DxO Labs have released DxO Optics Pro 9.1.3 for Mac and Windows. This latest version adds support for the Nikon D3300, the Canon EOS M2, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 the Samsung NX1000 and NX1100. Additionally, DxO Optics Pro has been enriched with 264 new Optics Modules including camera/lens combinations for Nikon, Samsung and other brands. Photographers who acquired a DxO Optics Pro 8 license on or after 1 September 2013, are entitled to a free upgrade to version 9.

Nikon today released a beta version of Capture NX-D, a new application for processing and adjusting raw image files generated by Nikon digital cameras. Intended to replace the current Capture NX 2 software, Nikon Capture NX-D will support many functions needed by professional photographers, including batch image processing, filtering and an enhanced user interface with a variety of displays and floating palettes that are ideal for multiple monitors. During the period that Capture NX-D is available as a beta version, Nikon will invite users to try the software, and will collect feedback about the user experience and the application from those using it. To download the beta version of Nikon’s Capture NX-D, visit the website below.

Adobe has posted Release Candidate (RC) versions of ACR 8.4 for Photoshop CC and CS6. This update adds Camera Matching colour profiles (Provia/standard, Velvia/vivid, Astia/soft, monochrome etc.) for the Fujifilm X-A1, X-E1, X-E2, X-M1, X-S1, X-T1, X-Pro1, X10, X20, XF1, XQ1, X100 and X100S cameras; and raw image file support for the new Canon EOS 1200D, Casio EX-100, DJI Phantom, Fujifilm X-T1, Hasselblad H5D-50c, Hasselblad HV, Nikon D3300, Nikon D4S, Olympus OM-D E-M10, Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TZ60, Phase One IQ250, Samsung NX30, Sony Alpha a5000 (ILCE-5000) and Sony Alpha a6000 (ILCE-6000) cameras and backs. You can download Adobe Camera Raw 8.4 RC for Photoshop CC and ACR 8.4RC for Photoshop CS6 from the website below.

Website: ACR 8.4 for CC RC
Website: ACR 8.4 for CS6 RC

Milk Tailor Made Books have released MILK Photo Books for iPad, an application combining "a smart book-making experience with uncompromising production values that result in a beautifully crafted book, made the old-fashioned way." The MILK Books app is free to download and enables users to create and print their own customised photobooks simply and easily directly from their iPad. It is available now at the iTunes store.

Founded by Thomas Max, Captoria is an iOS-based social media platform that allows you to capture iconic moments of every-day life and shares them on a global scale; allowing multiple users to capture and share their perspective of it. " Whether it’s a national headline event, a restaurant visit or the BAFTA’s you can freeze the moment in one simple space that is globally accessible by everyone, on a live platform," Thomas says. "Offering a whole new dimension to photo sharing, Captoria allows you to visit or revisit the moment and enjoy it all over again from someone else’s perspective." The Captoria application is available as a free download on the iTunes App Store.

Alamy today launched Stockimo, an iPhone app that "turns smartphone photos into cash." By signing up to Stockimo, users will be able to upload and tag their iPhone photos. Uploads are reviewed by photo experts before going on sale on Alamy and through its established global sales and distribution network. Until 30th April, any user that registers with Stockimo will earn a commission of 40% on all sales (in the future the standard deal will pay 20%). The app is designed for the iPhone 4S and above and is available worldwide as a free download on the iTunes App Store.

TeoreX, the company famed for its BatchInpaint, FolderIco, Inpaint, iResizer and PhotoSticher applications, has just released PhotoScissors, a simple background removal tool for Windows and MacOS. Targeting users who don’t want to learn secrets of retouching, PhotoScissors is really easy to use: the user marks foreground and background zones in the image and immediately sees the results, which can then be fine-tuned with a few mouse gestures. The price for a single licence of PhotoScissors is $19.99.

Cool Photo Effects for Windows 8 is a new application that allows you to apply 300 different effects to photos. The range of effects/filters includes black and white, bi-colour, cinema, cross processing, old film, and much more. Cool Photo Effects for Windows 8 is available for $2.99.

Kolor has released a new version 2.0 of its virtual tour software, Panotour & Panotour Pro. The programs, which allow users to create virtual tours "of another kind," are available on the Kolor Store. Current users can upgrade for free or at a reduced upgrade price depending on the date of their purchase.

As part of a technical collaboration begun in 2013, Hasselblad has integrated the software development kit for EIZO's ColorEdge monitors into Phocus 2.8, the latest version of Hasselblad's imaging software. Phocus 2.8 activates the built-in calibration sensor housed inside select ColorEdge monitors. This allows photographers using Hasselblad cameras and ColorEdge monitors to view and edit photos as well as calibrate their monitors with one piece of software and no external calibration device. This new feature is currently being demonstrated at the Hasselblad (G-11) and EIZO booths (G-10) at the CP+ Camera and Photo Imaging Show at Pacifico Yokohama, Japan.

ADVA Soft today released Handy Photo 2.0, an update to its all-in-one photo editing app for iOS and Android devices. Featuring a completely redesigned user interface, Handy Photo 2.0 offers an array of editing tools, including new selective editing features for colour and tone, advanced retouching tools, more than 20 photo filters that can be easily adjusted as needed, and a variety of high-resolution textures and frames. HandyPhoto 2.0 is available now on iTunes.

Cinemartin has released version 3.X of its Cinec video converter / encoder for Windows. Adding support for Cineform, Sony XAVC, XAVC-S and RED files (.r3d) as well as 4K Ultra HD videos created with Snapdragon 800 powered mobile devices; Cinec 3.X comes with a number of new features such sd Motion Picture Adjustments, Dual Preview Monitor and the ability to create transparent videos with the new Quicktime Animation preset. The software is available in Standard, Pro and Gold versions, priced at €99, €199 and €799 respectively.

Totally Rad! has released an update to Replichrome, a collection of 134 colour and black-and-white film emulation presets for Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw. Now supporting raw files from twenty new camera models from Canon, Nikon, Fuji, Olympus, Sony, and more. “Replichrome continues to meet the needs of professional photographers who want their digital images to accurately emulate the subtle tones and classic color palette of the most popular types of film,” said Doug Boutwell, CEO, Totally Rad!. “This latest update will allow more photographers to benefit from Replichrome by providing the ability to work with the most popular cameras on the market.” The update is available now as a free download for current Replichrome users.

Iridient Digital has released an update to Iridient Developer for Mac OS X. Version 2.3.3 adds support for raw image files generated by the new Fujifilm: X-T1, Olympus: E-M10, Panasonic DMC-TZ60 (ZS40) and Canon: EOS M2 cameras and Phase One IQ250 medium-format back. This release also includes numerous new default ICC camera profiles and camera curves for most Canon, Nikon, Sony and Fujifilm models from the past few years based on new internal camera calibration tool refinements. Additionally, the update includes a fix for proper pass through of some IPTC/XMP fields used by Photo Mechanic XMP sidecar files.

For the first time ever, Sony is releasing Beta versions of four brand-new PlayMemories Camera Apps that are available for free. Snapshot Me ensures better pictures when you hand the camera over to someone else to take your picture, Stop Motion helps budding animators create fun time-lapse movies, ID Photo enables you to produceg valid identity photos for your ID card, driving licence or passport, while Catch Light adds extra sparkle to portraits of friends and family with a bright, white highlight that looks like the reflection of daylight or a flash in your subject’s pupils.

onOne Software has announced a special offer for current owners of Nik Software, Topaz Labs, or any other digital photography plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, or Apple Aperture. “Our mission has always been to provide powerful photography software to everyone who is passionate about their photography, such as the owners of the Nik Software and Topaz Labs plug-ins,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “Leveraging our extensive experience as a plug-in developer and adding the customer-requested tools that make Perfect Photo Suite 8 a complete photo editor makes it an ideal solution that can bring together all of a photographer’s stylization and editing needs.” Current owners of the afore-mentioned plug-ins may purchase a licence for Perfect Photo Suite 8 Premium Edition for only $129.95, which is a $50 savings off the regular price.

Really Nice Images have released a new generation of its photographic film-emulating preset package 'All Films' for Adobe Lightroom users. "'All Films' is our best preset package ever," the developers say. "It is comprehensive. It contains a great diversity of film looks from negative films to Polaroids and slide films." The presets can be purchased and downloaded from the website below.

Ed Hamrick's Vuescan software has recently reached a milestone – 400,000 customers. Aiming to reach half a million customers in 2014, VueScan is available in two editions, Standard Edition ($39.95 USD) and Professional Edition ($79.95), and supports more than 2400 scanners. The Professional Edition adds unlimited free upgrades, advanced IT8 colour calibration and support for "raw" scans. Vuescan is available for Linux, MacOS and Windows.

The Plugin Site has just announced Version 2 of ElementsXXL, which adds up to 230 features to Photoshop Elements for Windows that were previously only available in Photoshop. It lets you process 16-bit images with the help of smart filters and layers, use up to 29 additional tools with 16-bit images, supports 260 third party smart filters, offers five new tools (Pen, Puppet Warp, Mixer Brush, Ruler, Slice & Slice Select), includes a new Paths panel for creating and editing paths, allows slicing and saving an image as a web page, provides a improved Shadows/Highlights filter with seven new options, a new Colour Range feature for creating selections based on colours and tones, a Chromatic Aberration Removal filter, a Colour Match filter and a Save Recovery Information feature for restoring documents after a crash - among many other new features. ElementsXXL 2 requires Adobe Photoshop Elements for Windows and retails for $49.95. A version for MacOS X is under development.

HDRlog today released the newest version of its Adobe Lightroom plug-in called HDRinstant. The innovative technology behind the plug-in allows the user to create an HDR image from video footage, and its anti-ghosting capability removes motion blur when creating HDR images from several frames. After importing your video clip into Adobe Lightroom, you can extract as many images as possible, then select your favorite frame. HDRinstant will stack the frames and apply a special morphing algorithm to build the final HDR photograph. Currently, the software is available at a special introductory price of $29.