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Olympus Imaging Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, and Sigma Corporation have joined forces to launch an online firmware update service that will enable users to easily update the firmware in interchangeable DSLR lenses compliant with the Four Thirds System Standard, even when the camera and lens are not made by the same manufacturer. Scheduled to start on October 15, 2008, this new joint service is the first of its kind in the industry.

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onOne Software, Inc. announces the immediate availability of two upgrades to their award-winning PhotoFrame plug-in. PhotoFrame 4 Professional and Standard Editions are designed to help photographers add the perfect finishing touch to digital photos.

Now supporting Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and Apple Aperture 2.1, PhotoFrame 4 helps photographers of all skill levels quickly and easily create one-of-a-kind works of art with their images. PhotoFrame 4 adds details once mastered only in the darkroom like unique edge effects, frames, borders, adornments and texture overlays. Expanding upon onOne Software’s award-winning plug-in for Adobe Photoshop software, PhotoFrame 4 delivers hundreds of new frames, including exclusive content from professional wedding photographers Kevin Kubota and Vicki Taufer, that today's digital photographers are demanding for their professional and personal work.

PhotoFrame 4 also includes a new easy-to-use frame library with new library management options, updated user-interface, cutting-edge new content, new output options for added user control, and more.

New Features in PhotoFrame 4
New Frame Library – The new Library window in PhotoFrame 4 lets users easily search, browse and preview frames, backgrounds, textures and adornments on their image in real time. Users can immediately see just what each frame selection will look like with their image. A new streamlined light table style view allows users to search and sort frames quickly. With the improved preview quality users can zoom in and choose the best frame for every photo.

New Library Management Options – New in PhotoFrame 4 is the ability to change the location of the frame library. Photographers can choose the drive and location and even automatically relocate the library later if needed. In addition, photographers who create and add their own frames can have them automatically added to the PhotoFrame 4 Library making them easier to find in the future.

New & Optimized Content – New cutting-edge content has been added to onOne Software's PhotoFrame 4 allowing photographers to add an exciting and modern look to their photos and albums. The new content includes more realistic film edges along with new texture overlays, backgrounds and adornments. Additionally, the frame content in PhotoFrame 4 has been completely re-mastered providing photographers with a higher quality preview when choosing the best frame for their photo.

New Output Options – The new options palette allows photographers to control how the frames are applied to their photo. Frames, overlays and adornments can be added to the current layer, or a new layer. In addition, frames can be rendered to their own layer allowing for further adjustments or editing in Adobe Photoshop software. Frames from PhotoFrame 4 can even be applied as a layer mask allowing photographers to selectively blend multiple layers together. The output quality of frames in PhotoFrame 4 has been improved for large images and the on-screen preview even displays the layer options just like they will appear in Adobe Photoshop.

Integration with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and Apple Aperture 2.1 – Photographers using Lightroom 2 or Aperture 2.1 can easily access their favorite frames, overlays and adornments from within each application. Photographers can apply a preset to a single photo or an entire batch of photos. They can even open one photo to adjust the frame settings and then apply it to a selection of additional images. The integration between Lightroom 2 and PhotoFrame 4 Professional Edition requires Photoshop CS2, Photoshop CS3 or Photoshop CS4. The integration between Aperture 2.1 and PhotoFrame 4 Professional Edition does not require any additional host applications.

Resizing and Adjusting Multiple Frames – PhotoFrame 4 allows photographers to mix, match and combine up to 32 frames together in layers just like in Photoshop. With PhotoFrame 4, photographers can select multiple frame layers and adjust their size, orientation, rotation angle, opacity and more in a single step. Additionally, the background image layer can now be adjusted separately to fit perfectly within the combination of edge effects being added.

Availability and Pricing
PhotoFrame 4 comes in two variations – a Professional Edition and a Standard Edition, which are available for $259.95 and $159.95 respectively direct from onOne Software and select, authorized resellers in the United States and around the world. 

The Professional Edition of PhotoFrame 4 includes all of the functionality of the Standard Edition and adds additional frame, edge and adornment content from some of the top wedding photographers and Photoshop gurus in the industry as well as support for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 and Apple Aperture 2.1.

Both editions of PhotoFrame 4 are immediately available for electronic download direct from onOne Software and from authorized resellers in DVD format.

http://www.ononesoftware.com

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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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Nikon is pleased to announce a new DVD that guides viewers on advanced creative lighting techniques under the masterful instruction of award-winning National Geographic Traveler photographer Bob Krist and world renowned photojournalist and lighting expert, Joe McNally.  Painting with light is the very definition of photography and this DVD demonstrates why the Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS) continues to define the imaginative possibilities available to photographers.

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