Staff

Our Picture This! assignment this month was Pen and Ink, in which we asked readers to send us images that emulated a pen and ink drawing, that is, reducing the image content to line, texture, and form. Software makes it easy to convert an image file to just about any type of illustrative format, from oil paint to pastels and more. There are many ways to achieve the effect, but as with all images it’s how the content matches the technique that counts. Readers sent in all types of subject matter and achieved the effect in various ways, all of which show how malleable images are these days and how working with software can open up new ways of seeing and sharing images.

Phase One has confirmed that the Phase One 645 Camera system -- providing professional
photographers freedom of choice -- is now in volume production and shipping to
customers world-wide. The Phase One 645 Camera body is lightweight, with a user-friendly
ergonomic design. It is an open platform, designed to support pro photographers'
choice of lenses and digital backs or film operation to achieve superior image
quality. The camera system comes with a warranty covering 3 years or 300,000 shutter
actuations, and is backed by full support and service of a global team of Phase
One dealers.
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Phase One A/S announced the immediate availability of Capture One 4 PRO, the RAW workflow software for photographers focused on transforming RAW files into the highest quality photographs.

Capture One 4 PRO has been designed to enhance the image quality of professional digital captures. It is built on a darkroom paradigm to enhance images and minimize the need for post-production. The workflow is responsive and flexible, adapting to a photographer’s needs.

Capture One 4 PRO is designed to satisfy a photographer’s specific work preference and situation. It offers freedom to create custom tool tabs with existing personal toolsets, and to work with multi monitor setups.

World leading tethered shooting is delivered by connecting a Phase One digital back or a supported DSLR camera to the computer and capturing images directly into Capture One 4 PRO.

The Styles feature has been redesigned to give photographers broader choices in exploring and creating unique looks that can be controlled and reproduced to create an exclusive signature.

An enhanced Color Editor feature permits fine-tuning of image colors with precise adjustment tools. Color adjustments can be saved as presets or as customized ICC profiles for consistent reproduction across multiple images.

A new Skin Tone tool lets photographers easily set and reproduce skin tones shot under various light conditions, even without using a gray card.

New Lens Correction tools improve image quality by compensating for undesired lens characteristics. These tools minimize chromatic aberration, purple fringing, distortion, sharpness falloff and light falloff. They permit creative effects such as image framing with a new vignetting tool.

Capture One 4 PRO supports Phase One and Mamiya medium format cameras and RAW files from a wide range of cameras including: Canon, Epson, Fuji, Konica Minolta, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, and Sony. Please see http://www.phaseone.com/4 for specific models.

Phase One Capture One 4 PRO is available now in English through Phase One’s worldwide partner network (please see http://www.phaseone.com/Content/ContactUs/LocateDealer.aspx) and Phase One’s e-shop at http://www.phaseone.com/Content/EshopMenu.aspx.

Other language versions are planned for release at a future date. Capture One 4 PRO is free for registered users of Capture One PRO 3.x. Its estimated street price is $399. Recommended minimum system requirements are Macintosh OS X 10.5.5 or later, Intel® based processor, or Microsoft Windows® XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1 and Windows .NET Framework v3, Intel Pentium 4® processor, 1 GB RAM and a 1280 x 800 resolution screen.  More information on product  features is available at http://www.phaseone.com/4.

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Photographer’s Edge and BetterPhoto.com have partnered to create products and strategies to assist photographers in improving their skills and displaying and reselling their work in the form of high quality Keepsake Greeting Cards.

BetterPhoto.com offers interactive online photography classes instructed by their own staff of talented pro photographers. BetterPhoto.com will create specific ideas and skills in a program on how to generate “Good to Great” photos that will result in “Good to Great” Keepsake Photo Greeting Cards that could be used to enter the $8 billion Greeting Card marketplace.  They are also creating a “BetterPhoto Pro” website to include a Photographer’s Edge Greeting Card storefront option.  This enables virtually anyone to have a professional marketing site to easily post images online.

Photographer’s Edge, manufacturer of the patented do-it –yourself Keepsake Photo Greeting Card Frame, offers an extensive line of products from Holiday Cards, Occasion Cards, Event Cards and Friendship Cards to their best selling Border Cards which can be used for Nature, Portrait or any other creative photography.  All card and calendar products are environmentally friendly made from recycled stock and printed with soy-based inks.  Customers easily create their own high quality personalized greeting cards for personal use or to resell at art shows, photo shows, tourist areas or on their website. This partnership will enable many talented photographers and photo-enthusiasts to benefit by learning new photo and marketing skills and turning their hobby into a year round business.

For more information, please visit www.PhotographersEdge.com and www.BetterPhoto.com

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