Software News

CES is not a big imaging software show as evidenced by the short list of new products, though we did find a new camera profiling tool, updated monitor calibration tools, an old favorite Raw converter brought back to life under a new name, and software for editing on the fly and sharing photos.

ArcSoft introduced a Mac version of Perfect365. This software uses advanced facial recognition technology for one-click portrait touch-ups, letting you effortlessly adjust up to 21 individual facial features. Perfect365 allows you to add creative effects such as eye shadows, blushes, lipsticks, colored contact lenses, under-eye circle removal, and blemish removal. The software is available as a free download (www.perfect365.com) or in a premium edition ($39).

IInstagram has introduced five new creative filters for its popular, photo-sharing app: Slumber, Crema, Ludwig, Perpetua, and Aden.

Here is my dilemma. Since discovering OpenAI’s DALL•E 2 image generator a few weeks ago, I’ve had good success and great fun creating images I’m truly proud of. No, it’s not photography, but it’s still pretty amazing. More importantly, however, it raises a fundamental question: Is it ethical to publish AI-assisted images instead of photos of living, flesh and blood models, even with clearly-worded disclaimers? Frankly, I’m torn by this predicament.

Adobe is constantly adding new features to Lightroom so it’s easy to miss some of the coolest fresh stuff. That’s why we like to highlight cool new Lightroom tools that you may have missed.

Show your best images to the world and earn bragging rights when your photograph is selected to join the Shutterbug Photo of the Day gallery. It doesn't matter whether you shoot with a smartphone or a Hasselblad—if you have the talent, let it be recognized.

If you want to build an online photo album or digital portfolio of your images to share on the web, there are many ways to do it. But one of our favorite options has been the jAlbum photo gallery software, which we have reviewed several times over the years.

Photographers, especially those dealing with large numbers of images, are always looking for ways to speed up the workflow and spend less time in front of a computer and more time behind a camera. Applications like Lightroom have improved the process tremendously, making cataloging and image adjustments easier and faster than before. If you have adjustments that you apply frequently, you can use presets to make it a single-click process, applying a number of adjustments in one operation.

Kevin Kubota has been providing presets and tools for both Photoshop and Lightroom users for quite a while now, and one of his products is a combination of a package of presets for Lightroom and a mini keyboard from RPG Keys that looks much like a numeric keypad on your keyboard. Available as a bundle for $349, or as a rental for $19.95 per month after a $49 setup fee, you get over 100 presets that do everything from black-and-white conversions to skin tone enhancements (and a number of interesting edge effects).