Joensuu, Finland-based SofColor has released Color Correction Engine V4, a smart and customizable colour correction solution to fix white balance, exposure and contrast issues in digital photographs automatically. Color Correction Engine V4 comes with a completely rewritten error detection algorithm, a totally redesigned colour correction workflow and the option to enable or disable automatic white balance, exposure and contrast corrections separately. The program is available immediately as part of SoftColor’s Automata, Server Automata, PhotoEQ, Toolbox applications. Version 4 is a free upgrade to existing customers.

X-Rite has announced a number of free webinars for the month of August. There are three topics including “Raw Colour Power with Adobe Lightroom and the ColorChecker Passport”, “Everyday Imaging Miracles with Suzette Allen” and “Beyond Monitor Calibration - Get Prints That Match Your Display!” Click through / read on for webinar dates and times.

PhotoGrid is a new iPhone/iPad app by independent developer James Janke. The application uses your device’s photo library to create beautiful photo mosaics. You can use your entire library or select specific albums. Available on iTunes for $0.99, PhotoGuide is compatible with the Apple iPhone 3GS/4, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), and iPad.

Serif today launched a free video editing application called MoviePlus Starter Edition. With this program, you have two options to edit a film: you can use the simple Storyboard to create a movie quickly and easily, or explore the flexible Timeline which allows up to three video and three audio tracks at once. Users can create smart and fun fades, wipes and other transitions from one scene to the next for a stylish finish. Enthusiasts wanting to achieve the Hollywood look can easily add titles, captions and credits, sound effects and music as well as cool video effects like picture in picture. It’s also simple to add a bit of animation for scrolling credits or exploding titles. There is plenty of on-screen help too, thanks to Serif’s ‘How To’ tab which offers step-by-step illustrated topics. Serif MoviePlus Starter Edition can be downloaded free of charge from the website below.

Panasonic has released firmware updates for the Lumix DMC-FT3/TS3, TZ20/ZS20 and TZ22 compact camera models. Version 1.2 (for all models) improves the accuracy of the built-in GPS unit, while the DMC-TZ20/ZS20 and the DMC-TZ22 also benefit from “enhanced picture detail”. The firmware upgrades can be downloaded from the websites below.

Website: Panasonic DMC-TZ20/ZS10 Firmware update service
Website: Panasonic DMC-TZ22 Firmware update service
Website: Panasonic DMC-FT3/TS3 Firmware update service

Photo Guide is an easy-to-use and simple-to-understand guide to photography for Android and iOS devices. Released by Self Study Apps, Photo Guide teaches beginners about what lenses, f-stops and camera-to-subject distances to pick for portraiture, sports, landscapes and other applications. Additionally, it offers a number of tips on composition and framing. Photo Guide requires Android 2.1 or higher / iOS 4.2 or later, and is available for $1.99 through the Android Market and the iTunes App Store.

Nik Software has just released version 1.2 of Snapseed, its image editing app for iOS. The new version adds universal compatibility with all current iOS devices, including the Apple iPod touch, iPhone 4 and of course the iPad & iPad 2. Those who have already purchased the previous, iPad-only version can simply log on to their iTunes account with their iPhone/iPod connected and sync their apps to have Snapseed on all of their iOS devices.

Website: Snapseed on iTunes

Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) has announced its first Festival of Photography & World Travel at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). This is going to be a 3-day event featuring an impressive line-up of speakers from the worlds of photography, film and TV, travel and exploration. Tickets are priced at £55 per day or £140 for all three (with discounts for Society members and students). Click through / scroll down for more details.

Canon has announced that a number of action sequences in the highly anticipated feature film, Captain America: The First Avenger were captured with its EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR camera. Action scenes shot with the DSLR include a car chase and crash, and a high-speed motorcycle pursuit. The comparatively small size of the camera enabled the crew to mount it on the interiors and exteriors of moving vehicles to capture dramatic action shots. The camera’s size also ensured that it was “invisible” to the film cameras shooting the same scene from a distance. Previously, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II cameras and EF lenses were used for action shots in the blockbuster hit “Iron Man 2”.

Brighton-based photographer and teacher Jerry Lebens has announced two new photography courses for September 2011. The first one, Beyond Auto: Getting more from your DSLR camera (£80), is targeted at beginners and comprises four evening classes held on 5, 12, 19 and 26 September. The second one is a one-day studio lighting workshop entitled, Let there be light (£150), taking place on Sunday. 25 September. Both courses will be held in The Gallery, Lewesiana, 85 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XN.

Stealth Gear has launched a new line of high-quality square filters. Made of lightweight organic glass and packed in soft bags for protection, the Stealth Gear filters fit the Cokin P-system. There are 10 filters available, including 3 neutral density filters, 3 graduated filters (neutral grey, blue and brown), a circular polariser, a sunset filter and 2 star filters. A modular lens hood, filter holder, wide-angle filter holder, filter box and adapter rings complete the system. For more information, head to the website below.

Kingston Europe has announced the launch of a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed compliant memory card reader/writer. The Kingston USB 3.0 Media Reader supports multiple card formats including the newer high-capacity SDXC. Other formats supported inlclude CompactFlash Type I & II (up to UDMA 6), microSD(HC/XC) and MemoryStick PRO, Duo, PRO Duo and M2. The device comes with a three-foot USB 3.0 cable and is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0. The Kingston USB 3.0 Media Reader has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of £17.77+VAT.

Photography Blog and Manfrotto UK have given away TWO fantastic new Manfrotto Compact Series Photo Tripods, each worth £49.95!

The two winners are Paul Rose and Derek Jones.

The Compact Photo Kit is the most compact full size support in the market. The five section legs and the unique reversible column provide maximum compactness for storage and transportation, and yet, when fully extended it is a full size tripod with no compromise on height. The quick action intuitive ball head allows you to simply and quickly set the position of your camera in any situation so you don’t lose the right moment.

The contest closed at 11.59PM GMT on Sunday 31st July 2011.

For more information on Manfrotto products please visit: www.manfrotto.co.uk
Manfrotto – Imagine More

The winners of the July 2011 Photography Blog Competition have been announced. The theme for July was “Delicate” - you can view all of the entries in this gallery. Here are the 5 winners:

1st Place
TORN by angela taylor

Prize: X-Rite ColourChecker Passport
Kindly donated by X-Rite
http://www.xritephoto.com/

Inspired by the Epson Red Sea Competition that takes price each November in Eilat, the first Epson Underwater Photo Grand Prix, designed to highlight the Earth’s vast marine biodiversity, seeks to showcase the talent and skill of underwater photographers from all continents. Throughout this month, around 500 professional and amateur photographers will be shooting hidden aquatic treasures for a chance to win one of numerous prizes. All categories winners and nominees will be announced on 19 November 2011, as part of this year’s Epson Red Sea Eilat Competition.

Nik Software has halved the price of Viveza 2. Formerly retailing for €199.95, the plug-in is now available for €99.95. Viveza 1 users may upgrade for €49.95. The software, which allows you to easily and selectively adjust the colour and tonality of your digital images, can be installed as a 32-bit- or 64-bit-plug-in for Adobe Photoshop CS3 through CS5, Photoshop Elements 6 through 9, Lightroom 2.3 (or later) or Apple Aperture 2.1 (or later).

The 42nd edition of the free PhotographyBB magazine is now available to download. This issue features photography techniques for shooting outdoors during the challenging lighting conditions associated with bright, mid-day sunlight, a special Q&A section on memory cards and a Photoshop tutorial for increasing mid-tone contrast in landscapes. “This month we look at techniques for learning to see with fresh eyes, along with the power of leveraging creativity by shooting with a friend,” says PhotographyBB’s Editor in Chief, David Seeram. You can download the magazine from the website below (requires free registration).

The sixth edition of the online Landscape Photography Magazine is now available. Promoting landscape imagery by photographers worldwide, the magazine is also showcasing some spectacular locations from around the globe, complete with map links. In this issue, you will find an article by Fran Halsall on Integrity and Inspiration in landscape photography, a discussion of Intimate Landscapes by Julian Barkway, a beginners’ guide to ISO sensitivity by Mike Bell, and more.