Phase One announced today a series of webinars to "inform, inspire, and advise" photographers who are seeking a smooth transition from other image editors to Capture One Pro. On Wednesday, 29th May, as part of an ongoing series of free, informative Webinars, Phase One will present “Customising Capture One Pro 7 to work for you.” The second webinar, "Transitioning to Capture One Pro 7," will take place on 6th June. Three more sessions, "New to Capture One? Learn the Highlights," "Learn to Crop, Rotate and Correct Perspective" and "Search for and Locate Your Images," will be held on 12th, 18th and 26th June respectively.

CENTER has announced the 13th Annual Review Santa Fe, a juried portfolio review event and conference for photographers. Every year, 100 photographers travel from all over the world for this internationally-renowned event where photographers meet with top publishers, editors, curators, gallerists and others. Many now well-recognised photographers launched their careers at Review Santa Fe. Participants will arrive from 24 U.S. states and 9 countries, including Spain, Japan, Denmark, Mexico, and Singapore. Additionally, over 40 leading photo professionals will serve as reviewers at the event to seek out new talent. There are several events free and open to the public surrounding Review Santa Fe including a portfolio review, exhibits and tours as well as a panel dsicussion on photography and its cultural impact. Click through / scroll down for the details.

Pictastik is a free, location-based photo sharing app that allows users to see what's happening, right now, in the cities around the world. "We organize all the photos, shared by all users, by cities and countries," the company says. "After you share a photo, Pictastik automatically adds your location to the photo you just took... All your photos neatly organized by cities and countries -- super fast, super easy!" This also means that the app does not permit sharing photos stored in your iPhone Photo Library. "We want you to see what's truly happening anywhere, right now," the developers say. "Take a photo, share a photo." Pictastik is available now on the iTunes App Store.

Ilford has announced a free webinar entitled, "Make Custom Paper Profiles Your Best Friend." Taking place on 28th May at 1pm EDT, this webinar invites guests to join a live video broadcast with host Joe Brady that will explore the how’s and why’s of creating and implementing custom paper profiles so that your printed image has the best accuracy and the greatest impact. Full details on the webinar can be found at the website below.

Website: The Ilford Blog

Topaz Labs have released Topaz Clarity, an image processing plug-in billed as the first software to give photographers the ability to easily adjust various levels of contrast in their photograph without degrading the image quality with halos or artifacts. “Since the inception of Topaz Labs, our philosophy has centered around creating cutting-edge technology that allows photographers to create better images in just a few steps”, said Dr. Albert Yang, president of Topaz Labs. “Topaz Clarity continues that philosophy, allowing photographers to intelligently boost local contrast and clarity, while incorporating a break-through algorithm that eliminates the common problem of halos and artifacts.” Available as a plug-in that works in conjunction with several different host programs such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, Aperture, and iPhoto, Topaz Clarity retails for $49.99, but is available at a special reduced price of $29.99 until May 31st.

The Leica Mini M camera is set to be unveiled on June 11th 2013. In an announcement on its Facebook page, Leica have released a teaser graphic positioning the new Mini M in-between the Leica M and the X2 "Micro M" and Leica D-LUX 6 "Nano M" compact cameras, strongly hinting at a new model that's aimed firmly at professional users, and one that's presumably more affordable than the flagship M digital rangefinder. There's no picture of the Leica Mini M just yet, only a Leica branded box in its place, and details are scarce too, but you can sign-up for the Leica newsletter using the link below to be among the frst to hear all about the intriguing new Leica Mini M.

Meet the new Leica family member on the 11th of June. Be the first to know more: http://bit.ly/MeetMiniM 

Photodex have released their new Sports & Action Effects Pack for ProShow. The pack includes a dynamic array of "sporty" transitions, edgy photo layouts and titles, and digital 'player stats' cards, ideal for photographers covering an end of season wrap-up, a game victory, or team portrait showcase. "From sports photographers to proud parents on the sidelines, more and more digital photos and videos are being captured at sporting events", said Paul Schmidt president and founder of Photodex. "ProShow makes it easy to turn those digital files into shareable memories. Our new Sports & Action effects pack offers up some fun and energetic animations that can really amp-up sports slideshows." The Photodex Sports & Action Effects Pack is available now for $19.95.

Canon Pixma Comix is an interactive new application found on the Canon U.S.A. Facebook page, which enables fans to create fun, personalised photo comic strips to print and share with friends. The images can be uploaded from photo albums or as stills pulled from an uploaded video stored on your computer or Facebook page. “The Canon PIXMA Comix application enables photo and video enthusiasts to easily apply comic book styling to their images, and share their story,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon U.S.A. “We always strive to enhance the Canon consumer experience, and with this application, it’s easy to get creative with a home printer by printing personalized comic strips to enjoy for years to come.”

Heifer International and Rankin have teamed up to spotlight world hunger and poverty with the launch of a worldwide photography competition. Photography enthusiasts, both amateur and professional, are asked to submit images conveying what the word ‘Hunger’ means to them through the lens of a camera. Rankin will select the winning photograph, which will be showcased at a high-profile gallery in Los Angeles and also published in his biannual fashion and culture publication, The Hunger. Creative platform Talenthouse will accept entries of hunger-themed images from its more than 2 million members from May 21 to July 2, 2013. A public vote from July 3-17 will determine finalists, and the winning photograph will be announced July 23.

Zoner has added touch control functionality to Zoner Photo Studio 15. The company has incorporated the most common and intuitive motion controls to streamline interaction and operation, including finger swiping for smooth scrolling; pinch-based zooming; tap motion to access options, functions and files; and finger swiping for brpwsing photos in the Viewer. The touch control update applies to Version 15 when installed on any of the newer Windows touchscreen systems. Users who currently have Version 15 and migrate to a touch screen system will be automatically updated.

AKVIS has released version 6.0 of AKVIS Retoucher, an imaging that restores damaged photos by removing defects and imperfections, and by reconstructing the missing parts. This update adds a Batch Processing feature that lets you automatically process a series of images, and fixes bugs. Registered users of Retoucher can upgrade to version 6.0 for free, except for users of the old Business version (Business v.1.0-3.5; they need to pay $19 for an upgrade to the new version).

Rollei has launched its second Full HD car camera, the Car DVR-100. Featuring a 5-megapixel CMOS sensor and 3mm wide-angle lens, the Rollei Car DVR-100 comes with a built-in 3-axis accelerometer, an integrated LED light, a 2.4" LCD screen and an internal lithium-ion battery. The Rollei Car DVR-100 will go on sale from the end of June for a recommended retail price of €109.95.

Canon has launched a new advertising campaign using the creative theme ‘Power to your next step.’ "‘Power to your next step’ is a campaign that brings to life Canon’s commitment to empower consumers to take their ‘next step’ in imaging” said Nigel Taylor, Consumer Imaging Marketing Communications Director, Canon Europe. “We want to inspire and support everyone in taking their ‘next step’, whether it be in photography, shooting video or printing special moments. Canon has a product suitable for every step, whether you’re a beginner or a professional.” For more information, visit the website below.

Having received wide acclaim at the Royal Geographical Society in London, the Environmental Photographer of the Year 2013 exhibition comes to Grizedale Forest in the heart of Cumbria’s Lake District. Compiled from the very best of 3000+ entries, the exhibition features over one hundred images by international photographers who narrate a poignant story about the fragility of our planet. Italian photographer Michele Palazzi was awarded the Environmental Photographer of the Year Award 2013 for his image entitled ‘Gone with the Dust #02.’ The Young Environmental Photographer of the Year (under 18) Award went to Eleanor Bennett who has two works selected for exhibition, ‘Travelling Through’ and ‘Car Damage.’

Corel today announced a special pricing programme specifically for Creative Suite users looking for an alternative to Creative Cloud. CS users residing in North America can purchase CorelDRAW Graphics Suite, Painter, PaintShop Pro, VideoStudio Pro and AfterShot Pro at a special price (ranging up to 60% off the suggested retail price) until 30 August 2013. To experiment with the tools, features and workflow of Corel products, free 30-day fully functional trials can be downloaded from the website below.