ACDSee Pro 2 features next-generation workflow management and RAW processing functionality. The upgrade was developed with input from more than 2,500 photographers worldwide. “The ability to work directly with our customers has allowed us to develop a product release that will bring unprecedented efficiency to the photographic community, freeing them to focus on what they do best—producing quality images.” said Mark Franklin, executive vice president of ACD Systems. ACDSee Pro 2 is available now for $129.99. Current ACDSee customers are eligible for a 30-percent customer discount.

BreezeBrowser Pro v1.7.2 adds full support for the new Canon EOS 40D camera. BreezeBrowser Pro v1.7.2 is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license within the last year. Also released is DSLR Remote Pro v1.5 beta 3, with full support for controlling the Canon EOS 40D and Canon EOS-1D Mark III from a PC.

AKVIS Coloriage 5 is now available both as a standalone application and a plugin to a photo editor. Coloriage 5 manipulates the colors of an image: from colorizing black and white photos to replacing colors in color photos. Registration costs USD $97.00 for a home license and USD $246.00 for a business license. Registered users can upgrade to version 5 for free, and there’s a 10 day trial version available.

LightZone 3.1 includes new capabilities for quickly changing the look of objects within a photograph. You can now change the exposure of the sky in an image, sharpen only the yellow flowers in a field, or quickly modify the exposure of a face. “With this release, Light Crafts continues to liberate digital photo-editing users from the tedious technology-focused approach to editing, allowing them instead to focus on the art of image creation,” said Georges van Hoegaerden, Chief Executive Officer of Light Crafts. LightZone 3.1 is available as a free download for existing LightZone 3.0 Full and Basic users. The retail price is $249.95 for the Full version.

onOne Software have released over 100 free customized presets for Adobe Camera RAW 4.1. Created by Photoshop Guru and Instructor Jack Davis, the presets are designed to help ACR users quickly and efficiently process their RAW digital camera files. onOne Software’s customized presets for Adobe Camera RAW 4.1 are available for download now.

AutoMatting automatically creates and adds a unique mat for an image. “AutoMatting is a photographers dream” said Dan Sullivan, president and CEO of Image Trends, Inc.  “It is more that just a productivity tool for the photographer, it awakens the emotion of the customer because as they view the presentation of images they relive the event”. AutoMatting is available for Windows for $49.95.

PhotoTools from onOne Software is a new Photoshop plug-in that utilizes the power of Photoshop Actions to provide a wide range effects, corrections and production automation. PhotoTools allows users to preview effects individually or combined/stacked together in a layer-like configuration. Available in two versions, PhotoTools ($159.95) and PhotoTools Professional Edition ($259.95), both can be downloaded on on November 15th 2007.

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is the ideal digital photography software for aspiring photographers. New features include Express Lab mode which enables users to view and edit dozens of photos, new graphite workspace and HDR Photo Merge. “Our focus for this release of Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo was to make it even easier and faster for both new and experienced users to create stunning digital photos,” said Petter Nordwall, director, Corel international product management. Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is available now for £79 / €89.

You can now save up to $139 on three new bundled software packages which include Vertus Fluid Mask 3 and DxO Optics Pro or DxO FilmPack. “Using the unmatched masking capabilities of the new Fluid Mask 3 and the unique image enhancements or effects available with DxO Labs’ products such as DxO Optics Pro and DxO FilmPack, image editing will not only be fast and accurate, but more brilliant and inventive.” said James Carr-Jones, president & CEO of Vertus. Fluid Mask 3 with DxO Optics Pro Elite costs $399 / £289, with DxO Optics Pro Standard $299 / £209, and with DxO FilmPack $229 / £179. This limited time discounted offer will only be available from September 3 - October 17, 2007.

Bibble 4.9.8e includes full support for the new Canon 40D DSLR, including sRaw and tethered shooting. Bibble is one of the first third-party RAW software companies to provide support for the 40D. This is a free update for existing licensees of Bibble 4.

AKVIS Enhancer 7 improves detail in underexposed, overexposed and mid tone areas of a photo. Available as a stand-alone application and as a plugin, the new version supports High Dynamic Range Imaging. AKVIS Enhancer Plugin is priced at $69 USD. AKVIS Enhancer Standalone with HDRI support costs $81. A free 10 day trial version is available.

Phase One have released a Beta version of its Capture One 4 RAW workflow software. New features in Capture One 4 include High Dynamic Range, Variants, Web contact sheet and Multiple up viewing. The first look at Capture One 4 is available now at no cost until November 1st.

Fluid Mask 3.0.2 adds a number of improvements to the popular masking software.

Performance of preview feature in Patches is improved
Loading a .vfmp file (Vertus Fluid Mask Project file) did cause trouble on Windows - this has been fixed
Some users had trouble installing Fluid Mask 3 as a plug-in and couldn’t see it in the menu > Filter > Vertus in CS2 or CS3. Fixed!
The speed when loading a CMYK images or 16-bit images is now much faster in Photoshop plug-in mode on Windows
Adobe Elements required a manual installation. It will now be listed as an option in the installation process if you have Adobe Elements installed.
“+”, “=” and “-” have been added as zoom shortcuts
Hair matting and blending has been improved further
The auto-blend mask will no longer be added between adjoining areas of the same mask

Download Fluid Mask 3.0.2

Version 3.2.0 of Image Genius Professional now includes added support for opening images in various RAW and CMYK formats, enhanced support for 64 bit operating systems and additional printing support. Image Genius Professional is available at http://www.pixeldragons.com . A trial version is available and a one-user licence costs £59.99.

AKVIS Sketch plug-in v5.5 for Windows and Macintosh converts photos to realistic pencil and watercolor drawings. Version 5.5 offers a new effect - Color Strokes -  which converts a photo to a sketch in such a way that it looks like drawn by color pencils. AKVIS Sketch sells for $72 / 55 Euro, and there’s also a free trial with 10 days of fully functional use.

ACD Systems are offering 40% off ACDSee 9 Photo Manager until August 30th, 2007. ACDSee 9 allows you to quickly browse through your photo collections. It normally retails for $39.99, but now costs $23.99 with the special 40% discount.

Corel are currently offering a £20 discount on their Paint Shop Pro Photo XI image editing software, but only until 18th August. Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI is a complete digital photography toolkit that allows users to edit, manage and share their photos as well as create photo projects.

Apple iLife ’08 features a a major new version of iPhoto and a completely reinvented iMovie. “Apple has taken iLife ’08 to a new level that is years ahead of anything available for the PC”, said Steve Jobs, Apple ’s CEO. Apple iLife ’08 is now available for a suggested retail price of £55.

Nikon have announced a new, improved version of Capture NX, its main image editing application. Nikon Capture NX 1.2 includes a large number of improvements and bug fixes, including a speed improvement when opening images. There’s a full list of fixes after the jump.

Download Nikon Capture NX 1.2 (Windows)

Download Nikon Capture NX 1.2 (MAC OS X)

Noise reduction software tool Dfine 2.0 from Nik Software is now available for sale. Dfine 2.0 now includes Nik Software’s patented U Point technology for selective editing control and a new auto camera profile system. “The complete re-design of Dfine takes simplicity and control of noise reduction to an entirely new level” commented Michael J. Slater, president and CEO of Nik Software, Inc. Dfine 2.0 is available now for $99.95.