Macphun has announced an updated educational programme dubbed Pay It Forward. Rewarding students and faculty members by offering a 50% discount on qualifying products like Snapheal Pro (see screenshot above), Intensify Pro, Focus 2 Pro and the Creative Kit bundle; Pay It Forward recognizes the contribution students and faculty members have on the Mac and Photography industry, the company says. “Pay It Forward is an initiative that allows Macphun to give back by putting our software in the deserving hands of students and educational professionals at an affordable price,”    said Paul Muzok, co-founder and CEO of Macphun Software. “Students and teachers who are well versed in current digital imaging technology and efficient workflows can ultimately have an immense impact on the world.” For more information, visit the website below.

Kodak Alaris has released a new suite of apps that makes it easier to create and pick up personalised photo products from participating stores and Kodak Picture kiosks. The apps allow users to select photos from any iOS or Android smartphone, and to create a personalised photo product anywhere anytime. All they need to do is choose the image layout and select the nearest participating retailer for collection. Additionally, the Kodak Moments App for smartphones can also connect directly to a Kodak Picture Kiosk via Wi-Fi to allow individual images to be loaded directly from the handset to the kiosk to create a variety of products.For Facebook enthusiasts, the Kodak Moments app offers a solution to print Facebook albums or favourite Facebook photos.

DNA Imagery has released the first paid version of its popular iOS app Photo Candy, and updated the free version. Photo Candy Pro gives access to over 250 patterns and shapes (with more to come) from various designers as well as seasonal packs on the pro version, 4 additional unlocked packs, 16 additional presets and photo editing features (including contract, exposure, brightness and more). Photo Candy Pro is available for purchase on the iTunes store for only $1.99.

GoPro has announced a collection of accessories and software. GoPro HERO3+ and HERO3 users will benefit from a number of new housing and mount options including a matte-finish housing, compact frame and versatile flex mount. The stealth Blackout Housing ($49.99) features a non-reflective black matte finish and LCD concealment stickers. Two additional accessories,Gooseneck and The Frame, are designed for greater versatility in shooting. Gooseneck ($19.99) boasts a seven-link flex neck and quick-release base plate for capturing hard to reach shots around corners or underneath objects, while the reengineered Frame ($39.99) is the smallest, lightest way to mount the HERO3+ and HERO3 camera. The free GoPro App, which allows users to control all camera functions remotely, view photos, playback videos and share content via email, text and social platforms, has been updated to a new version to deliver wireless camera software updates to the HERO3+. Improvements to camera software unlock a number of new modes to give HERO3+ Black users greater control of capture settings, including new SuperView modes at 1080/60 and 1080/50, as well as new Auto Low Light modes that support higher frame rates.

Today, Red Giant announced PluralEyes 3.5, an update to its Shooter Suite’s automated audio/video sync tool. “We want PluralEyes to be as useful to as many people as possible,” said Randon Morford, Shooter Suite product manager. “A lot of our focus for this release has been on improving and expanding support for more media types. We’ve greatly improved support for AVCHD cameras, including support for spanned clips.” In addition, PluralEyes’ Replace Audio feature now supports many more media types than before, bringing this feature to a much larger group of users. Plus, PluralEyes 3.5 now includes the unique ability to correct sync drift where the audio and video begin to lose sync over time on longer clips. This allows it to achieve frame-accurate syncs even for audio recorders that don't have that level of accuracy themselves. PluralEyes 3.5 beta will be available soon, with a release in Q2 for $199. Existing users of PluralEyes qualify for a $79 upgrade.

Iridient Digital has released an update to Iridient Developer for Mac OS X. Version 2.3.4 includes a complete overhaul of the image caching architecture and gives greatly improved loading performance when accessing previously viewed images. Additionally, it adds compatibility with the Phantom Vision FC200, the Nokia Lumia 1520, the Samsung NX30, the Fujifilm FinePix S1, the Sony ILCE-6000, ILCE-5000 and ILCE-3500, as well as the Nikon D4S, D3300 and P340.

Corel today released the latest version of its flagship graphics suite. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X7 features powerful fill capabilities, high DPI, multi-monitor and touchscreen compatibility, and more ways to share content. In addition, multi-core and native 64-bit support allows users to run multiple applications and process large files. New/enhanced features include workspace selection, built-in context exchange, fountain fills, pressure-sensitive liquid tools and camera effects in Photo-paint, and much more. CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X7 is now available for £399. The upgrade price is £179

AKVIS Draw is a new computer program enabling users to convert their photos into drawings. Featuring ready-to-use presets and adjustable parameters, the software imitates various "esquisse" drawing styles and supports batch processing that lets you turn all your photos into a sketchbook or a storyboard within minutes. AKVIS Draw sells for $49 / €39 (Home Licence).

DxO Labs have released version 2.1.4 of DxO ViewPoint, a program dedicated to fixing problems with keystoning and volume anamorphosis. This update adds new camera/lens combinations to automatically correct distortion in JPEG and TIFF photos.

DxO Labs today released an update to DxO Optics Pro. Version 9,1,4 adds support for the Nikon D4S (Elite Edition only) and three additional cameras, the Sony A5000, the Leica X Vario (Type 107), and the GoPro Hero 3+ Black Edition. In addition, the library of DxO Optics Modules has been expanded with 170 new camera/lens combinations.

The latest version of Pho.to Lab for iOS adds image editing tools and stickers to its extensive collection of photo effects. The new Editor mode enables users to whiten teeth, remove blemishes, reduce red-eye, crop images, adjust their brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpening, and apply a selective colour effect. Stickers let users adorn their shots with different kinds of hats, glasses, accessories and speech bubbles. Pho.to Lab 2.2 is available now on the iTunes App Store.

X-Rite today released ColorTRUE for iOS and Android. The app creates a custom display profile for mobile devices using a supported X-Rite measurement device. The user simply places the connected device on the tablet or phone when prompted and the measurement process begins automatically. The profile is applied to all images displayed through the ColorTRUE Image Gallery. ColorTRUE includes a Create Profile tool and an Image Gallery viewer and is currently available as a free download on iTunes and Google Play. Supported X-Rite measurement devices include the ColorMunki Smile (iOS only), ColorMunki Display (iOS and Android), i1Display Pro (iOS and Android), and i1Pro 2 (iOS only).

Light Blue has been updated with a host of new features to help make business administration simpler and more straightforward for professional photographers. The new release adds a plug-in for WordPress websites,  the ability to save custom reports, a new Inbox to make importing from Mail on a Mac or Outlook on Windows really easy, and much more. Light Blue 5 is available for £295 + VAT. Existing users can upgrade to Version 5 for £95.

CyberLink have introduced their new cloud service, a set of cloud-based consumer creative tools including the company's first subscription-based creative suite, called Director Suite Live. Integrating 4 award-winning CyberLink video and photo editing products – PowerDirector, PhotoDirector, AudioDirector and ColorDirector –, Director Suite Live offers users two subscription plans. The quarterly fee is $49.99, while the annual plan is $99.99. These subscription fees include 10GB of CyberLink Cloud storage as well as use of all four applications. Throughout the subscription period, users are guaranteed to always get the most up-to-date Director Suite releases. Director Suite Live, with CyberLink Cloud service, is available through the CyberLink online store in the US, Canada and UK.

Anthropics has released PortraitPro 12. Billed as the world's first retouching software with face relighting technology for truly natural enhancement, PortraitPro 12 has an enhanced capability to slim faces and ‘take the weight off that the camera puts on,’ and incorporates Anthropics Technology's. latest skin enhancer that retains natural skin texture when removing blemishes, the company says. Claimed to be 4 times faster than its predecessor, PortraitPro 12 is now available for ₤29.95/$49.95.

Pictorl has released the first major update to its photo sharing app available for iOS, Android and Windows. Offering a unique browsing experience which makes swiping through photos feel like you’re leafing through pages of a book or an old photo album, Pictorl has an extensive list of features including the ability to create and organise albums, pinch to zoom, simple and intuitive privacy settings, push notifications, subscriptions, comments, and more. The application’s latest update adds bulk uploading of photos, offline editing of photos and albums, and direct messaging between users. A non-destructive photo editor has also been added which allows users to modify their photos at anytime – even after they’ve been uploaded. The program is available as a free download from the company's website.

Living photo creation software Flixel Cinemagraph Pro has achieved featured status on the Mac App Store where it reached No. 1 in the photography category in over 50 countries. The program allows users to intuitively and easily create cinemagraph images, a hybrid media form that combines the timeless quality of a photograph and elements of moving video, Flixel says. The new software includes support for 4K Ultra HD resolution video capture, masking tools, seamless looping options and a wide range of filters. Creators can upload and share their living photos in high resolution to Flixel’s community as well as to a variety of social networks. Flixel’s Cinemagraph Pro for Mac is available to purchase for $14.99.

CyberLink has released a free, new photo editing app - PhotoDirector for Android. The Android version of PhotoDirector includes several features including smart Object Removal, complete editing and adjustment tools, HDR effects, and beautification tools. Easy-to-use sliders give users full control over White Balance, Tone, Saturation and more. For more novice users, PhotoDirector for Android also includes over 70 preset effects to instantly adjust the mood of an image. PhotoDirector is available in the Google Play store.

Corel has released VideoStudio Pro X7 and VideoStudio Ultimate X7. The new version adds an updated creative library, new touch-friendly instant movie creator and 64-bit architecture, and features faster 4K support, enhanced one-step sharing, motion tracking, HTML5 authoring, a new favourite filters list and a wide variety of creative editing tools. Suggested retail pricing of VideoStudio Pro X7 is $79.99 / €69.99/ £59.99. VideoStudio Ultimate X7 is available for $99.99 / € 89.99/ £79.99

Akvis has updated its OilPaint software to Version 2.0. Available as a standalone application and as a Photoshop plug-in, Akvis OilPaint is claimed to offer "an incredible algorithm" for turning photos into oil paintings. The software offers a number of ready to use presets, and allows users to share their favourites with other fans of the oil painting technique. The batch processing feature enables the program to automatically process a series of images in order to create a number of illustrations at the same style or to process all frames in a video. The updated version brings faster image processing, new brushes and other important improvements, and fixes bugs. Registered users of Akvis OilPaint can upgrade to version 2.0 for free.