Photo&Cameras

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh is now available. Photomerge combines the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots to create a single cohesive group shot. Guided Edit mode helps walk users through the steps of improving a photo. Online galleries based on Adobe Flash provide an interactive experience for friends and family. Photoshop Elements 6 is immediately available at an estimated street price of ВЈ57.58.

Adobe UK Press Release

*No. 1 Selling Consumer Photo-Editing Software Combines Power and Simplicity

London — March 25 2008 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 6 software for Macintosh®. Since its January launch at the 2008 Macworld Expo, Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac was named “Best of Show,” and given the 2008 Editors’ Choice Award by The Mac Observer and the 2008 Macworld Award by Macsimum News. The highly anticipated Photoshop Elements 6 software for Mac® combines power and simplicity so consumers at all experience levels can easily achieve outstanding results with their digital photos.

Make Photos Look Their Best
Photoshop Elements 6 software helps photography enthusiasts achieve desired results quickly and easily. New PhotomergeВ® technology lets users create the perfect group shot by simply choosing and combining the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots. By simply clicking and dragging over a specific area, the new Quick Selection tool snaps to the edges in seconds for the perfect selection. Three edit modes, Guided, Quick and Full, meet the needs of beginner to expert photographers. The new Guided Edit mode offers step-by-step assistance to help users improve their photos. Photoshop Elements 6 software streamlines editing with clean, uncluttered spaces that draw focus to the photos, with new tabs providing easy access to the many capabilities of the program. Additional enhancements include an improved conversion tool that dramatically converts colour images into elegant, nuanced black-and-whites.

Create and Share Photos in Fun, Engaging Ways
Photoshop Elements 6 software features new sharing options that tell stories in unique and creative ways. Users can bring their memories and moments to life by customizing layouts for photo books, scrapbook pages, greeting cards and CD/DVDs for sharing with friends and family. Additional expressive options include designing a personal online album, ordering professional-quality prints of hardbound photo books, and printing photos into real U.S. postage stamps.

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh runs on Leopard, (Mac OS X v 10.5.2), as well as previous versions of Mac OS X starting with 10.4.8. The software is a Universal Binary application that will run natively on PowerPC and Intel-based Macintosh systems. Photoshop Elements 6 is immediately available at an estimated street price of ВЈ57.58. Owners of previous versions of Photoshop Elements can upgrade to Photoshop Elements 6 for ВЈ45.82.or through http://www.adobe.com.

The software is available at Amazon.com, or from one of the following retailers: Apple Stores, Apple.com, Best Buy Stores, BestBuy.com, Costco.com, J&R, Microcenter, NewEgg.com, Staples Stores and Staples.com. Information about other language versions, as well as pricing, upgrade and support policies for other countries is available on http://www.adobe.com/go/photoshopelmac. 

Via: feeds.feedburner.com

Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve just been handed a production version of the new Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi and have done our best to bring you some sample images. The London weather has done us no favors but we thought you’d be eager to find out how its 12.2 megapixel images look so we persevered. A mixture of lenses and ISO settings were used to try to give an all-round impression of the camera’s behavior and, as always, you can download the original files to scrutinize.

Canon EOS 450D / Rebel XSi early gallery

Canon 450D / Rebel XSi Samples Gallery – Posted 21 March 2008

By: www.dpreview.com

Read the rest of this entry »

Supporting Computers has released an upgrade to its Artizen software for creating high-dynamic range (HDR) images. According to the company, Artizen 2.5.29 includes more than 100 improvements, ranging from bug fixes and interface improvements to faster performance, a new Blur Radius Mask, and enhanced tools for selecting and editing specific areas of an image.

Current owners of the software can download the upgrade for free from Supporting Computers’ Web site. The program is available as a free trial or at a cost of $45.95 Canadian for the full version.

Souce: feeds.feedburner.com

Read the rest of this entry »

The Moment It Clicks is as hard to define as it is to put down. It isn’t a coffee table book, although it certainly has the quality images to be treated as one. It isn’t really a how-to do it book, but it is filled with insight and tips that make it must-reading for any photographer on any level.

Joe McNally is an internationally acclaimed photographer. His 30-year career has included assignments in over 50 countries, and his images have graced the covers of Time, Sports Illustrated, and National Geographic. During the 1990s, he was Life Magazine’s sole staff photographer.

So what is The Moment It Clicks? It is a book about the 30 years of Joe McNally’s photographic career and some of the images he has created. It is about the stories behind the images and the lessons learned from editors and life experiences. It is about the ups and downs of being a photographer from the side of the professional, as well as the side of the family man who has to be away too often. The Moment It Clicks is 272 pages, divided into four chapters.

This is not a book that can really be contained in chapters and chapter names. It is about the story relating to each image, and there are over 100 of them in the book. I will instead try to give the flavor of the book instead. The basic premise is that each story comes with a one-line statement that gets to the point of the image. Then McNally tells the story behind the image. Opposite of the story is the picture that is the centerpiece. Then there is the “how to get this type of shot,” where he explains just a little bit about how he did it. Do not get the impression this includes detailed steps; it is a simple overview of the techniques used.

A couple of my favorites (I have to limit this; otherwise there would be 70-80 of my favorites, and it would make this longer than it already is):

“You Gotta Turn on a Dime” is the story about a shoot with musician Fiona Apple. She had just come her successful album, Tidal. She was tired of being photographed as a waif and wanted a more warrior woman image. They did this shoot with her in a suit of armor and it was not going well. She had to get to New Jersey for a show that night, and her manager was getting mad. Finally he said they had to leave now and would have to catch the subway to get there on time. McNally turned to Apple and said, “Get on the subway in the armor?” The shot was made.

“Get a Permit” is about a rooftop shot with a performance artist from New York City who is painted up in a bright gold coloring. Someone called the police, stating there was a jumper in progress. When the police arrived — huffing and puffing after climbing a six-story walkup — they were not happy. Because he had his permit, there was not a lot that they could do, and he got the shot.

page 1 | 2

From: feeds.blogcritics.org

Read the rest of this entry »

World’s fastest Inkjet Printhead : Kyocera Corporation announced that it has developed the world’s fastest high-resolution inkjet printhead – the main imaging component used in inkjet printers – for commercial applications. The company will commence global sales of the new KJ4 Series printhead in April 2008. The KJ4 Series offers outstanding reliability and productivity, with full-color print speeds of up to 200 meters per minute at 600 x 480 dpi, or 150 meters per minute at 600 x 600 dpi. The KJ4 Series also offers the widest print line of any printhead in its class, spanning 4.25 inches (108 millimeters). Kyocera’s KJ4 Series printhead has been produced and sold on a purely limited basis until now.

Kyocera KJ4 Inkjet Printhead
The company began initial technology development with Brother Industries, Ltd. in 2002, and continued KJ4 development efforts independently. Kyocera recently completed approximately one year of successful testing of the KJ4 Series on commercial printing equipment. “The superior performance and reliability of Kyocera’s KJ4 Series printhead represents a breakthrough that will open new markets for inkjet printing technology,” stated Hitoshi Takao, general manager of Kyocera Corporation’s Thin Film Components Group. “We believe this product will finally make it possible for the inkjet printer to compete successfully in the mainstream market for commercial printing.”

Piezoelectric ceramics technology
During development, Kyocera applied its proprietary piezoelectric ceramics technology to create a compact piezo actuator for a critical element of the printhead. By optimizing its core competency as a global leader in fine ceramic technologies, Kyocera created a new device that allows inkjet printing with unprecedented speed, resolution and reliability.

LED printheads
In addition, Kyocera utilized the extensive range of printhead technologies it has accumulated through its commercialization of thermal and LED printheads. Leveraging its design and manufacturing expertise, Kyocera arranged the actuator and its accompanying nozzles into a dense, regular pattern for the industry’s widest printhead. Kyocera also ensured that the components work together reliably and with a high level of precision.

Souce: www.letsgodigital.org

Read the rest of this entry »