PictoColor has released iCorrect EditLab Pro PowerSuite, comprising iCorrect EditLab Pro 5.5 Plug-in for Photoshop and iCorrect EditLab ProApp 6.0 standalone application, which integrates seamlessly into the Lightroom workflow or operates as a standalone batch processing colour correction program for JPEGs and TIFFs. With its highly acclaimed technology, smartly arranged tools, and workflow enhancing features, iCorrect EditLab technology will allegedly save photographers hours and minimise the frustration of making colour, noise, and sharpening adjustments, the company says. iCorrect EditLab Pro PowerSuite may be purchased at PictoColor’s on-line store at for an introductory price of $149.95 as a software download. After the introductory period the price will be $174.95.

Adobe Photoshop turns 20 tomorrow. In 1987, Thomas Knoll developed a pixel imaging application called Display - a simple program to showcase grayscale images on a black-and-white monitor. However, after collaborating with his brother John Knoll, the two began adding features that made it possible to process digital image files. The program eventually caught the attention of industry influencers, and in 1988, Adobe made the decision to license the software, naming it Photoshop, and shipping the first version in 1990. Over its 20-year history, Photoshop has evolved significantly from a simple original display program to a wildly popular application that has over 10 million users worldwide. “Twenty years ago, Adobe predicted that it would sell 500 copies of Photoshop per month,” said Thomas Knoll, co-creator of Photoshop at Adobe. “I guess you could say, we beat those projections!”

Boinx Software has released a free update to FotoMagico 3, its storytelling software for digital photographers. Version 3.1 provides refinements to the user interface and offers new features to fine-tune the visual aspects of the slideshow. The new Chapters support makes it easier to structure the presentation. The dedicated FotoMagico Remote for iPhone & iPod touch has been updated with support for Chapters, swipe navigation and master volume control. FotoMagico 3.1 is available immediately for download from boinx.com/download. The update to FotoMagico 3.1 is free of charge to current FotoMagico 3.x license owners at their current license levels. A built-in assistant will guide users through the process of acquiring the proper license. FotoMagico 3.1 Home is available for $29 and FotoMagico 3.1 Pro (including PhotoPresenter 4) is available for $149. Requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and QuickTime 7.1 or newer, a Mac with G5 or Intel processor, with 1GB RAM or more. A free update to FotoMagico Remote for iPhone & iPod touch is available in the iTunes App Store.

Boinx Software has released PhotoPresenter 4, a major update to its quick presentation tool for digital photographers. Rewritten from scratch, PhotoPresenter 4 sports a revamped user interface, and integrates with all of the iApps on the Mac as iTunes, iDVD, iWeb or iPhoto but also with Photo Booth and Aperture – including the new Aperture 3. Flickr Users now can access their photos from their photo stream as well as the images of their friends. Available immediately for download priced at $29, Photo Presenter 4 requires Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or later and a supported Core Image graphics card.

Website: Boinx Software Kagi Store

Digimarc has announced three new editions of its popular Digimarc for Images product, all of which feature advanced “Chroma” technology that provides an easy, reliable means for image professionals and small businesses to communicate their ownership and usage rights wherever their valuable photos and other image assets are found across the internet. Imperceptible digital watermarks are easily embedded and read using Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, and a free browser plug-in is also available for Windows XP, Windows 7, and Vista users, which automatically detects watermarked images while surfing the web. Additionally, Digimarc introduced three new product editions: Basic, Professional and Small Business.  Previously online image search was only available at a $499 price point, but due to sizeable customer demand, Digimarc is now making its Search Service more broadly available to the Professional Edition customers for $99.

Magix has released Magix Website Maker 4, a program that could be of interest to photographers looking to build a Flash website to display their pictures. The new version can be used on Windows and on Macintosh OS X alike. Magix Website Maker 4 requires no installation and has a multi-project mode for pros. Beginners will appreciate the context-sensitive video tutorials, the included 64-page e-booklet “Website tutorial: How to easily create your own website“, and the Website Maker wizard. Magix Website Maker 4 is available now for £39.99 including VAT from Amazon and PC World.

Photobucket has announced that its newest application for Android provides the first-ever full imaging suite for camera phones, complete with automatic upload, content management, and image search capabilities. “By adding the ability to upload all camera phone photos automatically, the time consuming and confusing process of getting pictures off your phone has been rendered a thing of the past,” said Tom Munro, President of Photobucket. “Coupling the simplicity of automatic upload with the full functionality of the Photobucket Mobile application is a game changer when it comes to managing personal photos. Best of all, the service is available to anyone with an Android phone, absolutely free of charge.” This automatic backup solution will make it easier for users to share their memories with the more than 2 million websites that host Photobucket images, including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

SoftColor Toolbox is a tiny command line tool for colour correction, image processing and colour management.All processing uses SoftColor’s layer based colour correction and image processing engine. SoftColor Toolbox reads multiple image formats including raw data, and also handles ICC profiles. A major benefit of SoftColor Toolbox 2 is that it can save output image in Photoshop document format (.psd). With this feature, the original and the improved images are stored in same output file as different layers. A 15-day trial is available through the website below.

Website: SoftColor Toolbox 2

Current users of Adobe Photoshop Elements can now step up to Adobe Photoshop CS4 for half the price if ordering directly from Adobe. This is a limited-time offer open to registered Elements users only, ending 20 February, 2010. You can order Photoshop CS4 by calling 0800 0280 148 and mentioning the Offer Code WV9V - remember to have the serial number of your registered Elements copy ready for verification. The offer is valid un the UK only.

Oceanhouse Media has released Dr. Seuss Camera - The Cat in the Hat Edition, a unique and whimsical photo card maker. It allows users to create fun photo cards using the iPhone’s built-in camera or Photo Library. Users can pose with characters or choose to become the Cat in the Hat, the playful Thing 1 or Thing 2, or even Sally or her brother. Cards can be personalized with comical and colorful stamps, borders and classic Seussian text. Available for both the iPhone and iPod Touch for $2.99, Dr. Seuss Camera - The Cat in the Hat Edition will also be available for the iPad.

LaserSoft Imaging (LSI) has quietly introduced version 6.6.1r5 of its Silverfast software, which adds a NegaFix profile for Kodak Ektar 100, the world’s finest-grained colour negative film manufactured today. NegaFix profiles within SilverFast are a handy tool to get the colours of a negative film right, which can otherwise be tricky because of the differences in the orange mask applied to different emulsions. Kodak Ektar 100 is a new film introduced a bit more than a year ago in 35mm and almost exactly a year ago in 120 format. So far there has been no NegaFix profile available for this emulsion, but SilverFast version 6.6.1r5 has it - albeit only for Epson and Nikon scanners. As an LSI administrator explained in a reply to a question posted on the official SilverFast discussion board, “Every film has a different response with every different scanner model. We will try to update the profile for different scanner modules but it will take some time.”

Website: SilverFast 6.6.1r5

Photodex has released a new training DVD for users of its ProShow Producer and ProShow Gold programs, entitled “Photo Video Fusion – Combining Images and Video in your Slide Shows’.  This 90 minute training DVD teaches ProShow Gold and Producer users how to add video to their shows to create a richer, more engaging experience for their audiences. Available now from photodex.com for $24.95, this DVD helps you learn how to edit video for use in your show, create special effects, and examine best practices for outputting your final fusion piece to HD video, DVD, Blu-ray and more.

Website: Photo Video Fusion

MRM Worldwide has partnered with Nikon to create an online tool called the Nikon Virtual Touch Experience. Users who have webcam-enabled computers can install the Nikon Virtual Touch Experience by simply dragging a link to their bookmarks bar. When a user is ready to view images on a given web page or online gallery, a simple click on the toolbar link opens the experience in a branded Nikon frame and allows full screen browsing. Through edge-detection technology, the webcam can recognise movement so that hand gestures control the virtual scroll or re-sizing of images.

Couture Book has announced the availability of a new book plug-in that allows users of Apple Aperture 3 to design and order museum-quality photo books directly within Aperture. “Before this development, it could take days to layout a professional quality book,” said Phyllis Lane, co-founder of Couture Book. “With Aperture 3 and the Couture Book plug-in, the entire book design process is sped up dramatically.” The plug-in, available for download at the website below, allows photographers to build their photo books using professionally designed templates.

Website: Couture Book

Luxology, an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software, has introduced a new Studio Lighting & Illumination Kit created by Yazan Malkosh. Designed specifically for users of modo, Luxology’s 3D modelling, painting and rendering application, the company’s Studio Lighting & Illumination Kit provides realistic lighting of scenes that mimics those found in the real world of photography. The Studio Lighting & Illumination Kit is available immediately for the suggested retail price of USD $125. Do you think this is the beginning of the end for traditional studio/product photography? Share your views by leaving a comment below.

PhotographyBB today announced the release of its Watercolor Pro Action Package for Photoshop. Watercolor Pro produces realistic and high-quality painted watercolour effects suitable for portraits, wedding photos, beautiful landscape artwork, night shots, architecture and more. Watercolor Pro Actions will work with Photoshop versions CS, CS2, CS3, and CS4 (English only versions) on both PC and Mac platforms. The package launches with a 20% discount on this action pack (and all existing action packs) for three days only, by using the COUPON CODE: ATN20 in the shopping cart at: http://www.photographybb.com/actions.

Apple has released Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.0, adding system-level support for a number of new digital cameras. This update extends RAW image compatibility for Aperture 3 and iPhoto 09 for the following cameras and formats:

- Canon PowerShot S90 (pictured)
- Canon sRAW
- Canon mRAW
- Leica D-LUX 4
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Known for its easy-to-use, non-destructive Photoshop actions for photographers, Totally Rad is now offering a range of presets for Adobe Lightroom. With the new Totally Rad Lightroom Presets, you get “a groundbreaking set of tools that set a new benchmark for flexibility and creativity in raw converters”, the developers claim. Totally Rad Lightroom Presets are available through the Totally Rad Store, priced at $99.

Website: Totally Rad

Apple Aperture 3 includes over 200 new features including Faces, Places and Brushes. Aperture 3 makes it even easier and faster to organise large photo libraries. Aperture 3 introduces new tools to refine your photos including Brushes for painting image adjustments onto parts of your photo, and Adjustment Presets for applying professional photo effects with just one click. Stunning new slideshows let you share your work by weaving together photos, audio, text and HD video. Aperture 3 is available for a suggested retail price of £169 / $199.

Akvis Software has updated Akvis Coloriage, a program for colouring black-and-white photos. Using Coloriage requires no manipulation with layers and no manual painting whatsoever. Coloriage analyses the original shades of grey on the black-and-white picture to produce a shiny new picture with genuine colours and natural tones, the developer says. Version 7.0 introduces a new mode for the Pencil tool, Multicolor mode, as well as other enhncements including an improved interface design, improved compatibility with Windows 7, Snow Leopard, Adobe Photoshop CS4 64 bit and Adobe Photoshop Elements 8. AKVIS Coloriage is available for Windows and Mac as a Photoshop plug-in and a stand-alone edition. The product costs from $97 to $246 depending on the licence type. Registered users can upgrade to Version 7.0 for free.