Nikon has released the Android version of the SnapBridge app, which enables constant connection of a compatible Nikon digital camera to a smart device using Bluetooth low-energy technology. SnapBridge will be a standard feature in almost every new Nikon camera from 2016 onwards, beginning with the Nikon D500 DSLR. SnapBridge for Android is available on Google Play.

Pepper Networks have launched Version 4.0 of their Timebox automatic photo journal app. Timebox instantly organises all of the photos and videos in a user’s Camera Roll and Photo Library, plus entries from the user’s Calendar, into photo stories. Rather than an endless grid of photos, the Timebox app gives users a scrolling timeline of stories including one key photo per story, its title, date and location, making finding past trips or events easy. Going beyond the standard iOS Photos app, Timebox also makes it easy for users to enhance their stories with captions and details. Powered by Kite.ly, users can make, print and buy hardcover photo books, photo cases for devices, posters, prints, stickers and magnets from any Timebox story. Timebox 4.0 is available now on the iTunes App Store.

The Plugin Site has announced ActionsXXL, which enables Photoshop Elements users to create, record, play and save Photoshop actions. It also supports recording image editing steps performed with The Plugin Site's ElementsXXL, LayersXXL and FilterHub plugins, which enhance the feature set of Photoshop Elements. Conditional action steps enable playing other actions depending on 24 predefined conditions. ActionsXXL is displayed as a floating panel window in Photoshop Elements 6-14, but can also take over the Actions panel of Photoshop Elements 11-14. It also offers a Batch feature for automatically processing multiple document or image files with actions, scripts and other features. ActionsXXL is available for $39.95.

Swedish software developer jAlbum have released version 13.1 of their popular Web photo gallery creator, jAlbum Pro. "With this new release we take a huge step forward to simplify the workflow for professional photographers by supporting 38 raw image formats," says developer Amal Asry. "jAlbum interacts well with Adobe’s software suite: Metadata like titles, descriptions and keywords entered in Photoshop or Lightroom " Pricing starts at €39.

Macphun Software have today launched a major update to Tonality, their award-winning black-and-white photo editor for Mac. Users will now have access to a free preset library, created by professional photographers from around the world. Additionally, Macphun have teamed up with 500px to allow users to easily export images directly from Tonality to the global online photography community. Raw image file support has been extended to include files generated by the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II, the Fujifilm FinePix HS50EXR 100, the the Leica Q (Typ 116), Leica SL (Typ 601) and Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246), the Nikon D300S, the Panasonic DMC-G7, the Sony A700, Sony RX100 III and the Sony RX10 II. To celebrate the update, Macphun are offering a 50% discount and a free batch processing in the MAS version of Tonality for one week only (7th14th April).

Google's Nik Collection of photography plug-ins is now available for free. Compatible with a number of desktop photo editing applications including Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, the Nik Collection includes Analog Efex Pro, Color Efex Pro, Silver Efex Pro, Viveza, HDR Efex Pro, Sharpener Pro and Dfine. Those who purchased the Nik Collection in 2016 will receive a full refund.

Serif has announced it will be bringing its highly regarded - but so far Mac-only - Affinity Photo (read review) and Affinity Designer applications to Windows. "Pretty much any article, blog or social post about our Affinity apps now seems to attract a rush of comments from users asking why we don't make them available on Windows. Well, I'm really excited to finally reveal we are working on it and the development team are making incredibly rapid progress." said Ashley Hewson, Serif's Managing Director. "We already have an early build of Affinity Designer running on our PCs in the office here, and we will be making it available as a free public beta early in the summer".

Adobe has released Lightroom CC 2015.5 / Lightroom 6.5 plus Adobe Camera Raw 9.5. The updates add support for the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, EOS 80D and EOS 1300D, the Nikon D500 and D5, the Olympus PEN-F and SH-3, the Panasonic DMC-CM10, GF8 and TZ100, the Samsung NX3300, the Sony Alpha A6300 and the Yuneec CGO4, and fix a number of bugs.

Corel has just announced CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X8. The new flagship graphics suite offers full optimisation for Windows 10, support for multi-monitor viewing, 4K and higher displays, as well as Windows Real-Time Stylus pen-compatible tablets. "With the new X8, we've taken away many of the pain points graphics pros face daily by offering a powerful design environment that's faster and smarter than ever," said Gérard Métrailler, Vice President of Products, Graphics and Productivity, Corel. "From big additions, like the all-new Corel Font Manager, to the dramatically evolved Knife tool, the entire suite makes it easier for users to get the professional look and output their clients demand." The new CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X8 includes CorelDRAW X8, Corel PHOTO-PAINT X8, PhotoZoom Pro 4, Corel PowerTRACE X8, Corel Font Manager, Corel CAPTURE X8, Corel Website Creator and Corel CONNECT X8. The full version is priced at £529 and the upgrade is £259. Subscription is available for £26.95 per month or £179.40 per year.

Adobe has teamed up with The Photography Show (TPS) to offer visitors to the show 20% off the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan. “Photoshop and Lightroom have been fundamental in the evolution of digital photography and we are extremely excited to be giving photographers of all abilities the chance to learn more about what Creative Cloud Photography plan has to offer at this year’s show,” said Liz Wilkins, Head of Digital Media Marketing, Northern Europe at Adobe UK. The Adobe Theatre is returning to The Photography Show this year from March 19 to March 22 2016, offering a comprehensive programme of sessions for all levels to help improve and enhance photographer's image editing skills.

Akvis have released version 3.5 of their MakeUp application for MacOS and Windows. This update adds support for 4K and 5K resolution screens, new print options, a modernised graphical user interface, support for more raw files and native 64-bit support on Macs. Registered users can upgrade to version 4.0 for free.

Macphun Software has launched a three-month payment plan for Aurora HDR Pro. Rather than pay one upfront fee or committing to a monthly subscription, customers will be able to split the cost of Aurora HDR into three monthly instalments of £24. As soon as the first payment is made, customers will have access to the software and a license that allows them to use Aurora HDR Pro on up to 5 Macs.

Independent software developer, Reggie Ashworth, announced version 1.6.4 of VidConvert, his popular video converter for Mac OS X. New features include full compatibility with El Capitan, a refreshed GUI, full 64-bit support for the fastest possible conversion, compatibility with Retina displays, and much more. VidConvert 1.6.4 is available for $7.99.

Corel has launched VideoStudio Ultimate X9 and VideoStudio Pro X9. New features in both editions include Multi-Camera Editing, enhanced Audio and Balancing controls, support for HEVC (H.265), Multi-Point Motion Tracking, user interface updates and optimised performance including support for the new 6th generation Intel Core i7 processors. Corel VideoStudio Ultimate X9 takes video editing further with support for up to 6 cameras in the Multi-Camera Editor, the ability to work with additional formats including MXF (XAVC), and adds a premium effects collection featuring 11 apps from NewBlue, Borris Grafitti and ProDAD. Corel VideoStudio Pro X9 sells for $79.99/€69.99/£59.99. VideoStudio Ultimate X9 is available for $99.99/€89.99/ £79.99.

HDRlog has just released HDRinstant 2.0. The software allows photographers to extract stills from video clips and turn them into high-quality photos, even if the moving scene was in bad lighting conditions. In addition to working with video clips, HDRinstant also works with series of camera images shot in high-speed burst mode. New features include improved design and ergonomics, faster processing and an expanded range of tone mapping algorithms. HDRinstant is available in three editions; a free version with limited functionality, a Light version ($25) with a slightly expanded feature set, and a Professional edition ($89), which gives access to HDR image creation.

Over the next 6 days we’ll be revealing our favourite products from last year in our annual awards, looking back at the essential photography kit that helped to define 2015.

Kicking things off is the Software of the Year 2015 award, which goes to Adobe Photoshop Elements 14.

“...for anyone new to image editing or the keen photographer who just wants to achieve a quick result, then Photoshop Elements 14 will not disappoint.”

Read the Full Review

Congratulations to Adobe and Photoshop Elements 14!

DxO announced today the immediate availability of two new extensions for OS X El Capitan. DxO OpticsPro for OS X Photos adds seamless access to tens of thousands of DxO Optics Modules that enable DxO’s automatic optical corrections for distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberration and lens softness for virtually all popular cameras and lenses. DxO OpticsPro for OS X Photos is a paid download from the Mac App Store ($9.99/£7.99), which when installed automatically appears as an extension that can be accessed via the editing tools in Apple Photos. DxO ONE owners can download and install the DxO OpticsPro for OS X Photos - DxO ONE Camera Only version free of charge.

SoftColor has released PhotoEQ 10, a robust automatic photo editor for batch photo enhancing, editing and colour management. New features in this release include version 10 of the SoftColor SpectralHDI automatic colour correction algorithm, new colour correction layers, a suite of photo editing tool presets, a new tool for colour temperature adjustments, a To-do List based photo workflow, a new Rich dynamics enhancer colour correction tool that can generate an HDR-like look for regular JPEG images, and much more. PhotoEQ 10 is available immediately for $79.

Corel has announced the latest update to PaintShop Pro. Version 8.1 introduces the Welcome Guide, an all-new in-app learning tool that makes it easier to access helpful tips and tricks. Users will also find new ways to discover content, plus significant performance enhancements app-wide, including major improvements to brush speeds. The X8.1 update is available now and is free to all registered users of PaintShop Pro X8.

Akvis has released Version 5.0 of Akvis HDRFactory, an application that creates HDR images from a series of photographs taken at different exposures. This update adds a new Local Correction mode for additional processing of specific areas, uses a new algorithm of creating HDR images and introduces a refined Ghost Removal tool.