Apple have just released Apple Aperture 1.5.3, which addresses issues related to overall reliability and performance in a number of areas, including

  * Generation of thumbnails for adjusted images
  * Entering and exiting Full Screen mode
  * Working with large sets of keywords in the Keywords HUD
  * Restoring from a vault

If you haven’t already done so, it is strongly recommended that you also download and install the Mac OS X 10.4.9 Update to add support for RAW files captured by the new Leica Digilux 3; new digital SLRs from Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic, and Samsung; and the complete lineup of medium-format digital backs from Leaf Photography.

http://www.apple.com/aperture/download/

AKVIS Frame Suite is a collection of digital frames for the decoration of photos. In addition to a wide range of preset frames, you can also generate a custom frame. Available as either a standalone program or plug-in version, AKVIS Frame Suite sells for $49 USD.

B/W Styler v1.01, a Photoshop plugin for black and white conversions, now supports Windows Vista. Other new features a speed increase of up to 30% and 22 new B/W film presets. B/W Styler is available for Windows and MacOS X and costs $49.95.

Launched at the end of March, Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Standard editions and Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and Standard editions are now shipping. New standalone versions of 8 CS3 programs are also available, including Photoshop CS3.

Photo-i have reviewed the latest version of Paint Shop Pro.

“The PSP browser has benefited from a major overhaul, it’s now called the Photo Organizer from here you can manage images and perform complex searches by filename, date, keyword or folders. By default the organiser looks for images in the My Pictures and Shared Pictures folders, but you can add as many folders as needed by clicking on the Add More Folders icon. Depending on how many images in your folders, it may take some time for the database to build or update, fortunately this is a background operation, so you can still get on with other things – like make a coffee.”

Website: Photo-i - Paint Shop Pro XI Review

A new version of PhotoFrame Pro, compatible with Photoshop CS3, is now available via free download to all registered users of PhotoFrame Pro 3. PhotoFrame Pro 3.1 includes support for 16-bit images and a new auto-rotate feature. PhotoFrame Pro 3.1 is compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS3 on both Macintosh and Windows platforms.

Photo Mechanic 4.5 adds a wealth of new features to this popular photo browser and workflow tool. Photo Mechanic is the most popular photo-editing tool used by newspapers and press photographers in the USA. Version 4.5 of Photo Mechanic is a free update for users who purchased licenses for Photo Mechanic on or after March 1, 2006. New licenses cost US$150.

Paravue Turbo Mask is a new image masking software tool for Adobe Photoshop CS and Photoshop CS Extended. Turbo Mask works like human eyes to pick out the important subject in an image. Paravue Turbo Mask will begin shipping in late May 2007 for $249 USD.

Strata has announced three new 3D plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended. “Our applications have already been described as ‘the 3D cousin to Photoshop’ by industry publications. Now our products are more like immediate family.” stated Ken Bringhurst, president of Strata. For more information about Strata’s new 3D[in] plug-ins and the rest of Strata’s products, visit http://www.strata.com/cs3d

PhotoZoom Pro 2.2, the digital image resizing software, has been updated with a better S-Spline XL resizing technique, speed improvements and new preference settings. PhotoZoom Pro 2 is available as a standalone application and an export plugin for Adobe Photoshop. PhotoZoom Pro 2.2 is free update for registered PhotoZoom Pro 2 users.

iCorrect EditLab ProApp 6.0 from PictoColor offers serious photographers a simplified, high speed approach to color adjustment for large volume workflows. The new ProcessQ is a completely redesigned image queue that allows photographers to easily view, sort, and manage their color corrections. iCorrect EditLab ProApp 6.0 is available for an introductory price of $99.95 as a software download.  iCorrect EditLab ProApp 6.0 will later sell for $149.95.

Imagenomic ActionBooks are a combination of best-practices, reference documentation and Photoshop actions for Imagenomic’s Pro Plug-in Suite of software. “Today’s ActionBook release gives photographers a solid working foundation for achieving a range of retouching and finishing effects with our Portraiture Plug-in—and to a certain extent, RealGrain—with one-click and without any complexity or learning-curve,” states David McDonell, CEO, Imagenomic. The ActionBook companion for Portraiture and other Pro Plug-in Suite resources are available for immediate and free download.

Downloader Pro 2.0 from Breeze Systems introduces GPS geo-tagging and thumbnail display to this powerful yet simple program for transferring digital photos from camera to PC. When you connect a GPS tracker device such as the Sony GPS-CS1 to your computer, Downloader Pro will automatically read the GPS data and store it in the images as they are downloaded. Downloader Pro 2.0 is available now for US $29.95, and is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a copy of Downloader Pro within the last year.

The biggest software release in Adobe’s 25 year history unites the best of Adobe’s and Macromedia’s products. There are six all-new configurations of Adobe Creative Suite 3, including Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Design Standard editions,  Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and Web Standard editions, Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium and Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection. “Creative Suite 3 is the biggest launch in Adobe’s 25 year history and a milestone for the creative industry,” said Bruce Chizen, chief executive officer at Adobe. “This release reflects the powerful integration between Adobe and Macromedia and how our products bridge the gap between designers and developers. With new workflows that streamline collaboration and impact the development of rich content, designers and developers now have the creative license to engage audiences across virtually every medium.”

Adobe have launched not one but two versions of Photoshop CS3 today. Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop CS3 Extended will be available as stand-alone applications or part of the Creative Suite 3 family of products. Photoshop CS3 Extended includes everything in Photoshop CS3 plus additional specialised features such as support for 3-D and video workflows, animation and in-depth image analysis. The latest version of Camera Raw provides support for over 150 raw formats, JPEG and TIFF files, compatibility with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and new tools such as Fill Light and Dust Busting. The estimated street price for Adobe Photoshop CS3 is £485 / US$649 and £755 / US$999 for Photoshop CS3 Extended.

Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and Standard editions are two new software collections aimed at web designers and developers. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium includes new versions of Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional, Adobe Fireworks CS3, Adobe Contribute CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, Adobe Illustrator CS3, and Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional. “Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web editions cut across designer and developer workflows to deliver a must-have release for anyone serious about bringing their creative vision to the web,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. Estimated street pricing is £1,195 / US$1599 for Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium and £705 / US$999 for Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Standard. There are numerous upgrade paths available for customers who own prior versions of Adobe or Macromedia products.

Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Standard are two new software collections aimed at print, web, interactive and mobile designers. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium includes new versions of Adobe InDesign CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional, and Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, plus Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional. Adobe Creative Suite Design editions will be available as Universal applications for both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs. “Our new Design editions are anchored by powerhouse upgrades to InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. “And by bringing Flash and Dreamweaver into the mix, we’re ensuring that interactive design is now front and center in today’s creative workflows.” Estimated street price for the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium edition is £1,409 / US$1799 and £895 / US$1199 for Creative Suite 3 Design Standard edition.

Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium is a new software collection aimed at the video editing professional. Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium includes new versions of Adobe After Effects CS3 Professional, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3, Adobe Encore CS3, Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended, Adobe Illustrator CS3, Adobe Flash CS3 Professional, and Adobe Soundbooth CS3. “With Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium the video editing market just got a whole lot more interesting,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. Estimated street price for Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium is £1,409 / US$1,699.

Adobe Device Central CS3 allows users to design engaging interfaces, mobile assets, applications and video content for mobile phones and hand-held consumer electronic devices. “Adobe Device Central is a remarkable tool that makes it extremely easy to bring innovative design to the mobile space,” said Scott Nourse, vice president of production, Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment. “Device Central is promising to revolutionise the way in which content is being developed and tested for mobile devices and we are excited to have its help in delivering our content to mobile customers worldwide.” Adobe Device Central CS3 is included in all Creative Suite 3 editions as well as individual products.

Adobe InDesign CS3 is the latest version of its award-winning professional page layout program. InDesign CS3 will be available as a stand-alone application or as part of Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium and Standard editions. “InDesign CS3 was shaped by customer-inspired requests and is packed with new features that respond to today’s demanding workflows, including lightning performance and added support for Intel-based Macintosh systems and Vista-based PCs,” said Mark Hilton, vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. Estimated street price for Adobe InDesign CS3 is £715.58 / US$699.