The Adobe Creative Suite 5 product family, including Adobe Photoshop CS5, is now shipping. The Creative Suite 5 line-up includes five new versions: Creative Suite 5 Master Collection, Creative Suite 5 Design Premium, Creative Suite 5 Web Premium, Creative Suite 5 Production Premium, Creative Suite 5 Design Standard, as well as 15 point products and associated technologies. Adobe Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, InDesign CS5, Flash Catalyst CS5, Flash CS5 Professional, Dreamweaver CS5, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5, After Effects CS5 and other Adobe Creative Suite tools are available separately or in one of the aforementioned five Creative Suite editions.

Website: Adobe Creative Suite

CDWinder, a media cataloguing application for Windows, has received a new update involving the integration of OpenStreetMaps. CDWinder also has a new function to export and convert photos, and contains numerous improvements for stability and performance in cataloguing, find and import functions. “The integration of detailed street level mapping is a huge improvement for the display of precise geotag coordinates in our GeoFinder. And now we can also write precise geotags back into the photos, independent of Google Earth.” said Andreas Becherer, chief developer of the CDWinder team. A single CDWinder user licence is €29 / $39. Multiple licences for business or network use are available, and priced depending on the number of clients and features required.

Website: CDWinder

Apple has released a new version of Aperture 3. Version 3.0.3 improves overall stability and fixes bugs. Click through / read on for the list of improvements and fixes.

Website: Apple Aperture 3.0.3 Release Notes

Magix has released PhotoStory on CD & DVD 9, a slideshow editor for Windows. This program allows you to import photos and videos, transform them into multimedia slideshows, and automatically burn them to disc with a DVD menu. You can enhance and correct poor-quality snapshots in a non-destructive manner, and add suitable background music, effects and personal text. New features in version 9 include thematic style templates, automated soundtrack creation, Windows 7 support, automatic red-eye reduction and direct access to Flickr from within the program. Magix PhotoStory on CD & DVD 9 is available now, priced at £39.99.

Website: PhotoStory on CD & DVD 9

Apple has released Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.2 for the Mac, adding system-level support for a number of new digital cameras. These include the Canon EOS 550D, the Leica S2 (pictured), the Olympus E-450, E-600 & E-620, and the Sony Alpha DSLR-A230, A330, A380 and A450. Furthermore, the update corrects raw processing issues with three older cameras, including the Canon EOS 30D, the Pentax K-x and the Pentax K-7.

Website: Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.2

Paragon Software has just releasedParagon Drive Copy 10 Personal, a program that allows you to create a virtual clone of your PC, including the operating system; drivers and settings; and all your applications and files. Simply create a virtual clone of your PC by saving a virtual disk of your PC to an USB drive. Plug the USB drive into another computer which has a virtual player already installed and then you can use your system anytime you need it. Paragon Paragon Drive Copy 10 Personal is available at the price of £19.95.

Website: Paragon Drive Copy 10 Personal

The Plugin Site has released Version 2 of its FocalBlade sharpening plugin for Windows. FocalBlade 2 can be described as a plugin that sharpens photos for display and print with the help of various automatic and manual tools. On top of that it also reduces noise and produces great looking blur, soft focus and special effects. FocalBlade supports one, two and three pass sharpening workflows, incorporates modes for various tasks and experience levels offering interactive explanations for each feature. FocalBlade even batch processes images with the help of actions or scripts. Compared to FocalBlade 1, the new version works 10 to 120 times faster, depending on the used settings and CPU. FocalBlade 2 is now fully scripting aware and supports smart filtering in Photoshop CS4 and CS5. A plugin that can be used in dozens of graphics applications, including Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Paint Shop Pro, FocalBlade 2 for Windows is available for $69.95. The academic/educational licence costs $39.95. A Mac version will also be available soon, the developer says.

Website: The Plugin Site

Datacolor has just announced it will be offering Spyder3 Elite™ owners a feature enriched software upgrade, known as Spyder3 Elite 4.0, available for instant download on the Datacolor global website. New features in the Spyder3 Elite 4.0 upgrade include Software Brightness Control, Iterative Gray Balance Option, Display Graphing, Monitor Quality Analyser and more. Spyder3 Elite 4.0 is available now for a one-time cost of $19 via an instant download. For existing Spyder3 Pro users, there is a one-time cost of $99 to upgrade.  For users who purchased Sypder3 Elite in 2010, this upgrade is available at no charge.

Website: Datacolor
Review: Read our review of Spyder3 Elite

ACD Systems have just released ACDSee Photo Manager 12, the latest version of their easy-to-use photo managing and editing software. Photographers can now easily store and share images online without leaving the application with the new Online mode, which connects users to a free 2 GB account on ACDSeeOnline.com. Plus, a new FTP uploader allows users to upload images to an FTP site directly from ACDSee. Additionally, a new one-click tagging function has been added to identify the best photos from a series, or isolate images for editing or review without moving the files into different folders. Finally, the user interface has been refined to help users easily navigate between organising, viewing, editing and sharing photos. Compatible with Windows 7, ACDSee Photo Manager 12 is available for a free 30-day trial and for purchase for $69.99 at the website below.

Website: ACDSee

Engelmann’s Photomizer is now also available as an Adobe Photoshop plug-in. Billed as a one-click-plug-in for fully automatic image optimisation, Photomizer is claimed to be “perfectly suitable for batch processing of Photoshop”. Featuring clever algorithms that recognise the parts of the image that actually need intervention for a better overall impression, the Photomizer Plug-in for Photoshop is available now priced at €129.99. A free trial version can be downloaded from the website below. System requirements include Windows XP/Vista/7 and minimum 1GB of RAM.

Website: Photomizer Plug-in for Photoshop

Adobe today released final versions of Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.7, Adobe Camera Raw 5.7 and Adobe DNG Converter 5.7. The updates add raw file support for nine new cameras and digital backs, including the Canon EOS 550D, Kodak Z981, Leaf Aptus-II 8,  Leaf Aptus-II 10R, Mamiya DM40, Olympus E-PL1, Panasonic G2, Panasonic G10 and Sony A450. Lightroom 2.7 is available as a free download for Lightroom 2 customers, and Photoshop Camera Raw 5.7 is available as a free download for Photoshop CS4, Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8 customers. The DNG Converter 5.7 is also available as a free download for all.

Website: Adobe Updates

WD today introduced its WD Photos photo viewer, an iPhone / iPod Touch app for use with WD’s My Book World Edition and WD ShareSpace network drives. Users can view up to 250,000 pictures on their iPhone or iPod touch by simply copying their pictures into the “Shared Pictures” folder on their My Book World Edition network drive. A unique application that runs directly on these WD network drives automatically creates optimised versions of users’ photos ahead of time, enabling fast viewing on an iPhone or iPod touch without having to wait for the photos to load. Available now at the Apple iTunes App Store, the WD Photos photo viewer app is free for anyone to download. Registration with MioNet, WD’s secure remote access service (included with My Book World Edition), is also free and required to use this app.

Olympus has introduced Olympus Viewer 2, the new version of its raw converter and image / movie editor. The successor to Olympus Master 2 and Olympus Studio 2 also delivers Art Filter effects for raw development as well as enhanced OS compatibility. Fully compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows 7, Olympus Viewer 2 will be available to E-System and PEN users as a free download from Olympus websites from early May 2010.

Olympus has announced the availablity of the GetOlympus app on the Apple App Store. The free app offers photo tips, galleries and access to Olympus promotions. “This app was designed to provide dynamic interaction with consumers,” Olympus says, “and it will be updated with new content and features over time.” Form more information, visit the website below.

Website: GetOlympus

Imagenomic has just released its award-winning Portraiture 2 Plug-in for Aperture 3. This new Portraiture 2 edition provides native 64-bit operation within Apple’s Snow Leopard operating system, and represents one of the first purpose-built, third-party image processing plug-ins to be optimised and released for Apple’s latest 64-bit systems and software applications, Imagenomic said in a statement. The Portraiture 2 plug-in for Aperture 3 is being made available as a free upgrade for registered users of the previous Aperture 2 Plug-in edition.  For new users, Portraiture 2 for Aperture 3 is available priced at $199.95 (SRP).

Website: Imagenomic

Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended have been announced today. For photographers, Photoshop CS5 now offers next-generation high dynamic range (HDR) capabilities. When combining multiple exposures into a single HDR image, Photoshop CS5 preserves the full tonal range of a scene with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The new HDR Pro offers exceptional ghost artefact removal and greater tone mapping and adjustment control. With HDR toning, users can emulate the striking look of an HDR image with any single-exposure image. Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended delivers everything in Photoshop CS5, as well as advanced tools for 3-D. Adobe Photoshop CS5 and CS5 Extended are scheduled to ship within 30 days for £548 (ex-VAT) and £794 (ex-VAT) for respectively.

Adobe Creative Suite 5 is a new release of the industry-leading design and development software. Creative Suite 5 product line brings full-version upgrades of flagship creative tools while delivering significant workflow enhancements to designers and developers, focusing on interactivity, performance and maximising the impact of digital content and marketing campaigns across media and devices. The new lineup is headlined by Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection, which includes, in a single package, all of Adobe’s renowned Creative Suite tools, which includes more than 250 new features. Adobe Creative Suite 5 products are scheduled to ship within 30 days, priced at £2,303 for Master Collection CS5, £1,509 for CS5 Design Premium, £1,429 for CS5 Web Premium, £1,509 for CS5 Production Premium and £1,032 for CS5 Design Standard.

Several industry experts have been invited to discuss Adobe Photoshop Project Manager John Nack’s video, Content-Aware Fill Sneak Peek. “Content-Aware Fill” is a feature that will make its way into Photoshop CS5 later this year, and Photoshelter asked the experts about the pros and cons of this time-saving tool, what it could mean for photographers and how it could impact image security online. The list of those who answered includes Vincent Laforet, Dr. Bob Carey, Mike Davis, James Estrin, Davide Marchionni, Jim Goldstein, Steve Best, David Sanger and John Harrington. Interested readers are encouraged to follow the link below to find out what each of them had to say.

Website: Wider Angles: Photoshop Content-Aware Fill

Nevercenter’s CameraBag, a photo filter app for the iPhone, has come to the iPad and is proving popular once again. Currently one of the top five apps in the Photography section and one of the top 100 of all paid iPhone apps in the App Store, CameraBag has filters that “instantly emulate photography’s most beloved and iconic cameras, films, and processing techniques”. At any point users can double-tap to “Vary” the current filter, offering a slightly different take on that effect for infinite variations. Besides the new Vary button, CameraBag for iPad introduces other features such as the ability to pick and choose between borders and aspect ratios for each filter. High resolution photos are also supported.

Website: CameraBag for iPad

imsense has released a major upgrade to its imphoto iPhone applications. The new versions allegedly introduce “new standards in quality and colour accuracy” and come with a new version of the eye-fidelity engine is included in both versions, as well as improved output options with an «Extreme Quality» mode for the Pro edition. The Standard edition offers increased export size for optimal display on the iPad. By popular request, it is now possible to remove the watermark from the processed photos. The application retails at $1.99 for the standard edition and $5.99 for the pro edition and is available now in the App Store.

Website: imphoto