Making the Print: Printing Techniques for the Digital Photographer by Martin Bailey is the second eBook in our Masterclass series and it’s the perfect primer regarding all things related to fine-art printing. No stone is left unturned as Martin explains in-detail everything you need to know about making beautiful, frustration-free prints. And print-making is definitely one of those areas that doesn’t get as much attention as it should.This 65 wide-page eBook covers it all from choosing a printer and papers, to profiling and sharpening, and then he moves on to calibration, fine-tuning, adding borders, basically everything you need to get competent, which is what most of us are looking to accomplish. But he doesn’t stop there… Martin also dives head-first into creating your own canvas gallery wraps and printing for an exhibition.

A talented educator, Martin unpacks the workflow and provides the detailed explanations, step-by-step instructions, and screenshots you need to make your next printing project exciting and successful.

Martin Bailey is a Tokyo based art and assignment photographer who is passionate about creating photography that invokes emotions, and helping others to do the same. He has been a guest on LensFlare35 in the past and we’re wishing him well with this new endeavor!

Special Offer on PDFs
For the next five days only, use the promotional code PRINT4 when you checkout so you can have the PDF version of Making the Print for only $4 OR use the code PRINT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5+ PDF eBooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST January 21, 2012.

VISION IS BETTER II is a collection of 44 of the most recent essays about the photographic life and craft from David duChemin’s wildly popular PixelatedImage Blog. His insights on the how and why of photography, visual story telling, and life-lessons learned along the way make for a compelling and inspiring eBook that will captivate you from beginning to end.

This massive 95-spread eBook is the follow-up to one of Craft & Vision’s best-selling titles. The Vision is Better series acts like a PixelatedImage yearbook that gives readers a no-holds-barred vantage point into the adventures and life of David duChemin while at the same time providing you with fresh ideas and insights about making the most of your own photographic journey.

If you’re a regular follower of David’s blog you’ll be glad to know that he’s included some previously unpublished essays, and removed a few of the typos, all re-designed and put into a package you can access off-line whenever you like. If you’re unfamiliar with David’s blog, Vision Is Better I and II will show you why this popular blog has become a gathering place for photographers around the world.

Discount Offers
Save $1 – Pay just $4 if you use coupon code VIB4.
Save $3 – Get the Vision is Best Bundle for just $7 if you use coupon code VIB7.
Save 20% - Purchase 5+ PDF eBooks and use the discount code VIB20.

Christmas Special! We’ve extended our discount period beyond the 5-day norm. These discount codes expire Wednesday, December 21 at 11:59pm (PST).

Screen shot from Tony Sweet's iPhone course on the iPad

Well, it’s a combination of reasons. First, I think there are TOO many podcasts out there these days vying for what little time we photographers have. I felt that mine was becoming just one of many instead of something unique. Plus, I had a LOT of other things interfere – some family health issues, work on a series of iPad and iPhone apps (yes, some of this could be valuable for photographers) and then an idea that I have.

If you’ve been a regular listener to the show, you have heard me mention how I’ve fallen in love with the Adirondacks. You’ve probably figured out that I’m back in Austin, but still have my house up there.

Well, I’ll probably be back up there for good by next summer and I wanted to come up with something more regional and valuable to the area. So, when I pick up doing the podcasts again, I want them to focus on the Adirondack area photographers. I know, not a large group of folks, but I have a reason for that. They’ll be highlighted on this site, and a new site I’ve put together at www.artintheadirondacks.com.

The really interesting thing I want to do is a recurring  Adirondack Film and Photo Festival. The area really needs economic development, and if I can use my network of filmmakers and photographers to help achieve that goal, I’m going to do it. So, you’ll find the emerging details of what I’m thinking about at www.adkfilmandphoto.com.

So, stay tuned, because I’ve not stopped, I’m just busy turning the boat.

BEYOND THIRDS is a captivating and inspiring eBook is about taking composition past the so-called rules. It’s a thoughtful, practical book about the way we build our photographs within the constraint of the frame.

Andrew S. Gibson moves past the traditional discussion of thirds by showing how a more holistic approach can turn a conventional rule into a powerful tool. The ebook explores important subjects like the creative use of balance and focal points, insights into how to shape a subject, and using aspect ratio to establish an ideal foundation for making photographs, and so much more!

The diagrams and creative exercises will provide you with the ideas and insights you need to compose more engaging photographs.

Discount Codes
Beyond Thirds is now available for PDF download for $5, or pay just $4 if you use coupon code BT4. You can also download 5 or more PDF eBooks at 20% off when you use the discount code BT20. These codes expire Saturday, November 19 at 11:59pm (PST).

OK, so every once-in-awhile you have to shamelessly promote your own material, right? Well, this is the story about my first eBook. It’s not going to teach you anything about photography, unless you learn by looking at good images. I DO have an appendix in the book that gives the technical specs for those folks who really have to know. Otherwise, here’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

How did I end up in the Adirondacks anyway? I love Texas – I’d been there almost 35 years. Why did I end up here? Those were just two of the questions I had when I first moved up into the Southern Adirondacks. It’s cold, they have six months of winter, what was I going to do?

Well, two and a half years later, and thousands of frames ‘processed’ on the computer, and the answer is clear to me – it’s about the images. The Adirondacks have to be one of the most beautiful and least photographed places in the United States.

The Adirondack Forest Preserve was established in 1885 by the New York State Legislature. Nine years later, the Adirondacks became the first and only wild land preserve in the United States to gain constitutional protection when New York’s voters approved the inclusion of Article VII, Section 7, the “forever wild” clause, into the state Constitution. Today, at 6 million acres and larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky, and Everglades National Parks combined, the Adirondack Park and Forest Preserve is the largest park in the nation outside of Alaska. It is a photographers paradise.

In this first volume of images, I’m going to take you through my first year of discovery – of a land and its changing seasons and just how beautiful one of America’s last remote areas can be.

David E. Warner, September 2011

Available RIGHT now for only $5.00! If you’d like to preview some of the pages and purchase the ebook, you can do that right here. The book looks GREAT on an iPad or other tablet device as well.

MAKING LIGHT II takes an in-depth look at how to get the most from your off-camera flashes. Piet takes you beyond sync speed and softboxes and gets into the details on working with multiple flashes, modifiers, and triggering systems for both Canon and Nikon.

This massive eBook also includes 10 case-studies and 4 interviews which provides the context necessary to put these insights into action; as well as, tips on what to put in your gear bag. These advanced techniques are the perfect follow-up to the first Making Light eBook and it is an inspired how-to guide that masterfully explains the theory and concepts behind making beautiful photographs.

Discount Codes
Making Light II is now available for PDF download for $5, or pay just $4 if you use coupon code MAKINGLIGHT4. You can also download 5 or more PDF eBooks at 20% off when you use the discount code MAKINGLIGHT20. These codes expire Monday, October 24 at 11:59pm (PST).

Calibrate your Creativity. The Inspired Eye, Volume 3, is about the creative process behind our photography. Technical proficiency is highly over-rated; if you can make a good exposure, and focus the camera, the rest is about your choices, your own creative decisions in making a photograph. Improving your photography happens when you improve the way you approach your own unique creative process.

If you want to create great photographs, gear and technique won’t get you there. The continual focus on gear at the expense of creativity is why so many who love this craft become frustrated. After all, a camera, for all the bells and whistles, is just a box with a hole in it. Add a lens and there’s little else. Spend too much time on the peripherals – gear and technique – without tending to the core, and we risk ending up really proficient at creating photographs that are uninspired and uninspiring. If you have any interest in expressing yourself and creating beauty, if you’re more than just a camera-collector but a photographer, then creativity is your core asset. Investing in that asset, and understanding how it works, is key.

The Inspired Eye, Volume 3, is the third and final installment in the Inspired Eye series, an eBook full of discussion about the way we think and create – it’s about what happens before and during the time the camera comes to our eye and the shutter is pressed. It’s about how we deal with constraints, challenges, and inspiration; it’s about how we light and feed the fire of creativity.

Discount Codes
The Inspired Eye 3 is now available for PDF download for $5, or pay just $4 if you use coupon code EYETHREE4. You can also download 5 or more PDF eBooks at 20% off when you use the discount code EYETHREE20. These codes expire Saturday, September 24 at 11:59pm (PST).

The Inspired Eye Bundle
Get all three volumes for just $12. The first two eBooks have new covers but the layouts and content is unchanged. There’s no product page for this package on the website but you can make your purchase by simply clicking this direct shopping cart link.

To celebrate and honor the beautiful splendor of America, the Smithsonian Channel and “Aerial America,” one of the most expansive TV projects about our nation, is hosting a national photo competition on Flickr. We want to encourage everyone to submit their best photos of anywhere in America, including their own hometowns!

The Grand Prize Winner will receive $3,000 for their winning photo.

• All non-professional photographers can submit entries! They just have to be at least 18 years old at the time of entry and a legal resident of the 50 US states and Washington DC.

• Contestants can submit photos taken this summer on their family vacation or memorable photos they took in the past, into any of the 5 categories. All submissions MUST be photographs taken in the United States. There are no restrictions to the date the photo was taken.

• Categories: Landscapes, The People, Architecture, Food and Nature & Animals

• There is no submission fee required to enter the contest.

For more information about the “Aerial America” Flickr photo contest, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/groups/aerialamerica

For more information about Smithsonian Channel’s “Aerial America,” please visit: http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/site/sn/show.do?series=701#photo-contest

MAKING LIGHT is all about producing beautiful photographs with your off-camera flash. These practical techniques are specific to one remote flash so you can forget about all the fuss of using tons of equipment.

Learn how to fill in harsh shadows, balance ambient light, rescue fading evening light, or substitute for a complete lack of light. With the perfect blend of theory and easy-to-understand exercises you’ll gain the insight you need to rock your triggers and modifiers for both Canon and Nikon flashes. Through 9 case studies you’ll see just how simple and powerful your off-camera flash can be.

Making Light is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code LIGHT4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Making Light for only $4 OR use the code LIGHT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST August 21st, 2011.

Using both film and digital capture, Gibson captures the natural and majestic beauty of places like Machu Picchu; as well as, the rich culture and struggles of the Incas and their mountain lifestyle in a raw and intimate journey that is as much about photography as it is about adventure. Andrew is a gifted teacher and photographers will learn from this journey if they’re willing to join him.

ANDES is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code ANDES4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of ANDES, The Print & The Process Series for only $4 OR use the code ANDES20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST August 6th, 2011.

Your Creative Mix takes an in-depth look at the value of growing your passion for art, honing your creative skills, and finding new ways to connect and share with like-minded people as a way to grow your photography business.

This eBook bridges the gap between creativity and commerce. It focuses on the unique business and marketing challenges faced by emerging and established vocational photographers. It provides new insights and ideas on how to generate demand for your photographs and for your creative services without employing cheap tricks or expensive advertising efforts. Through case studies, interviews, featured projects, and proven business practices you’ll learn how to attract fans, followers, and clients to your unique vision.

Your Creative Mix is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code MIX4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Your Creative Mix for only $4 OR use the code MIX20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST July 23rd, 2011.

Contest
Purchase Your Creative Mix during the discount period and you’ll be entered into a draw for 1 of 3 creative prize packs! We’ve got 3 copies of Todd Henry’s great new book, The Accidental Creative, and we’re bundling it with his Personal Idea Pad. Good luck to all!

David duChemin’s first eBook in over 6 months, A Deeper Frame, is an introduction to the discussion about re-introducing the illusion, or perception, of depth that is removed when the camera flattens the three-dimensional world into two. This insightful and inspirational eBook will help you understand principles that artists have understood for centuries, but that seldom get discussed in popular photography with more than a passing mention.

A Deeper Frame outlines seven ways that we can create more engaging images through the re-creation of a sense of depth in the flattened image to create photographs that feel immersive and invite a reader of that photograph to not merely look at the photograph but into or through the photograph.

A Deeper Frame is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code DEEP4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of A Deeper Frame for only $4 OR use the code DEEP20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST July 2, 2011.

The DEEPEST Discount Ever!
For the next five days only you can have twelve ebooks for just $40 – that’s 34% off (A.K.A. 4 ebooks for free)! Load-up your shopping cart with 12+ ebooks and then use the promotional code DEEPER12 when you checkout. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! This code expires at 11:59pm PST July 2, 2011.

New product provides photographers using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture with streamlined functionality for creating and working with layers, offering new creative possibilities.

Portland, OR– June 16, 2011 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, time-saving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today introduced that Perfect Layers 1.0 is now available. Perfect Layers gives photographers the ability to easily create and work with layered files in their workflow application of choice. Perfect Layers supports the creation of layered files that can be opened and edited by Adobe® Photoshop® software and can be used directly from within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom® software, Adobe Bridge and Apple Aperture.

“We have been delighted at the positive response we have received from the Perfect Layers Public Preview and are excited to make Perfect Layers 1 available immediately,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “Since the launch of the Preview, we have heard from photographers that they appreciate the elegant and streamlined experience Perfect Layers provides for creating and working with layers directly from Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture. Because Perfect Layers has been designed to fit seamlessly into the photographer’s workflow of choice and to provide an uncluttered and focused user experience, we are confident that it will become an indispensable part of the digital photographers toolkit. “

Top Features in Perfect Layers:

Create layered files from within Lightroom and Aperture: The ability to have multiple layers in a single file is a great benefit and provides unlimited creative options when enhancing an image. With Perfect Layers 1.0 photographers can create or open layered files from directly within Lightroom and Aperture. This means photographers can combine multiple images managed by Lightroom or Aperture into a single image. They can also open existing layered Photoshop (PSD) documents from within Lightroom and Aperture. Some examples of how Perfect Layers can be used include:

• Merging two or more exposures of the same scene into a single image and masking in the desired portion of each exposure.
• Compositing multiple images, such as action shots, becomes a simple task with Perfect Layers.
• Blending images together with blending modes. Blending layers together is a great way to stylize and enhance a photo as well as to retouch a portrait.

Files that have been created with Perfect Layers can be opened with Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements for additional editing, if desired.

MaskingBrush: Control how much of each layer is visible by using the MaskingBrush created originally for PhotoTools 2.6 and FocalPoint 2. Similar to using a layer mask, the MaskingBrush can be used to reveal or hide selected areas of a layer. The layer masks created by the MaskingBrush are non-destructive and can even be re-edited with Photoshop.

MaskingBug: Create gradient masks for making vignettes and graduated filter effects with the MaskingBug from PhotoTools 2.6. As with the MaskingBrush, the MaskingBug is non-destructive and can even be re-edited with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements later if desired. If you use a Wacom pressure sensitive tablet, you can even control the brush size or opacity by how hard you press while painting the mask.

Blending Modes: Perfect Layers not only brings the power and creativity of blending modes to Lightroom and Aperture, but also provides real-time previews of each blending mode before applying it to the selected layer! Blending modes determine how two layers interact with each other. For example, you can blend a black and white version of an image with a color version to get a very dramatic and stylized look or you can duplicate a single image and change the blend mode to make the colors pop. Perfect Layers includes the following blending modes: Normal; Lighten; Darken; Screen; Multiply; Overlay; Soft Light; Hard Light and Color.

Color Fill Layer: Create new layers filled with a solid color. Perfect Layers includes presets that simulate common color correction and black and white conversion filters. The built-in masking tools can be used to selectively place and control the strength of these color fill effects. Additionally, the Color blend mode is especially useful with Color Fill Layers to give images a special effect.

Adjust Layers: The streamlined interface in Perfect Layers contains all the controls needed to size, align and reorder layers. A number of useful blending modes offer the ability to dramatically alter images by changing the brightness, altering the color or even creating special effects. All the adjustments can be easily modified. Perhaps the most understated feature is that Perfect Layers does not try to be a full-fledged replacement image editor. The simplicity of Perfect Layers and the tools provided allow photographers to be able to quickly do what they want to without having to wade through dozens of tools they’ll never use.

Availability

Perfect Layers 1.0 is available immediately at http://www.ononesoftware.com/perfectlayers/.  Perfect Layers 1.0 is available as a standalone product at the special introductory price of $99.95 until June 30^th. From July 1, 2011, Perfect Layers will be available for $129.95 and included as part of the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5. Owners of Plug-In Suite 5 can upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 5.5, which will include Perfect Layers, at no additional cost.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops timesaving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Such solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use applications and plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, iPhone and iPad applications. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/ or call 1-888-968-1468.

(micro)STOCK: From Passion to Paycheck by Nicole S. Young is a jam-packed guide to producing, managing, and marketing your photographs for digital distribution on the micro-stock market.

There is a lot more to stock photography than uploading a bunch of pictures and hoping for the best. Nicole shares her industry experience and knowledge to help you better navigate the rules, procedures, and best practices to creating quality, useful imagery for the micro-stock market. She explains how to build and deliver on a successful portfolio concept, takes the mystery out of the different types of stock, like rights-managed (RM) and royalty-free (RF), and shares the ins/outs of licensing and releases.

And it doesn’t stop there! She interviews four successful stock photographers and illustrates how others are making the big bucks online. If you’re looking to grow your revenue through digital sales then building a successful micro-stock business is a great way to do it!

Nicole S. Young is a full-time photographer and author specializing in commercial stock photography. She’s is an accredited Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) in Photoshop CS5 and is a Help Desk Specialist with the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. She is also the author of two print books Canon 7D: From Snapshots to Great Shots and EOS Canon 60D: From Snapshots to Great Shots.

(micro)STOCK: From Passion to Paycheck is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code MICRO4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of (micro)STOCK for only $4 OR use the code MICRO20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST June 11, 2011.

New Concept in Support Rigs: One Bundle, Multiple Rigs

Hollywood, CA – Redrock Micro, the recognized leader in affordable professional-quality cinema accessories, today announced the new Universal Bundles for video DSLR cameras such as the Canon 5D and 7D. Universal Bundles are a new concept for delivering DSLR support that enables customers to make one purchase and enjoy multiple rig configurations. The Redrock Universal Bundles address customers’ need for more flexibility when purchasing DSLR support equipment, and that the realities of production often require more than one camera support setup.

“Redrock Micro’s Universal Bundles address two key requests from our customers,” said James Hurd, Chief Revolutionary of Redrock Micro. “First, customers want added flexibility in case aren’t 100% sure of the “right rig” for them at the time they purchase, and second they want flexibility to create new rigs as their production demands change. By delivering multiple rigs in a single bundle at an attractive price, Redrock Universal Bundles deliver.”

Redrock is shipping seven universal bundles: one for each of the popular product lines – nano, handheld, shouldermount, and studio – and two “master” bundles that build multiple rigs across product families. The Complete Universal Bundle enables customers to build every HDSLR rig Redrock currently offers. In addition to support for DSLR cameras, the Universal Bundles can be easily adapted for use with the latest video cameras such as the Panasonic AG-AF100, Canon XF300, and Sony PMW-F3. Pricing on Universal Bundle is often less than other solutions that give customers only a single rig.  Like all Redrock products, the Universal Bundles carry a Lifetime Warranty.

“Our customers consistently tell us they love Redrock’s ‘mix-and-match’ approach that allows them to build any kind of rig they want,” said Chris Edwards, Cinematographer and Founder of Production Junction, a boutique New York rental house specializing in custom rigs for feature films. “Redrock’s Universal Bundles extend that idea into how customers buy, so they can purchase once and get the flexibility they want, often spending less than the price of a single higher priced rig from another company. Just as C-Stands and Sandbags are the constant companion of lighting equipment, so is Redrock for cameras…they will last an entire career. It’s the must have toolkit for cinematographers.”

Pricing and Availability

Redrock Universal Bundles are available immediately direct from Redrock Micro at redrockmicro.com/universal or through one of Redrock Micro’s worldwide authorized resellers. Pricing varies based on configuration and starts at $1,276.

About Redrock Micro

Redrock Micro revolutionized independent film production in the early 2000s with the M2 Cinema Lens Adapter, and reinvented digital filmmaking in 2008 with HDSLR cinema rigs and accessories. Today, Redrock Micro continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning cinema support rigs, depth-of-field adapters, focus controllers, and professional cinema accessories. Redrock products are designed and made in the USA and carry a lifetime warranty. More information is available at redrockmicro.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/redrockmicro, and on twitter @redrockmicro.

Extreme Perspectives, An Introduction to Mountain Photography by Alexandre Buisse is a collection of amazing stories and beautiful photographs from some of the most breathtaking and remote places in the world. This ebook will inspire and excite photographers from all disciplines, but the avid landscape photographer and adventurer in spirit will be especially intrigued. Alexandre is both a mountaineer and a photographer who takes the reader through some amazing expeditions and reveals the gear and the vision he used when shooting in these spectacular places. The behind-the-scenes action and awe-inspiring visuals make for a great read!

Extreme Perspectives, An Introduction to Mountain Photography is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code EXTREME4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Extreme Perspectives for only $4 OR use the code EXTREME20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST May 15, 2011.

See.Shoot.Share Assignment
In collaboration with Faded & Blurred, there’s a special opportunity that encourages you to stretch your creativity and share your results. The “assignment” is in conjunction with the upcoming Craft & Vision ebook by manager Corwin Hiebert entitled Your Creative Mix: Growing your Photography Business through Creativity and Collaboration. Winners will receive a $20 Craft & Vision gift card and their images and stories will be considered for the ebook layout. Read more at FadedandBlurred.com.

Just a short post because I’m working on some new content and podcasts (one of them should be up tomorrow morning). However, last weekend, I went up to Dallas to talk to famed wedding photographer David Ziser. Little did I know that he would feature my work and the meeting in his post today. Thanks David – you forced me to put something current up here! We had a great discussion about blogging, where podcasting might be going and a whole range of topics. It was a LOT of fun and I look forward to having him on the show again!

New product provides photographers with streamlined functionality for creating and working
with layers, offering new creative possibilities.

Portland, OR– April 21, 2011 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, time-saving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today introduced the Perfect Layers Public Preview. Perfect Layers gives photographers the ability to easily create and work with layered files in their workflow application of choice.

Perfect Layers supports the creation of layered files that can be opened and edited by Adobe® Photoshop® software and can be used directly from within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom® software, Adobe Bridge and, with the shipping version, Apple Aperture.

“The impact Perfect Layers is going to have on photographers using Lightroom makes it a game changer!” said Scott Kelby, Editor-in-Chief of Photoshop User magazine. “This is the must-have plugin for Lightroom.”

“Through our partnership with the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and from invaluable insight gained from Scott Kelby, we’re excited to get the Perfect Layers Public Preview into the hands of digital photographers everywhere,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software.

“We hear from photographers every day, that more and more of their image enhancement is taking place in applications like Photoshop Lightroom and they tell us they need additional tools to let them
do even more like easily create composite images, retouch portraits and get creative with blending modes. Perfect Layers will allow photographers to do all of these things. That’s why we’re happy to
make this Perfect Layers Public Preview available to the photographic community now so they can start using it to enhance their images.”

Top Features in Perfect Layers:

Add Layered File Functionality to Lightroom: The ability to have multiple layers in a single file is a great benefit and provides unlimited creative options when enhancing an image. With the Perfect
Layers Public Preview, from directly within Lightroom, photographers can create or open layered files. This means photographers can combine multiple images from Lightroom into a single image. They
can also open existing Photoshop documents from within Lightroom. Uses of Perfect Layers include merging two or more exposures of the same scene into a single image and masking in the desired
portion of each exposure. Compositing multiple images, such as action shots, becomes a simple task with Perfect Layers. Also with Perfect Layers, Lightroom users can now have access to the power of
blending images together with blending modes. Blending layers together is a great way to stylize and enhance a photo as well as to retouch a portrait. Files created with Perfect Layers can be opened by
Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements later for additional editing if desired.

Masking Brushes: Control how much of each layer is visible by using the Masking Brush created originally for PhotoTools 2.6 and FocalPoint 2. Similar to using a layer mask, the Masking Brush can
be used to reveal or hide selected areas of a layer. The Masking Brush is non-destructive and can even be re-edited with Photoshop.

Blending Modes: Perfect Layers brings the power and creativity of blending modes to Lightroom! Blending modes determine how two layers interact with each other. For example, you can blend a
black and white version of an image with a color version to get a very dramatic and stylized look. Perfect Layers includes the following blending modes: Normal; Lighten; Darken; Screen; Multiply;
Overlay; Soft Light; Hard Light and Color.

Adjust Layers: The streamlined interface in Perfect Layers contains all the controls needed to size, align and reorder layers. A number of useful blending modes offer the ability to dramatically alter
images by changing the brightness, altering the color or even creating special effects. All the adjustments can be easily modified.

The Perfect Layers Public Preview allows photographers to start experimenting now with a subset of the features that the complete, shipping version of Perfect Layers will provide. The complete shipping
version of Perfect Layers will add more features including:

• Support for Apple Aperture
• The ability to adjust the image/canvas size
• The MaskingBug control from PhotoTools 2.6 to create smooth gradient masks
• Color fill layers and several other new features

As a public preview release, similar to a beta release, the Perfect Layers Public Preview is not indicative of the final performance and quality of the forthcoming complete shipping version. Technical support is not available for the preview release. Users can submit their feedback on this public preview from within the application.

Availability

The Perfect Layers Public Preview release is available immediately at http://www.ononesoftware.com/perfectlayers/. The shipping version will be available, with additional features, by mid 2011 as a standalone product for $159.95 and as part of the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5. Owners of Plug-In Suite 5 can upgrade to Perfect Photo Suite 5.5, which will include Perfect Layers, at no additional cost. The Perfect Layers Public Preview is a time limited release and will expire on June 30, 2011.

The Power of Black & White in Adobe Lightroom & Beyond (A Masterclass) by Piet Van den Eynde is an exceptional course on creating black and white photographs in Adobe Lightroom. For the emerging photographer, digital black and white seems like it’s simply a mouse-click away but the process to create exceptional monochrome images requires a systematic and knowledgeable approach to colour conversion and post-production editing.

Taught by a talented educator, it’s all there: the detailed explanations, step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and case studies in this groundbreaking ebook will unpack the workflow needed to make beautiful black and white photographs. Thorough notes on the tools, plug-ins, brushes, and even HDR techniques will provide the resources you need to produce powerful and captivating images. Piet Van den Eynde pulls out all the stops, bringing to Craft & Vision its largest-ever ebook and first Masterclass publication.

The Power of Black & White in Adobe Lightroom & Beyond (A Masterclass) is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Important Download Instructions: After making your purchase you’ll be directed to the download web page where you will notice that this ebook has been split into 4 individual PDF files for your convenience (use this option if your Internet connection is slow or problematic); if you would like to download the entire 47MB file simply select the file ending with COMPLETE PDF.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code BWLIGHT4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of The Power of Black & White in Adobe Lightroom & Beyond for only $4 OR use the code BWLIGHT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST April 16, 2011.

The Evocative Image by Andrew S. Gibson is the newest ebook to be added to the Craft & Vision library.

This inspiring ebook is an introduction to the processes and techniques specific to making photographs that express what we feel. With great examples, creative exercises, and insightful comments Gibson offers up his unique perspective on how he injects mood and atmosphere into his photographs.

Where our hope for a photograph is to communicate more than just information, but to create impact and an emotional response, an understanding of some of the tools to create mood is essential. This ebook discusses interpretation, golden hour, blue hour, low light, wide apertures, long lenses, and other technical considerations that have an aesthetic effect on the mood of the photograph. By taking our creative input into consideration we’ll be better prepared to capture the extraordinary in the ordinary; we’ll be “making” photographs instead of simply “taking” photos. The Evocative Image is Andrew Gibson’s 4th Craft & Vision title.

The Evocative Image: A Photographer’s Guide to Capturing Mood is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code EVOCATIVE4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of The Evocative Image for only $4 OR use the code EVOCATIVE20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here! These codes expire at 11:59pm PST February 28, 2011.

Popular remote release app now provides photographers with the ability to start and stop video on their Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras from their iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, via a WiFi enabled computer.

Portland, OR – February 21, 2011 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, announced the immediate availability of the major update to it’s wildly popular application for remotely controlling Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras using Apple iOS devices. Specifically designed for the iPad, the new DSLR Camera Remote HD includes a redesigned interface that takes full advantage of the larger screen on the iPad, improved gesture-based preview functionality and the addition of starting, stopping and monitoring video from supported HD DSLR cameras from Canon and Nikon.

In addition to DSLR Camera Remote HD, onOne Software also updated DSLR Camera Remote 1.3 to version 1.4 by adding support for the Canon 60D and the Nikon D7000. The original DSLR Camera Remote (not the HD version) is designed to run on the iPhone or iPod Touch. Owners of DSLR Camera Remote 1.3 can add video start and stop functionality through an in-app purchase.

“DSLR Camera Remote has been very popular with professional and hobbyist photographers who value the ability to shoot remotely and we are extremely pleased to offer a new and separate version that adds iPad support and the ability to start, stop and monitor video in direct response to their requests,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “We look forward to continuing to take advantage of new platforms in the ever evolving digital photography market to provide customers with tools that help them spend more time behind the camera and less behind the computer.”

New Features in DSLR Camera Remote:

NEW iPad Version: Taking advantage of the larger screen, a new, separate version of DSLR Camera Remote HD for the iPad features image thumbnails and larger previews in addition to faster access to options like the intervalometer and auto bracketing. DSLR Camera Remote HD for the iPad also includes the new Video start, stop and monitor mode at no additional charge.

NEW Video Mode: Start and stop video recording on supported cameras and even remotely monitor video on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. Video mode is included with the new iPad version and is available as an in-app purchase for the original DSLR Camera Remote 1.3 for the iPhone and iPod.

More Cameras: Both versions of DSLR Camera Remote include support for the latest cameras including the Canon Rebel T2i/550D, 60D and the Nikon D7000.

Free Version: Introducing a DSLR Camera Remote Free version for those who want to try the application first. The free version allows photographers to remotely fire their camera. This is a no risk way to try the app before making a purchase as photographers can see exactly how to set up DSLR Camera Remote and try it before making the purchase.

Improved Previews: Browsing images is now easier in DSLR Camera Remote through support for gestures which enable zooming and panning of preview images by pinching and swiping the image.

Save Local: Photographs can now be saved as low resolution images to the connected iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to enable quick remote sharing via email, MobileMe, Facebook or any other sharing service. Saved images can also be edited with other iOS applications.

Availability and Pricing

DSLR Remote Camera Remote HD for the iPad is $49.99 and DSLR Camera Remote 1.4 for the iPhone and iPod is $19.99 and are available in the Apple iTunes App Store. For more information visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/dslr-camera-remote/.

Owners of DSLR Camera Remote Pro 1.3 for the iPhone and iPod can get the updated camera support for the Canon 60D and Nikon D7000 at no cost with the 1.4 update. However, adding the start and stop video feature will be a $9.99 in app purchase to add this advanced functionality.

DSLR Camera Remote Free is a free version offering the ability to fire or release the shutter of the camera, for those who wish try the app before purchasing.

There is no upgrade path from the iPhone or iPod Touch version DSLR Camera Remote 1.3 to DSLR Camera Remote HD that is designed specifically for the iPad.

After purchasing any of the editions from the iTunes App Store, users will need to download a free application that runs on their supported Mac or Windows computer. This free application is required to communicate between the iOS device and the supported Canon or Nikon DSLR camera, connected via USB or Firewire to a WiFi enabled computer.

Supported Cameras and System Requirements

For the most complete list of supported cameras and system requirements, please visit the onOne Software website at http://www.ononesoftware.com/iPhone.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. is a leading developer of timesaving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. Our products allow photographers to spend more time behind the camera and less time behind the computer screen. They include a wide range of easy-to-use applications and plug-in enhancements for Adobe®

Podcast gives photographers access to onOne Software’s popular free webinars in iTunes.

Portland, OR– February 14, 2011 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, time-saving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced that its popular webinar series is now available as the onOne University Webinar Podcast in Apple iTunes. Photographers can now download copies of the onOne University Webinars locally to their computers, using iTunes, and sync them to their iOS devices, to watch them whenever and wherever they like. Podcasts currently include sessions hosted by Seth Resnick, Dave Cross, Scott Stulberg and onOne’s Brian Matiash, with more to come.

The onOne Software University Webinars are free hour-long webinars hosted by acclaimed photographers, Photoshop Gurus and onOne team members. Designed to inspire attendees with stunning photography, while providing valuable tips and techniques, webinar topics range from lifestyle, landscape, portraiture, wedding, travel and HDR photography. To see the current onOne Software University Webinar schedule visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/webinars/.

Availability

To subscribe to the onOne University Webinar Podcast channel, visit iTunes and search for ‘onOne Software’ or go to http://bit.ly/i7ATSQ. Recorded webinars can also be accessed on onOne Software’s website at http://www.ononesoftware.com/university/?p=webinars.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers develops time-saving and creative software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software’s simple yet powerful solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of frustrated behind the computer. Solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom and now the iPhone and iPad. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/ or call 1-888-968-1468.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121
Press Contact: Addy Roff, onOne Software, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137
General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com
Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/

Travel photography instructor, author and international tour guide, Ralph Velasco, announces the release of his much-anticipated My Shot Lists for Travel iPhone App.

CORONA DEL MAR, California – February 13, 2011 – Southern California-based travel photography instructor and author (www.OnTravelPhotography.com), Ralph Velasco, has just released his much awaited iPhone app. My Shot Lists for Travel (www.MyShotLists.com) provides the ideal organizational tool for photographers of all levels to create and track a more well-rounded and interesting set of photographs, whether traveling around the world or around the corner.

• Packed with over 50 wide-ranging categories for travel photography, such as Landscapes, People, Architecture, Markets, Natural Wonders, Landmarks and more;
• Includes comprehensive descriptions and sample images for each category;
• Assists users in creating custom shot lists for any destination, subject or shooting environment;
• Complete with suggested shot lists for City, National Park, Safari and Town or Village;
• The My Data feature seamlessly makes use of internal camera capabilities and lets users create a visual list of photos, complete with notes;
• Accepts users’ Notes for each category to recall vital details or reminders;
• The Challenge Me feature tests users’ creativity by randomly selecting a category to focus on;
• Provides a framework for developing a well-rounded assortment of travel images.

“My Shot Lists for Travel is based on a class I teach called Capturing the Essence of a Place. In it, I outline the importance of adhering to a fundamental principle of photography, that of working from a shot list. Doing so takes the guess work out of whether or not you’ve thoroughly covered a destination or subject and increases the odds that you’ll return with a complete set of images that truly creates an overall sense of a place for the viewers of your photography,” Velasco said.

Available for both the iPhone and iPod Touch via iTunes or the App Store, My Shot Lists for Travel integrates into even the most casual photographer’s routine. It should be a part of any traveler’s app suite and will have users’ friends and family asking them to share a portfolio, website or slideshow, not the other way around!

Helping photographers give their images and layouts the perfect finishing touch, the free content, available as layered Photoshop files, will save photographers time and money when designing albums and cards for their clients.

Portland, OR– January 18, 2011 – onOne Software, Inc., (www.onOneSoftware.com) a leading developer of innovative, time-saving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced the immediate availability of free album templates, backgrounds, edges and textures for photographers who create album and book layouts. The free content, which includes over 300 album pages, edges and template design variations, is available on onOne Software’s website for download as layered PSD files that can be edited with Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Continuing its mission to provide unprecedented value to the photographic community, onOne Software will be adding new content on a regular basis.

“I am extremely pleased to offer this high value, design content to photographers at no charge. For many photographers, PhotoFrame is an essential part of their work-flow when it comes to designing albums because it enables them to quickly and easily produce polished and unique images and layouts,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “This free content will now be available to those who do not own or use PhotoFrame as an introduction to the varied designs and elements available there. The free content along with the free Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw Presets, the Free Editions of PhotoTools and PhotoFrame, and the onOne University are several ways for onOne to give back to the photographic community and to continue to provide high value to our customers.”

Availability
The free content will be available for download after creating an account on the onOne Software website at http://www.ononesoftware.com/free/templates. The layered PSD files can be used within Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. The content does not require the purchase or use of any onOne Software product.

Winter in the Canadian Rockies by Darwin Wiggett is the newest ebook to the Craft & Vision library and the latest in the Print & Process series. Darwin captures the spirit of Canada’s most striking mountain range in this monograph of breath-taking landscapes. Photographers of all levels, and geographic persuasion, will find inspiration and insight in this beautiful body of work, and the accompanying discussions, that spans nearly 3 decades.

Darwin discusses in detail the joys and difficulties of working in the cold to capture the abstract and artistic beauty of this magical place. What could be better during these winter months than a great photographer and teacher like Darwin sharing his warm fondness for the coolness of winter?

Winter in the Canadian Rockies – Print & Process is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code ROCKIES4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Winter in the Canadian Rockies for only $4 OR use the code ROCKIES20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST January 22nd, 2011. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here!

Light and Land, Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom by Michael Frye is the newest ebook to the Craft & Vision library. Michael, a photographer based on the doorstep of Yosemite Nation Park, knows his stuff about inspired landscapes and the post-processing techniques that make his vision a reality. Light and Land is written specifically for people with an interest in landscapes and who want to clarify their own unique vision. Landscape work, like other specific genres, has its own challenges with respect to the digital darkroom and this ebook will be of use to anyone wanting to take their post-processing to the next level. With equal parts inspiration and instruction Michael goes step-by-step through the aesthetic judgments behind each decision, and he unpacks the principles behind the landscape-specific considerations. Michael walks you through the Lightroom-based development of 5 different images, discussing the hows and whys of each one. The principles apply equally for Lightroom as well as Aperture or Photoshop. Light and Land is crammed full of content and is available now as a downloadable PDF for just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code LAND4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Light & Land for only $4 OR use the code LAND20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST December 19, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here!

They also have a NEW Product Available – a *Special $20 Gift Coupon*. If you want to share the gift of Craft & Vision this holiday season, buyers of the Craft & Vision Gift Coupon will be issued one 6-digit code. The buyer can then forward that code to their chosen gift recipient, or write the code in a greeting card, etc. To redeem the gift ,the recipient visits www.craftandvision.com, adds 4+ PDF ebooks to their shopping cart, then enters their code in the Discount Code section of the shopping cart screen to redeem their Gift Coupon discount.

Gift Coupons cannot retain any unspent value for future use; e.g., if someone redeems a $20 Gift Coupon on a $15 order total, the remaining $5 would be forfeit (this is why they are not call them “Gift Certificates”). So, if you’re looking for a great Christmas present, this is something you should consider. Since, I’m a landscape photographer (mostly), I’ve really enjoyed reading my copy and getting inspired by it to try some new things.

New version of Perfect Resize and direct integration with Lightroom and Aperture provide photographers with essential tools to quickly achieve high-quality results.

Portland, OR– December 2, 2010 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, timesaving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced availability of Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 for Adobe® Photoshop®, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom® and Apple Aperture.  Tackling specific problems within a photographer’s preferred workflow, the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 offers simple yet powerful solutions for color correction, image resizing, masking and professional photographic effects in one affordable package. With support for Photoshop CS5, CS4 and CS3, the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 includes FocalPoint 2, PhotoTune 3, PhotoFrame 4.6, PhotoTools 2.6, MaskPro 4.1 and Perfect Resize 7 (the next generation of Genuine Fractals). The Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 will also include the recently announced Perfect Layers, which will be available in early 2011.

With this new version of the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5, photographers now have more options for where they use many of the onOne products. For the first time, photographers will be able to use FocalPoint 2, PhotoTune 3, PhotoFrame 4.6 and Perfect Resize 7 directly within Lightroom and Aperture without the need for a separate host application. In addition, owners of the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 will receive Perfect Layers when it becomes available next year. This completely new product provides photographers with the ability to create layered files directly from within Lightroom and Aperture that are fully compatible with Photoshop for later editing.

Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 continues to include full support for Photoshop CS5, CS4 and CS3. Mask Pro 4.1 which allows photographers to replace backgrounds and make selections and PhotoTools 2.6, allowing photographers to leverage the power of Photoshop to enhance and stylize their images, continue to function directly within Photoshop and do not run as stand-alone applications.

Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 includes full versions of the following onOne Software products:

Perfect Resize 7 – The next generation of Genuine Fractals – Based on the same proven and patented algorithms as Genuine Fractals, the newest version of the industry standard for image resizing introduces new Smoothness and Sharpening controls to achieve the highest quality results when enlarging images. In addition, Perfect Resize adds features that make printing easier and faster including the new Loupe Tool for an instant 1:1 magnified preview. The upgrade also adds the ability to save custom Presets, a new Gallery Wrap preview with Auto Corner Fill, and Image Tiling improvements. Perfect Resize 7 now enables those who prefer a Lightroom or Aperture only workflow to resize a single or batch of images directly within those applications.

PhotoTools 2.6 – PhotoTools 2.6 adds a dozen new effects to the highly acclaimed Photoshop plug-in that allows photographers of all skill levels to maximize the full power of Photoshop with its ability to preview and combine Photoshop Actions in a single, intuitive interface. Designed by photographers for photographers, PhotoTools 2.6 includes the MaskingBug control, based on the FocusBug control from the award-winning FocalPoint plug-in, to selectively apply effects to images. PhotoTools 2.6 now has a total library of close to 300 effects that photographers can easily browse, preview and combine to create images that truly stand out.

PhotoFrame 4.6 – With PhotoFrame 4.6, photographers can add the perfect finishing touch to images and layouts with new backgrounds, borders, layouts and adornments. With over 1,000 design elements such as film edges, borders, textures, backgrounds and adornments, PhotoFrame 4.6 even has complete layouts where users can simply drop an image in and they are done. It is the easiest and fastest way to add an authentic darkroom touch with a film edge or to create beautiful albums or scrapbook pages. Photographers can now use PhotoFrame 4.6 directly within Lightroom and Aperture.

FocalPoint 2 – Like bringing the camera lens inside Photoshop, FocalPoint 2 gives photographers the best way to add realistic depth of field and selective focus control to any image. Photographers now have an incredible amount of flexibility and control over the look of the blur with the new blur algorithm, FocusBrush, Lens Presets and multiple FocusBug features. Photographers can now use FocalPoint 2 directly within Lightroom and Aperture or on its own.

PhotoTune 3 – PhotoTune 3 uses patented technology to optimize the dynamic range, color and sharpness of images so that they look more true-to-life. The Wizard offers fast color and tone correction in as little as two steps while giving pro users direct access to advanced and innovative controls. SkinTune, which represents two years of research and analysis of thousands of skin tones, offers one-click color correction of portraits and the option to correct just the skin in an image. Photographers can now use PhotoTune 3 directly within Lightroom and Aperture or on its own.

MaskPro 4.1 – When a subject needs to be quickly extracted from a photo, Mask Pro 4 provides a color-based method that helps photographers easily remove unwanted backgrounds. Mask Pro’s unique Color Decontamination technology allows users to get realistic results by maintaining transparency in hard to mask objects such as hair, smoke and glass in a fraction of the time using traditional tools.

Perfect Layers 1 (New!) – The newest product in the onOne Software line-up provides a fast and easy way to bring a layered workflow to Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture. For those using a Lightroom or Aperture workflow, but not yet using Photoshop, Perfect Layers introduces the ability to create and edit multi-layered Photoshop files. With Perfect Layers, photographers can combine multiple images into a layered Photoshop compatible file; adjust layer size, position, blending mode and opacity; and use the built-in masking tools to blend multiple layers together. Perfect Layers will be made available at no cost to current owners of Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 as a free upgrade when it becomes available in 2011.

Availability

The new Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 is available immediately to owners of Plug-In Suite 5 as a free upgrade at http://www.ononesoftware.com/suite5update. New users may purchase Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 for $499.95. Purchased separately the products would normally cost $1,460. Existing owners of Plug-In Suite version 1, 2, 3 or 4 can upgrade to the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 for $199.95. Customers who own one or more of the products in Perfect Photo Suite 5.5 can now upgrade as well by visiting http://www.ononesoftware.com/upgrade/. For more information on the Perfect Photo Suite 5.5, please visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Such solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use applications and plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, iPhone and iPad applications. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/ or call 1-888-968-1468.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121

Press Contact: Addy Roff, onOne Software, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137

General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com
Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/
onOne Software Blog: www.ononesoftware.com/blog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/onOneSoftware
Twitter: www.twitter.com/onOneSoftware

#   #   #   #

© 2010 onOne Software. All rights reserved. onOne Software and the onOne Software logo are registered trademarks in the United States, and all are the property of onOne Software. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

It’s been more than two years now since the release of the Canon 5D Mark II and Vincent Laforet’s film Reverie, which really blew everyone’s doors off. Can you believe it’s been that long already? For some, the camera was the greatest thing to hit their lives and they ran with it. To say that it has revolutionized the film industry, is probably not much of a stretch. The 5D Mark II is not the only HD DSLR out there shooting great video these days, there are several. They are responsible for creating everything from music videos, to commercials; TV shows like House and 24, Indie films, documentaries and even full length movies.

But what about the rest of us who bought these cameras? Have we realized our dreams of incorporating video into our workflow? Have YOU done anything with it at all other than to post video of your cat running around on Vimeo? I know that I had all these grand ideas about what I would shoot when I just figured out how to use it. The more people I interviewed about it for the LensFlare 35 podcasts, the more daunting it became for me personally. I quickly found out that all the settings I had used to capture those first video segments were ‘wrong’. Then, I started hearing about all this extra gear I needed just to shoot video, THEN it was the fact that I needed assistants, had to change out the type of lighting I owned, had to ‘think’ like a film-maker and storyboard everything out first; I needed a more powerful computer AND expensive software to edit it and…did I mention audio? How important it is to have the correct gear, how to record it, how to sync, it, and on and on.

By now you are either shaking your head in agreement with me or trying to figure out why I haven’t jumped in and done a grand film as of yet. Well, part of it is the false belief that I have to have all of this ‘stuff’ first before I go out and do anything. Really? So, I’ve decided that my 2011 New Year’s Resolution – that’s right folks, I’m getting ahead of the curve – is that I’m going to tackle this darn video stuff and I’m going to figure it out. AND I’m NOT going to go to a VC (Venture Capitalist) to raise the money I need to do it!

Here’s the path I’m going to take, and I plan on bringing you with me. First, I’m going to find a way to REALLY educate myself about the basics. Then, I’m going to figure out a FEW of the must-have items and purchase those – I’m going to figure out a way to use what I have and spend as LITTLE as possible. I’m also going to try and get items that have dual-use. If I get them, I can use them for stills AND video. I’m also going to go DIY on some of the gear. I’m going to figure out some of the items I need and build them myself and then tell you what I did. I’ll also convince some vendors to ‘lend’ some gear to me for testing, and then finally I’ll put it all together and share the final product with you. Along the way, I’m hoping that you learn from my mistakes and that you take WHATEVER camera you have and start shooting some video with it. I know that I’ve waited way too long to start doing this and I’m ready to start the new year – a bit early, but I’m ready.

So stay tuned… In the meantime, enjoy the film that got this thing going.

Starting this week, all of my posts, videos and podcasts are going to be uploaded to www.currentphotographer.com instead of this site.  There is a reason for this!  One of the things that I have been thinking about is the fact that there should be some consolidation in the photography podcasting space. There are just too many shows and too many sites to visit! So, I had thought about being one of those guys who would try to aggregate some of the different bloggers and shows into what I call a ‘mega-site’ for photographers.

Well, some things changed in my life and I found that I no longer had the time to do 8-12 shows  a month AND try and create the mega-site. But, one of the friends I was talking with about it DOES have the time and he has agreed to do that.

Trevor Current runs the Current Photographer website and he has been doing great on his own. But now, he is working on bringing in a LOT of talent to create one great resource for photographers. He has a lot going on there already and he has some fantastic new shows and contributors that he’ll be adding as the year continues. However, I’m glad to be one of those shows because it will allow me to focus on great interviews, some product reviews and articles that I want to write, while someone else is focused on maintaining the website, driving traffic, etc. Just perfect for what I need to keep the show going!

So, be a bit patient with both Trevor and I as we try to figure out a lot of new things about posting content over there, switching iTunes settings, and much more. You can see my contact information in the Contributors section and the podcast (along with others that are coming soon) is under the Podcasts link at the top.

Journey Through Java is the fifth in the Craft & Vision series The Print & The Process. Mitchell Kanashkevich is a curious world wanderer and a travel/documentary photographer who works passionately and skillfully to create exceptional images of some of the most amazing places in the world. This eBook is built around a series of images from his journey around East Java, predominantly Ijen Crater, Mount Bromo and the Island of Madura. By exploring the idea of photographing in iconic/famous places Mitchell delves into the heart of what it takes to find your own voice and story. He’ll unpack the processes behind his creative decisions and he doesn’t shy away from practical topics; such as, types of light, off-camera flash in a softbox, and choosing the right angles. Mitchell doesn’t stop there. He goes beyond surface level impressions and shares his insights into how to create deep and meaningful photographs.

Once again the Craft & Vision folks deliver meaningful information in a usable format at a great price!

Special Offer on PDFs

For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code JAVA4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Journey Through Java – The Print & The Process for only $4 OR use the code JAVA20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes start at 1:00am PST, September 30, 2010 and expire at 11:59pm PST October 3, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here!

More About Mitchell Kanashkevich

Mitchell Kanashkevich is a freelance travel and documentary photographer. He travels the world and shoots personal projects as well as travel related stories and stock photos for Getty and Corbis Images. Mitchell’s main passion lies in capturing disappearing ancient cultures and the human condition in unique, challenging situations. His work has appeared in some of the world’s top photography magazines, on book covers, in ad campaigns and has made its way into private photo collections around the world. Visit his website at www.mitchellkphotos.com.

More About ICELAND
ICELAND, A Monograph – The Print & The Process is the latest eBook by David duChemin. The Print & The Process series is the perfect format to show David’s photographic vision and creative process behind his recent trip to one of the world’s most stunning places. Moved by the incredible landscapes, the vastness of the open spaces, and the extreme weather, David created photographs that first and foremost inspired him.

ICELAND, A Monograph, is a showcase of exceptional photographs and it holds nothing back with respect to how the images were created. This eBook is the first look at 39 of the images David created in Iceland. The curtain is pulled back on technique – like how he used three different ND filters to work through an exposure problem, as well as the more internal processes related to creation – like finding inspiration and working through the frustrations of finding one’s vision. The process and thinking behind those photographs are explained from a technical angle and the discussion of post-processing includes two free downloadable Adobe Lightroom Presets. For you travelers, David also briefly discusses logistics involved in the travel and supporting the digital workflow while tenting his way through Iceland.

ICELAND, A Monograph – The Print & The Process is larger than usual – a full 65 spreads of photographs and insights that will inspire as you develop your own craft. This is easily one of the books about which we are the proudest! The downloadable PDF is just $5USD.

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code ICE4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of ICELAND, A Monograph – The Print & The Process for only $4 OR use the code ICE20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST September 12, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here!

One of the interesting things that is happening out in Apple land is the proliferation of ‘applications’ for photographers. No, I don’t mean the program that will manipulate the image on your iPhone or iPad, but content. In the old days, we called it eLearning, computer based training, computer assisted instruction – you get the idea. But now, it’s call an ‘app’. Seems like every photographer out there is racing to get their slice of knowledge out to the world through this mechanism. The first ones I’ve looked at are pretty lame, but when you spend 99 cents on it, you can’t get too angry about it. Odds are, you’ll look at it once and then never mess with it again.

However, they are starting to get better, and I got a press release (below) from San Francisco Bay Area photographer Kim Binfield. She was also kind enough to give me a code to unlock the program for free (saved me $1.99) and test it out.

This is one of the first ones that is starting to ‘get it’ when it comes to putting some educational content on the iPad. They’ve got a menu that allows you to navigate to the tutorials, a glossary of terms, resources, contact and an about page.  Each of the tutorials has text, sample images and they give you the equipment and settings that were used. Not too bad. So, my recommendation? Worth the $1.99 if you are new to photography and interested in portrait shooting. What should these types of programs have that they’re missing? Well, when we get to branching, using some instructional design concepts, voice over and a quiz to test how much you’ve retained after you finish – we’ll be there.

Announcing the launch of “Portrait Classroom” – a brand new iPad App for aspiring photographers!

Owners of digital SLR (DSLR) cameras, many of them new parents, often ask: “Why aren’t my photos any better than the ones I took with my point and shoot camera” and, “Why don’t they look like the photos taken by professionals?”

Now, in a series of 10 tutorials, the all new ‘Portrait Classroom: Baby and Child Photography Tutorials’ App (currently available exclusively for the iPad) teaches camera owners how to take portraits of babies and children like a professional photographer!

PORTRAIT CLASSROOM: Baby and Child Photography Tutorials has been created by San Francisco Bay Area photographer Kim Binfield, to help anyone improve their photography. Available now from the iTunes App Store, for just $1.99, the App expertly describes from start to finish how to create stunning, keepsake portraits. Ten example portraits with detailed tutorial text and ‘before and after’ images describe how users can create similar portraits using their own digital SLR camera. Users of the App will learn about techniques and resources that will enable them to capture the images they’ve always wanted!

EACH TUTORIAL:

- Describes, in simple language, the set up for the portraits (including notes on composition and interacting with the subjects)

- Provides essential details on the camera, lens, ISO, shutter speed and aperture settings used

- Describes the portrait’s natural light and how to replicate it (no external flash systems or lighting are used for the portraits allowing amateur users ease of replication)

- Presents a full range of ‘before and after’ shots showing how the final image was obtained including shots straight out of the camera and through to post processing

- Details the editing steps taken in Adobe Photoshop that will often also apply to Photoshop Elements and similar editing programs

PORTRAIT CLASSROOM has been created for parents, hobbyists, and aspiring semi-pro photographers who want a hands-on guide to taking better pictures of babies and children. For those who have bought a DSLR camera but can’t get photos any better than their point-and-shoot camera, or if they are using their DSLR on ‘green’ auto mode, then this App is for them!

Users of PORTRAIT CLASSROOM will learn how to get professional looking results with their existing camera equipment and learn about additional photography gear, software and resources, much of it inexpensive, that can further enhance their portraits. Many of the tips included in the App can be applied to point-and-shoot cameras as well, though the App is geared more towards DSLR cameras.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Download the Portrait Classroom iPad App at the iTunes store or via: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/portrait-classroom-baby-child/id385486822?mt=8#

Read the Portrait Classroom Blog: http://www.portraitclassroom.wordpress.com

View the Portrait Classroom Demo video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6BKhuo_EZM

Join the Portrait Classroom Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Portrait-Classroom/148498991834270

Join the Portrait Classroom Flickr Group (users of the App can upload images they have taken using tips from the App): http://www.flickr.com/photos/portraitclassroom/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Photographer Kim Binfield provides premier, custom portraiture within the San Francisco Bay Area. She formed her portrait photography business in 2005 after nearly two decades of enjoying the craft. She is a mother of two young children, a ‘mompreneur’ and is available for interviews at: portraitclassroom@gmail.com.

CONTACT: portraitclassroom@gmail.com for further screenshots, promotional codes to review the App, or additional information about the App (which is available now, for just $1.99 from the App Store)

QUOTES FROM USERS OF THE BETA VERSION:

“Provides as much information as a detailed series of magazine articles, but for a fraction of the cost.” — Paul Blair, Edinburgh

“The Before and After shots were particularly useful alongside the text. I will use many of these tips next time I’m taking photos of my kids.” — Carrie Gallison, California

The Magic of Black & White – Part III, Nine Photos, takes us through nine gorgeous black and white images with the goal of teaching more advanced techniques to give our images more subtlety and power. Clearly taught in Photoshop, and 5 of the lessons in Photoshop Elements, Andrew takes us through Toning, Split Toning, Exposure Blending, Textures, and the creation of Diptyches and Triptyches, all without losing sight of the idea that our work should be driven by intent with the goal of creating photographs that honor the Artist’s need for expression and the Geek’s need for excellence of craft. And all that without getting mired down – the examples and the illustrations Andrew provides compliment his clear teaching style and make this book a pleasure to read.

There’s a special offer (of course):

For the first four days only, fans/followers/friends/and readers of this blog can use the promotional code WHITE4 when you checkout and can have The Magic of Black & White (Part 3) for only $4 OR you can use the code WHITE20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more eBooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST August 22, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here!

Chasing Reflections is the third in the series The Print & The Process. Eli Reinholdtsen is a creative photographer who, through her unique and skillful approach to reflections, captures moments and juxtapositions that are truly an art form at its finest. Reinholdtsen digs deep and shares tangible ways to scout, setup, and shoot complex and magical photographs that push the envelope of visual poetry. Her playful descriptions aren’t shy of digging deep into the techniques required to capture movement, timing, and contrast.

Chasing Reflections is an inspiring collection of 37 photographs that stand on their own a pieces of pure art (The Print) followed by a discussion of the creation of those visual moments (The Process). Chasing Reflections is a available now for $5.

And, like you didn’t know… OF COURSE there’s a special offer

For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code REFLECT4 when you checkout, you can have Chasing Reflections for only $4 OR use the code REFLECT20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST August 1, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here!

SAFARI, A Monograph is the second in the series The Print & The Process. David duChemin unpacks the images from a 10-day safari in Kenya, first letting the images speak for themselves then diving deep into the process behind the photographs. This eBook offers an honest discussion about the issues connected to the creation of duChemin’s SAFARI monograph, including the gear used, the techniques employed, and the lessons learned. It’s a 62-page PDF eBook that will provide you with inspiration amidst the details of the Why and the How. This is not so much about how to photograph your first safari, though you’ll learn that too; it’s a look at the lessons learned, and re-learned, by a photographer who is now 25 years into his craft. Also included are the Adobe Lightroom settings used for Serengeti Chocolate, the duo-tone look in which much of his SAFARI monograph has been styled, and a downloadable Lightroom Preset. SAFARI, A Monograph is a available now for $5.

And, like you didn’t know… OF COURSE there’s a special offer!

For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code SAFARI4 when you checkout, you can have SAFARI, A Monograph for only $4 OR use the code SAFARI20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST JULY 11, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here!

Editors Note: These books are really great! You have fantastic imagery, a great narrative about how the images were shot, equipment and the ‘why’ behind the trip. On top of that, David includes his presets to get the ‘look’ you see in the above photograph! A great value at just $5 and the promotion with a dollar off? Heck of a deal!

Vision In Motion is an introduction to digital video for stills photographers. Written by Trevor Meier, both a professional stills photographer and film-maker, this eBook discusses the core issues of motion storytelling.

No doubt about it, video is an entirely different medium than stills photography. It’s a different language spoken with different technology and created with different processes. For digital still photographers there is often a great deal of cross-over, but without some help things can easily get lost in translation. Join Trevor as he takes you through the core issues and sets you on the right path to beginning to put your vision in motion.

And, like you didn’t know… OF COURSE there’s a special offer:

For the first few days only, if buyers use the promotional code MOTION4 when they checkout, they can have the latest eBook for only $4 OR they can use the code MOTION20 to get 20% off when they buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST June 27, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these eBooks, please click here!

Adobe Photoshop CS5 64-bit support on Mac and Windows.  Tight Adobe Lightroom integration.  Hundreds of new presets including aged film and funky toy camera effects.

Raleigh, North Carolina – June 22, 2010 – Alien Skin Software today announces the immediate availability of Exposure® 3, the new version of its photography effects plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop®.  Exposure provides accurate film simulation and a wide range of creative effects in a simple interface.

“Exposure has grown beyond film simulation into a creativity tool, especially with the addition of Lo-Fi and vintage effects,” said Tom Welsh, the architect of Exposure. “There is carefully researched science under the hood, but we keep the controls simple so photographers can focus on their art.”

“Alien Skin Software is helping Exposure users get the most out of Photoshop CS5 by quickly adopting 64-bit support”, said Bryan O’Neil Hughes, product manager for Photoshop at Adobe.

The most significant new features in Exposure 3 are:

•    64-bit support for Photoshop CS5 on both Macintosh and Windows
•    Tight Lightroom® integration that does not require Photoshop
•    Aging effects and vintage films such as Technicolor and old Kodachrome
•    Simulation of Lo-Fi toy camera photography
•    Hundreds of new settings in all categories, including more films, color toning, and aging
•    User interface improvements such as a much faster preview and hover help

Model Before Image

Model After Using Exposure 3

Tight Integration with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom

Exposure 3 now works in Lightroom 2, including batch processing, and does not require Photoshop to be installed.  Exposure 3 is one of the first plug-ins to work with the 64-bit version of Photoshop CS5 on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms.  Exposure provides multiple techniques for non-destructive editing in Photoshop, including Smart Filter support and rendering effects on a duplicate of the original layer.

Creative Effects

Exposure brings all of the creative tools of film photography to the world of digital, such as discontinued films, dark room tricks, and lo-fi camera quirks.  New in version 3 are vintage looks like Technicolor movie film and old Kodachrome that are distressed with dust, scratches, and vignettes to complete the illusion of age.  Lo-Fi cameras like Holga and Lomo are simulated with lens blur, warped vignettes, and funky colors from cross processing.

Realistic Film Simulation

Exposure was developed through careful measurements of film grain and color both in the lab and in film archives.  The result is grain that clumps realistically, unlike the uniform digital noise generated by other software.  The color transformations of particular film stocks are done so well that Exposure can make your digital shots look exactly like stills from a vintage movie or snapshots in an old family album.

Ease of Use

Exposure 3 has over 500 presets that provide complex looks with a single click.  To help get started and for advanced techniques, the Web site has a large library of tutorial videos and example images.

Pricing and Availability

Exposure 3 sells for $249 USD.  Owners of any version of Exposure may upgrade for $99 USD.  Online or physical delivery is available through the Alien Skin website at www.alienskin.com.  Free upgrades will be automatically sent to purchasers of Exposure 2 who purchased in April 2010 or later.

Host Requirements

Exposure 3 is a plug-in and requires one of the following host applications:

•    Adobe Photoshop CS3 or later
•    Adobe Lightroom 2 or later
•    Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 or later
•    Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X3

System Requirements

Microsoft Windows users must have at least a Pentium 4 processor or compatible and Windows XP SP3 or later.  Apple Macintosh users must have an Intel processor and Mac OS X 10.5 or later.  A monitor with 1024×768 resolution or greater is required.

About Alien Skin Software

Alien Skin Software makes Photoshop plug-ins for photographers and graphic designers.  We distill advanced math and cutting edge research into simple tools that render beautiful pictures.  Our reputation for bug-free software and fast, friendly tech support has grown worldwide since 1993.  For more information, visit our website at www.alienskin.com.

For marketing or product review information, e-mail press@alienskin.com or call (919) 832-4124.

#####

Exposure, Alien Skin Software, and the Alien Skin Software logo are registered trademarks of Alien Skin Software, LLC.  Adobe, Lightroom, and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

VENICE, A Monograph is the first in The Print & Process series, a series created to give the photograph a place to stand on its own within a small body of work (The Print) followed by a discussion of the creation of those images (The Process). It’s a more intimate look into the process of creation and another attempt by our Craft & Vision team to create books that pair inspiration with solid photographic teaching. VENICE, A Monograph is a collection of over 30 photographs created along themes of loneliness and solitude over a 5-day period in Venice in May 2010, and followed by a discussion of the Why and the How behind the images. Forty seven pages long, and in PDF format, this first installment of The Print & The Process series is laid out in landscape format to make viewing equally good on the iPad as well as desktop and laptop computers.

And, there’s a special offer as you can imagine (but it’s shorter than previous promotions)

For the first three days only, if you use the promotional code VENICE4 when you checkout, you can have VENICE, A Monograph for only $4 OR use the code VENICE20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST JUNE 12, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these ebooks, please click here!

Digital photography software developer supports Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended Software and Mac 64-bit with free update

Portland, OR– June 2, 2010 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, timesaving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced that all of their commercially available Photoshop software plug-ins are compatible with the new Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended software. Specifically, the following Photoshop plug-ins from onOne Software are now compatible with Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended.

• Plug-In Suite 5.1
• Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition 6.0.6
• Genuine Fractals 6.0.6
• PhotoTools 2.5.3 Professional Edition
• PhotoTools 2.5.3 Standard Edition
• PhotoFrame 4.5.1 Professional Edition
• PhotoFrame 4.5.1 Standard Edition
• Mask Pro 4.1.8
• PhotoTune 3.0.2
• FocalPoint 2.0.1

“Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended are generating tremendous excitement among users so delivering compatibility updates quickly is imperative for our customers who rely on onOne Software in their day to day workflow,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “We’re extremely pleased to announce that our Photoshop plug-ins now fully support both Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended.”

“We’re happy to see that onOne Software has moved quickly to support the newly released Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended with a free update,” said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for professional digital imaging at Adobe. “onOne’s plug-in support for Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended will ensure that photographers and designers can smoothly transition to this landmark, 20^th anniversary release. Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended are designed to be open applications, so our partners can easily extend the value of the software and provide more creative and innovative options to the customers we jointly serve.”

Availability

onOne Software’s compatibility updates for Photoshop CS5 are available now and are free of charge to registered owners of the current product titles listed above.  These free software updates are available from within each application and as a download from the onOne Software web site and can be found at http://www.ononesoftware.com/downloads/.

Upgrade Information

Registered owners of previous versions of the onOne Software plug-ins for Photoshop listed above can upgrade to the current version of each plug-in for only $99.95 plus shipping if applicable. Alternately, these users may also upgrade directly to the Plug-In Suite 5 for $399.95, plus shipping if applicable (electronic versions are available for download as well). The Plug-In Suite 5 includes the most recent versions of all onOne Software plug-ins. Upgrades from Plug-In Suite 1, 2, 3 or 4 to the Plug-In Suite 5 are available for $199.95 plus shipping if applicable. More information about onOne Software’s upgrade program can be found at http://www.ononesoftware.com/upgrade.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving and creative software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software’s simple yet powerful solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of frustrated behind the computer. Solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop Lightroom. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/ or call 1-888-968-1468.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121
Press Contact: Addy Roff, onOne Software, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137
General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com
Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/

#   #   #   #

© 2010 onOne Software. All rights reserved. onOne Software and the onOne Software logo are registered trademarks in the United States, and all are the property of onOne Software. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Part two of Andrew S. Gibson’s, The Magic of Black and White series is about the craft of converting the captured image into black and white in the digital darkroom. Where Part One – Vision, looked at the process of seeing and capturing in monochrome, Part Two – Craft, looks at the tools needed to turn a color digital negative into a spectacular-looking black and white image using the software of the digital darkroom, specifically Adobe Photoshop. The Magic of Black and White, Part Two – Craft is a 51 page downloadable PDF. We’ve forced the layout into a landscape format to make viewing on the iPad even better. Using a good PDF reader like GoodReader, these PDF eBooks retain the rich layouts we’ve always created, as well as allowing non-iPad users the same great experience they’ve always had. It sells for the usual and ridiculous price of $5.00.

And, like you didn’t know… OF COURSE there’s a special offer:

For the first few days only, if buyers use the promotional code MAGIC4 when they checkout, they can have the latest ebook for only $4 OR they can use the code MAGIC20 to get 20% off when they buy 5 or more books from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST June 1, 2010. So, if you’d like to purchase ANY of these ebooks, please click here!

The industry standard for resizing images of all sizes, Genuine Fractals 6.0.5
is now 64-bit compatible and up to twice as fast in Photoshop CS5

Portland, OR– May 25, 2010 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, time-saving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced that its Genuine Fractals Professional and Standard Edition plug-ins for Photoshop are now compatible with the new Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended Software.  Owners of Genuine Fractals 6 can download the free update from onOne Software’s website at http://www.ononesoftware.com/.

“We are extremely pleased to deliver Genuine Fractals support for Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended and 64-bit so quickly after the launch,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “As the industry standard in image resizing, we know it is imperative to provide timely updates that make the transition to Photoshop CS5 as easy as possible and so that our customers can experience speed improvements that are up to twice as fast.”

“My experience with Genuine Fractals running on Photoshop CS5 is that it is considerably faster due to the fact that it now includes 64-bit support,” says Douglas Dubler, a leading fashion, beauty & fine art photographer. “I make big prints, starting at 30×40 and 360 DPI, and so the time savings when I work with these large files is substantial using this newest release. It’s a big advantage.”

Availability

The Genuine Fractals 6.0.5 compatibility update for Photoshop CS5 is available now and is free of charge to registered owners of Genuine Fractals 6.  This update is not for Plug-in Suite 5 owners but rather for customers using Genuine Fractals 6 independently of Plug-In Suite 5.  The free software update is available from within the Genuine Fractals 6 application via the Help menu and as a download from the onOne Software web site and can be found at http://www.ononesoftware.com/support/software_updates.php.

Owners of Plug-in Suite 5 should not install this update and should wait for the upcoming Plug-In Suite 5.1 update that adds Photoshop CS5 compatibility and 64-bit compatibility.

Upgrade Information

Registered owners of previous versions of Genuine Fractals (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) can upgrade to the current version for only $99.95 plus shipping if applicable. Alternately, these customers may also upgrade directly to the Plug-In Suite 5 which includes all 6 of the onOne Software products for $399.95, plus shipping if applicable (electronic versions are available for download as well).  More information about onOne Software’s upgrade program can be found at http://www.ononesoftware.com/upgrade.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving and creative software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software’s simple yet powerful solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of frustrated behind the computer. Solutions include a wide range of surprisingly easy-to-use products that integrate seamlessly into Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements and Aperture workflows.

onOne Software not only delivers best in class software products but is committed to ensuring the satisfaction of customers. onOne Software works closely with leading professional photographers to develop photo solutions on both Macintosh and Windows operating systems as well as the iPhone. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121
Press Contact: Addy Roff, onOne Software, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137
General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com

#   #   #   #

© 2010 onOne Software. All rights reserved. onOne Software and the onOne Software logo are registered trademarks in the United States, and all are the property of onOne Software. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

We’ve been overwhelmed with the response for Topaz DeNoise 4 – thanks to everyone who has tried it and we hope this technology helps you significantly with your high-ISO images! DeNoise 4.1 is a free update that addresses some of the issues that our users brought up. It also offers a few other major enhancements.

The most significant improvements in v4.1 are:

Complete 64-bit CS5 compatibility on both Mac and Windows.
Greatly improved processing speed for Mac – 100% increase for many configurations.
Better color handling – improved color edge recovery, new Clean Color slider.
Interface and preset improvements.

Download DeNoise v4.1

To download and install the update, simply re-download Topaz DeNoise from the above link and re-install it on your computer. Note DeNoise v4.0 presets are not compatible with DeNoise v4.1. (Need help?)

Thanks again for using Topaz DeNoise, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with timely updates and useful software. If you still haven’t tried it, the introductory 40% discount on Topaz DeNoise 4 is still available until the end of the month.

Canon’s Photography in the Parks Contest adds new social networking features to this year’s program allowing entrants to learn shooting tips from the pros

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., May 17, 2010 – From the eye of a storm to a flower floating down a stream, Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging, encourages Americans to acknowledge the beauty of nature and explore photography by participating in its fifth annual Canon in the Parks Photo Contest. From May 17 to September 30, 2010, contestants will have the opportunity to submit their best “Nature” image – the theme for this year’s contest. The contest invites participants to compete within two divisions; the teen division, for entrants ages 13-17 and the adult division, for entrants ages 18 and older. With the fifth annual Canon in the Parks Photo Contest, Canon U.S.A. highlights all the splendor that nature embodies and invites photography enthusiasts to capture their best photo.

“We are thrilled to announce the fifth consecutive year of the Canon in the Parks Photo Contest,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “From year to year, the entries have increased in quantity and quality, and this year, we look forward to seeing the work of even more talented, aspiring photographers.”

Canon in the Parks Contest
All applicants from the teen and adult divisions will be able to submit their photos through the contest page at the Canon Digital Learning Center Web site: www.usa.canon.com/parks. To qualify, submitted photos must be taken at a park or monument in the United States. After entering their photos, entrants will have the chance to forward an e-postcard of their submitted images to friends and family as a fun way of sharing their artistic talents.

The winning photographers from each division will be announced in December and will be awarded with some of Canon’s latest photography equipment. Along with receiving Canon products, the Grand Prize winner will also receive a trip to a U.S. National Park of his or her choice, within the lower 48 states. To highlight the creative experience, all winning images and honorable mentions will be displayed on the Canon Digital Learning Center.

Canon Photography in the Parks Program
From June to August, Canon U.S.A. will offer free photography workshops to park visitors in four National Parks – Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Acadia and Yellowstone. Led by a team of acclaimed photography instructors, the program offers participants a hands-on experience to learn various photography techniques, while walking and exploring the park. Canon also provides top-of-the-line camera equipment for participants to use at no charge. Further enhancing this year’s program, Canon is offering EOS HD video shooting classes in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Bar Harbor, Maine where each participant will learn about the basics of shooting EOS HD video with a Canon EOS Digital SLR camera.

To increase the buzz and excitement of this year’s program, Canon will also create a Canon in the Parks Facebook page. The Facebook page will give information on the workshops and photo tips from Canon’s acclaimed Explorers of Light photographers. For information and schedule of workshops, please visit www.usa.canon.com/parks.

Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2009†, with global revenues of US $35 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

About Canon U.S.A.’s Environmental Programs and Alliances:
Canon U.S.A. protects future generations by helping to preserve nature’s most valuable resources through the support of a wide range of environmental education and conservation initiatives, including the Canon Envirothon, one of North America’s largest high school environmental education competitions; the PBS Nature series; and scientific research and educational programs at Yellowstone National Park. For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com/environment.

• Monday, May 24th, 11am PST (1 hour)
• Free of charge
• Register at www.ononesoftware.com/webinars
• FocalPoint 2 is available as a 30 day trial at www.ononesoftware.com/downloads

Breakthrough Interactive Design Tools and Innovative Online Services Maximize Impact of Creative Content and Digital Marketing Campaigns

SAN JOSE, Calif., — April 30, 2010 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the availability of the Adobe® Creative Suite® 5 product family, the highly-anticipated release of the industry-leading design and development software for virtually every creative workflow. With more than 250 new product features, the Creative Suite 5 product line brings exciting full-version upgrades of flagship creative tools and workflow enhancements to designers and developers — enabling the creation, delivery and optimization of content across media for greater impact and results.

The Adobe CS5 product family is powering the creation of content and applications for the upcoming releases of Flash® Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR® 2, which are optimized for high performance on mobile screens and designed to take advantage of native device capabilities for a richer, more immersive user experience. Featuring integration with online content and digital marketing measurement and optimization capabilities for the first time, Creative Suite 5 products include access to signature Omniture® technologies, to capture, store and analyze information generated by websites and other sources. Adobe Creative Suite 5 products also integrate with Adobe CS Live*, a set of five innovative online services that accelerate key aspects of the creative workflow and enable designers to focus on creating their best work (CS Live services are complimentary for a limited time).

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. Creative Suite now includes a brand-new component, Adobe Flash® Catalyst™, a professional interaction design tool that allows designers to rapidly create expressive Web application interfaces and design interaction without writing code.

“We’ve seen from early customer reaction that Creative Suite 5 continues to inspire the design and developer world by combining time-saving workflow and productivity features with astonishing new capabilities, such as Content-Aware Fill in Photoshop CS5, that really push the creative envelope,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. “Whatever the media, CS5 is ensuring that publishers and creatives can deliver stand-out work and build great businesses around their unique digital assets and content.”

Also available as part of the Creative Suite 5 product family, sold separately or in one of the five Creative Suite editions, are new versions of the Adobe Creative Suite tools, including Photoshop® CS5, Illustrator® CS5, InDesign® CS5, Flash Catalyst CS5, Flash CS5 Professional, Dreamweaver® CS5, Adobe® Premiere® Pro CS5, After Effects® CS5 and more.

The Creative Suite 5 products offer more than 250 new features that embrace interactivity, enhance performance and maximize the impact of creative content and digital marketing campaigns. InDesign CS5 powers the transition to digital publishing with new interactive documents and enhanced electronic reader device support. Image creation and editing get a boost with Truer Edge technology in Photoshop CS5, which offers better edge detecting technology and masking results in less time. Photoshop CS5 also includes the ability to remove an image element and immediately replace the missing pixels with Content-Aware Fill. New stroke options allow Adobe Illustrator CS5 users to create strokes of variable widths and precisely adjust the width at any point along the stroke. New Text Layout Framework in Flash Professional CS5 provides professional-level typography capabilities with functions like kerning, ligatures, tracking, leading, threaded text block and multiple columns. In addition, Dreamweaver CS5 now supports popular content management systems Drupal, Joomla! and WordPress, allowing designers to get accurate views of dynamic Web content from within the product.

Performance improvements abound in the Creative Suite 5 product line with engineering breakthroughs, including native 64-bit support on both Mac and Windows® in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, that allows users to work more fluidly on high-resolution projects. The much anticipated NVIDIA® GPU-accelerated Adobe Mercury Playback Engine allows Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 users to open projects faster, refine effects-rich HD sequences in real time and play back complex projects without rendering. The revolutionary timesaving Roto Brush tool in After Effects helps users isolate moving foreground elements in a fraction of the normal time.

Accelerate Creative Workflows with Adobe CS Live

Adobe Creative Suite 5 products integrate with Adobe CS Live*, a set of five online services that accelerate key aspects of the creative workflow and enable designers to focus on creating their best work. CS Live online services are complimentary for a limited time and currently include: Adobe BrowserLab, Adobe CS Review, Acrobat.com, Adobe Story and SiteCatalyst® NetAverages™ from Omniture. Adobe CS Review enables online design reviews from directly in Creative Suite 5 applications, while Adobe BrowserLab is an indispensable tool for testing website content across different browsers and operating systems. NetAverages provides Web usage data that helps reduce the guesswork early in the creative process when designing for Web and mobile. Adobe Story is a collaborative scriptwriting tool that improves production and post-production workflows in CS5 Production Premium. Access to Acrobat.com services, such as Adobe ConnectNow Web conferencing, is also included to enhance discussion and information exchange with colleagues and clients around the globe.

Create and Deliver to More Mobile Platforms

Using Flash Professional CS5, designers and developers can create, test and deliver Web content across a wide range of mobile platforms and devices such as smartphones, tablets, netbooks and other consumer electronics. Users can look forward to deploying content in the browser with Flash Player 10.1 and as a standalone application with AIR 2.

Pricing and Availability

Adobe Creative Suite 5 products and its associated point products will be available through Adobe Authorized Resellers, Adobe Direct Sales and the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/store. Estimated street price for the suites is US$1899 for CS5 Design Premium, US$1799 for CS5 Web Premium, US$1699 for CS5 Production Premium, US$1299 for CS5 Design Standard and US$2599 for Master Collection CS5. Upgrade pricing, volume licensing and education discounts are available. Adobe CS5 products integrate with Adobe CS Live online services which are complimentary for a limited time. For more detailed information about features, OS support, upgrade policies, pricing and international versions please visit: www.adobe.com/go/creativesuite.

Digital photography software developer outlines product specific support for Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended and Mac 64-bit

Portland, OR– April 13, 2010 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, time-saving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced that all of their currently shipping Photoshop software plug-ins will be compatible with the new Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended software announced yesterday by Adobe. Specifically, the following Photoshop plug-ins from onOne Software will be compatible with Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended.

• Plug-In Suite 5
• Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition
• Genuine Fractals 6
• PhotoTools 2.5 Professional Edition
• PhotoTools 2.5 Standard Edition
• PhotoTools 2.5 Free Edition
• PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition
• PhotoFrame 4.5 Standard Edition
• PhotoFrame 4.5 Free Edition
• Mask Pro 4.1
• PhotoTune 3
• FocalPoint 2

“We’re certain that users of our Photoshop plug-ins will find Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended software, with full 64-bit support, to be very compelling upgrades,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “We’re delighted to announce that we plan to provide free compatibility updates for all of the current versions of our plug-ins so that they will be compatible with both Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended, so that our customers can continue to maximize the power of Photoshop in conjunction with onOne products.”

“We’re happy to see onOne Software quickly supporting the newly released Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended,” said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for professional digital imaging at Adobe. “onOne’s plug-in support for Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended will ensure that photographers and designers can smoothly transition to this landmark, 20^th anniversary release. Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended are designed to be open applications, so our partners can easily extend the value of the software and provide more creative and innovative options to the customers we serve.”

Availability

onOne Software will make the Photoshop CS5 compatibility updates free of charge to registered owners of the current product titles listed above. These free software updates will be available as updates from within each application and as a download from the onOne Software web site within 30 days of Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended availability.

Upgrade Information

Registered owners of previous versions of the onOne Software plug-ins for Photoshop listed above can upgrade to the current version of each plug-in for only $99.95 plus shipping if applicable. Alternately, these users may also upgrade directly to the Plug-In Suite 5 for $349.95, plus shipping if applicable (electronic versions are available for download as well). The Plug-In Suite 5 includes the most recent versions of all onOne Software plug-ins. Upgrades from Plug-In Suite 1, 2, 3 or 4 to the Plug-In Suite 5 are available for $199.95 plus shipping if applicable. More information about onOne Software’s upgrade program can be found at http://www.ononesoftware.com/upgrade.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Such solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Lightroom.

onOne Software delivers the highest quality software products to users by working with industry leaders and continuing to develop core technologies for professional photo solutions on both Macintosh and Windows operating systems. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit www.ononesoftware.com or call 1-888-968-1468.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121

Press Contact: Addy Roff, onOne Software, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137

General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com

Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/

onOne Software blog: http://www.ononesoftware.com/blog

onOne Software Exchange: http://www.ononeexchange.com

onOne University: http://www.ononesoftware.com/university

#   #   #   #

© 2010 onOne Software. All rights reserved. onOne Software and the onOne Software logo are registered trademarks in the United States, and all are the property of onOne Software. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

• Monday, April 19th, 3pm PST ( 1 hour)
• Free of charge
• Register at www.ononesoftware.com/webinars (limited space so register quickly!)
• PhotoFrame 4.5 is available as a 30 day trial at www.ononesoftware.com/downloads or as a free product with reduced content at www.ononesoftware.com/free

The release that Canon just did the other day has been pulled and replaced. Here’s the story:

We apologize sincerely for the inconvenience caused to our customers by suspending the availability of the Version 2.0.3 firmware.

We are now introducing the Version 2.0.4 firmware. This firmware corrects the malfunction that occurred in the previous Version 2.0.3 firmware, in which the manual recording level changed and made recording impossible.

Customers who have the Version 2.0.3 firmware on their cameras should update the firmware to Version 2.0.4.
EOS 5D Mark II Firmware Update Version 2.0.4
Firmware changes

In the Version 2.0.4 firmware, the following phenomena that occurred with the Version 2.0.3 firmware (which was to enhance the movie functions) have been corrected.

* There was a phenomenon in which the manual recording settings made in C1/C2/C3 were changed and sound could not be recorded if manual sound recording was used in the C1/C2/C3 settings and the camera was subsequently turned off (or if Auto Power Off was activated). This does not occur in modes other than C1/C2/C3.

The Version 2.0.4 firmware includes the movie function enhancements listed in items 1 through 5 below, and also incorporates the correction listed in item 6.

1. Adds or changes the following movie frame rates.

NTSC:
* 1920×1080 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps)
* 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
* 640×480 : 30 fps (changed – actual 29.97 fps)
PAL:
* 1920×1080 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)
* 1920×1080 : 24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
* 640×480 : 25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)

2. Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels).
3. Adds a histogram display (brightness or RGB) for shooting movies in manual exposure.
4. Adds shutter-priority AE mode (Tv) and aperture-priority AE (Av) mode to the exposure modes for shooting movies.
5. Changes the audio sampling frequency from 44.1 KHz to 48 KHz.
6. Fixes a phenomenon where communication between the camera and the attached lens is sometimes interrupted after manual sensor cleaning. (This phenomenon only affects units with Firmware Version 1.2.4.)

Caution:

* Firmware Version 2.0.4 is for cameras with firmware up to version 2.0.3. If the camera’s firmware is already version 2.0.4, it is not necessary to update the firmware.
* Movies captured using EOS 5D Mark II cameras with Firmware Version 1.1.0 to 1.2.4 can be played back on cameras updated with Firmware Version 2.0.4. However, if you try to play back movies captured with a camera with the new firmare on a camera with a previous firmare version, a message, Cannot play back image, appears on the camera’s LCD monitor.
* It is recommended that you use the latest Canon applications*1 to edit movies captured with EOS 5D Mark II cameras that have the latest firmare because some previous versions do not support movie-editing functions and the frame rates that are added or changed by the latest firmware. You can download the latest Canon applications from our Web site.
*1 ZoomBrowser EX Version 6.5.0 or later (compatible operating systems : Windows XP/Vista/7)
ImageBrowser Version 6.5.0 or later (compatible operating systems : Mac OS X v10.4/10.5/10.6)
* In addition to the enhancements to the movie function, the accompanying instruction manual has also been revised. Users are asked to download both the latest firmware and the latest instruction manual. You can proceed to download the instruction manual by clicking the [I Agree] button from the bottom of this page.

Fore more information and to download the link, click here.

Finally, the LONG awaited firmware update for the Canon 5D Mark II is up! Here’s what it does:

Firmware Version 2.0.3 incorporates five enhancements to the movie function and a fix to the manual sensor cleaning function of the EOS 5D Mark II camera.

1. Adds or changes the following movie frame rates

NTSC:
1920×1080:30 fps (changed – actual 29.97fps)
1920×1080:24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
640×480:30 fps (changed – actual 29.97fps)

PAL:
1920×1080:25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)
1920×1080:24 fps (added – actual 23.976 fps)
640×480:25 fps (added – actual 25.0 fps)

2. Adds a function for manually adjusting the sound recording level (64 levels).

3. Adds a histogram display (brightness or RGB) for shooting movies in manual exposure.

4. Adds shutter-priority AE mode (Tv) and aperture-priority AE (Av) mode to the exposure modes for shooting movies.

5. Changes the audio sampling frequency from 44.1 KHz to 48 KHz.

6. Fixes a phenomenon where communication between the camera and the attached lens is sometimes interrupted after manual sensor cleaning. (This phenomenon only affects units with Firmware Version 1.2.4.)

If you’d like to download the update, please visit this link: http://web.canon.jp/imaging/eosd/firm-e/eos5dmk2/firmware.html

New free versions of award-winning software products PhotoTools 2.5 and PhotoFrame 4.5 round out free resources for photographers, including free presets for Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw, onOne Exchange and the new onOne University.

Portland, OR– March 11, 2010 – onOne Software, Inc., (www.ononesoftware.com) a leading developer of innovative, timesaving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced the immediate availability of two fully-functional Photoshop plug-ins: PhotoTools 2.5 Free and the new PhotoFrame 4.5 Free. The free plug-ins for Photoshop are based on the award winning versions of PhotoTools 2.5 Standard Edition and PhotoFrame 4.5 Standard Edition and are compatible with Photoshop CS2, CS3 and CS4.

PhotoTools 2.5 Free and PhotoFrame 4.5 Free provide photographers with select content from the Standard Editions of each product, while maintaining the full-functionality, unlike the traditional restrictions of 30 day timed trials or watermarked images. The free presets for Lightroom 2, Adobe Camera Raw and the onOne Exchange allow photographers to streamline their workflow and get the most out of the onOne products they already own. The new onOne University underscores onOne’s commitment to helping customers get the most out of their software investment by providing over 100 free training videos with even more training content planned.

“We are excited to offer these free versions of PhotoTools 2.5 and PhotoFrame 4.5 as a way for new users to experience onOne’s award winning products,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “These free products, along with the Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw Presets, onOne Exchange and onOne University are a way for onOne to give back to the photographic community and to continue to provide value to our onOne customers.”

onOne Software Free Products and Resources include:

PhotoTools 2.5 Free Edition – Based on the same feature set as PhotoTools 2.5 Standard Edition, PhotoTools 2.5 Free includes 15 of the most popular effects found in PhotoTools 2.5 Standard Edition. PhotoTools offers powerful action based effects that can improve images dramatically, making it easy to find, experiment, combine, apply and fine tune effects in an easy to use interface. The 15 effects available in PhotoTools 2.5 Free range from reproducing classic photographic effects like Bleach Bypass and Cross Process, to reproducing film stock such as Kodachrome and Velvia, to modern effects including automatic skin smoothing.

PhotoFrame 4.5 Free Edition – Based on the same feature set as PhotoFrame 4.5 Standard Edition, PhotoFrame 4.5 Free makes it easy to add the perfect finishing touch to images, with 20 professional grade edges, backgrounds, textures and adornments. PhotoFrame 4.5 Free offers an extremely easy way to browse, preview and add effects like frames, backgrounds and adornments to images, with the ability to stack multiple elements and control opacity, size and color.

Presets for Lightroom 2 and Adobe Camera Raw – Users get over 140 time saving Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw presets designed by Photoshop Guru Jack Davis that help quickly correct color and tone and easily add creative effects.

onOne Exchange – The onOne Exchange is a free online resource that offers regularly updated content for PhotoTools and PhotoFrame and encourages users to upload their own actions and content. There are over 65 presets from onOne Software and customers to date.

onOne University – Features over 100 free video tutorials to help customers quickly learn and get the most out of onOne Software products. New video tutorials covering a wide range of subjects are currently in the works.

Availability
PhotoTools 2.5 Free, PhotoFrame 4.5 Free, Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw Presets are available immediately at no cost as downloads from onOne Software at http://www.ononesoftware.com/free. The onOne Exchange is available at http://www.ononeexchange.com/ and onOne University is available at http://www.ononesoftware.com/university/.

About onOne Software
onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Such solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, Apple iPhoto and iPhone applications. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. Visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/ or call 1-888-968-1468 for additional information.
Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121
Press Contact: Addy Roff, onOne Software, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137
General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com
Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/

# # # #

© 2010 onOne Software. All rights reserved. onOne Software and the onOne Software logo are registered trademarks in the United States, and all are the property of onOne Software. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

With the new breed of hybrid HD DSLR cameras hitting the market, we are excited to annouce the expansion of Zacuto’s DSLR line of accessories with 25 new products which will be showcased at the NAB show. Embracing the convergence market with enthusiasm, our 2010 introductions include: upgrades on our popular DSLR gunstock gorilla kits and shooter packages, Z-Finders: Pro & Jr versions and much more. In addition, we will be presenting screenings of our latest productions by Zacuto Films, “The Great Camera Shootout of 2010″ where top performing HD DSLRs face off against the gold standard of 35mm film. Please join us at Zacuto’s booth #C5041 on April 12th-15h at the NAB Show in Vegas. We look forward to seeing you and sharing our new product lines during this very exciting time of convergence. Viva Zacuto!

Register now for a Free Exhibits Only pass*, courtesy of Zacuto.

Visit us in booth number C5041.

The NAB Show™ is your chance to evolve, innovate and grow your business — in smarter ways that allow you to save time and money in today’s challenging economic and competitive environment.

More than just broadcasting, the NAB Show is the world’s largest gathering of leading media, entertainment and communications professionals who share a passion for the next generation of video and audio content across multiple platforms — from television, radios and computers to phones, the big screen and beyond.

Don’t wait, click here to register!

*A $20 processing fee applies to all registrations received after April 8, 2010.

Well, we’ve all been waiting for it, right? The new firmware for the Canon 5D Mark II SEEMS like it is coming out any time now. There is a press release out from Canon London that talks about it, and Canon Europe has some videos showing the capabilities that have been added into the software. The Canon Rumors guy says it will be out March 16th. CNET seems to think that this announcement came out early because of WPPI. Either way, here’s the press release that is out of London:

Canon adds 24 and 25fps HD Movie recording to the EOS 5D Mark II with Firmware 2.0.3

London, 2nd March 2010 – Canon today pre-announces the release of a firmware update for the multiple award-winning EOS 5D Mark II. Originally announced in late 2009, the update adds 24* and 25 frames per second (fps) recording to the camera’s EOS MOVIE video function, and will be available as a free download from the middle of March.

Developed following feedback from photographers and cinematographers, Firmware 2.0.3 further enhances the EOS 5D Mark II’s excellent video performance. The addition of new frame rates expands the camera’s video potential, providing filmmakers with the ability to shoot 1080p Full HD footage at 24fps (actual 23.976fps) – the optimum frame rate for cinematic video. 25fps support at both 1920×1080 and 640×480 resolutions will allow users to film at the frame rate required for the PAL broadcast standard, while the new firmware will also change the 30fps option to the NTSC video standard of 29.97fps.

A new histogram display for shooting movies in manual exposure, shutter-priority (Tv) and aperture-priority (Av) have been added, and exposure modes will also be available in movie mode. Improved audio functionality will allow users to set sound record levels manually using a sound-level meter displayed on the LCD screen. The audio sampling frequency has also been increased from 44.1KHz to 48KHz, providing the optimum audio signal typically required for professional or broadcast material.

With its full frame CMOS sensor and compatibility with Canon’s wide range of premium lenses, the EOS 5D Mark II is already recognized for its outstanding HD video performance. Launched in September 2008, the camera immediately created a wide range of new possibilities for photographers and videographers, and the addition of new frame rates and manual audio levels extends those possibilities even further – allowing movie makers to shoot stunning movies to suit practically any creative purpose.

Extreme sports photographer Richard Walch was one of the first to be given the chance to use the newly updated EOS 5D Mark II to shoot the snowboarding movie “I Love My Friends”. Commenting on the EOS 5D Mark II’s video performance, Richard said: “The addition of the new frame rates opens up a whole new range of possibilities. If you’re a cinematographer, independent film maker or just enthusiastic about making your own movies, get out there and give it a try”. If you like to view his test videos, click here.

When the software is available, this will be the spot to get it: http://www.canon.com/eos-d/

Topaz Adjust, our most popular image enhancement tool, has been upgraded to v4 to include many new presets, the ability to handle larger images, a new user interface, faster noise reduction, and greater stability. It’s completely free for existing Topaz Adjust customers. Download it here:

Download Topaz Adjust 4

To install the upgrade, download the appropriate installer, run it, and follow the installation instructions. After installation is successful, restart your host program and “Topaz Adjust 4″ will be there. You can then uninstall the older version of Topaz Adjust if you choose. Enjoy the upgrade!

We would like to give endless thanks to those who offered suggestions, feature requests, and bug reports on our software. Members of both the Topaz Flickr Group and our site forum were instrumental in helping us reach the final version of Adjust 4. This is part of the reason we are able to continue to offer completely free major upgrades from day one: our community spends valuable time supporting us in our efforts, so we are extremely happy to reciprocate. Thanks again.

If you like Topaz Adjust, you might also like one of our other photo plug-ins. Topaz DeNoise, for example, is a supercharged version of the noise reduction capabilities included in Topaz Adjust, and Topaz Detail offers similar detail enhancement and sharpening capabilities without any halos. Check them out here.

Finally, as part of a intro promotion surrounding the new release of Topaz Adjust 4, the coupon code NEWADJUST will not only save $10 off a new purchase of Topaz Adjust, but will also save 20% off of any bundle purchase or Adjust->Bundle upgrade. This coupon code will expire on March 15, 2010.

Enjoy the upgrade and have a great day!

New eBook

Craft & Vision is excited to announce the immediate release of our most recent ebook. Below The Horizon, Understanding Light at the Edges of Day, was written by Dave Delnea, a photographer specializing commercially in serving high-end resort and tourism clients. At the heart of his work is a passion for, and understanding of, the light at the edges of day.  Below The Horizon is an inspiring ebook that will give you the scoop on the tools and techniques needed to create images that twilight alone can create,  and will give you the push to get out the door and capture breathtaking images. If you’ve ever wanted to learn a little more about light and how to create images with this kind of unique aesthetic, Below The Horizon will take you there. This PDF is 40 pages long, and still only $5.00.

48-hour Special Offer

But wait! There’s more! For the first 48 hours only, if you use the promotional code DELNEA4 when you checkout, you can have Below The Horizon for only $4 OR use the code DELNEA20 to get 20% off when you buy 4 or more books from the collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST February 28, 2010. To purchase the book now, click here!

Art Wolfe, host of the acclaimed public television series Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge, has created a comprehensive curriculum based on over 35 years of experience as a professional photographer. Wolfe has tuned this curriculum into an intensive 5-hour seminar exploring specific and critical facets of photographic composition. Using his superlative imagery of wildlife, natural landscapes and the world’s diverse cultures, he will lead participants on an artistic journey of insightful discovery.

ART WOLFE 2010 SPRING SEMINAR TOUR

Sponsored in part by:

5/20       New York City, NY – NYC Seminar and Conference Center
5/22       Toronto, Ontario – University of Toronto
5/29       West Palm Beach, FL – Crowne Plaza Hotel
6/03       Boston, MA – Eastern Nazarene College, Quincy, MA
6/05       Alexandria, VA – Hilton Hotel
6/10       Minneapolis, MN – Minneapolis Convention Center
6/12       Costa Mesa, CA – Orange Coast College

For more information and registration—be an early bird & save $100—www.artwolfeworkshops.com

Until now, you had to send your images to a lab or have your own photo-processor if you wanted to output some of your best images on metallic photo paper. That will no longer be necessary, thanks to the new LexJet Sunset Metallic Photo Paper that is expected to be available in April.

With this breakthrough inkjet photo paper, you can create stunningly beautiful wedding photographs, exhibition prints, and commercial displays. Sunset Metallic Photo Paper can add dimensionality, depth, and richness to photographs, and produce fleshtones that are flattering, but natural-looking. It produces prints that look far superior to anything your customers can produce for themselves.

What makes the prints look so distinctive is a combination of two things: a subtle silver metallic shimmer on the paper itself, and the high-gloss finish of the inkjet coating.

The 10-mil, 255g photo paper features an instant-dry, scratch-resistant surface that makes it practical for use in busy photo studios.

“LexJet customers have been asking for a inkjet-printable metallic photo paper for years. So we have invested considerable time and effort in researching possible solutions,” said product manager Alex Ried. “Until recently, we weren’t totally confident that we could deliver the type of top-quality Sunset paper that LexJet customers expect. But we are now.”

LexJet is now taking backorders on this product. Should you be interested and you have not already ordered, their first shipment of the product will be first come first served, and they expect a limited supply, especially with backorders already secured. Here are the sizes that will be available:

· 8.5×11 50 sheets
· 13×19 50 sheets
· 17×22 25 sheets
· 10 inch x100 foot rolls
· 17 inch x 100 foot rolls
· 24 inch x 100 foot rolls
· 36 inch x 100 foot rolls
· 44 inch x 100 foot rolls

For more information about the paper, visit the LexJet website.

Elmsford NY – February 17, 2010 – Tenba has expanded its Messenger collection with a new Camera Shoulder Bag and a Photo/Laptop Daypack. The new bags follow the soft, body-hugging and retro-discreet styling of the company’s courier-style messenger bags, but with additional capacity and a variety of new and different features.

The Tenba Messenger Camera Bag and Daypack are constructed of military-grade, 1000 denier nylon. Tenba describes the material as “ounce-for-ounce, the most time-tested, durable, weather-resistant textile in the outdoor industry.” Each of the models offers a variety of over 20 pockets and other storage spaces to keep digital camera equipment and accessories organized and protected. Space is thoughtfully and efficiently laid out for cables and card readers, mobile hard drives, chargers and much more. Color-coded media card windows, mesh-ventilated body contact points, and removable, padded camera inserts with adjustable dividers are among the many bells and whistles.

One of the more interesting and unique features of the Camera Bag is Tenba’s exclusive “Velcro© silencer” — a tuckaway flap that can be unfolded to create a barrier between the Velcro closures, so the bag can be opened silently. This is critical to wildlife photographers, sports shooters, photojournalists and others working in quiet locations. As Tenba Product Manager Peter Waisnor puts it, “Endangered eagles and most other animals, including senators and golfers, hate Velcro. Try to photograph them out of a bag without a silencer and it’s bye-bye birdie.”

Waisnor says that Tenba’s original Messenger bag “has consistently been one of the most popular products in our line for almost 5 years.” He explains that customers like the understated and intentionally low-tech look of the collection, not only for fashion’s sake, but because the bags don’t broadcast the expensive equipment they carry. Waisnor goes on to say that “The new bags were designed at the request of — and with significant feedback from — the professional photographers who have comprised Tenba’s core audience for over 30 years.”

The new Messenger Camera Bag and Photo/Laptop Daypack are available now in black, olive and burnt orange at suggested retail prices of $129.95 and $139.95 respectively.

To see full video demonstrations of these and other Tenba products, visit www.tenbatv.com, or the company’s full website, www.tenba.com.

Elmsford NY, February 15, 2010 –Tenba’s new Ultralight Backpack seems to want to challenge gravity to a duel. This newest addition to the company’s Shootout collection of outdoor bags weighs in at less than 48 ounces, yet has the capacity to fit a full-size professional digital camera system with one or two bodies, three to five lenses and all the usual accessories.

According to Product Manager Peter Waisnor, “We spent months designing a really functional, protective and feature-filled backpack, then spent a few more months figuring out how to leave in all the muscle and get rid of all the fat.” Waisnor says that “After nearly a year, the result is a photo backpack that weighs less than any comparable backpack in Tenba’s history, yet makes no functional compromises. The Ultralight’s feature set and capacity-to-weight ratio is truly groundbreaking for the photo industry.” The company says that it knows of no other true “apples-to-apples” photo backpack that comes in at under 3 lbs.

The Shootout Ultralight is constructed of a rugged combination of dobby nylon and diamond ripstop nylon, both chosen for their durability and water-resistance yet minimal weight. Every exterior opening is defended by a gasket-sealed YKK® zipper, for extreme weather protection. The Ultralight also features a unique security feature, Tenba’s exclusive Switchback™ Module. The Switchback is a padded camera insert that can be used facing either the front or back of the pack. When reversed inside the bag, the camera gear can only be accessed through a discreet rear door on the harness side, making it impossible for unwanted hands to get at the contents when the pack is being worn. Zipper pulls that accommodate any small luggage lock provide yet another level of security.

Other features include a variety of accessory and media pockets and organizers, Tenba’s exclusive, fast-deploying WeatherWrap™ auxiliary rain cover, and more.

The new Shootout Ultralight Backpack is available in black/olive, silver/black and black/black color combinations at a suggested retail price of $134.95.

To see full video demonstrations of these and other Tenba products, visit www.tenbatv.com, or the company’s full website, www.tenba.com.

We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of onOne Software’s iPhone App DSLR Camera Remote 1.3. This update features new camera support as well as several product enhancements, including:

Support for Nikon D3s, Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 1D MK IV
Canon EOS Rebel T1i and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard compatibility improvements
Simplified simultaneous multiple option usage
Improved logging to aid in networking troubleshooting

This is a free update for all owners of DSLR Camera Remote Professional or Lite. It is important for users to update both the DSLR Camera Remote app on their iPhone or iPod Touch AND update the DSLR Camera Remote Server at the same time to version 1.3.

To get the free updates:

Use the “Check for Updates” function inside iTunes on your computer
Use the “Check for Updates” function inside the App Store app on your iPhone or iPod Touch
Download the updated server from www.ononesoftware.com/iphone

Everything in the Alien Skin web store is 20% off through February 28th. On top of previous donations, 10% of all profit in February will be donated to Haiti relief funds.

Raleigh, North Carolina– Alien Skin Software today announces the immediate start of a store-wide sale to benefit Haiti. From now through February 28th, 2010, everything in the Web store at www.alienskin.com is 20% off. 10% of Alien Skin Software’s profits for the entire month of February (not just from the sale) will be donated to funds specifically for Haiti through the Red Cross and the Community Coalition for Haiti. This is on top of significant donations already made by the company and individual employees.

“I am confident that the sale will generate a significant donation to Haiti relief funds,” said Jeff Butterworth, CEO of Alien Skin Software. “I also encourage everyone to donate blood. There is no substitute for this precious resource. I do it for the free cookies and bright bandage to show off around the office!”

One of the charities benefiting from the sale is the Community Coalition for Haiti (CCH), a 501(c)(3) NGO that recently sent its seventh team of volunteer medical professionals to Jacmel, Haiti. Long time friend of Alien Skin Software, Cameron Davidson, is a board member of the CCH. You can see Cameron’s photos of Haiti that span 1999 through the earthquake aftermath at his web site at http://camerondavidson.com. Cameron’s blog at http://www.camerondavidson.com/blog/ gives details of the recent CCH work in Haiti.

About Alien Skin Software
Alien Skin Software makes Photoshop plug-ins for photographers and graphic designers. We distill advanced math and cutting edge research into simple tools that render beautiful pictures. Our reputation for bug-free software and fast, friendly tech support has grown worldwide since 1993. For more information, visit our website at http://www.alienskin.com/haiti.aspx.

For marketing or product review information, e-mail press@alienskin.com or call (919) 832-4124.

Seems like they were pretty secretive about this update and when it would come out! So, for all you Aperture users, here are the details. Maybe Adobe was waiting to see what happened with this product before they released Lightroom 3?

New Features Include Faces, Places & Brushes

CUPERTINO, California—February 9, 2010—Apple today introduced Aperture 3, the next major release of its powerful photo editing and management software, with over 200 new features including Faces, Places and Brushes. Building on the innovative Faces and Places features introduced in iPhoto ’09, Aperture 3 makes it even easier and faster to organize 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 slide shows let you share your work by weaving together photos, audio, text and HD video.

“Millions of people love using iPhoto to organize, edit and share their digital photos,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Aperture 3 is designed for both professionals who edit and manage massive libraries of photos and iPhoto users who want to take their photos further with easy-to-use tools such as Brushes and Adjustment Presets.”

“Aperture 3 gets it right,” said National Geographic photographer, Jim Richardson. “The image editing tools are exactly what I have been asking for, they’re so easy to use and give me a level of control that I never even thought possible.”

“I chose Aperture because it was the most powerful archiving application around, but it’s now an unbelievable imaging tool as well,” said Bill Frakes, Sports Illustrated staff photographer. “I am beyond impressed with the massive changes made in Aperture 3.”

Aperture 3 allows you to organize large photo libraries with even more flexibility using Projects and the new Faces and Places. Faces uses face detection and recognition to find and organize your photos by the people in them. You can view faces across your entire photo library or view just the faces that appear in selected projects. In a new view that speeds up the organization process, Aperture 3 displays faces that have been detected but haven’t yet been named. Places lets you explore your photos based on where they were taken, and like in iPhoto, Places automatically reverse geocodes GPS data into user-friendly locations. In Aperture 3, you can assign locations by dragging-and-dropping photos onto a map or by using location information from GPS enabled cameras, tracking devices or your iPhone photos.

The new Brushes feature allows you to add professional touches to your photos by simply painting effects onto the image. Aperture 3 includes 15 Quick Brushes that perform the most popular tasks like Dodge, Burn, Polarize and Blur, without the complexity of layers or masks. Brushes can automatically detect edges in your images to let you apply or remove effects exactly where you want them. Aperture 3 includes dozens of Adjustment Presets that apply a specific style or look to the entire image with just a click. You can create your own custom presets or explore the techniques of other photographers by importing theirs.

Aperture 3 makes it easy to share your work with stunning slide shows that weave together photos, audio, text and HD video. You can select one of six Apple designed themes or choose your own transitions, background, borders and titles, and even add your own soundtrack. You can export your slide shows directly to iTunes® to take with you on your iPhone or iPod touch. You can also share photographs as beautiful prints, create custom-designed hardcover books and publish to online photo sharing sites like Facebook and Flickr, right from Aperture 3.

Pricing & Availability

Aperture 3 is available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) and existing Aperture users can upgrade for a suggested retail price of $99 (US). A downloadable 30-day trial version is available at www.apple.com/aperture/trial. Aperture 3 runs as a 64-bit application on Mac OS® X Snow Leopard® on Macs with Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Full system requirements, online tutorials and more information on Aperture 3 can be found at www.apple.com/aperture.

This camera looks REALLY good! In fact, at $800, what is it going to do to 7D sales? And WHERE is my firmware upgrade for my 5D Mark II? Come on Canon! We’ve waited long enough…

The Family Camera is Back, Introducing the EOS Rebel T2i Featuring a Large 18-Megapixel CMOS Sensor and Full HD Video Recording with Selectable Frame Rates up to 30 fps

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., February 8, 2010 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today introduced the new flagship model for the Company’s highly popular Rebel DSLR line: the Canon EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR camera. Today’s photo enthusiast is looking for a camera that will grow with them as they learn, and that is a perfect description of the new EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR camera. Retaining all of the traditional characteristics that have made the EOS Rebel series beloved by entry-level photographers and an industry best-seller, the new Rebel T2i succeeds in bridging the gap between an entry-level camera and a true pro-sumer camera.

The Rebel T2i Digital SLR camera includes a variety of new features for photographic assignments as varied as grabbing that action shot from the sidelines or creating memorable family portraits, including: 3.7 fps shooting, an ISO range of 100-6400 (expandable to 12,800), a 63-zone Dual Layer Metering System, and Canon’s DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor. There are some moments in our lives where video helps capture the moment better than a still image, and the Rebel T2i offers the best of both worlds with Full HD 1080p video as well as 18-megapixel still images. The Rebel T2i DSLR continues Canon’s industry-leading trend in Full HD DSLR video capture with manual exposure control, selectable frame rates and a new external microphone input. There is also a new feature for standard definition recording, Movie Crop, which provides an approximate 7x additional zoom with no loss of image quality when shooting SD quality video.

“There is no question that HD video is the biggest trend in DSLR technology and because of this we are seeing the creativity of still photographers transferring to the moving image. Still photographers are using the various lenses and accessories they are already familiar with to create amazing video footage,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “Taking that HD video quality and putting it in the hands of entry-level photographers with cameras like our new EOS Rebel T2i, we are seeing a new generation of creative digital artists emerge.”

Lights, Rebel, Action – EOS HD Video

Canon’s EOS HD video capture has helped spark a major movement in digital imaging, empowering still photographers with the ability to experiment, learn and capture stunning high-definition video through a variety of creative lenses. Continuing this imaging revolution, the new EOS Rebel T2i puts entry-level photographers on the frontline equipped with all the latest EOS HD video features including full HD video at 1920×1080 resolution, selectable frame rates, full manual exposure control and the visual options of interchangeable lenses. Manual video exposure control provides novice filmmakers with the image control they are accustomed to in a still camera, all while shooting professional-level cinematic video. Professional photographers utilize creative lighting, adjustable depth-of-field and a variety of lenses to create powerful still images and video footage, and these are exactly the tools that the new Rebel T2i gives to budding photo and video enthusiasts. Adding a new professional-level feature for EOS cameras, the Rebel T2i includes an Auto ISO function that works in all Creative Zone exposure modes including Manual where users can set a limit to the highest ISO the camera will use, enabling them to retain the lighting and look they desire for a scene. By setting an Auto ISO range, videographers can retain dark shadow areas and avoid blowing out highlight areas in a scene while still retaining the benefit of automatic ISO adjustments. The Rebel T2i DSLR captures video in both NTSC (National Television System Committee) and PAL (Phase Altering Line) standards at selectable frame rates including Full HD 1920 x 1080 at 30 (29.97), 25 or 24 (23.976) fps, and HD 1280 x 720 or Standard Definition 640 x 480 quality video, at 60 (59.94) or 50 fps.

For easier video recording operation and familiar functionality for beginners, the Rebel T2i’s autofocus can be operated before or during video recording by pressing the shutter button half-way down in video mode. Another feature debuting in the Rebel T2i is Canon’s new Movie Crop mode, where the user can achieve 7x magnification when shooting SD video for a significantly increased “telephoto” effect. Unlike the digital zoom feature found in many compact digital cameras, Canon’s new Movie Crop mode actually crops the image directly from the CMOS sensor at full SD resolution to preserve maximum image quality and provide additional zoom power. The new Movie Crop feature is especially helpful for achieving extra full resolution zoom power when filming youth sports, such as a child running to the furthest end of a field. For better sound quality when shooting video, the Rebel T2i DSLR includes an external stereo microphone jack, a first for an EOS Rebel model, in addition to its built-in monaural microphone. These audio and video features supplement a tremendous range of additional must-have video features in an entry-level Digital SLR camera.

For enhanced viewing pleasure and easy video sharing at home, the HDMI video-out capability of the Rebel T2i DSLR includes a new Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) compatibility which allows users to play back still or video files on a CEC-compliant HDTV, using the TV remote to control the camera when connected via HDMI interface.

Camera Feature Set

The EOS Rebel T2i DSLR features a newly developed 18-million-pixel Canon CMOS imaging sensor providing outstanding resolution and light sensitivity for amazing poster-sized prints with fine detail and stunning color. The camera exhibits exceptional low-noise performance incorporating many of the same technologies used to reduce noise in professional cameras such as the EOS 7D. The Rebel T2i camera’s basic ISO range is an amazing 100~6400, and via a Custom Function, it can be extended to ISO 12,800. The outstanding ISO range combined with its noise reduction technology allows the Rebel T2i to capture outstanding low-light pictures at events such as candlelit birthday celebrations or recitals where flash photography may be prohibited.

The camera provides 3.7 fps continuous shooting for still photos, making it the fastest shooting Rebel model to date and enabling users to capture that great image of a little leaguer’s first swing. The camera features Canon’s proprietary iFCL 63-zone dual-layer metering system offering intelligent Evaluative metering with much finer segmentation than any previous EOS Rebel model. The new Rebel T2i also has an expanded ± 5 EV exposure compensation range allowing for much more versatility when shooting in extremely bright or dark environments; or when shooting HDR (high dynamic range) images.

The Rebel T2i DSLR includes a number of professional-level user-selectable Canon image processing features to enhance the image quality of in-camera JPEG files, and to tag RAW images for processing later through Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software (included with the camera). These features include Canon’s Auto Lighting Optimizer to enhance shadow detail and add contrast to “flat” scenes, Highlight Tone Priority adding up to one stop of detail in bright highlight areas, Peripheral Illumination Correction for automatic correction of vignetting, High ISO Noise Reduction with four user-selectable settings, and Long Exposure Noise Reduction applied to exposures one second or longer. These Canon image enhancements provide new photographers with professional quality automatic image correction on JPEG files right out of the camera.

The EOS Rebel T2i digital camera includes a new enhanced 3-inch LCD monitor featuring 1.04 million dots with a wide 3:2 aspect ratio, wider than previous EOS models. The Rebel T2i camera’s LCD monitor can display a full-screen video image utilizing the entire screen during playback. For maximum storage capacity the new EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR camera is the first EOS model to support SDXC memory cards. With all the new and exciting features of the EOS Rebel T2i, the Rebel series continues to provide great Canon features such as Live View, a built-in pop-up flash, and the EOS integrated cleaning system, as well as compatibility with Canon EX-series Speedlites and Canon EF and EF-S lenses allowing users to fully explore multiple creative photographic possibilities. The new EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR camera is also compatible with Canon’s new BG-E8 battery grip and new RC-6 wireless remote control for both still images and video capture.

Pricing and Availability

The Canon EOS Rebel T2i Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in early March, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $799.99. It will also be offered in a kit version with Canon’s EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens at an estimated retail price of $899.99.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2009†, with global revenues of US $35 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

# # #

† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office

All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.

Specifications, availability, and pricing are subject to change without notice.

Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary.

HDMI, HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are registered trademarks or trademarks of HDMI licensing, LLC.

Topaz Detail v2 is a major update from v1 that triples the processing speed, sports a slick new user interface, and includes some new processing features. For those not familiar with it, Topaz Detail specializes in sharpening and detail enhancement without creating artifacts or halos. Its underlying algorithms employ the most recent advances in detail enhancement technology to accomplish this. In fact, many people say they like it even better than Topaz Adjust!

We’re certainly very excited about this upgrade, and it’s going to make your workflow much easier – if only because of the huge speed increase! Without further ado, existing Detail v1 customers can get Detail 2 here for the grand total of $0:

To download the upgrade, click here. Your existing license key will work for this update. Topaz Fusion users will also need to update to the latest version of Fusion.

If you don’t have Topaz Detail, check out the very cool detail enhancement and sharpening plug-in here: Topaz Detail. If you like it, use the coupon code “DET2FAST” for a 25% discount on either Topaz Detail or the entire Photoshop Bundle. (Expires 3/01/10.)

Thank you so much for supporting us and we hope you enjoy the update. The reason that we are able to provide timely and free product upgrades is because you spread the word, and we truly appreciate that. This way we’re able to spend more money and more time on making our products better instead of on advertising. So, if you like our software or service, we would be very grateful if you tell a friend or write a review. Let us know if you do!

CALL FOR ENTRIES
Deadline: February 28, 2010

Founded by photographer Art Wolfe in 1997, the ICP Awards is a premier photography event for the advancement of photography as a unique medium to bring awareness of and to preserve our environment.

The juried photo competition includes:

Cash and merchandise awards for selected photographers
Online exhibit
Three month exhibit at: Seattle’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Publication in PhotoMedia
Recipient of the Art Wolfe award will receive: Canon’s new EPS-1D Mark IV (body) digital camera, value $5000

Selected photographs will celebrate the world’s diversity and the creativity and originality of photographers from around the world.

Categories:

Landscape, Student, Puget Sound at Risk, Underwater, Wildlife, Conservation Project, Flora, Nature at Risk, Community at Risk

For Information and Registration: www.icpawards.com

Photos L to R: Tyson Fisher, Graham Morgan, Kevin McNeal (2)

Craft & Vision is excited to announce the sequel to the popular eBook, The Inspired Eye. The Inspired Eye, Vol II picks up where the first one left off as duChemin continues to explore that foundation of all our photographic efforts: the creative process. Trying to escape a creative funk? This is a great place to begin. Illustrated with the images from David’s first foray back into film as he works to stay sharp creatively, this PDF is 32 pages long, and still only $5.00.

48-hour Special Offer

But wait! There’s more! For the first 48 hours only, if you use the promotional code inspired4 when you checkout, you can have The Inspired Eye II for only $4 OR use the code inspired25 to get 25% off when you buy 4 or more books from the collection. These codes expire at 12:00am PST January 24, 2010.

Be Part of Something Bigger

This eBook release comes hot on the heels of David’s return from Kenya. While there he found an opportunity to build classrooms for an extremely poor school just outside the Maasai Mara National Park, and we’ve started the process to build those classrooms. 100% of the sales from the first 1000 copies of this eBook will go directly to that project, giving you a chance to be part of something much bigger.

Buy The Inspired Eye, Vol II Now!

Vincent LaForet recently announced an exiting video contest where he is collaborating with Canon and Vimeo. I watched the initial video the Vincent put together and it is fantastic! Plus, he’s got a LOT of the folks that have interviewed on LensFlare35 involved as judges! Judges for the contest include: Philip Bloom – Director/DP, Russell Carpenter – DP – “Titanic”, Rodney Charters – Director/DP – “24”, Nick Childs – Director/Producer /VP Grey Advertising, Shane Hurlbut – DP – “Terminator Salvation”, Stu Maschwitz – Senior Visual FX Supervisor – “The Spirit”, Rick McCallum – Producer – “Star Wars”, Blake Whitman – Director/Editor – Mr. Vimeo himself.

Here is an excerpt from Vincent:

“Introducing the first user-generated HD Video Contest where photographers become filmmakers, and we all see beyond the still. To kick off the contest, Canon asked me to interpret what story I saw beyond the still, and to tell that story with the new Canon EOS 7D. My short film will be the first chapter of seven, each ending with a still photograph for the next aspiring filmmaker to interpret. Posing the question to everyone, what do you see beyond the still?”

“Watch my short film (below) and the contest will begin January 15th. I look forward to seeing what everyone creates! More info coming soon!”

This video was Directed, Shot and Edited by Blake Whitman. Additional cameras by Brian King and Sean O’Brien.

So watch the video below and get involved in the project. If you do, let us know and we may publish what you put together right here!

]]> http://www.lensflare35.com/index.php/what-happens-when-you-mix-vincent-laforet-canon-and-vimeo-a-cool-video-contest/feed/ 0 http://www.lensflare35.com/index.php/canon-releases-three-new-wireless-file-transmitter-devices-for-three-digital-slr-cameras/ http://www.lensflare35.com/index.php/canon-releases-three-new-wireless-file-transmitter-devices-for-three-digital-slr-cameras/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:57:58 +0000 Dave Warner http://www.lensflare35.com/index.php/?p=1376

The EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D Cameras Utilize New Canon WFT Units To Help Professionals Deliver “The Shot”

Lake Success, N.Y., January 7, 2010 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, is announcing a step forward in the digital integration of professional photography workflows with the introduction of three new Wireless File Transmitter units to accompany each of the Company’s three professional Digital SLR Camera models. The new WFT-E2 II A Wireless File Transmitter, WFT-E4 II A Wireless File Transmitter and WFT-E5A Wireless File Transmitter for the EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D, respectively, provide professional photographers with a range of innovative wireless connectivity options for all photographic disciplines.

For example, by coupling each compatible camera with one of the new WFT units, professionals can fire up to 10 cameras simultaneously with Canon’s new Camera Linking function, which is perfect for getting that split-second shot from multiple angles. The new WFT units also enable the roaming photojournalist or back-country nature photographer to geotag images easily through hard-wired or Bluetooth-connected GPS devices and append coordinates to the image’s EXIF data. Additionally, reliable file transfer options such as FTP Mode provide wedding and event photographers with the ability to send images in real-time to a computer for instant prints or projection onto event screens while allowing the photographer to operate wirelessly.

“The high-tech world of digital photography has presented professional photographers with new methods for image capture and delivery, streamlining workflows and providing digital delivery from across a room, or across the world. The level of connection and control offered by our new WFT units along with their enhanced ease-of-use will change the methods and speed by which professionals deliver images and conduct business,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

802.11 a/b/g Compatible
All three new Canon WFT units provide a wide range of different wireless compatibility options, as well as a wired option to ensure the unit will sync into any professional workflow. For this new series of professional WFT units, Canon has added IEEE802.11a connectivity, the preferred wireless networking transmission method for commercial and corporate environments, offering reliable data transfer rates, strong resistance to electronic interference, and worldwide acceptance in heavy bandwidth environments, particularly within sporting arenas, entertainment venues and retail establishments.

WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)
To help make connecting the WFT unit to a wireless network even easier than before, Canon has added a Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) option for a one-touch connection to local wireless networks. This easy option helps ensure that photographers not familiar with wireless LAN setups can just touch a button on their WPS-compatible wireless router to connect it to their camera.

FTP transfer mode
The WFT units provide access to the camera from anywhere in the world via the internet as if it were an FTP site and can allow a photo editor download images with ease. Canon’s FTP connection is a direct file transfer mode that allows for the instant transfer of files across a local network or across the world via the internet. This is the connection of choice for many professional photographers looking to deliver their images with a wireless connection back to a computer as they are shot.

New WFT Server mode
The new WFT Server mode, previously called HTTP mode on legacy WFT units, allows up to three users to remotely connect to a camera via any standard Web browser for global access of images in real-time. Canon’s WFT Server mode allows for multiple connected users to download both images and video files from a camera, as well as view still images, see a remote live view of the camera’s rear LCD screen and remotely fire a camera all through the Web. The ability to initiate remote capture to a compatible personal computer while viewing the Live View display from either a computer terminal or mobile device such as a netbook, iPhone, or iPod Touch is an exciting and extremely useful feature that can be performed from within a local network or from across the globe over most web browsers. Multiple photo editors can now have instant access to a photographer’s images, or photographers can remotely control a camera and transfer images to a compatible computer from the comfort of their mobile devices.

“EOS Utility” mode
The EOS Utility mode, previously called PTP mode on legacy WFT units, provides full-camera control while remote shooting with a complete full Live View preview on-screen, allowing a photographer to see and shoot from a computer as if the camera were in-hand. EOS Utility mode is essentially a wireless version of a direct USB connection, and the ideal mode for a commercial or portrait studio that needs full camera control and instant feedback across a local network.

New Camera Linking function
The new Camera Linking function enables photographers to link up to 10 “slave” cameras wirelessly to one “master” camera and fire all eleven cameras simultaneously for multiple images from various vantage points. Imagine being able to capture the crowd’s reaction while shooting the play on the field, or having a camera capture the view from the stage while shooting the event from the pit; with Canon’s new easy camera linking function the way a moment is preserved may never be the same. Each linked camera must be equipped with a compatible WFT unit.

USB Host function
While each Canon camera has a small USB port, the WFT unit includes a USB Host port, allowing photographers to connect large capacity storage devices or GPS units directly to the camera for maximum storage capacity or geotagging images. This allows for a huge amount of storage possibilities, as well as allowing for coordinate data input on image files. The new WFT unit is now also compatible with Canon Bluetooth unit BU-30, allowing Bluetooth compatible GPS devices to connect and append information to images wirelessly. This allows the photographer to be completely free of wires while shooting and still tag GPS coordinates to images.

New Media Server function
With the WFT-E5A’s new Media Server function, EOS 7D photographers can wirelessly transfer and display images on DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) -compatible televisions and photo frames, ideal for photo presentations and workshops. This feature is available exclusively with the WFT-E5A Wireless File Transmitter.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon WFT-E4 II A Wireless File Transmitter and WFT-E5A Wireless File Transmitter are currently available and sell at an estimated retail price of $699.99i each. The WFT-E2 II A Wireless File Transmitter is scheduled to be available in the first quarter of 2010, price to be determined.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register, please visit: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all products. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

This project is to bring to light the ongoing global efforts to preserve and protect the cheetah; from breeding facilities in the United States to conservation efforts in the field in Namibia, Kenya, Botswana and Tanzania.

My serious interest in the cheetah started in the mid-90s when I attended a talk given by Dr. Laurie Marker in Washington D.C., and was fascinated by her program and the struggles involved in preserving the species. I met with a professional at the Philadelphia Zoo in consultation to see whether returning to school to become a wildlife conservationist would be a good idea, however decided ultimately that my talents lay in photography. Fast forward a number of years and I am returning to the project of using photography to spread the word about the cheetah.

The first leg of the project involves photographing the daily activities at breeding facilities in North America and then moving on to Namibia to document the conservation efforts in the field.

If anyone has any any information as to which grants or news agencies to pitch, please feel free to call or email with any questions or information.

Sincerely,

Marcy

Marcy Mendelson
Photographer
www.innercamera.com
San Francisco, CA
415-519-2478
marcymendelson@gmail.com

You knew it was going to happen – that sweet 70-200 lens was going to get an update, just as SOON as you bought one for Christmas, right? Well, I’ve been holding off waiting for this one, and by reading the press release below, it looks like a great update! Just wish they didn’t have that ‘pricing to be determined’ line in there. AND, I hope it isn’t as much of a price increase as the new 100mm macro lens was over the previous model!

Canon’s New EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Incorporates Advanced Lens Elements and Enhanced Durability for High-Speed Autofocus and High-Performance Optical Image Stabilization

Lake Success, N.Y., January 5, 2010 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, introduces the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens. Arguably the most popular focal range in Canon’s telephoto arsenal and a staple lens for any professional photographer, the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens provides the focal length, maximum aperture and zoom power for capturing everything from fast-action sports to studio portraits. Built for the professional, the body structure of the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens has been enhanced to provide better durability and strength without a significant increase in weight. Canon has improved optical performance on the new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens by redesigning the internal elements, incorporating a fluorite element and a fifth UD element. The use of the fluorite element and five UD elements helps to minimize secondary chromatic aberrations and produce better image quality with improved contrast and resolution through the entire zoom range; the end result is an optically precise lens worthy of becoming the leader of Canon’s L-series lenses.

Along with its redesigned optical elements, the new lens design features improved AF speed due to a new focusing algorithm and has reduced the minimum focusing distance to 3.9 feet (1.2 meters) through the entire zoom range, allowing photographers to capture tighter portraiture shots in a small studio space. The previous lens model’s minimum focusing distance was 4.6 feet (1.4 meters), whereas now photographers can stand nearly 8 inches closer to their subject and achieve sharp focus and tight crops. Canon has also enhanced the Image Stabilization allowing it to compensate for shutter speeds up to four steps slower than 1/focal length, a one step improvement over the previous lens model.

“Canon’s core has always been our optics, and we are constantly challenging ourselves to produce better and more advanced optical systems for our customers. The new EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens incorporates the best advancements in Canon lens technology from the past few years and packages it into what we believe will be the most popular lens for professionals and advanced photographers,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

The enhanced magnesium alloy barrel design of the EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens features added strength with a minimal 20-gram increase in weight compared with the previous model (1490g vs. 1470g) and retains Canon’s protective seals and fittings providing dust and water resistance for those photographers working in adverse conditions. A new bayonet mount on the front of the lens includes a locking mechanism to ensure the supplied lens hood remains securely in place. Other noticeable improvements include a wider focusing ring, and sleeker design by reducing the thickness of any protruding elements such as the switch panel. The new lens is also compatible with Canon’s existing EF1.4X II and EF2X II Extenders as well as EF Extension Tubes and the 77mm Close-Up Lens 500D.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens is supplied with a detachable tripod collar, a reversible bayonet mount lens hood and a lens pouch. The new lens is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in April, price to be determined.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register, please visit: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all products. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

Elmsford NY – December 29, 2009 – PocketWizard launched the newest and most advanced firmware for the MiniTT1 Transmitter and FlexTT5 Transceiver. ControlTL™ Firmware Version 5.0 for Canon incorporates several new features, many performance improvements and new camera and flash compatibility. Now, with a simple download, customers who already own MiniTT1’s and FlexTT5’s can upgrade them to get the same features found on brand new units. Owners are encouraged to upgrade all existing units at the same time for improved performance.

Two key version 5.0 capabilities are Rear Curtain Sync and Pre-Flash Boost. PocketWizard’s rear curtain sync allows the photographer to set the shutter speed at which rear curtain sync automatically engages while optimizing the timing of rear curtain sync to fire at the absolute end of the shutter opening. Pre-Flash Boost provides enhanced E-TTL performance when using flash diffusers, doing bounce flash, or at ranges just beyond the normal E-TTL capabilities. By increasing the pre-flash power, PocketWizard has offset the loss of light in these challenging E-TTL situations.

Another significant new feature is Automatic Camera Detection. The ControlTL system can now automatically detect exactly which camera is being used to optimize system performance precisely for that camera. For Canon 5D and 5D Mark II users, this means the system will set the High Speed Sync crossover point to 1/320th versus the default of 1/400th to compensate for those camera’s slower shutter mechanisms. Camera compatibility for the Canon 7D has been added as well as E-TTL flash compatibility for the Metz 58 AF-1 flash.

Several other new features and refinements have been made and complete details can be found at www.PocketWizard.com/downloads. Current MiniTT1 Transmitter and FlexTT5 Transceiver owners can upgrade to the new firmware for free via the recently revised PocketWizard Utility.

About PocketWizard and the MiniTTI and FlexTT5

The PocketWizard MiniTT1 Transmitter and FlexTT5 Transceiver for Canon allow photographers to wirelessly control single or multiple off-camera flash units. These radios interpret the flash and exposure data communicated through the camera’s hot shoe and digitally transmit the information through a reliable radio signal. Photographers can place E-TTL flashes connected to a dedicated FlexTT5 Transceiver for wireless E-TTL operation wherever they need to illuminate a scene, even out of sight or in bright sun. Any change in ISO, aperture, shutter speed and even flash compensation is automatically communicated and adjusted wirelessly. A ControlTL system for Nikon is in the works as well as compatibility with some studio lights. The ControlTL system is also compatible for standard triggering with all PocketWizard radios.

For More Information

For more information on firmware version 5.0, including all new features and refinements, please visit PocketWizard.com.

Canon has released a firmware update for the EOS 5D Mark II camera. Firmware Version 1.2.4 incorporates the following improvements and fixes.

Supports the WFT-E4 II wireless file transmitter that was released in December 2009.
Corrects a phenomenon in which visible noise may appear in images taken by continuous Bulb shooting.
Firmware Version 1.2.4 is for cameras with firmware up to version 1.1.0. If the camera’s firmware is already version 1.2.4, it is not necessary to update the firmware.

In addition, after the firmware is updated, if the WFT-E4 or WFT-E4 II wireless file transmitter is used with the camera, the indications that appear under [Communication mode] on the [WFT settings] menu are changed as follows:

FTP -> FTP trans
PTP(PC) -> EOSUtility
HTTP -> WFTserver
HTTP account -> WFT account

If you are setting the WFT-E2 II by using a computer, please download and use the dedicated WFT Utility application.

For details on how to download this firmware update, please visit the Canon site.

Gorgeous detailed effects look organic and natural. Over 1000 presets that adapt to image size make Eye Candy easy to use. Professional features support production environments, such as CMYK color mode, 16-bit/channel images, and acceleration for multi-core computers.

Raleigh, North Carolina – December 1, 2009 – Alien Skin Software today announces the immediate availability of Eye Candy® 6, the new version of its graphic design special effects plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop®. The 30 filters in Eye Candy render beautifully detailed realistic effects that are difficult or impossible to achieve in Photoshop alone. Now it is easy to create attractive results quickly because Eye Candy adapts to the current image size.

“Eye Candy could always render a huge range of beautiful effects, but you had to be an expert to achieve them,” said Terence Tay, the architect of Eye Candy. “Now version 6 hands them to you on a silver platter by providing improved presets which automatically adapt to your image size.”

Beauty
Eye Candy handles every situation elegantly, from slick Web interfaces (Chrome, Glass, Perspective Shadow) to tasteful logos (Bevel, Brushed Metal, Extrude) to spectacular titles (Chrome, Corona, Fire). Realism sets Eye Candy effects apart from the generic filters built into Photoshop. Effects like Animal Fur, Smoke, and Reptile Skin are rendered in exquisite detail down to individual hairs, turbulent wisps, and irregular bumps. Eye Candy makes your designs look natural and organic, not computery and fake.

Ease of Use
Eye Candy makes it easy to apply tasteful special effects to any project, which is quite a feat considering that it contains 30 filters, over 1000 presets, and hundreds of controls. All that power is tamed by a deceptively simple user interface. The presets are now organized into categories and each one adapts to fit the size of your current image. The numerous presets handle nearly any situation, but you can also customize each effect and save your own settings.

Help for Eye Candy 6 is everywhere. Tooltips appear above every control and a detailed manual pops up with a single key press. The Web site has a large library of tutorial videos, example images, a knowledge base, and a discussion forum.

Professional Features
Eye Candy is made for professionals in demanding production environments who need support for 16-bit/channel images and CMYK mode. Eye Candy 6 now takes advantage of multi-core CPUs to run fast on modern machines. Eye Candy 6 is one of the first plug-ins to work with the 64-bit version of Photoshop. Panels for Photoshop CS4 are provided for starting Eye Candy filters with a single click and for quickly creating attractive buttons. Eye Candy provides multiple techniques for non-destructive editing in Photoshop, including Smart Filter support and rendering effects on a duplicate of the original layer.

Pricing and Availability
Eye Candy 6 sells for $249 USD. Owners of any version of Eye Candy may upgrade for $99 USD. Online or physical delivery is available through the Alien Skin website at www.alienskin.com. A real live human can take orders or answer questions at 888-921-SKIN (7546). Free upgrades will be automatically sent to purchasers of the Eye Candy 5 Bundle (Impact, Nature, and Textures) who purchased after October 11, 2009.

Host Requirements
Eye Candy 6 is a plug-in and requires one of the following host applications:

Adobe Photoshop CS3 or later
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 or later on Mac OS X
Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 or later on Windows
Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
Adobe Fireworks CS4

System Requirements
Microsoft Windows users must have at least a Pentium 4 processor or compatible and Windows XP or later. Apple Macintosh users must have a PowerPC G5 or Intel processor and Mac OS X 10.5 or later. A monitor with 1024×768 resolution or greater is required.

About Alien Skin Software
Alien Skin Software makes Photoshop plug-ins for photographers and graphic designers. We distill advanced math and cutting edge research into simple tools that render beautiful pictures. Our reputation for bug-free software and fast, friendly tech support has grown worldwide since 1993. For more information, visit our website at www.alienskin.com.

New version of award-winning software suite offers six essential tools that help photographers achieve better results faster, now includes new presets and frames from National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) instructors

Portland, OR– November 25, 2009 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, timesaving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced the immediate availability of Plug-in Suite 5 for Adobe Photoshop. Designed to solve the most common problems facing photographers in the areas of color correction, enlarging, masking and professional photographic effects, the Plug-in Suite 5 combines full versions of six essential software tools in one affordable package: FocalPoint 2, PhotoTune 3, PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition, PhotoTools 2.5 Professional Edition, Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition and MaskPro 4.

With support for Photoshop CS2, CS3 and CS4 the onOne Software Plug-in Suite 5 now includes the new onOne Panel which provides quick access to all products, Windows 64 bit support and the ability to access select plug-ins from within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and Apple Aperture 2.1. Plug-in Suite 5 is available for electronic download immediately and physical boxed copies will be shipping by December 5, 2009.

“We are excited to announce the immediate availability of Plug-in Suite 5, our biggest product update and release in over 4 years,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “This release is the culmination of working closely with both professional and enthusiast photographers to ensure that Plug-in Suite 5 continues to solve the most common problems they face by providing high quality, easy to use products at an incredible value. We are particularly pleased about partnering with NAPP to include content from some of the biggest names in the Photoshop community.”

Plug-in Suite 5 includes full versions of the following onOne Software products:

FocalPoint 2 – Like bringing the camera lens inside Photoshop, this new version of FocalPoint 2 gives photographers the best way to add the most realistic depth of field and selective focus control to any image after it is photographed. Photographers now have an incredible amount of flexibility and control over the look of the blur with FocalPoint 2′s new blur algorithm, FocusBrush, Lens Presets, featuring 18 from Rafael Concepcion from NAPP, and multiple FocusBug features.

PhotoTune 3 – Getting great color doesn’t have to be so hard. This new version of PhotoTune 3 uses patented eye-fidelityTM technology, originally developed by and licensed from imsense to optimize the dynamic range, color and sharpness of images so that they look more true-to-life. The improved Wizard offers fast color and tone correction in as little as two steps while giving pro users direct access to advanced and innovative controls. SkinTune, which represents two years of research and analysis of thousands of skin tones, now offers one-click color correction of portraits and the option to correct just the skin in an image.

PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition – With PhotoFrame 4.5, you can add the perfect finishing touch to your images with over 100 exciting new professionally designed frames, backgrounds, textures and layouts, featuring content from NAPP’s Cory Barker and professional photographer Kersti Malvre. With one thousand design elements like film edges, borders, textures, backgrounds and adornments, PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition even has complete layouts where users can simply drop an image in and they are done. It is the easiest and fastest way to add an authentic darkroom touch with a film edge or to create beautiful albums or scrapbook pages

PhotoTools 2.5 Professional Edition – PhotoTools 2.5 is the highly acclaimed Photoshop plug-in that allows photographers of all skill levels to maximize the full power of Photoshop with it’s ability to preview and combine Photoshop Actions in a single, intuitive interface. Designed by photographers for photographers, PhotoTools 2.5 Professional now includes a new MaskingBug control based on the FocusBug control from the award-winning FocalPoint plug-in. The new MaskingBug allows photographers to create high-quality masks to selectively apply effects to images. With over 30 new creative effects, including presets from NAPP’s Rafael Concepcion, for a total effect library of 280, photographers can easily find, combine and save the results to create images that truly stand out.

Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition – The industry standard for enlarging photos, Genuine Fractals 6 enlarges images up to 1,000% while maintaining sharp edges and important image details. Genuine Fractals 6 now includes an automated gallery wrap feature and output options for tiling an enlarged photo. No other resizing plug-in is as widely used by more professionals than Genuine Fractals.

MaskPro 4 – For those times when you need to extract a subject from a photo, Mask Pro 4 uses a color-based method that allows users to easily remove unwanted backgrounds from your photos. Mask Pro’s unique Color Decontamination technology allows users to get realistic results by maintaining transparency in hard to mask objects like hair, smoke and glass in a fraction of the time using traditional tools.

Availability

The new Plug-in Suite 5 is available now to new users for $599.95 and to existing users of previous versions of the Plug-in Suite for $199.95. Purchased separately the products would normally cost $1,300. Customers who own any one or more of the products in Plug-in 5 will be able to upgrade as well by visiting http://www.ononesoftware.com/upgrade/. For more information on the Plug-in Suite 5, please visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Such solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, Apple iPhoto and iPhone applications. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/ or call 1-888-968-1468.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121
Press Contact: Addy Roff, onOne Software, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137
General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/

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© 2009 onOne Software. All rights reserved. onOne Software and the onOne Software logo are registered trademarks in the United States, and all are the property of onOne Software. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

What is Topaz ReMask 2?

• Photoshop plug-in that makes masking and extraction easy
• Powerful algorithms + intuitive workflow = excellent masking
• A huge update from ReMask 1 – practically a whole new product

How does it work?

• Faster than it has any right to
• Easier than you would ever imagine
• Better than was ever possible before

Want proof? Get it here:

http://www.topazlabs.com/remask

ReMask 2 is the culmination of brand-new technology, extremely hard work, and overwhelming community feedback. Because of this, it’s the fastest, easiest, and best-quality masking plug-in available today. But you really shouldn’t take our word for it! Download the free trial to give it a whirl on your own images and start seeing masking in a completely new light.

Here’s a newsletter-exclusive coupon code for $30 off the price for ReMask, which brings it to $39.99: magicbrush. This code will also work as a coupon code for the bundle or bundle upgrades, and expires December 10, 2009. ReMask 1 customers receive ReMask 2 as a free upgrade – just use your existing ReMask 1 license key.

Tyler Stableford told me about a 17-year old photographer who had great talent and potential named Adam Brobjorg. So, I did some research on him and decided he was worth an interview. It will go live on the 24th of November. However, what really struck me about Adam was what he had accomplished with almost NO equipment, being part of a family that was going through some trouble, etc. What would he be able to accomplish IF he had some additional equipment? Well, Tyler thought the same thing and financed a Canon 5D Mark II for Adam. Darrell Gulin had stepped up to the plate and taken him under his wing as well. Both Tyler and Darrell are Canon Explorers of Light.

I decided I would like to help as well, so I created a contest for Adam where he will have the chance to win prizes IF he can get 500 people to make a comment on his podcast! They have to be REAL comments, and I will be moderating them so that they are not spam. What does he win if he gets to 500 comments? Well, that’s up to all of us in this photographic community. Let’s face it, if you are a company, then maybe you can afford to donate some software. If you manufacture hardware, maybe a piece that he can use. If you are a photographer? Well, we ALL have something that we’re not using anymore that could be donated to help this young man. I’ve added something of mine into the mix to give him as well.

So, I’m asking for your participation – what can you donate for this contest? Those who come up with something, will be part of a large write-up about it on the blog. Plus, I’ll put the word out through social media, etc. Either way, I think this is a worthy cause. Take a look at Adam’s work on his website. You can also view the video I’ve put together of some of his images with his voice-over by clicking here, and finally, listen to his full interview. He was nervous, but did a pretty good job.

It’s inspiring to me to see young people this focused and I hope you’ll feel the same. If you’re interested in participating, please email editor@lensflare35.com.

Prizes Donated So Far:

Topaz Labs LLC – a full bundle of software
David duChemin – signed copy of each of my books and a (used) EF 17-40/4.0L
Aggie Villanueva - $50 gift certificate
PictureCode – a license to Noise Ninja
Rick Sammon – A copy of his Complete Guide
ExpoImaging – ExpoDisc
onOne Software – A copy of the new Plug-in Suite 5
WallBlank.com Studio & Printery – $150 in Printing Services
Arthur Morris – Birds as Art - A copy of The Art of Bird Photography books I and II
Mark Anderson Photography – Canon STE2 Speedlite Transmitter

onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of time-saving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced the immediate availability of Photo Essentials 3 for Adobe®Photoshop® Elements 8. Photo Essentials 3 provides users of the popular Photoshop Elements image editing and organizing software with a collection of five tools that painlessly correct color, remove unwanted backgrounds, add photographic effects and enlarge photos. This new version brings improved color correction, additional image framing content and the new Make It Cool! module that give photos a professional look. These easy-to-use tools help photography enthusiasts get the job done quickly and easily in Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Supporting the new Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0, onOne’s Photo Essentials 3.0 offers these capabilities:

New Photo Essentials Palette – The Palette provides quick access to all five modules from a single location right inside Photoshop Elements.
Make It Cool – New in Essentials 3, this offers a library with dozens of professional effects that can be added to images in one click.
Make It Better – Turn your snapshots into professional images. Automatically fix brightness, contrast, color and sharpness with no need to understand cryptic sliders.
Cut It Out – Easily remove an unwanted background while maintaining fine detail such as hair, clouds and glass.
Frame It – Choose from hundreds of easy to add edge and border effects, even combine them, to give pictures the perfect finishing touch.
Enlarge It – Get sharp, poster sized prints out of your photos, even from camera phones.

“We are pleased to announce the immediate availability of Photo Essentials 3 for Adobe Photoshop Elements. Our mission is to provide tools that help make digital photography easier, faster and better. onOne Photo Essentials 3 delivers on this by helping amateur photographers spend less time in front of their computer correcting their digital images and more time behind the camera taking pictures,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “And with this new version of Photo Essentials 3 comes a completely new module, Make It Cool, based on our award-winning PhotoTools 2 plug-in, a new Dynamic Range optimization algorithm in Make It Better and a new version of the Photo Essentials Palette.”

Availability

onOne Software’s Photo Essentials 3 supports Adobe Photoshop Elements versions 6, 7 and 8 for Windows and Adobe Elements 6 or 8 for Macintosh and is available now for $69.99 for new customers and $49.99 for owners of previous versions. For more information on Photo Essentials, please visit www.ononesoftware.com/essentials.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, Apple iPhoto and iPhone applications. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit www.ononesoftware.com or call 1-888-968-1468.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121
Press Contact: Addy Roff, onOne Software, addy@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137
General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com
Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/
onOne Software blog: http://www.ononesoftware.com/blog

The Canon Digital Learning Center has just posted some great new videos and an extensive white paper that is an in-depth look at the camera and its capabilities.  The EOS-1D Mark IV is the latest advancement of Canon’s flagship DSLR series. Combining all the speed and durability of previous generations with a completely revamped Autofocus system, Dual DiG!C 4 processing power, and full EOS HD Video capabilities, the EOS-1D Mark IV sets new standards for professionals who demand the most of their equipment.

EOS 5D Mark II and New EOS 7D Cameras Capture SNL Cast In True New York City Nightlife Style

In a lot of my interviews, I’m asking folks what they’re going to do with the video capability that’s now being built into the new DSLR’s. While some say they don’t know and others say they aren’t going to use it at all, there are a TON of examples of what those who are using it are doing with the cameras. It’s not just the still photographers like Vincent LaForet who are coming up with great ideas, but the videographers out of Hollywood are gravitating to these cameras and really pushing the envelope with them. Here’s just another example, in a press release from Canon.

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., November 11, 2009 – The new season of NBC’s Saturday Night Live debuted not only with an a new cast, but with a new look for the opening title sequence as the entire opening montage was shot using the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and the new EOS 7D digital SLR cameras. The concept behind the opening sequence was portraiture as the director and crew looked to capture “living” portraits of the city, the cast and the unique characters that make up the New York City nightlife.

The crew wanted to capture the city nightlife in as natural a look and setting as possible. This meant minimal additional lighting, and making those on-camera feel comfortable to act naturally. Their solution was the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR cameras, with their amazing low-light performance, small form factor, and amazing depth-of-field, which enabled the crew to shoot in predominantly ambient light without big lighting gear. The crew also found it easy to covertly shoot around the city without drawing a crowd.

The entire sequence was shot using a combination of Canon’s full-frame EOS 5D Mark II and the selectable frame rates of the EOS 7D Digital SLR cameras. Filming at night, the new stars of the hit TV show were shot in various New York City hotspots by a small crew discretely capturing the cast as they participated in select New York happenings. The entire segment was captured and edited in a week’s time, incorporating 30p footage from Canon’s 5D Mark II as well as 60p footage used for slow-motion segments shot with Canon’s EOS 7D Digital SLR camera.

The end result was that the cast and crew were able to shoot in any location – from the Brooklyn Bridge, which has limited ambient light, to a dimly lit street corner, to a more controlled bar interior – using only an on-camera Litepanels MiniPlus for most of the exterior shots and two Kino Flo lights for an interior shot that required some illumination enhancement. The lack of heavy equipment allowed the crew to move around the city quickly and shoot in some tight spaces.

“We have seen a shift in HD video capture toward a simpler and easier HDSLR workflow, and now with the EOS 7D shooting in standard NTSC and PAL frame rates, customers are realizing an even easier HD video workflow, using some of the largest HD video image sensors on the market at a fraction of the cost of competitive equipment,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

The Canon EOS 7D and EOS 5D Mark II empower cinematographers with a high-quality HD video solution featuring full manual exposure control and more than 50 Canon EF lenses to chose from, shooting on two of the industry’s largest HD video sensors. The EOS 7D also features selectable cinematic frame rates. The EOS 7D features Dual DIGIC 4 Imaging Processors and a large APS-C–sized CMOS sensor, while the EOS 5D Mark II features a single DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor and larger Full Frame CMOS sensor, helping to render stunning color reproduction, amazing depth of field and fine high-definition detail.

The Canon EOS 7D records video in one of three modes – Full HD and HD in a 16:9 aspect ratio and Standard Definition (SD) in a 4:3 aspect ratio, all at selectable frame rates: Full HD at 1920 x 1080 pixels in selectable frame rates of 24p (23.976), 25p, or 30p (29.97); 720p HD recording at 50p or 60p (59.94) and SD video at frame rates of 50p or 60p (59.94). The EOS 5D Mark II features 16:9 Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 pixels and 30 fps as well as 4:3 standard TV quality(SD) video capture at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps. The EOS 5D Mark II features 16:9 Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 pixels and 30 fps as well as 4:3 standard TV quality (SD) video capture at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps.

Both cameras record video up to 4GB clip length, depending on the level of detail in the scene, a 4GB clip can record approximately 12 minutes of video at full HD resolution or approximately 24 minutes in standard definition. For both the Canon EOS 7D and EOS 5D Mark II, sound is recorded either through an external stereo microphone or a built-in monaural microphone.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register, please visit: www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all products. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss.

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† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office
All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.
Specifications, availability and prices are subject to change without notice.

Canon has released a firmware update for the EOS 7D. Here is what it does:

1. Corrects a phenomenon that in images captured by continuous shooting, and under certain conditions, barely noticeable traces of the immediately preceding frame may be visible.

This phenomenon is not noticeable in an image with optimal exposure. The phenomenon may become more noticeable if a retouching process such as level compensation is applied to emphasize the image.

To download the update, click on this link.

New version of award-winning software helps photographers create realistic depth of field after the shoot with powerful new features that provide blur control and lens simulation.

Portland, OR– October 27, 2009 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, timesaving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced FocalPoint 2, an Adobe Photoshop plug-in for simulating depth-of-field and selective focus. With FocalPoint 2 photographers can create realistic selective focus, depth-of-field and vignette effects that help focus attention on an area of an image in an easy to use plug-in. Photographers can create an authentic out-of-focus look with aperture shaped highlights with the new blur algorithm that accurately matches the blur a real lens would create. To assist photographers in getting the most out of FocalPoint 2, new lens presets are included that simulate desirable fast aperture lenses that cost 10 times more than FocalPoint 2. By popular demand from customers, FocalPoint 2 supports multiple FocusBugs that let photographers create multiple areas of focus or create complex depth-of-field looks. Finally, there is a new FocusBrush that allows for detailed painting in of the new blur effect in an image for those who want ultimate focus control.

Available in November, FocalPoint 2 is a key component of onOne Software’s Plug-in Suite 5, also announced today. The new Plug-in Suite 5, which includes the new onOne Panel and Windows 64-bit support, features the award-winning plug-ins

PhotoTune 3, PhotoTools 2.5 Professional Edition, PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition, Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition and Mask Pro 4.

“The first version of FocalPoint was very well received by both professional and amateur photographers due to it’s ease-of-use and creativity,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “With FocalPoint 2, we’ve taken the feedback from our customers and developed an entirely new blur algorithm from scratch that simulates the physical characteristics of a real lens as well as added features like support for multiple FocusBugs that were highly requested. This release of FocalPoint 2 is in large part a direct result of feedback from the photographic community.”

New features in FocalPoint 2 include:

• Ultimate Blur Control – The unique controller in FocalPoint called the “FocusBug” now has new controls for you to set the kind of blur you want. Included options for blur quality, amount of blur, the number of blades in the virtual aperture, their rotation and optical quality all achieve the most realistic lens blur you can create without a lens.

• Multiple FocusBugs – With FocalPoint 2 you can use up to six FocusBugs to define the areas you want to keep in focus allowing for multiple areas in your photo to remain in focus while adding the lens specific blur to the rest of the image. It also provides for the ability to combine multiple FocusBugs together to create complex shapes with ease.

• FocusBrush – With the new FocusBrush you can paint focus or paint blur on any part of your photo providing for more control over the image’s focal point. Use the planar or round focus bugs to get started and then use the new FocusBrush to fine-tune the effect. Providing these types of tools within FocalPoint 2 will help save photographers time because it allows them to see exactly how their desired effect looks before clicking the apply button.

• Lens Presets – Using a proprietary blur algorithm designed to replicate the physical properties of a lens, combined with easy-to-use presets, photographers can simulate the blur normally achieved only with “fast” lenses that cost thousands of dollars each. This is perfect for times when a photographer cannot shoot with their lens “wide open” to get the desired depth-of-field as they can now go back with FocalPoint 2 and apply the background blur that they would have originally achieved.

• onOne Panel – The new onOne Panel in Adobe Photoshop provides fast access to FocalPoint 2. This allows the user to quickly launch a module without having to navigate through Photoshop’s menus. But it takes that power even farther by giving users access to their favorite presets right from the panel as well. This will save users time by allowing them to apply their most frequently used effects right inside of Photoshop.

• Additional New Features – FocalPoint 2 includes many new features like Brightness and Contrast controls; nondestructive editing as a Smart Filter; and the ability to access FocalPoint 2 from within Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and Apple Aperture 2.1.

Availability

FocalPoint 2 will be available in November to new users for $159.95 and can also be purchased as part of the affordable Plug-in Suite 5 for $599.95. Existing users of FocalPoint 1 can upgrade to FocalPoint 2 for $99.95. Upgrades from FocalPoint 1 to the new Plug-In Suite 5 are also available at http://www.ononesoftware.com/upgrade/. For more information on the Plug-in Suite 5, please visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Such solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, Apple iPhoto and iPhone applications. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/ or call 1-888-968-1468.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121
Press Contact: Addy Roff, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137
General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com
Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/

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© 2009 onOne Software. All rights reserved. onOne Software and the onOne Software logo are registered trademarks in the United States, and all are the property of onOne Software. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

New version of award-winning software gives photographers perfect color in their photos with an all-new correction engine and advanced controls.

Portland, OR– October 27, 2009 – onOne Software, Inc., a leading developer of innovative, timesaving solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers, today announced PhotoTune 3, an Adobe Photoshop plug-in for optimizing digital photos. The improved PhotoTune Wizard walks new users through the optimizing process in as little as two steps with no need to understand color theory or complex controls like levels or curves. PhotoTune 3 also offers access to advanced adjustments for pro users who want more control. A powerful feature of PhotoTools 3 is SkinTune, which can color correct portraits in just one click, with the option to correct just the skin in an image. PhotoTune 3 works as a Smart Filter in Photoshop allowing Photoshop Lightroom 2 users to open their images as Smart Objects giving them the ability to work in a non-destructive manner and the flexibility to go back and make changes later should they decide to.

Available in November, PhotoTune 3 is a key component of onOne Software’s Plug-in Suite 5, also announced today. The new Plug-in Suite 5, which includes the new onOne Panel and Windows 64-bit support, also features the award-winning plug-ins FocalPoint 2, PhotoTools 2.5 Professional Edition, PhotoFrame 4.5 Professional Edition, Genuine Fractals 6 Professional Edition and Mask Pro 4.

“Photographers consistently tell us that one of the key problems they face with digital photography, is spending too much time color correcting and optimizing their photographs. Now PhotoTune 3 offers photographers more powerful and easy-to-use tools that will help them get excellent color and more detail in just a few clicks,” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “We are excited about the new capabilities in PhotoTune 3 made possible through imsense’s eye fidelity^TM technology as we continue to deliver products that help photographers achieve better results faster than ever.”

New features in PhotoTune 3 include:

• Automatic Correction – featuring the patented eye-fidelity^TM technology, originally developed by and licensed from imsense to address the issue of Dynamic Range Correction in images. With a single click this new advanced dynamic range enhancement algorithm, remaps the tones in your image to match what you saw. This means no more blown out highlights or plugged-up shadows which photographers typically struggle with when trying to increase the dynamic range of an image from a single file.

• Professional Controls – For those pro users who want more control, the new Pro interface provides access to advanced controls like tone, color and sharpening. PhotoTune 3 strips away complex concepts like levels and curves and introduces a new method where the image itself is the control. Simply drag the image up or down, left or right or even at an angle and PhotoTune 3 applies the adjustment immediately allowing the photographer to focus on the image and not on a series of sliders and buttons.

• Intuitive Black and White Conversions – With a flick of the new Black and White switch, PhotoTune 3 lets you create great looking black and white images from your color photos. Using the new Pro interface controls to change tones, you can quickly get the black and white conversion you want in seconds.

• Automatically Color Correct Portraits – The improved SkinTune controls, which automatically color-correct skin color in a one step, now provide the option to target the color correction to just the skin of the subject, rather than the whole image. This is the perfect tool for portrait and wedding photographers who need a streamlined and efficient solution to getting correct skin tones in their digital images.

• Workflow Integration – Like other onOne products, PhotoTune 3 now supports integration with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture so that it can be accessed inside the workflow applications used everyday. PhotoTune 3 can be used as a Smart Filter inside of Photoshop allowing photographers to send their images to Photoshop as Smart Objects to maintain a non-destructive workflow that is increasingly important to more and more photographers.

• Additional New Features – PhotoTune 3 also includes an improved color correction Wizard that can be completed in as few as two steps; the ability to save presets, which saves all of the color and tone corrections so they can be applied to other images which is ideal for batch processing through Adobe Bridge for example; and non-destructive editing as a Smart Filter in Photoshop CS3 and CS4.

About PhotoTune 3 and imsense

The new PhotoTune 3 uses patented eye-fidelity^TM technology, originally developed by and licensed from imsense. imsense has developed and patented breakthrough algorithms to solve the problem of Dynamic Range Correction in standard and HDR images. eye-fidelity^TM renders images faithful to the image the eye saw. It ensures that detail is revealed while maintaining color balance and integrity and the deliberate effects, such as region highlighting, employed by the photographer. eye-fidelity^TM technology is unmatched for the speed, quality and versatility of its output.

“We are delighted that onOne has chosen to license imsense’s eye-fidelity^TM technology as a core feature of PhotoTune 3,” said Philippe Dewost, imsense CEO. “Now professional photographers as well as imaging enthusiasts will have access to instant, one-click, optimal tone mapping thanks to imsense’s patented Dynamic Range Correction, saving precious time for other, more creative aspects of image processing.”

Availability

PhotoTune 3 will be available in November to new users for $159.95 and can also be purchased as part of the affordable Plug-in Suite 5 for $599.95. Existing users of PhotoTune 1 or 2 can upgrade to PhotoTune 3 for $99.95 or can upgrade to the Plug-in Suite 5 for $499.95. For more information on the Plug-in Suite 5, please visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/.

About onOne Software

onOne Software, Inc. a leading developer of innovative software tools for photographers, develops time-saving software solutions for professional and advanced amateur photographers. onOne Software solutions have been created to help photographers spend more of their time behind the camera taking pictures instead of the computer workstation. Such solutions include a wide range of easy-to-use plug-in enhancements for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom, Apple Aperture, Apple iPhoto and iPhone applications. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit http://www.ononesoftware.com/ or call 1-888-968-1468.

Company Contact: Mike Wong, onOne Software, mwong@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 121
Press Contact: Addy Roff, aroff@ononesoftware.com, 503-968-1468 x 137
General press inquiries: press@ononesoftware.com
Online press center: http://www.ononesoftware.com/press/

# # # #

© 2009 onOne Software. All rights reserved. onOne Software and the onOne Software logo are registered trademarks in the United States, and all are the property of onOne Software. Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Well, I thought all the buzz this morning would be about my interview with David Hume Kennerly. But no, Canon announced the new 1D Mark IV at the same time and there is a blitz of information coming out! It looks like a phenomenal camera, and Vincent Laforet is leading the way once again with an unbelievable video that shows some of its capabilities. Here are some of his thoughts, and a link to the full article:

“Just a little over two weeks ago my jaw dropped even harder when I took a prototype of the Canon 1D MKIV outdoors to test it at night.  I was on the road, it was late and I had just rushed back to my hotel to get to the unit.  I was expecting a 1D body, with 24p, a 1.3 crop factor sensor, 10 fps for stills, a new AF system – 60 fps at 720p – and of course 1080p video.

Nothing prepared me for what happened next. …the short film you are about to watch was shot in pretty much the very worst light that I could possibly find in an evening urban landscape.  I did not chose “pretty lighting” in a mall or under neon signs.  That would have been cheating in my book.” [Editor's Note] Canon for SOME strange reason has asked Vincent to take the video down! You can go to his blog to try and figure out the reason – I sure don’t know why… I’ll leave the link in for when and if it becomes available.

If you’d like to read Vincent’s full article, click here. Otherwise, here is the full press release from Canon.

The EOS-1D Mark IV Features a Completely Redesigned 45-Point Autofocus System, Fast 10 fps Continuous Shooting, 16-Megapixel Resolution, Outstanding ISO Sensitivity, and Full HD Video Recording at Selectable Frame Rates

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., October 20, 2009 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, is proud to introduce the next evolution in the EOS 1D series of cameras: the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera. The EOS-1D Mark IV is a high-speed multimedia performance monster with a 16-megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, Dual DIGIC 4 Imaging Processors, and 14-bit A/D data conversion, all at 10 frames-per-second (fps), with the widest ISO range Canon has produced to date. This new camera also features 1080p Full High-Definition video capture at selectable frame rates packaged in Canon’s most rugged and durable professional camera body.

The crowning achievement of Canon’s 1D Mark IV Digital SLR is its new autofocus system that starts with 45 AF points including 39 high-precision cross-type focusing points capable of tracking fast moving athletes or wildlife accurately at speeds up to 10 frames per second. With greater subject detection capability than ever before plus a newly redesigned AI Servo II AF predictive focusing algorithm, the Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera sets new standards for autofocus performance among professional digital SLRs. Whether shooting for the six o’clock news or the front page, the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR is the quintessential camera to freeze fast-moving action with high-speed stills or capture stunning HD video with dynamic color and image quality. To accompany the new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera, Canon is also announcing a new accessory, the WFT-E2 II A wireless file transmitter providing photographers with a wide range of professional digital connectivity options.

“Canon works hard to be the imaging leader in all our business endeavors. This goal has fueled our innovation and R&D efforts to engineer the most advanced autofocus system Canon has ever produced. We are proud to announce the camera that will deliver the ultimate in imaging quality to professionals working in all areas of multimedia imaging, whether it’s action photography, photojournalism or HD video and cinematography,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, senior vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A.

The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera will intrigue professional photographers in virtually every category from photojournalism and sports through nature, wedding, portrait and fashion to commercial, industrial and law enforcement. What makes the EOS-1D Mark IV camera different from its predecessors, in addition to numerous focusing system and image quality improvements, is its exceptional Full HD video capture capability. With this new level of functionality, the 1D Mark IV Digital SLR is destined to appeal not only to professional still photographers but also to a diverse market of professional videographers and filmmakers who are looking for exceptional Full HD video quality, amazing low-light performance, outstanding portability and a level of durability unheard of in most HD video cameras in this price range.

New 45-Point Autofocus System
The new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera features Canon’s most advanced Autofocus system to date. It is equipped with a newly developed 45-point AF sensor featuring 39 high-precision cross-type AF points, and an all new AI Servo II AF mode that gives still photographers the power and performance to track and focus a fast-moving subject at speeds up to 10 frames per second. With more than twice as many cross-type focusing points as the EOS-1D Mark III and a new AF sensor construction that improves performance in low light and with low contrast subjects, the EOS-1D Mark IV has greater subject detection capabilities than any previous EOS model. To complete the range of AF improvements, Canon has developed a new AI Servo II AF predictive focusing algorithm that significantly improves responsiveness and stability by making better decisions on focus tracking in a variety of shooting conditions.

Amazing High ISO Performance
Wedding and event photographers shooting in low light without the benefit of a flash can take advantage of Canon’s widest ISO range and highest performance ever. The EOS-1D Mark IV camera’s ISO speed settings range from 100 up to 12,800 in 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments with ISO Expansion settings of L: 50 for bright light or H1: 25,600, H2: 51,200, and H3: 102,400 for even the most dimly lit situations. Photographers and documentary filmmakers working in available light will be impressed by the low-noise image quality of the 1D Mark IV, capturing amazing still images and video footage even at speed settings as high as ISO 12,800. High ISO, low light still images are further enhanced by Canon’s adjustable High ISO Noise Reduction feature, now a default setting in the camera.

The EOS-1D Mark IV, EOS HD Video Powerhouse
Over the past year, Canon’s EOS HD Video technology has changed the way users capture 1080p HD video and opened new doors for multimedia journalists and Hollywood cinematographers alike with full manual exposure control, selectable frame rates, and interchangeable lenses on some of the largest and most sensitive image sensors on the market. Canon continues this innovation trend with the new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR with Full HD capture and full manual exposure control, plus selectable frame rates on an all-new APS-H-sized image sensor that’s similar in size to a Super 35mm motion picture film frame. The large sensor allows filmmakers to achieve shallow depth-of-field just as cinematographers have traditionally done using much higher-cost motion picture equipment.

The more than 50 Canon EF lenses compatible with the EOS-1D Mark IV give videographers incredible creative options, including an impressive selection of large-aperture professional L-series primes as well as zoom lenses, macro, Tilt-Shift and Fisheye optics. The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV allows for three video recording resolutions – 1080p Full HD and 720p HD in a 16:9 aspect ratio and Standard Definition (SD) in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The camera will record Full HD at 1920 x 1080 in selectable frame rates of 24p (23.976), 25p, or 30p (29.97); and 720p HD or SD video recording at either 50p or 60p (59.94). SD video can be recorded in either NTSC or PAL standards. Sound is recorded either through the internal monaural microphone or via optional external microphones connected to the stereo microphone input. The camera also provides an in-camera video editing function allowing users to remove the start or ending of a video clip directly in the camera to eliminate unwanted footage and speed up post-production.

Image Quality and Performance
The heart of the EOS-1D Mark IV camera’s outstanding image quality is a newly developed 16.1-Megapixel CMOS sensor featuring Canon’s latest and most advanced proprietary technologies. These technologies include improved photodiode construction to enhance dynamic range and gapless microlenses that are positioned closer to the photodiodes for improved light gathering efficiency. The transmissive quality of the color filter array has been enhanced to improve sensitivity. Canon has also upgraded the sensor circuitry to improve noise reduction before the image data is exported from the CMOS sensor to the rest of the image processing chain.

With 60 percent more pixels than the EOS-1D Mark III, the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR employs Dual DIGIC 4 Image Processors with approximately six times the processing power of DIGIC III for full 14-bit A/D conversion at 10 fps. High-speed continuous shooting up to 121 Large JPEGs is possible using a UDMA CF card. This camera also features three RAW shooting modes for versatility with Full RAW (approx. 16 million pixels), M-RAW (approx. nine million pixels), and S-RAW (approx. four million pixels). Three additional JPEG recording formats (M1, M2 and Small) are also available.

The 14-bit per channel conversion facilitated by the dual DIGIC 4 Processors provides smoother tonalities in final images capturing all 16,384 distinct tones in each channel (red, green and blue) at the full 10 fps frame rate. RAW images shot on the new Canon EOS-1D Mark IV use the entire 14-bit space when converted to 16-bit TIFF files in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software, which is supplied with the camera at no extra charge. The 14-bit A/D conversion is also the foundation for Canon’s Highlight Tone Priority feature that takes maximum advantage of the camera’s extensive dynamic range to preserve detail in highlight areas of the image. Canon’s new EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR also features an improved white balance algorithm making colors more accurate when shooting under low color temperature light sources such as household tungsten lamps.

The EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR features Canon’s Peripheral Illumination Correction function which corrects darkening that can occur in the corners of images with most lenses when used at their largest apertures. When activated, it is automatically applied to JPEG images and video clips as they are shot. For RAW images, it can be applied in DPP software.

Other new features include a large three-inch solid structure Clear View II LCD screen with 920,000 dot/VGA resolution and a wide 160-degree viewing angle for enhanced clarity and more precise color when reviewing images and shooting video. The new in-camera copyright information feature helps professionals secure control over images by setting copyright data directly into the camera and appending that information to each image file in the Exif metadata. Additional features include a fluorine coating on the Low Pass Filter to further repel dust and enhance the EOS Integrated Cleaning System.

Minimize Post-Production with Enhanced Canon Auto Lighting Optimizer
Action photography truly is all about speed, capturing a fast subject with fast focusing and fast frame rates. However, all this speed might be wasted if it is slowed down by lengthy post-production procedures to adjust image quality. The EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR helps reduce post-production work with a powerful new Auto Lighting Optimizer (ALO) system. When enabled, Canon’s ALO automatically adjusts the image for optimal brightness and contrast on the fly during in-camera image processing, reducing clipped highlights while keeping shadowed areas as clear and detailed as they actually appear. By optimizing brightness and contrast in-camera, Canon’s ALO system significantly reduces the need for post-production image optimization, and gives photographers image quality they can take directly to press. Demanding professional photographers who tested ALO clearly stated that this one feature will reduce their post-production image optimization process by more than 75 percent. Canon’s ALO works with both RAWi and JPEG images as well as video recording.

Rugged Reliability
Canon has taken every measure to ensure that the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera has the highest degree of weather resistance in the EOS line. The 1D Mark IV camera incorporates a wide range of design features that enhance its durability and reliability for professional assignments. For example, the 1D Mark IV’s body, chassis and lens mount are completely weather-resistant and 76 gaskets and seals surround all buttons and seams. The body covers and internal chassis, including the mirror box, are constructed with magnesium-alloy, one of the strongest and rigid metals available for its weight. For added strength, the lens mount is constructed with stainless steel. In fact, when used with Canon’s Speedlite 580EX II and/or most current L-series lenses, the entire camera system remains fully weather resistant, so professionals can concentrate on getting the shot instead of worrying about protecting their gear.

New Wireless Connectivity
Canon is announcing the availability of the new WFT-E2 II A* wireless file transmitter exclusively for the EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera. The WFT-E2 II A wireless transmitter is an extremely small and versatile device that offers professional photographers a wide range of digital connectivity options including IEEE802.11a/b/g and Ethernet, ideal for commercial and studio work. In addition to adding the ability to connect to wireless networks over 802.11a, the new WFT-E2 II A adds a wealth of new professional features to the photographer’s tool kit. The new Camera Linking feature allows a single photographer to simultaneously fire up to 10 cameras remotely; and the updated WFT Server mode lets you remotely use Live View, control settings, and fire the EOS-1D Mark IV over the internet from anywhere in the world using a standard Web browser or many Web-enabled smart phones. Additionally, geotagging is now possible via Bluetooth, using compatible GPS devices to append coordinate data to the images.

Pricing and Availability
The Canon EOS-1D Mark IV Digital SLR camera is scheduled to be delivered to U.S. dealers in late December, and will be sold in a body-only configuration at an estimated retail price of $4,999.00. Final pricing and availability for the Canon WFT-E2 II A wireless file transmitter will be available later this year.

Canon Digital Learning Center
Online visitors and Web surfers are encouraged to browse the Canon Digital Learning Center and take advantage of the various educational resources that Canon has to offer for novices and advanced photographers alike. The Canon Digital Learning Center provides a schedule for a wide variety of Live Learning classes across the country with renowned photographers as well as online resources and tips. The site also features online tutorials for beginners and professionals to learn their way around a digital SLR camera and inkjet printer and unlock the full creative control of digital photography. To learn more about each program and register, please visit: http://www.usa.canon.com/canonlivelearning

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked third overall in the U.S. in 2008†, with global revenues of US $45 billion, is listed as number four in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2009 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands.” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at http://www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting http://www.usa.canon.com/rss.

Canon has posted a firmware update for its EOS 7D digital SLR. Version 1.0.9 improves the following items:

Improves AF accuracy during Live View shooting.

This firmware improves the AF accuracy of the AF mode, Live mode, and Face detection Live mode during Live View shooting.

Corrects a phenomenon where in rare instances, movie images shot by the camera may exhibit abnormal colors.

Corrects a phenomenon that at certain timings, the shutter cannot be released when the camera’s built-in flash or an external Speedlite is used for shooting.

This firmware corrects a phenomenon that in rare instances, the shutter cannot be released after the AF assist beam fires when the camera’s built-in flash or an external Speedlite is used for shooting. Firmware Version 1.0.8 or later addresses this phenomenon.

For more information and to download the software, click on this link.

Overall, there were some great entries in the Great Locations contest! As a group, there were a couple of images that stood out, one from Carolyn L. Fox in particular, shown above. The grouping of images that got the MOST attention for showcasing a specific location was Anne Dapremont, who took images of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildfire Center in Austin, Texas.

Anne, congratulations! You’re the winner of the onOne Plug-in Suite 4.51 software.

Here’s another interesting photo from ‘Waterweb’:

And finally, another good one from Dan Brown:

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., October 14, 2009 – Canon U.S.A. Inc., a leader in digital imaging, announced its free Easy Photo-Print App, which is now available on the App store. The Canon Easy Photo-Print App enables wireless photo printing from your iPhone or iPod touch to a compatible Canon PIXMA printer via a wireless network with a few simple taps.

The new Canon Easy-PhotoPrint (iEPP) app is an ideal solution for consumers looking to print and share their photos. Canon challenges users to get creative by allowing them to choose from a variety of sizes and paper types. The Canon Easy-PhotoPrint for the iPhone app allows users to print photos as large as 8 1/2 x 11 on six different types of paper. Now a family outing to the beach or a picture from a birthday party can be printed from almost anywhere to be shared with friends and family. Additionally, this new application allows consumers to print up to 20 copies at one time to a compatible Canon PIXMA printer, PIXMA MP990, MP640 and MP560 Wireless Photo All-in-One (AIO) Printers for easy creation of photos.

“Canon continues to make the printing experience as seamless and easy as possible with the addition of new technologies such as the Canon Easy-Photo Print Application,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A. “This new technology enables users to print multiple images at one time while selecting varying sizes and paper types, making it easier than ever for consumers to print the images they want from their revolutionary iPhone or iPod touch.”

The Canon Easy-PhotoPrint App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

Canon PIXMA Wireless Photo All-In-One Printers

Canon has once again taken quality and ease to a whole new level with the MP990, MP640, and MP560, the latest addition’s to the PIXMA line of Wireless Photo All-In-One Printers. These stylish printers, with built-in Wi-Fi1 capabilities provide users with many different options to accommodate printing needs. With the ability to print, copy, scan and now the use of the new Easy-PhotoPrint for iPhone application, users can be confident that all tasks, from printing photo albums of a family reunion or scanning in pictures from the past, can be accomplished quickly and easily with superior quality.

Everything in the Alien Skin store is 20% off, but just until October 21st. And no they aren’t going to extend it. If you don’t already know how their products will make your work go faster and look better, then check out their web site. It is chock full of beautiful example images, informative videos, rave reviews, and demo versions.

Also, Jeff Butterworth, CEO, snuck an Easter egg into Snap Art 2 when no one was looking. If you enter 111 into the Random Seed for the Stylize filter then it will render something out of the ordinary. He’ll give you a concrete reward for finding the Easter egg. Do you know the mathematician who discovered that beautiful shape? You can use his first name (without accents) as a coupon code in their online store to get 25% off. Consider this the math nerd version of our sale, both of which end on October 21st.

One of the things that is really interesting to me, is the fusion of video and stills in the new cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II and the new Canon 7D. There is just this amazing capability that we’ve been handed with these new cameras, yet it is a path fraught with LOTS of things we don’t know as still photographers. It’s easy to think that once you have HD video in the camera, that you can run out and shoot 1080P commercials! Or, that you can just go out and shoot some video at the wedding and easily put together this great production. Well, I know that myself, and MANY others are finding out that there is a lot more to it than that.

For instance, there is a TON off additional equipment that you are going to need that you don’t even know about yet. Take the Zacuto Z-Finder that I wrote about just a couple of weeks ago. A great addition to your camera bag for stills AND video, but guess what? There are several other products that they make that you might need. It starts getting complicated, and it adds expense. Not to mention figuring out just exactly what you need.

What about software? OK, everyone does NOT have a Mac, and there are a lot of video editing programs out there for both platforms. Which piece of software can handle each of the different formats of video being shot? 24, 25, 29.97, 30 frames per second? What does all that mean anyway? Is there any OTHER software that you need? What is shutter roll anyway?

For me, there are just a lot of questions, and the minimal experience I’ve had shooting video in the past is just not helping me with what is going on today. I’m also pretty sure, that I am not the only one out there who feels this way either. There are some good sites that are covering this, like Planet 5D, but I want to get into the specifics with the folks that are using these cameras. I want these questions answered, and I want to see examples posted of what it can look like using the techniques that they bring to the table.

So – two things. One, I’m going to highlight cool videos that I find in this section, AND you can expect to see me interview some of these folks who are doing cutting edge work with the Canon equipment in the main Episodes section. Vincent LaForet may have started it off with his film Reverie, but there is a lot of work that has been done in the meantime. So, enjoy the first film created with the Canon 5D Mark II. There will be many to follow.

Raleigh, North Carolina – September 21, 2009 – Alien Skin Software today announces the immediate availability of Blow Up® 2.0.3, the new version of its photo resizing plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® and Photoshop Elements. Blow Up 2.0.3 is a free update for owners of Blow Up 2.0.0 or later. Simply installing the latest demo of Blow Up from the Alien Skin Software Web site will upgrade an existing installation of Blow Up 2 to version 2.0.3.

“The small increase in version number is deceptive. This update is a big step forward,” said Tom Welsh, designer and lead programmer of Blow Up 2. “Blow Up was already easy to use, but version 2.0.3 appears in the Filter menu and uses Photoshop CS4 panels to make common tasks just a click away.”

Startup Panel

Blow Up 2.0.3 comes with two Photoshop CS4 panels that are accessed in the Window->Extensions menu. These panels can be moved and docked just like Photoshop’s built-in panels, such as the Layers palette. The first of these is the Startup Panel which makes common output sizes and paper types available with a single click. The Startup Panel can also start Blow Up’s full interface with a single click rather than navigating into Photoshop’s menus.

Gallery Wrap Panel

The other Photoshop CS4 panel installed with Blow Up 2.0.3 is the Gallery Wrap Panel. This panel prepares images for printing on canvas that is stretched around the outside of a wood frame. This popular mounting technique requires extending an image to cover the sides of the frame, which can be a confusing and tedious process. The Gallery Wrap Panel provides full control over this process while taking care of all the technical details. The resulting image is ready to send to professional printing companies such as Artistic Photo Canvas (APC).

Filter Menu

Blow Up 2.0.0 appeared in the File->Automation menu rather than the Filter menu, which confused some users. Version 2.0.3 now also appears at the bottom of the Filter menu.

Performance Slider

A slider is now available in Blow Up’s preferences panel that controls whether Blow Up 2.0.3 optimizes its processing for speed or memory use. It is rare for Blow Up to run out of memory, but if it does then this slider can solve the problem. If memory is not an issue then this slider can give Blow Up a slight speed increase.

European Paper Sizes

Blow Up 2.0.3 now includes ISO paper sizes commonly used in most of the world, such as A4. Many of these output sizes are available through a single click in the Startup Panel mentioned above.

Pricing and Availability

Blow Up 2.0.3 is a free update for owners of Blow Up 2.0.0 or later. Simply installing the latest demo of Blow Up from the Alien Skin Software Web site will upgrade an existing installation of Blow Up 2 to version 2.0.3, regardless of whether the original installation is in retail or demo mode.

Blow Up 2 sells for $249 USD with an upgrade price of $99 USD for registered users of Blow Up 1. Online or physical delivery is available through the Alien Skin website. A real live human (imagine that!) can take orders or answer questions at 888-921-SKIN (7546). Blow Up 2 is also available worldwide through stores, catalogs, and resellers.

Host Requirements

Blow Up 2 is a plug-in and requires one of the following: Adobe Photoshop CS2 9.0.2 or later, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0.1 or later (Macintosh), or Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 or later (Windows).

System Requirements

Microsoft Windows users must have at least a Pentium 4 processor or compatible and Windows XP or later. Apple Macintosh users must have a PowerPC G5 or Intel processor and Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later. A monitor with 1024×768 resolution or greater is required.

About Alien Skin Software

Alien Skin Software makes Photoshop plug-ins for photographers and graphic designers. We distill advanced math and cutting edge research into simple tools that render beautiful pictures. Our reputation for bug-free software and fast, friendly tech support has grown worldwide since 1993. For more information, visit our website at www.alienskin.com.

The folks at BeyondMegapixels.com wrote a series of fifteen lessons with 100 steps to improving your photography. If you’re just starting out in photography, there is some great information in them – if you’re an old hand, hey it’s always great to quickly review and remember all the things we SHOULD be doing!

Here’s a sample from the first lesson:

And with this, we begin with the 100 Steps to Improve Your Photographs (IYP) series.

All right Cadets! Time for your first lesson! Before you can become a sharp shooter, you need to know how to use your gun (which here is your camera). So we’ll start with some basic tips (where many people mess up, are unaware, or simply don’t bother).

Tip 1: Hold your gun properly, or you’ll shoot your foot!

One very basic thing that is responsible for shaky images is the way you hold your camera. I’ve seen many people holding their camera from both sides, like one would hold the steering wheel of a car. And doing this, they often end up with a finger in front of the flash. I’ve even seen people using a total of only four fingers to hold the camera. Correct that, four finger tips… the tip of the thumb and forefinger on each side, with all the fingers stretching outwards, like you’re holding something very dirty.

The correct way to hold your camera is to grip it from the right (all the better if your cam has a grip), and use your left hand to support the camera from below. This also allows for convenient handling of the lens in case of a dSLR.

For the remainder of the lessons, please check out their website!

OK, so after weeks of rumors on the Internet and all kinds of buzz on Twitter, Canon has finally released the news about the new Canon 7D and some of its first HS lenses. We can thank the Chinese for letting the cat out of the bag on this one, because pictures of their boxes and posters have been floating around for a LONG time now! The features look fantastic, and it is a LONG list of things, so I’m going to just post a link to the Canon press release instead of putting them all here.

However, there are two things that stand out – the focusing modes AND the video capability. The Canon EOS 7D boasts the most advanced AF system ever seen in an EOS SLR. The completely re-designed system includes a new multi-axis cross-type 19-point AF grid, where the focusing points are evenly spread out across the image plane and clearly displayed through Canon’s new Intelligent Viewfinder. All 19 points are f/5.6-sensitive for both horizontal and vertical cross-type focusing, while the center AF point adds high-precision diagonal cross-type sensitivity for f/2.8 and larger aperture lenses.

The Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR camera is the first EOS SLR to feature 19 cross-type focusing points that remain fully functional with maximum apertures as small as f/5.6, which brings the performance of the AF system to unprecedented levels for assignments as varied as fast-moving sports action or low-light wedding ceremonies.

Canon has blazed new trails in HD video capture with the 5D Mark II. Now, the EOS 7D takes DSLR video to new heights with Full HD capture featuring fully manual exposure control, and selectable cinematic frame rates for both NTSC (National Television System Committee) and PAL (Phase Altering Line) standards. Compatible with more than 60 Canon EF and EF-S lenses, the EOS 7D lets videographers take full advantage of the camera’s large CMOS sensor to achieve the dramatic frame composition they desire. At the heart of the EOS 7D are two key proprietary Canon technologies, Dual DIGIC 4 Imaging Processors and a large APS-C-sized CMOS sensor, helping to render stunning color reproduction, amazing depth of field and fine detail, even in low-light conditions. The Canon EOS 7D allows for three video recording modes – Full HD and HD in a 16:9 aspect ratio and Standard Definition (SD) in a 4:3 aspect ratio, all at selectable frame rates. The EOS 7D Digital SLR camera will record Full HD at 1920 x 1080 pixels in selectable frame rates of 24p (23.976), 25p, or 30p (29.97); 720p HD recording at 50p or 60p (59.94) and SD video at frame rates of 50p or 60p (59.94). The EOS 7D features a new dedicated button to initiate live view for both video and still shooting. Once engaged, the same dedicated button will start and stop video recording. Like the EOS 5D Mark II, the Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR camera provides users with the capability to use an external stereo microphone for professional audio effects or a built-in monaural microphone for convenience.

Pricing is expected to be $1,699.0o and it should be available at the end of the month. Can’t wait to get my hands on one for a review, but hey – I JUST ordered my 5D Mark II and it’s not even here yet!

Now, on to the NEXT bit of news they released this morning – three new lenses with HS technology built in! The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM and the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, lenses. The new EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS lens is the world’s first camera lens featuring Canon’s new Hybrid Image Stabilization (Hybrid IS) technology, compensating for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake, up to four shutter speed steps. The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens is compatible with all EOS cameras, while the EF-S 15-85mm and EF-S 18-135mm zoom lenses are designed specifically for Canon digital cameras that are compatible with EF-S lenses.

I do a LOT of macro work, so I can’t wait to replace my 100 mm lens with the new HS technology version. The new lenses should be available at the end of the month, and the 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens will retail at $1,049.00. Here’s a link to the Canon press release to flush out the details on the lenses.

The folks at ScanCafe have just become new sponsors of the LensFlare35 podcasts! The company started, oddly enough, at a funeral.

Many years ago, one of the co-founders, Laurent, had to travel back to Switzerland to attend the funeral of his grandfather. Every family seems to have a family archivist, and among his many gifts, Laurent’s grandfather was an enthusiastic photographer, who left behind countless Agfacolor prints, slides and negatives.

As the engineer in the family, Laurent volunteered to scan in all those old photographs so that they could be shared with the extended family, who are scattered all over the world. Many of these photos, in fact, had been forgotten altogether, and Laurent thought it would be a great tribute to his grandfather to make sure the next generation had these memories easily available.

So at least it started well. Laurent promptly got home, spent $800 on equipment, and began his project. For the next six straight weekends, he had to wrestle with scanning, choosing resolutions, re-scanning, cropping, rotating, color correction, and all the other things that people who truly care about preserving memories need to wrestle with. And that was just for the first images — it turns out that he had 28,000 more to go!

Fortunately, Laurent was also attending business school at the time with our other co-founders, Sam Allen and Naren Dubey. He shared his frustrations with them and together they decided there had to be a better way. The essential problem: how to deliver the high quality that only craftsmanship and manual processing can bring to scanning, but at an affordable price. That required finding a labor force that fit those two bills. After looking at a number of locations around the world, they decided to locate their scanning facility, now the world’s largest, in Bangalore, India. Then, in a nod to their collective experience in computing and wafer fabrication, they started work immediately on getting the logistics, quality assurance, and workflow systems right, so that they could ensure quality and safety for every order.

A solid year of work and planning later, the first order was completed, safely and accurately, by hand.

So, if you get a chance, go by their website, check out the services they have to offer, and tell them ‘thanks’ for supporting LensFlare35!

ExpoImaging, Inc., is a new sponsor of the LensFlare35 podcasts! They distribute design and manufacture unique and innovative imaging tools for digital photographers. From portable lighting accessories such as the Honl Photo Speed System and the Ray Flash ring flash adapter, to color management tools like the ExpoDisc, their products provide new creative options that help photographers improve the quality of their images.

I personally own the ExpoDisk AND the Ray Flash and love both products! On my list, is the Honl Photo system – I’m definitely lusting after that setup and am going to get hold of it soon! If you get the chance, head on over to their website and check out their products. I think you’ll find some interesting and NECESSARY additions to your equipment bag.

Mike Wong of onOne Software has joined with LensFlare35 in the Great Locations Photo Contest. The idea is to get Canon Photographers to submit 10 photos that show a Great Location. What would that be? Well, take a look at the Great Locations section of this site, and you’ll soon get an idea of what we’re looking for. The Adirondacks, Caddo Lake in Texas, the Slot Canyons in Arizona; those are ALL Great Photo Locations! What’s yours? Well, let’s see if your 10 photos can get all of us to agree to that!

The winner of the contest will get a copy of the onOne Software Plugin Suite 4.5 – something that if you bought all the pieces by themselves, would cost almost $1,300.oo! If bought bundled, it would still set you back $500.00!  So, a heck of a prize for those who don’t have those tools.

If you have any questions, please post them to this section so that ALL can get the answer right here!

Here are some of the rules for the contest, and the link to the Flickr Group:

1. All images MUST be taken with a Canon Camera.
2. All images MUST have embedded Metadata.
3. Each individual can enter NO MORE than 10 images for this contest. Those 10 images must be of the SAME place – a GREAT LOCATION!
4. Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of the photographs they enter except for the following: Your entry to the contest constitutes your agreement to allow your entered photographs—and your name, occupation, city, state and country of residence—to be published as winners or finalists on the LensFlare35 website and used for promotions of the LensFlare35 site including, but not limited to, publications from LensFlare35 and online photo features and contests, and web pages and emails providing LensFlare35 information, updates, rules and photography tips.
5. Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. All decisions by the judges will be final and binding.
6. Start date of the contest is August 15, 2009 and it ends on September 30, 2009 at midnight.
7. There will be three judges who will view the semi-finalists work.
8. If we’ve forgotten a rule, we’ll add it on the www.lensflare35.com website in this post!

In an upcoming interview with George Lepp, he talked about some of the things he felt should be or WOULD be coming down the pike. One of the things he mentioned was the need for upgraded lenses that could keep up with the increased resolution of the cameras like the 5D MK II. Seems like Canon was working on something like that, and made this announcement today:

Lake Success, N.Y., July 22, 2009 – Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, announced today the development of Hybrid Image Stabilizer (IS), the world’s first* optical image stabilization technology that compensates for both angle camera shake and shift camera shake. The technology will be featured in interchangeable single lens reflex (SLR) camera lens planned for commercial release before the end of 2009.

Several different preventative methods and corrective procedures have been introduced to compensate for errors caused by camera shake, which occurs when a camera moves while its shutter is open and its image sensor is exposed to light.

Canon began researching methods to compensate for camera shake in the 1980s, and in 1995 launched the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, the world’s first interchangeable SLR camera lens to feature a mechanism that compensates for optical camera shake. Since then, the company has continued to produce a variety of interchangeable lenses with image stabilization capabilities, and boasts a total of 21 such lenses in its current product lineup.

Canon’s newly developed Hybrid IS technology optimally compensates for angle and shift camera shake. Sudden changes in camera angle can significantly affect images taken during standard shooting, whereas shift-based shaking, which occurs when a camera moves parallel to the imaging scene, is more pronounced in macro photography and other close-range shooting.

The new Hybrid IS technology incorporates an angular velocity sensor that detects the extent of angle-based shaking and is found in all previous Canon optical image stabilizer mechanisms, as well as a new acceleration sensor that determines the amount of shift-based camera shake. Hybrid IS also employs a newly developed algorithm that synthesizes information from the two sensors to make optimal adjustments, thereby dramatically enhancing the effects of image stabilization during shooting, including macro shooting, which had proven difficult for conventional image stabilization technologies.

Canon is actively engaged in ongoing research and development of interchangeable SLR camera lenses incorporating Hybrid IS technology, and is aiming for the early commercialization and inclusion of the lenses in a wide range of products.

* For use in interchangeable SLR camera lenses as of July 17, 2009. According to Canon research
All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.
Specifications and availability are subject to change without notice.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some new lenses with better glass!

I have a new Poll up that asks just this question. In order to make any blog successful, you need input from ‘the folks’. So, I went into TwtPoll to set one up. The only way to make it work, is to get as many people as possible to take it! So, here’s the link.

The idea is that I need help deciding WHO to interview, what CATEGORY that you are most interested in, and WHAT KIND of equipment, software, and other types of interviews you would like to see here. I’ve only done one Quick Hit Thursday interview, so it may not be easy to see where those are going. However, the one on the 23rd with Mike Wong of OnOne Software, should help you decide that area as well. He does a great job explaining the Canon software for the iPhone that lets you control your camera remotely! His interview is another example of what I THINK you want to hear, but unless you help out, I’m going to keep going down the current path.

Feel free to add comments to this post, or participate in the poll! I’ll have it up until the end of July and will then report the results in this section.

When you start a site like this, you are learning things every single day about it. What should change, what should be added to make it better for users, etc. One of the things that I realized the other day, was that I am giving my Facebook followers a more day-by-day accounting of what is going on. However, that is NOT available to readers of the LensFlare35 site and should be. So, I’m going to add in a lot of the daily happenings and things that are coming up in this section.

So to catch up a bit, last week was BUSY to say the least. I had FOUR interviews including Illah Nourbakhsh about the GigaPan (which posted on Tuesday July 7th), then Al & Fabs Forns for their podcast on July 21st, George Lepp for HIS podcast that will air on July 28th, and finally Mike Wong with OnOne Software for his Quick Hit podcast that will air on July 23rd.

Mike had a GREAT idea and it is something that I’ll be working on for the next few days to set up. Can anyone say contest? How about a copy of the Plug-in Suite 4 software to the winner? This is a $1,300 dollar expense if everything is purchased separately and $500 if you buy the suite. These guys are fantastic, and very supportive of the community out there.  Besides, if EVERYBODY in the company has Canon equipment except for three folks – they can’t be anything BUT great, right?

Stay tuned for details…

January 22 to 25, 2010

Living so close to the Everglades, we are constantly scouting the area to insure our participants will be where the subjects are abundant, giving you the best opportunities for excellent image making. A special emphasis will be place on creativity and the creative process. From visualization all the way through digital workflow. Just some of the techniques that we will help you with in the creative process are: capturing birds in flight, portrait making, optimal lighting, including front lighting, back and side lighting as creative alternatives, exposure, composition, sharp image making and out of the box thinking.

On the schedule for each day are two “in the field” workshop sessions covering field techniques and one classroom session covering Photoshop, Lightroom and creative plugins.

During the workshop, we will always be available to critique your work.

Slide show and orientation the night of January 21st, Thursday.

We will guide you with gentleness and enthusiasm.

4 days of instruction p/p $1200, which does not include lodging, meals or transportation.

This will be the only Everglades group session of the year. Maximum 12 participants.
Reserve your spot today, e-mail fabs@avianscapes.com for more info.
Referrals available upon request.

Other workshops:

Florida Surf and Turf, March 2010 and St Augustine Alligator Farm, May 2010.