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Microsoft finally shows some love to raw shooters

Updated at 5 p.m. ET with correction about how this feature works.

Microsoft finally shows some love to camera raw shooters, but it feels like more of a hug than a big, sloppy wet kiss. The company now offers a free download of Microsoft Camera Codec Pack for Windows 7 and Vista users that will render thumbnails and display previews of most popular raw camera formats. (A complete list is available at the download site.)

About mid-Vista vintage, Microsoft introduced its own "open" raw format that it hoped camera manufacturers would adopt for better integration with Windows, … Read more

Adobe warns of severe but rare Lightroom bug

Adobe plans to update its Lightroom software and Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop next week to address a "potentially severe bug" involving JPEG files.

The problem could affect people saving JPEG images taken with cameras that store large amounts of private camera information in the file's metadata--textual information such as captions, keywords, and titles that can accompany the actual photo.

"To date we've only found one camera that generates these large blocks of private data, the HP PhotoSmart R607," said Lightroom program manager Tom Hogarty in a blog post today. He added:

This bug … Read more

Apple adds raw support for Nikon D5100

With an update released today, Apple's photo applications now can handle raw images from Nikon's new mainstream SLR and some new high-end compact cameras.

The Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.7 means iPhoto, Aperture, and Mac OS X can handle the unprocessed images from Nikon's D5100, Fujifilm's FinePix X100, Olympus' E-PL2 and XZ-1, and Samsung's GX-1S. For those who don't install the update, Apple rolls the support into later versions of Mac OS X.

Raw photos enable more flexibility for editing, for example letting photographers adjust exposure and white balance. The flexibility comes … Read more

64-bit Windows to get Adobe DNG thumbnail views

Adobe Systems has lowered a barrier to using its Digital Negative (DNG) format, releasing an early version of software that makes it possible to see image thumbnails in 64-bit Windows.

DNG is an attempt to simplify the profusion of raw image formats that higher-end cameras can provide and to make it easier to add metadata such as captions and keywords to those image files. Although shooting raw is becoming an established part of the photo industry, Windows on its own can't show the images in Windows Explorer, file-management dialog boxes, or Photo Gallery software. Thus, camera makers have been … Read more

Lightroom 3.4 sneaks in Nikon D5100 support

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 3.4 last night, formalizing support for the cameras listed in the beta version but also slipping in the ability to decode raw photos from Nikon's new D5100.

Lightroom, along with the related Camera Raw plug-in for Photoshop CS5, is geared for handling the unprocessed raw images from higher-end cameras. This is an option that offers better quality but more hassle than JPEG. For Adobe and others such as Apple in the same position, it means adding support for a constant parade of new cameras, each with its own proprietary format.

Lightroom 3.4 and … Read more

Adobe Lightroom 3.4 tests new Canon SLR support

Adobe Systems published a release candidate for Lightroom 3.4 that can process raw images from Canon's latest entry-level SLRs and several other cameras.

The software, along with the accompanying Camera Raw 6.4 plug-in for Photoshop CS5, brings support for Canon's Rebel T3i (aka 600D) and Rebel T3 (aka 1100D), two models likely to be very popular among photography enthusiasts.

Higher-end cameras can record images in proprietary raw formats that capture more information than JPEG but that require processing with software such as Lightroom, Phase One's Capture One, Apple's Aperture, or several other packages. Software … Read more

Apple updates digital camera raw support

For photographers who use Canon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Pentax cameras that have to date not been fully supported in Apple's iPhoto and Aperture programs, you may be in luck. Apple has issued a digital camera raw compatibility update that adds raw support for the following camera models:

Canon EOS Rebel T3 / 1100D / Kiss X50 Canon EOS Rebel T3i / 600D / Kiss X5 Olympus E-5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 Pentax K-r Pentax K-5

In addition to the raw additions, the update fixes some processing compatibility issues with the Nikon D7000, Coolpix P7000, and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 and GH2 cameras.

The update should … Read more

Apple releases Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.5, adds Nikon D7000

Apple has released version 3.5 of its Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update, which includes support for several new cameras including Nikon's D700 and Coolpix P7000.

Other cameras included in the update are:

Canon PowerShot G12 Leica D-Lux 5 Leica D-Lux 7 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

Users can find a running list of compatible cameras, here.

If you do not see Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.5 in Software Update, be sure you are running Mac OS X 10.6.5. If you have a lesser version of Mac OS X installed, the update will not … Read more

Adobe issues Lightroom 3.3, patches Photoshop

Adobe Systems released Lightroom 3.3 that supports 15 new cameras; adds profiles to automatically correct optical problems with dozens of lenses from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and Sigma; and corrects a long list of bugs.

Lightroom, like its top rival Apple Aperture, is geared for editing and cataloging photos, especially those in the higher-quality but ungainly raw image formats recorded directly from camera image sensors. Raw formats therefore must be created for each camera, and though only higher-end models can shoot raw, there still are a lot of new models to keep up with.

New to Lightroom 3.3--and to … Read more

Apple issues security, raw, and MainStage updates

Along with yesterday's release of OS X 10.6.5, Apple issued a few other updates for currently supported software. These include a security update for OS X 10.5 "Leopard," an update to the MainStage music production application, and a digital raw compatibility update.

Security Update 2010-007 "Leopard Client" (240.74MB)

This update is a patch for OS X 10.5, which incorporates the same security updates that were addressed in the OS X 10.6.5 update. Apple's description of the update is the standard one that it "improves security," … Read more