UK Digital Cameras Blog

Microsoft’s new HD Photo software could soon be installed into new digital cameras, it has been reported.

According to technology website Tech.co.uk, the HD Photo plug-in, which allows users to read and write files in a new format, may be installed onto digital cameras and could come to replace traditional Jpegs.

The HD Photo application from Microsoft is called the Jpeg XR and is designed to fit in with the new wave of HD equipment currently entering the market.

According to the website, such a system could prove popular if it is installed on cameras when they are produced, as it would offer a number of benefits over the traditional formats currently on offer.

Images would be available to view at a range of different sizes on screen - for example - and large files would not have to be downloaded in order for high-resolution images to be viewed, the website claims.

Jpeg XR offers a larger palette of colours than standard Jpegs, among various other things.

The latest cameras from top manufacturers Nikon and Canon have received a software update that means Windows Vista.

Both Canon and Nikon released software updates this month for their newest SLR cameras and for a number of older Canon cameras as well, CNet reports.

The software updates feature codec software from Microsoft that allows Windows Vista - in addition to any programs using its image-handling capabilities - to read proprietary raw image formats.

Chuck Westfall, a Canon spokesman, said that the company has also adapted its ZoomBrowser EX and ImageBrowser photo-browsing utilities, Digital Photo Professional tool, PhotoStitch software and Picture Style Editor.

Apple has also recently announced the release of its own new image software update.

Final Cut Express 4, a significant upgrade to its video editing software, is complete with support for the latest AVCHD cameras and the ability to import iMovie ‘08 projects.

 Consumers take a number of steps to make sure they look good in photos, with many resorting to using digital software to help them improve their image, a new study has found.

A study undertaken by Canon has revealed that a total of 86 per cent of Britons believe they are unphotogenic, with more than half the population feeling insecure about how their waistline will appear in a photo.

However, over half (53 per cent) of people surveyed admitted that using digital cameras and manipulating pictures with software available on a home computer was helping the nation to appear more attractive.

The research found that people in London are most likely to retouch images of themselves, with residents in the Midlands and Yorkshire also being likely to cheat on their images.

But for those without access to such software, there are a number of tactics that can be employed in front of the camera, including ensuring the lighting is correct, turning slightly to the side or standing with one leg in front of the other.

Canon recently released its new Selphy ES20 printer, which allows consumers to view photos on screen before they are printed, among other things. 

Corel’s new Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 software offers ease of use for both new and experienced photo editors, a new review has claimed.

Stephen Patrick, of gadget website pocket-lint.co.uk, said the software comes with a “comprehensive list of tools to get the grip of” but pointed out that it is “a relatively simple program” to operate.

“If you simply want to edit photos and leave it at that, the basic feature set allows you to do just that. However, there is enough here to allow the experienced, or simply the curious, to grow with their interest,” he added.

Tools designed to enhance the appearance of the people you have photographed, such as ‘thinify’ and tan functions are also included in the software, with Mr Patrick commenting: “While none of these may sound essential, your subjects may well appreciate the effort put into using them.”

On its website, Corel highlights the Express Lab feature which allows users to “edit dozens of photos in the time it used to take to edit just a few” and its new watermark tool, which allows snappers to brand their images as their own.

Technology developer CPC has released new software that allows iPod users to embed subtitles and captions in their videos at the flick of a button.

While the ubiquitous music players have long been able to handle multiple video formats, there has until now been no software capable of instantly embedding closed captions into the devices’ favoured QuickTime movie format.

With CPC’s new software package, however, small reference files linked to the MacCaption-coded video files are stored in your iPod’s memory, enabling it to call up subtitles and captions whenever prompted.

Previous captioning solutions have required time-consuming re-compression, but with MacCaption - which also works on the iPhone - the process is almost instantaneous. It even has the ability to retrieve and convert captions encoded by traditional Line 21 captioning method.

CPC is the world’s first simultaneous closed captioning/teleprompting software provider.

Corel has launched an updated version of its Painter Essentials software application which is set to give photographers the chance to get even more use out of their digital camera.

Incorporated into Corel Painter Essentials 4 is a new photo painting system that the firm says will make turning photographs into paintings easier, promising that an image can be transformed in just three steps.

The application also boasts "smart stroke technology" which can detect the different components of an image and adjust the way in which the brushes act on them, with the firm claiming it will help users "quickly achieve impressive paintings or sketches with no prior training or experience required".

Robert MacDonald, product manager of Corel Painter, said: "With Corel Painter Essentials 4, we wanted to make it as easy as possible for our customers to tap into their creativity, whether they want to create a painting from a favourite photo, or develop a custom piece of artwork from scratch."

Last month, the firm launched MediaOne Plus, a software package designed to organise and back-up images, with the firm’s digital media director of product management, Denise MacDonell, saying it provided "the perfect companion to their point-and-shoot digital camera".

Photographers who want to edit their snaps to get the perfect image could take advantage of the newly upgraded Adobe Photoshop Elements 6, which has been given a warm welcome by technology experts.

Adobe has enhanced existing features, such as step-by-step assistance to help people better edit their photographs, as well as adding new ones, including a feature that could make capturing the perfect group shot easy.

“New photo-blending technology lets you easily combine the best facial expressions and body language from a series of group shots to create a single, perfect composite,” the firm said, adding that users would never need to “let a frown or a closed pair of eyes ruin a group photo again”.

Stuart Miles, of gadget website pocketlint.co.uk, gave the software a score of nine out of ten in his review, praising it as “simple yet effective.

“The interface is clean and crisp and there are some really good features like the photo merge option and the flash based web galleries that will make this appeal to lots of people,” he said.

According to Amateur Photographer magazine, Adobe are scheduled to launch an Apple compatible version next year.

Adobe has provided updates to the  photoshop Camera Raw plug-in to make their
sophisticated technologies compatible with 14 new cameras.

The software now provides better access to the “raw” image formats of many professional and midrange digital cameras, such as the Olympus EVOLT E-510 and Panasonic DMC-FZ18. Now adapted to support raw files in the DNG format, Adobe has built on the success of the 2003 Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in to allow more photographers access to the ‘digital negative’.

Meanwhile the updated Lightroom 1.2 features corrections to Microsoft Windows Vista grid display errors as well as XMP auto-write performance. For those seeking greater artistic control when snapping away, digital negatives allow photographers to keep the original ‘raw’ files while benefiting from the flexibility promised by the Raw plug-in update. Digital camera enthusiasts can look forward to putting the new technologies to use by downloading them from adobe.com, with both the Raw update and newly available components for Lightroom 1.2 promising better image detail with improved noise reduction.

Nikon has announced the release of two new software applications, Nikon Transfer and ViewNX, designed to make editing photographs easier.

Users of the Nikon Transfer software will be able to download images from their camera to two places at once and offers features intended to make cataloguing images easier, such as embedding keywords into the file. 

According to Nikon, the new View NX software will “ensure quick access to images for instant viewing”, speed up the process of correcting exposure and white balance errors to a large number of files and make it possible to convert images to JPEG or TIF files easily.

The application will be particularly useful for those planning to buy the new Nikon D3 and D300, as it will allow them to create their own custom picture controls on their computer and then upload it to the camera.

Nikon fans itching to try out the new feature will have to wait until November for both models to make their debut. For now, the new software can be accessed in the customer services section of the Nikon website, restricted to camera owners who have registered their digital product and have an account with the European support centre.

Image Trends has announced the launch of new photo cleaning software.

SensorKleen Pro, which automatically removes dust and debris from a user’s digital SLR camera, will be available at $99.95 (£49.48).

The product is a software application that works with Windows based machines and could be made available in a Mac format in the future.

Included with the software is SensorKleen Smartbrush, which allows users to correct defects on individual images.

Chief executive officer of Image Trends Dan Sullivan said that it is almost inevitable that dust or dirt will enter any camera when changing lenses.

“The SensorKleen Pro utilises a patent pending technology that will automatically clean the whole photo shoot when dust is discovered the morning after,” he added.

Earlier products by Image Trends include Pearly Whites, which automatically whitens the teeth of people in a photo without altering other areas of the image.