use in PS CS any of the features not available in ACR-E.

ACR-E even allows you to open the converted file in 16-bit mode!”

Website: Digital Outback Photo - Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 Preview

Konica Minolta USA Press Release 15/09/04

KONICA MINOLTA INTRODUCES NEW IMAGE EDITING AND ENHANCING SOFTWARE

Konica Minolta’s DiMAGE Master software further enhances the creative opportunities for photographers using DiMAGE digital cameras

Mahwah, NJ (September 15, 2004)—Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc. introduces the new image editing and enhancing software DiMAGE Master to coincide with the launching of the world’s first digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera with body-integral anti-shake technology, the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D. DiMAGE Master is optional software designed to improve creative workflow for professional and advanced digital camera users. The software’s newly developed 3D Lookup Table technology for RAW processing enables more accurate color reproduction, and can process any RAW images taken by Konica Minolta digital cameras. Diverse image management operations, such as viewing, classifying, correcting, printing and more, can be performed in the three main operating windows.

“Serious digital photographers will especially appreciate the ease-of-use and enhanced workflow that DiMAGE Master software permits,” said Todd Schrader, vice president of marketing for Konica Minolta Photo imaging U.S.A., Inc. “Konica Minolta software engineers recognize that efficient image management is a vital tool for today’s’ digital workflow. We are pleased to make this powerful software application available to photographers using our digital cameras.

Fred Miranda released two new sharpening plugins yesterday - one for the Canon EOS 10D and one for the Nikon D70:

The Canon 10D CSpro II and Nikon D70 CSpro plugins were just released!—These new customized Photoshop plugins use a sharpening technology specific designed to accommodate Canon 10D and Nikon D70 files respectively. They are compatible with JPEG files straight from the camera or TIFF/JPEG files converted from RAW or NEF files.

They are compatible with Photoshop 6, 7, and CS. Also compatible with Photoshop Elements 1 and 2.0. Both Mac and PC versions are available.

Website: Fred Miranda

Adobe Press Release 15/09/04

Adobe Enters Home Video Editing Market with All-New Adobe Premiere Elements  
 
New Addition to Adobe Product Family Gives Home Videos the Professional Touch with Reliable Video Capture, Automated Editing Tasks and Integrated DVD Burning

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 15, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe Premiere Elements, a brand new Windows-based product for customers who want creative control and reliability when editing their home videos. Leveraging the award-winning professional functionality found in Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Premiere Elements automates tedious tasks so video hobbyists are free to experiment with effects, transitions, text and audio. Using Adobe Premiere Elements, footage can easily be captured from a DV camcorder directly to the video timeline, edited with professional-level effects and delivered as stunning custom DVDs, complete with menus and scene indexes to share with family and friends.

Adobe Press Release 15/09/04

Adobe Delivers Photoshop Elements 3.0 for Windows with New Ways to Share and Organize Photos  
 
New Generation of Editing Tools Round Out Milestone Upgrade to No. 1 Selling Consumer Photo Editing Software*

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 15, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq: ADBE) today announced Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0, a major upgrade to the No. 1 selling consumer photo editing software*. Photoshop Elements 3.0 software delivers impressive new ways to share, organize and edit photos, allowing people to easily review, compare and enhance photos and create dynamic slideshows and personalized creations. Photoshop Elements 3.0 is the software consumers can use for quick, one-click fixes, in addition to more sophisticated editing techniques when they require more advanced creative control.

Also today, Adobe announced the availability of Adobe Premiere Elements, a complete home video editing solution (see separate release). Available as separate products, Adobe Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements 3.0 also can be purchased together in a single retail package. Combined in one affordable solution, these products deliver the powerful software customers need to easily blend still photos with video clips. Consumers can then create dynamic slideshows and photo-rich video projects - that can be burned to DVD and easily viewed by friends and family on the TV screen.

“Photoshop Elements remains the top-selling consumer photo editing product, leveraging our powerful Photoshop technology and its expert editing tools,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Digital Video products at Adobe. “However, people want to do more than edit their photos - they want to share them in fun and interesting ways with family and friends, as well as organize their rapidly growing photo collection. We have responded by creating one product that addresses these needs without compromising the quality editing Photoshop Elements is well-known for.”

Adobe Press Release 15/09/04

New Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 for Macintosh Brings Pro Features to Digital Photo Hobbyists  
 
New Generation of Advanced Image Editing Features Make Photoshop Elements 3.0 the Perfect Complement to iPhoto

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 15, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 for Macintosh, a major upgrade to its must-have digital imaging software for photo hobbyists that makes it easier than ever to enhance images and dramatically transform photos. With the latest advanced editing tools, previously only available in Photoshop CS, Photoshop Elements 3.0 is the perfect companion to Apple’s iPhoto, allowing aspiring photographers more creative control over their digital images for outstanding photographic results.

“A new set of powerful editing tools, such as the Healing Brush, makes this a milestone release for Photoshop Elements on the Mac,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Digital Video at Adobe. “For consumers who love iPhoto but want to advance to sophisticated image editing, Photoshop Elements 3.0 is the best choice, providing them with incredible creative control over their photos.”

Adobe Press Release 15/09/04

Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 and Adobe Premiere Elements allow consumers to edit, share and enhance digital photos and home video just in time for the holidays

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Sept. 15, 2004 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced two new products for digital photo and digital video hobbyists. Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 software, adds new organization and sharing functionality, as well as the latest image editing tools, to the No. 1 selling consumer photo editing software*; and Adobe Premiere Elements software delivers the professional-level results consumers expect from Adobe in an all-new product that combines simple video capture, sophisticated editing and quick output to DVD.

Available as separate products, Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 for Windows and Adobe Premiere Elements also can be purchased together in a single retail package. Combined in one affordable solution, these products deliver the powerful software customers need to easily blend still photos with video clips. Consumers can then create dynamic slideshows and photo-rich video projects - that can be burned to DVD and easily viewed by friends and family on the TV screen.

“This holiday season, sharing your memories through video will be right up there with digital photography as the hot trend,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Digital Video products at Adobe. “Adobe Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements strike the right balance between simplicity and sophisticated creative control, ensuring that digital video and photo enthusiasts get results they are proud to share whether it’s on DVD, in prints or online via email.”

Ian Lyons over at Computer Darkroom has published an excellent tutorial on understanding and getting the most out of the File Browser in Adobe Photoshop CS.

“When Adobe first released Photoshop CS much was made of improvements to the File Browser feature set and flexibility; yet months later we still find that it is causing many new and established Photoshop users a great deal of confusion. This tutorial is intended to provide you with a better understanding of the new features and how File Browser can be incorporated into your digital workflow.”

Website: Computer Darkroom - Working with the File Browser

cam2pc Press Release 12/09/04

Nice, France (September 12, 2004) - Following its nomination in the “Best photo program” category of the Shareware Industry Awards 2004, cam2pc reaches a significant milestone by integrating RAW format capabilities.

All prosumer cameras feature RAW image output which allows to record exactly what the digital camera’s CCD sees. No processing is performed on the data and allows the photographer to “develop” its pictures with a dedicated software allowing him to get the results he intended when shooting his pictures.

Using the same routines used in AdobeR PhotoshopR, cam2pc allows the tweaking of most development parameters: white balance, saturation, sharpness… Unlike many other packages, cam2pc is even able to produce 48-bit images for an outstanding quality!

Imatest LLC Press Release 08/09/04

Boulder, Colorado - September 8, 2004 -Imatest LLC announces the release of Imatest 1.0, a software package that measures the sharpness and image quality of digital camera images and digitized film images using inexpensive widely-available targets.

Never before has it been possible for photographers to measure the performance of their cameras and lenses with such accuracy and convenience. You had to rely on subjective judgments or published test results. Now you can perform your own measurements, simply and easily, by photographing a target and analyzing the results with Imatest software.

Shooters Press Release 08/09/04

DigitalPro 3: Award winning digital image management software now includes image cataloging

Pro Shooters releases DigitalPro 3 for Windows, the first true business solution for digital photographers’ image workflow

Portola Valley, Calif. - September, 2004 - Today Pro Shooters LLC, released DigitalPro 3 for Windows. New with Version 3 is a fully integrated image cataloging system tied directly to its award-winning image management system. No longer do photographers need multiple applications to manage their digital workflow. DigitalPro3 handles the entire process, from loading images off cards, reviewing, renaming, captioning and filing. With DigitalPro’s image catalog users can quickly retrieve images based on categories, keywords, captions or shooting data. For editing DigitalPro 3 integrates seamlessly with Adobe Photoshop, Nikon Capture, or the user?s choice of photo editor.

Unique to DigitalPro 3 are:

Real-time Cataloging while browsing, Unlimited size Catalogs
End-to-end color managed workflow
Integrated support for Photoshop CS Batch Raw processing
Raw+JPEG mode allows quick image handling for Raw+JPEG shooters

DigitalPro3 has already received a 2004 Editor?s Choice award from American Photo magazine and is showcased in their July issue.

I thought DPReview only reviewed digital cameras, but today they have published a review of DXO Optics Pro, a software package that is designed to enable digital camera owners to correct images which suffer from distortion, vignetting, blur and chromatic aberrations.

“DxO is very easy to use and allows for automation as it requires virtually no user intervention. This benefit is at the same time a disadvantage because the results are “as is” due to the lack of user adjustable parameters or sliders. In theory this should not be necessary because DxO uses tailored mathematical models which take into account specific camera-lens combinations. But in reality, the distortion, chromatic aberration, and vignetting results were only partial.”

Website: DPReview - DXO Optics Pro Review

Jasc(R) Software, Inc. Press Release 07/09/04

Paint Shop Pro Studio Ideal for Digital Photographers Ready to Do More With Their Photos

Paint Shop Pro 9 Offers More Advanced Functionality for Professional Results

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/—Jasc(R) Software, Inc. announced today the general availability of Paint Shop(TM) Pro(R) Studio and Paint Shop(TM) Pro(R) 9. The two new products offer digital camera users at all skill levels solutions tailored to their needs.

Paint Shop Pro Studio and Paint Shop Pro 9 are the result of Jasc’s market research that clearly defined a 50/50 split among users. Half wanted a Paint Shop Pro that was more powerful and offered even more professional-strength tools for photo editing, graphic design, and digital art. The other half wanted a Paint Shop Pro that was more fun and easier to use, making photo-editing projects a reality for everybody.

FotoInside.co.uk Press Release 06/09/04

Digital Photography, free software, printing, life style

Cambridge, September 2004. FotoInside.co.uk introduces a new photo software package called Home Photo Service Order Pro, resolving eight common problems of digital photography. For the first two month FotoInside is distributing free copies of Order Pro for download from its website at: www.fotoinside.co.uk/pro

Digital photography popularity is rapidly overtaking traditional colour photography. Once you fill your hard disk with digital images these cause a series of new requirements and needs:

1.- Escape lack of hard disk space and high storage costs.
2.- Back-up photo collections onto CD-R.
3.- Cropping digital images.
4.- Image file conversion to jpeg or other formats.
5.- Quality prints at competitive prices as with traditional (analogue) photo processing (from 10p per print).
6.- Organising image collections and albums find your images back.
7.- Creating a slide shows of your holiday pictures.
8.- Creativity: Printing calendars, frames, greeting cards.

Imatest is shaping up to be an interesting development for the photographer who likes to know everything about their equipment. It is a suite of programs for testing the sharpness and image quality of lenses, digital cameras, and digitized film images using inexpensive, widely available targets. Imatest has now been released - you can now download an evaluation version that allows up to 20 runs of the individual modules (SFR, Colorcheck, or Q-13). Online purchase and registration is available. The introductory price is $59 US.

“With Imatest you can:
 
- test lens performance at different focal lengths and apertures to learn where each lens works best; 
- examine the effects of camera and post-processing settings, such as mirror lock, ISO speed, white balance, RAW converter, and sharpening; 
- compare the performance of different cameras, even if they have different amounts of built-in sharpening; 
- compare your camera and lenses with results derived from websites such as imaging-resource.com, dpreview.com and others. This is important because quality control is far from perfect. Even premium lenses from reputable manufacturers may fail to meet expectations. With Imatest you can find out fast and return them if they are substandard. “

Website: Imatest

Olympus UK Press Release 03/09/2004 3.00pm CET

Get organised with the new Olympus Master 1.0

Small effort, big results

The new Olympus Master 1.0 software makes light work of managing multiple images and movie clips.  Features such as editing functions, multiple viewing options and online camera firmware updates are all available in a simple user-friendly format.

Olympus Master 1.0 will be included with all Olympus cameras shipped from October 2004. The updated Plus version will be available via the internet at the same time.  Features include…

- Trouble-free, direct file transfer from camera
- Easy organisation of files by keyword, album, time or icon
- Image editing (incl. RAW image development), slideshow and movie viewing functions
- Auto-panorama capability
- Attach to e-mail function
- The Olympus Master Plus 1.0 version also offers a host of innovative additional capabilities such as movie editing and CD/DVD burning facilities.

Shortcut Press Release 01/09/04

Shortcut releases new product, Shortcut PhotoPrint

ARNHEM, 01 September, 2004 - Within the next few weeks Shortcut(r) will release its fourth product as part of the Shortcut PhotoSeries, named Shortcut PhotoPrint. At the heart of the PhotoPrint system lays an advanced, sophisticated technology that automatically fine-tunes the printer settings and makes printing as easy as can be imagined.

Often there is a need for certain knowledge of printer drivers and its settings to obtain high quality prints. With Shortcut PhotoPrint it is no longer necessary to understand difficult printer settings or to spill expensive photopaper. PhotoPrint makes printing easy and lets any home user create beatufill high quality print by just clicking the mouse.