Shutterbug Staff

The League of Creative Infrared Photographers (www.irleague.com)
was officially formed in January 2008. It was established to promote the joy,
excitement, and creativity of infrared photography from in-camera capture to
enhancing images in the digital darkroom.

...

LiveBooks, Inc. announced it has consolidated its liveBooks|edu product offerings
to a single premium product for students and instructors at an annual subscription
price of $99, including the annual hosting fee. The revised liveBooks|edu product
consists of two parts: a templated Flash website and a sophisticated online
admin tool known as the editSuite. With the new, expanded features of the editSuite
tool -- a transition picker, PDF downloads from the editSuite and a loading
page graphic -- students can more effectively present their brand online,
keep their website content current and gain firsthand experience of the same
tool used by leading industry pros. Using liveBooks|edu, students and faculty
can quickly create and launch a professionally presented online portfolio website.

...

Mamiya has announced the release of an IR Photo filter for the Mamiya ZD Digital
back. "Today's CCD sensors are highly sensitive to infrared light,"
said Jeff Karp, Mamiya Product Marketing Manager, "and the IR Cut filter
built into cameras reduces infrared light transmission. The result is more accurate
and natural color. The IR Cut filter, however, makes infrared photography impossible.
In response to the large number of requests from infrared photographers, especially
with the scarcity of infrared film, this filter was created."



Mamiya developed the IR Photo Filter for use on the Mamiya ZD Digital Back. The
IR Photo Filter YD401 (which replaces the standard IR Cut Filter) is a clear filter
that allows the transmission of infrared light as well as visible light rays.



"Unlike specialized IR cameras or modified systems," states Karp,
"the Mamiya ZD Digital Back can be transformed from standard digital to
IR digital, simply by changing the user-replaceable sensor filters." Photographers
will need to add an infrared filter (89B or 87) on the front of the lens to produce
typical infrared images with dramatic dark skies, glowing greens and "magical"
skin tones. It is available mid-January 2008.



www.macgroupus.com...

ExpressDigital has announced the next generation of its powerful workflow software,
Darkroom v8.9, designed to help photographers make more money in their business.
These new features are said to reflect the ever-changing photography landscape,
including fast digital output, enhanced wireless support, advanced greenscreen
and more. Darkroom v8.9 cuts photographer screen time by streamlining new digital
delivery options into an intuitive wizard system that allows digital files to
be as easy to sell as the print. Darkroom photographers can quickly save photos,
at a user-set resolution, to a CD, DVD, or memory card. Not only can Darkroom
users create digital photo products for their customer, photographers can create
interactive slideshows as either a product or sales pitch. The slideshows are
distributed by CD/DVD, email or an online posting. Photographers can also access
the tools to make products, such as custom photo albums, with the fully integrated
PDF printing feature. This universal file format allows photographers to submit
a custom photo book project to their favorite professional printing lab.



Darkroom v8.9 took the recent advances in wireless technology to a new level with
its integrated internal FTP server. This finely tuned system makes using a wireless
camera easier than ever before. With its integrated FTP server, photographers
can expect quick setup and seamless support. Photographers who prefer to use a
Hotfolder will also see vast improvements in speed and efficiency. The enhanced
wireless support in Darkroom provides new workflow opportunities for all industry
photographers.



Darkroom v8.9 provides new state-of-the-art chroma-key algorithms that are smarter
and more accurate than ever before. The expanded drop-out adjustment tools give
photographers more precise advanced control, while easy-to-use presets allow for
a fast and efficient greenscreen workflow.



For complete details please visit http://www.expressdigital.com/products/epsdarkroom.shtm



ExpressDigital Darkroom v8.9 is immediately available for purchase. The retail
prices are as follows: Darkroom Core Edition - $495, Darkroom Professional Edition
- $1395, Darkroom Assembly Edition (Plus 6 hours phone training) - $2995, Darkroom
Assembly Edition (Plus 2 days on-site training) - $4395. Upgrade pricing is also
available.



www.expressdigital.com...