GoPro have released a new feature that allows the user to create short video clips directly on the camera or mobile device for easy sharing. On-camera trimming, available on HERO4 Black with LCD BacPac, HERO4 Silver , and HERO+ LCD, allows you to save your trimmed file directly back onto the memory card, adjacent to the rest of the video files for later sharing. The in-app functionality will allow for instant saving to your camera roll and very precise trimming from all Wi-Fi enabled GoPro cameras.

In its most important move since the company' acquisition by Facebook, Instagram now allows users to share photos and videos in both portrait and landscape formats, in addition to the much loved/hated square. "Square format has been and always will be part of who we are," the company said in a statement. "That said, the visual story you’re trying to tell should always come first, and we want to make it simple and fun for you to share moments just the way you want to. It turns out that nearly one in five photos or videos people post aren’t in the square format, and we know that it hasn’t been easy to share this type of content on Instagram... We’re especially excited about what this update means for video... which in widescreen can be more cinematic than ever." Instagram has also announced that from now on, all filters will work on all types of media, with intensity adjustments now available on videos as well as stills.

Serif have announced a free trial version of their new professional, Mac-only image editing software; Affinity Photo. "Since its launch this summer Affinity Photo became Editors’ Choice and a main feature in the Mac App Store, 5-star rated by customers, and #1 photography app in over 100 countries," Affinity Product Manager Dale Cook told PhotographyBLOG. "Affinity Photo’s award-winning innovation and incredible performance is free to try in full for 10 days — all adjustments, filters, tools, features, importers, exporters, and file saving work with no restrictions or watermarks."

Lytro has opened its imaging platform to developers, photographers and producers, enabling them to explore light field photography and integrate the underlying 3D data into new applications. Lytro Power Tools (LPT) Beta was developed to give programmers, researchers and artists complete control at every step – from capture on the camera to post-processing light field data. Initially announced as an Alpha program only available in the United States, LPT Beta is now available to anyone who’s interested. Alpha participants have created and shared tools to generate time-lapse video as well as panoramic video that can be viewed with virtual reality headsets like Google Cardboard and Samsung Gear VR. To learn more and download Lytro Power Tools Beta, visit the website below.

Magix have released a free video editor for Android devices. The new Fastcut app uses your video clips to automatically create dynamic short films right on your smartphone or tablet. After selecting your footage and a template you can rearrange individual clips, or have Fastcut automatically rearrange them for you if you are not satisfied with the initial result. All of your creations can be exported in all resolutions up to Full HD, uploaded to the Internet and shared on Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook and other platforms. The app can be upgraded with extra templates and features for £0.89 or $0.99 per month.

Corel have just released Paint Shop Pro X8 (read review) and PaintShop Pro X8 Ultimate. New features include text wrapping, a content-aware Magic Move tool, a comprehensive set of lens corrections, UHD monitor support, a Before/After button in the Adjust workspace, new swatches in the Materials Palette, Text & Shape Cutter preview, Gradient preview and more. This latest version of the application also boasts an enhanced Batch Mode, an updated Camera Raw Lab, an expanded range of selection tool options, various performance gains and an improved layer workflow. PaintShop Pro X8 Ultimate offers the versatility of PaintShop Pro X8, plus a collection of photo-focused add-ons including AfterShot 2, Perfectly Clear 2 SE and Perfect Effects 9.5. Suggested retail pricing for PaintShop Pro X8 is $79.99 (USD/CAN) / €69.99 / £59.99 / $99.95 AUD. PaintShop Pro X8 Ultimate is available for $99.99 (USD/CAN) / €89.99 / £79.99/ $129.95 AUD.

DxO have released DxO OpticsPro 10.4.3, DxO FilmPack 5.1.5 and DxO ViewPoint 2.5.7. These updates add support for the Canon EOS 750D / Rebel T6i, the EOS 760D / Rebel T6s and the EOS M3, as well as the Leica T (Typ 701), the Nikon 1 J5 (pictured) and the Pentax K-3 II. DxO OpticsPro 10.4.3 also adds 672 new camera/lens combinations to the DxO Optics Module library, providing support for Canon, GoPro, Leica, Nikon, Pentax, Samsung, Sigma, Sony, Tamron, Tokina and Zeiss lenses for numerous Canon, GoPro, Leica, Nikon, Pentax, Samsung and Sony cameras.

Macphun today launched an updated version of its Noiseless app. The program, which provides a one-click solution for eliminating noise from your digital photographs, now includes the option of batch processing. The update is an in-app purchase for current owners who bought Noiseless on the Mac App Store. Noiseless Pro owners will automatically receive the update free of charge. “For photographers shooting in low light situations, the ability to quickly process a range of images with one particular preset or setting will significantly speed up the noise reduction process, ” explains Macphun COO, Alex Tsepko. “Owners of Macphun’s Creative Kit will notice how seamlessly Noiseless works with other apps. A great example is Snapselect which can be used to pick the best images from a group to be batch processed in Noiseless.”

Pixbuf has just launched into public beta, and introduced photographer's analytics. Creating a platform for aggregating data from all available services, Pixbuf gives photographers an idea of who likes their pictures and what communities they are from. Acting as a photographer’s hub for automated sharing on various services, Pixhub enables you to easily upload your pictures, set up sharing and head out to take more pictures. “We want to give photographers back the time for photography,” says Filip Molcan, founder of Pixbuf. “Making an exceptional picture is very difficult today. Standing out from the crowd on the Internet is even harder and that’s where we want to help.” Pixbuf is available for free at the website below.

Iridient Digital has released Iridient Developer 3.0.4 for Mac OS X. This update includes further improvements to the v3.5 noise reduction specifically for monochrome conversions and lowers the minimum sensitivity levels for Colour, Colour Aliasing and Luminance Grain Smoothness when using monochrome processing. This update also includes general performance enhancements, updated file export libraries for TIFF and JPEG formats and support for 10 new cameras including the Sony A7R II, RX100 IV and RX10 II, the Canon PowerShot G3 X., the Panasonic DMC-GX8, DMC-FZ300 and DMC-FZ330, the Olympus AIR-A01, the Ricoh GR II and tje Kinefity KineMAX 6K. For customers who purchased a new or upgraded license after 14 April 2013, this update is free.

Corel today released ParticleShop, a new brush plug-in for Adobe Photoshop. “When I first saw ParticleShop in action, I was blown away by the effects that could be created in a matter of minutes,” says Corey Barker, Education and Curriculum Developer, Kelby One. “The atmospheric enhancements that can be added to photos are unlike anything I’ve seen before.” ParticleShop uses the power of the Corel Painter Particle brush technology to create specific, photo-realistic effects. Whether users want to add hair, fabric, fire, smoke, fur, dust or lighting to their photos, ParticleShop brushes can create these life-like effects with a simple brushstroke. Built to perform with a pressure-sensitive tablet, touchscreen or mouse, ParticleShop brushes enable users to add their unique artistic enhancements to any image. Corel ParticleShop comes with a starter pack of 11 brushes, with 11 additional brush packs available to add on. Each additional brush pack features 15 unique brushes. The plugin is available for $49.99 and the brush packs can be purchased for $29.99 each.

Ricoh have issued a firmware update for their GR II large-sensor compact camera. Version 1.10 adds compatibility with the company's Image Sync 1.0.5 software, and improves overall operational stability. You can download the firmware upgrade from the website bleow.

Website: Ricoh Japan

Fujifilm and Nikon are planning to examine the compatibility of their digital cameras and applications with Windows 10. Specifically, Fuji are testing their X series cameras and all FinePix models launched since 2010, plus a suite of computer programs including MyFinePix Studio, PC AutoSave, the Tethered Capture Plug-in for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Tethered Shooting Software HS-V5 for Windows, and RAW FILE CONVERTER EX 2.0 powered by SILKYPIX. Nikon are planning to check the compatibility of 13 software applications and codecs (see below).

FXHOME have released version 7 of PhotoKey Pro, the industry-leading green screen editor for photographers. Featuring the most powerful automatic chroma key tool available, PhotoKey 7 Pro instantly analyses and removes the green screen before replacing it with a new background, allowing you to easily create composites. In Version 7, a new spill simulation system accurately replaces unwanted light spill from your green screen with natural ambient lighting from your new background, whilst the new client preview window enables photographers to show off a full-screen, live preview of their work on a second monitor. The update also adds raw image file support, intelligent keying, Retina screen compatibility, FTP export and various hot folder enhancements. PhotoKey 7 Pro is available for both Mac and Windows, priced at $299.

Corel have released Version 2.2.1 of AfterShot and AfterShot Pro. This update adds raw image file support for 10 new cameras, including the Fujifilm X-T10, X-Q1, X-Q2 and X-A2, the Samsung NX30 and NX300, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 II (pictured) and XZ-10, plus the Nikon D5500 and D7200. In addition to the new cameras, AfterShot Pro 2.2.1 also includes a variety of usability improvements based on our users’ feedback.

Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) 9.1.1 is now available through the update mechanism in Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CC. This update - the last one to be offered to Photoshop CS6 users - adds support for the Canon PowerShot G3 X, the Casio EX-100F and EX-ZR3000, the Leica Q (Typ 116, pictured), the Olympus AIR-A01, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 and FZ300/FZ330, the Pentax K-3 II (with certain limitations, the Phase One IQ3 50MP, 60MP and 80MP, the Ricoh GR II, and the Sony A7R II, RX10 II and RX100 IV. It also incorporates sixteen new lens profiles for various Sigma, Zeiss, Zhongyi and Lensbaby optics, plus a number of bug fixes.

Adobe have announced that the next release of Adobe Camera Raw (v9.1.1) will be the final version available for use with Photoshop CS6. Customers who wish to edit raw image files produced with the newest cameras in CS6 will need to convert them first to DNG format using the free Adobe DNG Converter utility. Subscribers to Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) will continue to receive the latest updates as long as their subscription lasts. The release date for ACR 9.1.1 has yet to be communicated.

Update: Adobe Camera Raw 9.1.1 has now been released.

TeoreX, the company famed for its BatchInpaint, FolderIco, Inpaint, iResizer and PhotoSticher applications, has released PhotoScissors 2.1. Targeting users who don’t want to learn secrets of retouching, PhotoScissors makes background removal easier than ever. Now the user can remove the photo's background, and immediately replace it with another one. Additionally, the "Shadow" option first introduced in PhotoScissors 2.0 has been further enhanced in the new version of the program. Now, a user can choose the colour of the shadow to create eye-catching visual effects. And for better presentation of the cut out objects, the new release features updated and improved image edge handling. The price for a single license of PhotoScissors is $19.99. PhotoScissors is available both for Windows and Mac OS.

BenQ has partnered with Adobe to launch a new promotion for creative professionals. Those purchasing a new BenQ 24” PG2401PT colour critical monitor can now get a one-year membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography (worth £102). The Creative Cloud Photography plan combines the creative power of Adobe Photoshop CC with the management and enhancement tools within Adobe Lightroom CC. This new BenQ / Adobe offer is available to purchase through leading photography retailers and is distributed exclusively by Colour Confidence in the UK, Poland, France, the Nordics and Spain.
 

Adobe have released version 1.2 of Lightroom Mobile for Android phones and tablets. This update adds support for raw image files generated by the Panasonic CM1, enables users to copy and paste adjustments from one photo to another, introduces a more sophisticated tool for cropping and straightening your photographs, and introduces the new Segmented view, which gives you a different way to view and engage with your photos.