photoshop

Time again for Adobe's annual update of its consumer photo- and video-editing applications, Photoshop Elements (Windows | Mac) and Premiere Elements (Windows only). We're up to version 8 now, and while there's no killer must-have new capability--unless you consider automatic sync across multiple computers--the two products still provide solid mass appeal for their respective markets.

As in the past, you can buy the pair together for $149.99, which is a far more attractive buy for video-editing shoppers than Photoshoppers, and in fact the combination makes quite a nice bundle for home videographers. Independently, they're $99.99 each. Tack "Plus" to the name of the product for another $40 and you get an extra 20GB on the otherwise free Photoshop.com membership (along with ongoing new template and tutorial content), which will then cost you $50 annually to renew.

The latter becomes key if you plan to take advantage of one of the nicer new features, the ability to sync your videos, photos, music, projects, and PDF files across multiple systems using Photoshop.com as the hub. (In case you missed it, Photoshop.com rolled out video support last month in preparation for this release of Pre.) While Adobe doesn't make a Plus membership a requirement for doing so, you'll very quickly max out your free 2GB without it.

After allowing the product to languish for a while, with 8 Adobe brings the Mac version of Photoshop Elements up to parity with the Windows version and with the buzzy new features in iPhoto, including face recognition and geotagging/mapping. Unlike iPhoto, however, there's no direct upload to Facebook, though it supports a broader number of services, including Kodak EasyShare Gallery and Smugmug. Annoyingly, those choices are buried as More Options on the Share pane (likely because the interface decision was based on the technology used--implemented via an API rather than core program code--rather than where the user will look for them).

Like most current facial recognition implementations, Adobe's is only moderately accurate. For instance, in many photos it correctly identifies one person, but didn't detect others and thought inanimate objects were faces. The batch detection and labeling where you confirm different faces in groups of selected images is better, but still a little clunky.… Read more

Adobe Systems' Photoshop Lightroom is catching on as a preferred tool professional photographers use to edit raw images taken with higher-end cameras, gaining at the expense of Apple's Aperture and Adobe's plug-in used in ordinary Photoshop.

John Nack, Adobe's principal product manager for Photoshop, gleefully publicized the research data from analyst firm InfoTrends on his blog Monday, pointing out the wider usage compared to Aperture and saying the displacement of the Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop is expected. For other tasks besides raw image editing, Photoshop is used by about 90 percent, Nack said.

In 2009, the … Read more

Adobe Systems on Monday released Lightroom 2.5 and the Camera Raw 5.5 Photoshop plug-in, software updates that add support for two high-profile Nikon SLRs, Olympus' ambitious but expensive E-P1 compact camera, and in a minor surprise, the Panasonic's GF1 competitor to the E-P1.

As expected from the beta test, the new version adds support for the Nikon's high-end D300s and entry-level D3000. Also on the list is Panasonic's ultrazoom, the DMC-FZ35.

The downloads are available at Adobe's Web site.

Dealing with the raw formats from higher-end cameras gives photographers more flexibility and quality than … Read more

Wonder Photo Studio provides users with a simple way to make fun photo collections. By providing lots of options and possessing a fantastic design, users of all skill levels will flock to this program.

The program's interface was a pleasure to operate, thanks to a well-planned design that newcomers and computer experts will enjoy. Its command icons are clear and on-screen directions practically eliminate the need for consulting the Help file. Users must first select a collage template. Though there are dozens of love- and fun-themed templates, but the trial only allows access to three. From there, users navigate … Read more

An Adobe Systems executive is trying to calm Photoshop users who were alarmed to hear an earlier but still widely used version of Photoshop isn't supported on Snow Leopard, the new Apple operating system arriving Friday.

Photoshop Principal Product Manager John Nack on Tuesday published Adobe's FAQ about its Creative Suite support for Snow Leopard, aka Mac OS X 10.6, that said the current CS4 version from October 2008 is the only one that's supported. The comments quickly took on panicky and angry tones among people who thought their older CS3 version of the software wouldn'… Read more

Alli (aka Heavy from the old days) joins us on today's show and as usual, she brings up the wackiest topics. Today's tangents include Halloween costume ideas, time travel, and super powers...oh, and some stories from the Internet, too!

We always love having Alli on the show because she always brings up the weirdest topics of discussion. Case in point: Halloween costumes...it's the end of August! It's going to be hard to top last year's costumes but Alli has a great idea for a DOUBLE costume: Jon & Kate Plus 8--it's the perfect costume for us, aside from the fact that we'd have to stand next to each other all night and somehow abduct eight babies. This might be our last Halloween.

Next, we move onto a rundown of 10 joke technologies that sort of became real, but we actually only get into the invisibility cloak before getting sidetracked into our most desired super power. Jeff wishes he had the power to tan, I go with the ability to morph into a potted plant, and Alli just wishes she could get out of The 404 studio.

Plenty of more stories to get to, but don't just read about them here, listen to the show! We've got Bob Dylan voicing a GPS system (replete with our awful impersonations), the UK's disturbingly graphic "texting while driving" PSA, and Microsoft's tasteless Photoshop incident. You don't want to miss this episode!.

Microsoft apologized Tuesday for using photo editing techniques to change the race of a person depicted on the company's Web site.

In a photo on the company's U.S. Web site, three businesspeople--one black, one white and one Asian are shown as part of a pitch for Microsoft's business productivity software. In the same photo on the site of Microsoft's Polish subsidiary, a white head is placed over the black person's body, although the hand is not changed.

The move sparked controversy after it was noticed, quickly making the rounds on Twitter and various Web … Read more

Some highly suspect photo editing judgment is landing Microsoft in hot water.

In a photo on its U.S. Web site, an apparent stock photograph features three businesspeople--one white, one black, and one Asian. Microsoft's Polish subsidiary uses the same photo--except a white head is superimposed in place of the black person's head that appears on the U.S. site. The hand in both photos is the same.

Although Microsoft would be within reason to use a different photo on its Polish site--the country is very racially homogeneous--the company is coming under significant criticism for simply photoshopping … Read more

Photo Filter Factory provides users with an extensive amount of filters for editing their images. Along with the filters, there is nice editing software, which rounds out this program for users.

The program's interface was delightfully simple and will look familiar to anyone who has operated other editing software before, such as Paintbrush. With commands clearly labeled and plenty of visual examples for the filters, most users will not have to utilize the Help file. Users simply select a photo they would like to doctor and then can get to work. While the program provides some standard editing tools, … Read more