Archive for Adobe

OSXcellence – Darktable Review

The photo library genre of app is stronger now than it has ever been, with Adobe and Apple adding more and more features to their respective flagship software, Lightroom and Aperture. So all-singing and all-dancing are these heavyweights, that many editing apps have been made redundant, their features being replicated and integrated into these mammoth photo organisers. But with this increase in functionality comes an increase in price; what if you want something that will process your RAW files and allow you to organise your pictures, without having to take out a mortgage to afford it? Perhaps you should look at darktable.

Despite being an open source project, darktable looks the business. The interface is sort of….well, dark really. It also happens to be clear and highly usable. But how darktable looks is very much a by-the-by, because the real interest here is the amazingly powerful array of organisation and editing tools.

Once you’ve imported your images to darktable, you are presented with a bewildering number of organisation options; from keywords, to collections, to image exposure comparison, there shouldn’t be a time when you can’t find the image you’re after. All the standard organisation functions found in more expensive offerings are present and correct, though, like star ratings and colour labelling, and I have to say, all of these functions work incredibly smoothly and rapidly.

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X-Rite Announces Free September Webinars

X-Rite Photo Logo

September 17, 2011 – PRESS SUMMARY – X-Rite Photo Marketing announces its schedule of September Webinars that have been developed to address specific color management topics and are designed to appeal to both professional and serious amateur photographers.

Five free Webinar topics this month are sure to help photographers gain new confidence and to learn quick, easy and powerful ways to enhance their color workflow. Webinar attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions to the live trainers.

“Consistent, accurate color management remains an important building block for photographers seeking professional looking images,” said Mark Rezzonico, vice president, X-Rite Photo Marketing.  “In September, our free educational webinars will again teach interested photographers how X-Rite’s line of color management tools can bring their digital photography color to new levels.  Also this month we are pleased to feature two new webinars – one hosted by professional photographer Jim DiVitale and co-sponsored by Nik Software as well as the first webinar in a three part series to improving color management skills.  These brand-new webinars will outline workflow ideas designed to transform even ordinary photos into extraordinary images.”

September Webinar Schedule

Wednesday, September 14, 2011, 12:00 PM EDT & 2:00 PM EDT

The Creative Edge In Digital Photography with Jim DiVitale

In this webinar, Jim will demonstrate for professional photographers and photo enthusiasts problem-solving techniques using digital capture and image processing with X-Rite color management solutions and Nik Software Plug-ins to streamline both the creative and production of the digital imaging workflow.

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X-Rite Announces Free August Webinars

X-Rite Photo Logo

August 5, 2011 – PRESS SUMMARY – X-Rite Photo Marketing announces its schedule of August Webinars that have been developed to address specific color management topics and are designed to appeal to both professional and serious amateur photographers.

Three free Webinar topics this month are sure to help photographers gain new confidence and to learn quick, easy and powerful ways to enhance their color workflow. Webinar attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions to the live trainers.

“This month our hour-long educational webinars will once again teach imaging professionals and enthusiasts how X-Rite’s line of color management tools can bring their digital photography color to new levels and help them incorporate a near-effortless color workflow into their every day imaging projects,” said Mark Rezzonico, vice president X-Rite Photo Marketing. “Also this month we are pleased to feature a new webinar – one hosted by professional photographer Suzette Allen and co-sponsored by Nik Software. This brand new webinar is sure to help get the creative juices flowing for photographers of all levels and styles.”

August Webinar Schedule

Tuesday, August 16, 2011, 11:00 AM EDT & 1:00 PM EDT
RAW COLOR POWER with Adobe® Lightroom® and the ColorChecker Passport

Professional photographers and photo enthusiasts will learn how to bring their digital photography color to a new level. This webinar will instruct attendees on how to quickly and easily capture accurate color, instantly enhance portraits and landscapes, create their own color look with one click, maintain color control and consistency and achieve superior color results in a fraction of the time. Read More→

Perfect Layers 1.0 from onOne Software is Now Available

June 16, 2011 – PRESS SUMMARY – onOne Software, Inc., announced 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: Read More→

X-Rite Announces Free April Webinars

X-Rite Photo Logo

April 6, 2011 – PRESS SUMMARY – X-Rite Photo Marketing announces its schedule of April Webinars that have been developed to address specific color management topics and are designed to appeal to both professional and serious amateur photographers.

Three free Webinar topics this month are sure to help photographers gain new confidence and to learn quick, easy and powerful ways to enhance their color workflow. Webinar attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions to the live trainers.

“Photographers spending an hour per Webinar learning about how X-Rite’s line of color management tools can bring their digital photography color to new levels and help them incorporate a near-effortless color workflow into their every day imaging projects,” said Mark Rezzonico, vice president X-Rite Photo Marketing. “In April we are also pleased to showcase Wildlife and Nature photographer, Juan Pons as he hosts a special mid-month guest Webinar. All photographers whether serious enthusiasts or Professionals, who are passionate about their photography, color accuracy and workflow efficiency are encouraged to join our ongoing series of X-Rite Webinars.”

April Webinar Schedule

Thursday, April 7, 2011; 1:00pm EDT and 3:00pm EDT
RAW COLOR POWER with Adobe® Lightroom® and the ColorChecker Passport

Photographers can learn how to reduce their image processing time and improve quality control in their RAW workflow by combining the powerful color capabilities of the ColorChecker Passport and Adobe Imaging solutions.

Topics that will be covered include: Read More→

Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2 for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture

Jan 17, 2011 – PRESS SUMMARY – Nik Software announces Silver Efex Pro 2, a major upgrade to its award-winning Silver Efex Pro software, widely regarded by photographers as the leading black-and-white software solution on the market today. Silver Efex Pro 2 introduces new features that offer even more control over detail, contrast, and tonality, making it easier than ever to transform color photographs into stunning black-and-white images. Silver Efex Pro 2 includes new features such as the History Browser, Dynamic Brightness, Amplify Blacks, Amplify Whites, Soft Contrast, Fine Structure, Image Borders, and selective colorization, as well as a variety of speed and quality improvements. The new features of Silver Efex Pro 2, combined with Nik Software’s award-winning U Point® technology, will continue to evolve black-and-white photography.

Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2 Box

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