This is issue #45 of Carnival of Digital Cameras & Photography, a weekly round-up of all the latest news, trends, digital camera reviews, top blogs, photography tips and professional advice.
This time around -- I'm not focusing (no pun intended!) on the new and exciting digital cameras, but on the software we use after we put the camera down. So every story in this Carnival includes a recently-updated software application. Let's get started...
Wacom adds Photoshop Elements - Adobe's simpler, scaled-down (but still pretty powerful) version of Photoshop is now officially included as part of the package in Wacom's Graphire4 Studio and Studio XL products. Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 is now included in the standard package, along with a tablet and cordless, battery-free pen.
Extensis Portfolio 8 - Extensis has released a free Mac-only update of their Digital Asset Management (DAM) Portfolio 8 software. The update makes the software run natively on Intel-based Apple Macintosh computers. Registered owners of Portfolio 8 are eligible to receive the free upgrade (version 8.1) immediately through the Extensis website.
Realviz Panaorama Software - Realviz recently announced 3 new versions of their Stitcher panorama creation software. Stitcher Express 2 is aimed at digital photography hobbyists, Stitcher Pro 5.5 is for professional photographers and graphic artists, and Stitcher Unlimited 5.5 is especially for professional panorama creators. New tools in the applications include fish-eye stitching, Smart Blend technology, and ImmerVision's Java-based Pure Player.
MemoryMixer Lite - Lasting Impressions for Paper, Inc. not only has the longest company name I've ever seen (do they just call it "LIP" for short?), but they make MemoryMixer, a software package that creates multimedia scrapbooks with digital video, sound, photos, computer graphics and typewritten text. The company has just introduced a "Lite" version, which allows all the same functionality for just $29.95. LIP (so am I the first one to do that?) left out a few of the backgrounds and other embellishments, but allows users to purchase additional content as desired.
Adobe Lightroom Does Windows - After several months of playing around with a Mac-only beta, Adobe has released their Lightroom workflow software for Windows. The company describes Lightroom as "the efficient new way for professional photographers to import, select, develop and showcase large volumes of digital images." It's available as a free download from Adobe.
Noise Ninja - No, I did not make that title up! That's actually the name of PictureCode's software that sneaks up silently on noise and grain in your digital images and removes them with coldblooded efficiency (OK, so I made that part up). There's a standalone version and a plugin version, and the Mac standalone version will now run natively on Intel and PowerPC-based computers.
Digital Camera Reviews:
Sony Alpha 100 DSLR review at PopPhoto
Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 Digital Camera Review at Digital Camera Info
Canon Powershot A530 Review at Digital Camera Review
The Carnival of Digital Cameras will run weekly. To find out more about the carnival, see the main Carnival of Cameras.
