PhotoDirector 2011 for Windows

CyberLink Enters Photo Editing Market with Launch of PhotoDirector 2011

Featuring the most intuitive workflow with all dynamic features needed to manage photo libraries, enhance photos and showcase creativity

London — June 21, 2011—CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW) today released PhotoDirector 2011, the brand new professional-quality photo editing software that allows users to efficiently manage, enhance and share their digital pictures. By delivering powerful management and editing tools, PhotoDirector 2011 is designed to smooth the flow from the time an image is imported to the PC to its final output. Offered at a value-price (SRP £79.99) that will appeal to all photographers who are serious about their hobby, PhotoDirector 2011 comes with a free of charge upgrade for the next version.

PhotoDirector 2011 introduces a wide array of dynamic adjustment tools that can be applied in a non-destructive editing environment. Additionally, PhotoDirector 2011 provides several unique solutions, such as native rendering of RAW files from Canon and Nikon cameras, a highly desirable feature to maintain the immaculate quality of your images as intended by the camera manufacturers. All without the hassle of installing plug-ins. PhotoDirector 2011 is also the first photo software that lets users easily share their own presets and download an unlimited number of presets defined by others, directly from the application, through CyberLink’s online community DirectorZone.com.

“PhotoDirector 2011 is an exciting brand new software that adds to the growing range of CyberLink products delivering dynamic multimedia experiences,” said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. “We designed PhotoDirector 2011 as the complete post production solution for photographers.  It helps them bring out the absolute best of their photos.”

Over 75,000 people from all over the world participated in the three week Beta program, giving PhotoDirector 2011 an overall product satisfaction score of 4.2 out of 5.

PhotoDirector comes from the makers of the award-winning PowerDirector 9 video editor and brings comparable stunning results and intuitive user experience to photo editing.

Key Features in PhotoDirector 2011

Fast, Intuitive Workflow: PhotoDirector’s fast, intuitive workflow is designed to bring unparalleled efficiency by smoothing the flow from import, manage, enhance to final output.
Non-destructive Editing Environment: Since original images are safely unaltered, creative experimentation is encouraged in PhotoDirector’s non-destructive editing environment.
State of the Art Adjustment Tools: PhotoDirector delivers all cutting edge tools to perfect photos, including adjustment brushes, levels, white balance and noise reduction.
Native RAW Support: Native rendering of RAW files from Canon and Nikon cameras delivers absolutely stunning colour. PhotoDirector also delivers support for a broad range of RAW file formats from the world’s leading digital cameras.
Exchange Unlimited Presets: Share and download unlimited adjustment presets directly from PhotoDirector with the DirectorZone.com community.

CyberLink PhotoDirector 2011 Versions

PhotoDirector 2011:          UK £79.99

Product Availability

PhotoDirector 2011 is available online, supporting the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese and Korean. CyberLink offers OEM versions to PC and CE manufacturing customers, while a free trial download is also available from the CyberLink website.

About CyberLink

CyberLink Corp is the leader and pioneer in enabling digital multimedia on PCs, CEs and mobile devices through the use of video editing software, video player software, and other multimedia solutions. Backed by a group of high-caliber software engineers, CyberLink owns its core codec and a number of patented technologies. CyberLink has built a solid reputation for delivering high-quality, interoperable, and fast time-to-market solutions that keep our OEM partners on the leading edge. Our business partners include leaders in the PC industry: top-5 desktop and notebook providers, optical drive manufacturers and graphic-card makers. Today, CyberLink’s software solutions include: complete applications for Blu-ray Disc playback and creation; digital home entertainment; and touch-enabled media solution. With customers spanning from multi-national corporations to small/medium-sized businesses, and from power users to home users, CyberLink has enjoyed rapid and consistent growth leading to a record breaking IPO in 2000 on the Taiwan Over The Counter Exchange (OTC: 5203). Currently, CyberLink is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: 5203.TW). CyberLink’s worldwide headquarters is located in Taipei. To keep up with market demands, CyberLink has operations in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region, including Japan. For more information, please visit CyberLink’s website athttp://www.cyberlink.com.

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Apple releases Final Cut Pro

Apple has unveiled a "revolutionary" new version of its Final Cut Pro video editing software, which will now be available at a fraction of its usual price

The software now features the Magnetic Timeline, which is a trackless approach to editing footage "that lets you add and arrange clips wherever you want them, while other clips instantly slide out of the way," says Apple. The new feature also allows editors to link clips with other elements such as titles and sound effects, as well as combine story elements into a "Compound Clip that can be edited as a single clip."

Final Cut Pro X also uses a new Content Auto-Analysis feature that can scan a user's media on import and tag it with information on the number of people found in each clip. The tool can also detect whether the clips are close-up, medium or wide shots.

A new feature, dubbed Auditions, lets users "swap between a collection of clips to instantly compare alternate takes. Final Cut Pro X also features audio editing and colour correction tools, which used to come as standalone software in previous versions of the video editing software.

However, Apple has also released two companion apps to assist editors with motion graphics and advanced media encoding. Motion 5 and Compressor 4 are also available from the Mac App Store, retailing at £30 each. Final Cut Pro X is available at £180, a fraction of its previous retail price of £800

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TouchUp Pro

TouchUp Pro - Perhaps the Easiest Photo Editor You’ll Ever Use - Published on 06/06/11

esDot Development Studio is happy to announce the release of TouchUp Pro - Photo Editor available for iPhone and iPad today. Built using Adobe AIR, TouchUp Pro offers a quick, clean interface that lets you edit photos in a matter of seconds. In terms of ease of use, this is hands down the best Photo Editing application available today. All effects are stackable. Combine them to make a ton of different looks.

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - esDot Development Studio is happy to announce the release of TouchUp Pro - Photo Editor available for iPhone and iPad today.

Built using Adobe AIR, TouchUp Pro offers a quick, clean interface that lets you edit photos in a matter of seconds. In terms of ease of use, this is hands down the best Photo Editing application available today.

Gone are the clunky buttons, over-designed interfaces and boring menu’s. We’ve created a simple, lightweight interface that gets out of your way and lets you work with ease. Simple to use, but still powerful.

Features Include: 
* Load pictures from Camera or Photo Library
* Contrast / Brightness
* Hue / Saturation
* Rotation / Flip
* Cropping
* Red Eye Reduction
* Blur / Sharpen
* Color Shifting
* Unlimited Undo / Redo

Touchup Pro also includes a long list of cool effects: 
* B & W
* Vignette
* Sepia
* Sepia (Green)
* Sepia (Red)
* Red Pop
* Dark Pop
* Deep Purple
* Green Tint
* High Contrast
* Low Saturation
* High Saturation

All effects are stackable. Combine them to make a ton of different looks.

We have more filters coming every month, and we’re currently hard at work on a completely new Advanced Effects panel, which will take everything one step further.

TouchUp Pro was made possible with the power of Adobe AIR. Using AIR, we are able to deploy a high quality, consistent product to all major devices on the market today. Using Vector assets, we’ve created a scalable application which flows to fit the size of the device, working beautifully on any screen.

After completing the Android and PlayBook versions of TouchUp Pro in May, we immediately decided to bring it to iOS users. The transition was easy, and in the end the performance on iOS exceeded our own expectations, becoming the best performing version of the App on any platform.

Awards and Recognition:
* Currently featured in iTunes, under “New & Noteworthy” in the Photography category
* Previously Featured as a Top 20 Featured App in Blackberry App World
* Previously held position as Top 5 Paid App in Blackberry App World
* 4.5/5 Star average review rating on Blackberry App World

Supported Devices:
* iPhone 3GS or later, iPod touch 3G or later, iPad
* Tablet OS (Blackberry PlayBook)
* All Android 2.2 devices

Pricing and Availability:
TouchUp Pro 2.2.11 is available from the iTunes App Store and BlackBerry App World for $1.99 (USD) in the Photography category.

esDot Development Studio: http://esdot.ca TouchUp Pro 2.2.11: http://esdot.ca/touchup/ Purchase and Download - iTunes App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/app/id439242122
Purchase and Download - BlackBerry App World:http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/43136?lang=en
Screenshots: http://esdot.ca/touchup/screens App Icon: http://esdot.ca/touchup/icon.png

esDot Development Studio is located in Edmonton Alberta, Canada. Focused on delivering fresh and compelling experiences to touch based devices, wherever that may lead. Copyright (C) 2011 esDot Development Studio. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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PhotoDirector 2011 Beta

TAIPEI, Taiwan—(BUSINESS WIRE)—CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW) is excited to introduce PhotoDirector 2011 Beta by presenting a limited time opportunity to receive the official release version for free. PhotoDirector 2011 Beta allows users to experiment with a vast array of photo workflow, editing and management tools before the official release version is launched in June, 2011. Any user who downloads the beta version and provides valid feedback of their experience by June 20th will receive the official release version for free.

PhotoDirector 2011 transforms your photography by smoothing the flow from the time an image is imported to your PC to its final output. PhotoDirector features a vast array of cutting edge editing tools, including amazing Adjustment Brushes, White Balance, Noise Reduction and many more. Save your favorite enhancements as adjustment presets and upload to DirectorZone.com directly from PhotoDirector 2011 to share them with other users, and download an unlimited number of presets created by other users. Native rendering of RAW files from Canon and Nikon cameras allows the user to experience stunningly authentic color when decoding RAW file formats. With a vast array of dynamic features, PhotoDirector is engineered to bring out the absolute best of your photography.

“PhotoDirector 2011 is the perfect solution for anyone who is passionate about photography,” said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. “We greatly value our customers’ feedback and input and through the PhotoDirector 2011 Beta Program we have an excellent opportunity to work closely with the end user and introduce them to new photo editing software that will transform their photography.”

CyberLink will be introducing PhotoDirector 2011 at Computex 2011 in Suites 1047 and 1048 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei and invites all visitors to join CyberLink for an exciting showcase of its innovative photo software.

For more information regarding CyberLink and the PhotoDirector 2011 Beta Program please visithttp://www.cyberlink.com

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Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 and Xara Designer Pro 7

New Releases: Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 and Xara Designer Pro 7

Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 and Xara Designer Pro 7 both offer a single application for every type of creative or artistic document creation. Instead of requiring three or more separate programs to edit photos, or create web graphics, illustrations, or page layouts, Xara Designer is one super-fast, easy-to-use program that does it all. They are the world’s highest performing graphics software titles with their speed enabling more complex and realistic graphics to be created more easily and in less time.

Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 and Xara Designer Pro 7 are powerful, flexible bitmap and vector graphics programs, making them perfect for any design that combines drawing, photos and text, from simple button or logo designs to incredibly detailed illustrations, posters, multi-page brochures, photo compositions and web graphics and they can produce animations too, including animated GIF, AVI and Flash.

Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 is ideal for any graphics enthusiast, small company or academic user that requires a single general purpose photo and graphics design tool.

Xara Designer Pro 7 includes all the same features, but adds a range of advanced Website design features, plus support for tools that might typically be required by professional designers such as PANTONE®,  CMYK colors, color separations and PDF/X. It also supports multiple processors for even faster performance. Xara Designer Pro 7 is the ultimate all-in-one creative tool for everything from advanced illustrations, DTP and PDF documents to web graphics and websites.

New features in Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 and Xara Designer Pro 7 include new fly-out galleries with advanced docking options, a new magnetic snap feature that makes positioning and alignment of items on the page much easier, cut/copy/paste of whole pages including their attributes and layers within and between documents and an amazing photo erase feature that seamlessly erases objects from photos and replaces the space with an appropriate background sampled from other parts of the photo.

Xara Designer Pro 7 is Xara’s top of the line product that also includes all of the new features of the recently released Xara Web Designer Premium 7. These include the ability to create web slideshows for web presentations and Webinars, a new range of advanced photo and text animation ‘eye-catcher’ widgets, footers which automatically move as the page is resized, the ability to anchor graphics and photos into flowing text, automatic updating of repeating objects such as NavBars, headers and footers, and a new ‘live copy’ feature that enables the creation of multiple ‘live’ copies of vector or photo objects which all automatically update when any one is edited.

“Xara software has always been regarded as the easiest graphics software to learn, despite offering the highest performance. Xara Designer Pro 7, our flagship product, carries on the tradition by adding new innovations that will appeal to our professional users, as well as useability enhancements to make the software even easier for our growing audience of novice customers.” says Managing Director Charles Moir.

Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 costs just $89 for US customers, £69 for UK (inc VAT) and €69 (inc VAT) for the EU.
Xara Designer Pro 7 costs just $299 for US customers, £249 for UK (inc VAT) and €279 (inc VAT) for the EU.
Upgrades to Xara Photo & Graphic Designer 7 cost $39 for US customers, £29 for UK (inc VAT) and €35 (inc VAT) for the EU
Upgrades to Xara Designer Pro 7 cost $99 for US customers, £79 for UK (inc VAT) and €89 (inc VAT) for the EU.

It operates on Windows XP/Vista/7

For more information see - xara.com/products/designer
Example website tutorial - designer.xara.com

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CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition

New CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition Extends Design Possibilities

Four Complementary Creative Tools Offered in One Value Package

Maidenhead, UK – 19 May, 2011 – Corel today announced CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition, the ultimate graphics collection that combines four design essentials to expand the user’s creative toolbox. In addition to Corel’s award-winning graphic products CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5 and Corel® Painter™ 11, the package includes a Wacom® Intuos®4 small tablet plus access to high-quality photos and vector images from Fotolia. Whether you’re a design pro or just getting started, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition offers exceptional value and tools that will naturally complement any designer’s workflow.

CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition Includes:

·      CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5: The award-winning graphic design software suite for vector illustration, page layout, photo editing, tracing, web graphics and animation.
·      Corel® Painter™ 11: The ultimate digital art studio for anyone ready to expand their definition of creativity.
·      Wacom® Intuos®4 small tablet: Stylish and professional pen tablet with the latest pen tip sensor technology and 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity.
·      Fotolia images: A selection of high-quality and royalty free stock photos and vector images from Fotolia’s vast collection.

CorelDRAW has helped millions of users worldwide to create graphics with impact. The new CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition continues this tradition giving users even more versatility to complete various projects in illustration and layout, photo editing, web graphics, animation, digital painting and sketching.

Pricing and Availability
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition is available now in English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Czech and Russian at the SRP of £618 for full version and £366 for upgrade customers. All prices include VAT. For more information about CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition, please visit http://www.corel.com/coreldrawle.

Media & Blogger Resources
For additional CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X5 Limited Edition resources including images, please visit http://www.corel.co.uk/newsroom.

Meet the CorelDRAW Community
·      Connect with CorelDRAW on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/coreldrawgraphicssuite
·      Follow our Twitter updates at http://www.twitter.com/coreldraw
·      Join the CorelDRAW Community at http://www.coreldraw.com

Users of CorelDRAW have the opportunity to participate in Corel’s International Design Contest and win prices valued at more than $75,000. For additional information please visithttp://www.corel.co.uk/coreldrawcontest.

About Corel
Corel is one of the world’s top software companies with more than 100 million active users in over 75 countries. We develop software that helps people express their ideas and share their stories in more exciting, creative and persuasive ways. Through the years, we’ve built a reputation for delivering innovative, trusted products that are easy to learn and use, helping people achieve new levels of productivity. The industry has responded with hundreds of awards for software innovation, design and value.

Our award-winning product portfolio includes some of the world’s most widely recognized and popular software brands, including CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite, Corel® Painter™, Corel DESIGNER® Technical Suite, Corel® PaintShop Photo®, Corel® VideoStudio®, Corel® WinDVD®, Corel® WordPerfect® Office, WinZip® and Corel® Digital Studio™.

© 2011 Corel Corporation. All rights reserved. Corel, the Corel logo, the Corel Balloon logo, Connect, Capture, Corel DESIGNER, CorelDRAW, Digital Studio, Natural Media, Painter, PaintShop Photo, Photo Paint, PowerTRACE, VideoStudio, WordPerfect, WinDVD and WinZip are trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation in Canada, the United States and other Countries. All other product names and any registered and unregistered trademarks mentioned are used for identification purposes only and remain the exclusive property of their respective owners.

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HDRtist Pro 1.0.2 for Mac OS

Ohanaware Co., Ltd releases HDRtist Pro 1.0.2 for Mac OS X (HDR Software).

Jhangle, Pingtung, Taiwan (May 18th, 2011)—Ohanaware, a family team specializing in intuitive photo editing software, are very proud to announce the immediate release of an update to the award winning HDRtist Pro software for the Mac. HDRtist Pro is the more advanced version of Ohanaware’s free HDR software, HDRtist. It’s been designed to provide more creativity with HDR images, while continuing to be easy to use.

ABOUT HDRTIST PRO
HDRtist Pro, easy to use HDR software for Macintosh computers. It has a simple yet streamlined workflow, with features such as 1-Click HDR editing. A live interface, where changes happen as the options are adjusted. The core engine processes HDR images using 128-bit floating point data (16,843,009 times more precise than a JPEG). The unique file format also allows HDRs to be saved and re-edited at a later date. Even JPEG files generated by HDRtist Pro can be re-opened and edited. With HDRtist Pro, it’s possible to create an HDR effect from a single RAW or JPEG image.

UK Mac Magazine MacFormat recently awarded HDRtist Pro 5 out of 5 stars.

WHATS NEW IN 1.0.2
With version 1.0.2 of HDRtist Pro, InstallEasy has been improved for Snow Leopard users. Fixed two display issues that some customers were having. Added support for 16-Bit Photoshop files. Fixed a bug with dragging in HDRP files. The save dialog now respects the last selected format’s extension on re-open.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
HDRtist Pro 1.0.2 is a free update for all customers, for new customers HDRtist Pro is $29.99 (USD) / £19.99 (GBP).

Existing customers can use the “Software Update” or “Check for Update” function from the HDRtist Pro menu within HDRtist Pro to update, or simply download the new version from the Ohanaware website. A free unlimited 14-Day trial can also be downloaded from the Ohanaware website. HDRtist Pro can be purchased from the Ohanaware website and Apple’s Mac App Store.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
HDRtist Pro requires an Intel powered Macintosh running Mac OS X 10.5 or newer, with at least 1GB of memory. A 256mb Graphics Card is recommended for Hardware acceleration.

ABOUT OHANAWARE
Ohanaware is a husband & wife team living in the southern tip of Taiwan. Sharing a passion in Mac’s and amateur Photography. Their first product ‘Funtastic Photos’ went on to win 4 star awards from both MacWorld and MacFormat. Their previous games company had a top ten hit with Recyclorama Joy Sha has a history in the design industry with experience as a 2D and 3D artist, she also holds a masters in 3D animation. Sam Rowlands has been writing software since 1990 and is an award winning software developer.

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Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery 4.0

Stellar Launches Advanced Photo Recovery Software to Bring Back Lost Memories

EDISON, N.J.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Stellar, a recognized name in data recovery software and services, today announced the release of Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery v 4.0 to recover lost photo, audio and video files from camera cards, mobile phone memory cards & hard drives. Stellar Phoenix is ‘the best’ solution to bring back lost memories in case of accidental deletion, formatting, corruption, read-write error, and pulled out memory card while the camera is still on. The software is available in English, German, Spanish, French & Italian language editions and works on Windows and Mac computers.

On the eve of launch, Sunil Chandna, CEO of Stellar Data Recovery, comments, “Our brand new version of Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery is specially designed for home users and brings back lost picture memories in 3-simple steps. The new version is vastly improved to support all consumer & professional cameras and recovers over 50 different image, video & music file formats like JPEG, MP4, MIDI, NEF & MOV. We offer a risk free approach with try-before-buy demo downloads. One can download a FREE DEMO of Stellar Phoenix to ‘scan and preview’ recoverable photos and videos.”

While the software interface is simple and designed for novice users, it is power-packed with lots of features that advance users can exploit to recover files efficiently. Advance users can use features like advance scan, resume recovery and create image to recover severely corrupted memory cards. Stellar software comes with live update wizard to help users track major or minor updates.

Pricing & Availability

Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery is available for immediate download for Mac & Windows operating systems in English, German, Spanish, French & Italian languages. The software can be purchased online at http://www.stellarphotorecoverysoftware.com for only USD 39/Euro 31 and is backed with 30-day money-back guarantee.

About Stellar Information Systems Ltd:

Stellar (a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner) is the only ISO 9001-2008 certified company specializing in data recovery software and services. Established in 1993 by a group of technocrat professionals, Stellar is the most trusted brand with 1 million+ users across 137 countries and 24-hour support. Stellar Phoenix products are Windows7 compatible and have bagged various awards & accolades.

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Topaz Lens Effects

DALLAS—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Topaz Labs announces the release of Topaz Lens Effects, a creative and new Photoshop plug-in, designed to help professional and amateur photographers quickly and easily achieve a wide range of lens, filter and specialty camera effects – without pricy equipment.

Topaz Lens Effects, which simulates 20 different styles of filters, lenses and specialty cameras, and includes over 150 presets, provides photographers with the flexibility and convenience of adding in-camera enhancements after the shot. With Lens Effects, users can create realistic enhancements for emphasizing focal points, creating bokeh to blur distracting backgrounds, adding vignettes, and balancing color tone - in just a few clicks. Also achievable with Lens Effects is a variety of other popular photography styles such as miniatures, fisheye distortions, motion blur and more – for countless ways to take images to the next level.

“Cameras, lenses and filters are a necessary part of every photographer’s camera bag, and are heavily relied upon to help achieve artistic vision. However, equipment can be expensive, often cumbersome and is limited to use at the time of the shot,” said Ashley Robinson, product manager for Topaz Labs. “Topaz Lens Effects makes it possible to still achieve that perfect shot. Its robust toolset makes it the ideal accessory for any photo enthusiast – allowing them to do more with less.”

“In addition to a novel approach of creating accurate depth maps for the most realistic depth-of-field simulation, Lens also uses brand new architecture that gives us the unparalleled agility to enhance our software’s capabilities and functionality with new ideas and suggestions that we constantly receive from the Topaz user community,” said Jawad Malik, project leader for the new Topaz Lens Effects. “This has been an exciting project for our team and we sincerely hope that our avid and loyal customers will find it equally inspiring.”

Topaz Lens Effects is a plug-in that works with Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and PaintShop Pro. It is compatible with Windows XP or later and Intel-based Macs running OS X 10.5 or later. Photographers and graphic designers looking for an easier and more affordable way to achieve lens, camera and filter effects are invited to try out the new Topaz Lens Effects plug-in for free using the 30-day free trial. Topaz Lens Effects retails for $79.99, but is being offered at a special promotional price of $49.99 until June 1, 2011. Lens Effects will also become a part of the Topaz Photoshop Bundle, which offers photographers a complete image enhancement toolbox for all of their post processing needs. The bundle, including Lens Effects retails at $249.99. For more information about Topaz Lens Effects, visit the homepage at http://www.topazlabs.com/lenseffects.

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GeniuX Photo EFX 2.97

XPro Software has released version 2.97 of GeniuX Photo EFX. The program is a standalone application for photo editing and digital painting, and offers both one-click operation and over 300 custom settings. Features include support for 20 different image formats, 15 advanced editing tools, 90 filters, 7 artistic brushes, and more. Version 2.97 incorporates a number of new features and a bug fix. GeniuX Photo EFX sells for $99. For more information, visit the website below.

Website: GeniuX Pro EFX

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HDRtist Pro 1.0.1 for Mac OS

Ohanaware Co., Ltd releases HDRtist Pro 1.0.1 for Mac OS X (HDR Software).

Jhangle, Pingtung, Taiwan (May 4th, 2011)—Ohanaware, a family team specializing in intuitive photo editing software, are very proud to announce the immediate release of an update to their HDRtist Pro software for the Mac. HDRtist Pro is the more advanced version of their free HDR software, HDRtist. It’s been designed to provide more creativity with HDR images, while continuing to be easy to use.

ABOUT HDRTIST PRO
HDRtist Pro, easy to use HDR software for Macintosh computers. It features a simple yet streamlined workflow, with features such as 1-Click HDR editing. A live interface, where changes happen as the options are adjusted. The core engine processes HDR images using 128-bit floating point data (16,843,009 times more precise than a JPEG). The unique file format also allows HDRs to be saved and re-edited at a later date. Even JPEG files generated by HDRtist Pro can be re-opened and edited. With HDRtist Pro, it’s possible to create an HDR effect from a single RAW or JPEG image.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) & Exposure Blending make it possible to create highly detailed and ultra-realistic photographs with your digital camera. HDR works by combining exposure information using complex mathematics, while Exposure Blending works by simply selecting and cutting out the best parts of each photo. These two different techniques can generate different results. One technique might work better for one image than the other. This is why we think it’s best to have both techniques available to use.

WHATS NEW IN 1.0.1
With version 1.0.1 of HDRtist Pro we’ve made over 50 changes, which includes adding features that customers have been asking for, such as the ability to specify bit depth and compression on export. HDRtist Pro now performs better when used on Macs without hardware acceleration, and we’ve fixed a bunch of small bugs which improve the reliability and stability of the overall application.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
HDRtist Pro 1.0.1 is a free update for all customers, for new customers HDRtist Pro 1.0.1 is $29.99 (USD) / £19.99 (GBP).

Existing customers can use the “Software Update” or “Check for Update” function from the HDRtist Pro menu within HDRtist Pro to update, or simply download the new version from the Ohanaware website. A free unlimited 14-Day trial can also be downloaded from the Ohanaware website. HDRtist Pro can be purchased from the Ohanaware website. Mac App Store coming soon.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
HDRtist Pro requires an Intel powered Macintosh running Mac OS X 10.5 or newer, with at least 1GB of memory. A 256mb Graphics Card is recommended for Hardware acceleration.

ABOUT OHANAWARE
Ohanaware is a husband & wife team living in the southern tip of Taiwan. Sharing a passion in Mac’s and amateur Photography. Their first product ‘Funtastic Photos’ went on to win 4 star awards from both MacWorld and MacFormat. Their previous games company had a top ten hit with Recyclorama Joy Sha has a history in the design industry with experience as a 2D and 3D artist, she also holds a masters in 3D animation. Sam Rowlands has been writing software since 1990 and is an award winning software developer.

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Filter Forge 3.0 Beta

A public Beta version of Filter Forge 3.0 is now available for download. The update adds support for multiple source images, enables faster image preview through the introduction of Progressive Previews, adds hexadecimal colour values in the Colour Picker, HDR and alpha channel support for filter controls, high-precision Colour Inspector, the ability to load recently-used images, a unified Bomber component and more. Filter Forge 3.0 Beta can be downloaded from the website below.

Website: Filter Forge

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Nik Software Wins Best Photo Software 2011

Nik Software Wins Best Photo Software 2011

TIPA Award 2011 goes to the Nik Software Complete Collection

San Diego, CA – April 28, 2011 – Nik Software has been recognized with the prestigious Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Award in the Photo Software category. During this year’s global General Assembly, 29 TIPA editors from imaging publications worldwide voted Nik Software’s Complete Collection as the Best Photo Software for 2011. The Nik Software Complete Collection is a suite of all Nik Software plug-ins for Adobe® Photoshop®, Lightroom®, and Apple® Aperture®, including the latest versions of Color Efex Pro™, Silver Efex Pro™, HDR Efex Pro™, Viveza®, Sharpener Pro™ and Dfine®. TIPA emphasized the recent development of Nik Software’s unique High Dynamic Range imaging software (HDR Efex Pro) and black and white conversion software (Silver Efex Pro 2). Product videos, free trial versions, and live online training for all products can be found at http://www.niksoftware.com.

“Photoshop plug-ins take away some of the most labour-intensive photo manipulations…” said TIPA of Nik Software’s Complete Collection. “Nik plug-ins go one step further and provide the user with a unique ‘U Point’ technology, allowing for customisation of individual image parameters. And all presets can be further customised to each photographer’s taste.”

“We are particularly proud to win the prestigious 2011 TIPA Award for Best Photo Software, as this award is given internationally by the people who represent imaging and photography customers worldwide,” said Michael J. Slater, President and CEO of Nik Software. “Everyone at Nik Software works hard to deliver award-winning software and a world-class customer experience.”

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) was founded in 1991 as an independent, non-profit association of photo and imaging magazines. Today, TIPA includes almost 40 member magazines and 30 websites from 16 countries worldwide. TIPA is the largest and most influential association of its kind in the global photo and imaging industry. The TIPA awards are the most coveted photo and imaging awards worldwide and are globally recognized throughout the industry and the channel.

Nik Software Product Descriptions

About Dfine 2.0

Dfine improves the quality of digital photos by easily eliminating contrast and color noise as well as “banding” while maintaining rich details. Automatic noise reduction streamlines workflow and U Point technology provides unprecedented selective control and power.

About Viveza 2

Viveza 2, powered by U Point technology, is the most powerful and precise tool available to selectively control light and color in photos without the need to create complicated selections or layer masks. New global image controls, levels and curves adjustments, shadow recovery, fine detail enhancements, and timesaving interface controls ensure quick and easy corrections with professional results.

About Color Efex Pro 3.0

Color Efex Pro 3.0 filters are the leading photographic filters for digital photography. Widely used by many of today’s professional photographers, the award-winning Color Efex Pro includes U Point technology for precise selective control and offers 52 traditional and stylizing filters that let users quickly and easily perform high quality retouching, color correction and creative enhancements.

About HDR Efex Pro

HDR Efex Pro is the new standard for professional and advanced amateur photographers to create amazing high quality realistic and artistic HDR images with a revolutionary all-in-one workflow. HDR Efex Pro simplifies and redefines high dynamic range imaging with precise selective fine-tuning using U Point technology, advanced alignment and ghost reduction, and new class-leading tone-mapping adjustments.

About Silver Efex Pro 2

Silver Efex Pro 2 is the world’s leading black and white imaging software, providing powerful tools for creating fine art black and white images from color digital photographs. Featuring an all-in-one workflow, Silver Efex Pro 2 uses proprietary imaging algorithms to protect against unwanted artifacts and includes patented U Point technology for precise selective enhancements. Combined with a powerful set of darkroom-inspired tools that work together, Silver Efex Pro 2 makes creating extraordinary black-and-white images easier than ever before.

About Sharpener Pro 3.0

Sharpener Pro 3.0 is the most advanced and powerful sharpening solution for photographers, eliminating the guesswork typically required for achieving superior printed results while providing the most control possible. New adaptive sharpening algorithms, award-winning U Point technology for selective sharpening, and sharpening soft proofing that lets allows inspection of results before printing all combine to ensure images have the desired sharpness of detail with repeatable, professional results.

About Nik Software, Inc.

Nik Software, Inc. is a privately held company that develops software solutions and provides award-winning educational programs for the digital imaging and photography markets. Established in 1995, Nik Software has become the recognized leader in digital photographic filter development and produces award-winning technology and software products for digital photography and imaging professionals including U Point® technology (http://www.upoint.com ), HDR Efex Pro™, Dfine®, Viveza®, Color Efex Pro™, Silver Efex Pro™, and Sharpener Pro™ software. For more information, visit http://www.niksoftware.com.

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