imaging

Two new higher-end but not top-end lenses will arrive in December, the $1,500 EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM and the $850 EF 35mm f/2 IS USM, Canon said today.

The 24-70mm f4 lens, though not inexpensive by any means, extends a Canon tradition of offering intermediate models for enthusiasts and pros who don't necessarily want to pay more for top-end lenses -- in this case, the alternative is the $2,300 Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM introduced in February, whose f2.8 aperture enables photography in low-light shooting and with a blurrier background … Read more

GIMP is a well-known photo manipulation tool that has been ported to the Mac operating system environment. Gimp for Mac is a free app that installs easily. Gimp for Mac is a relatively unique tool. It can be used as a paint program, or as a photo retouching tool, or as an image composition and manipulation program. It is hard to categorize Gimp for Mac except to say you'll probably want it if you do a lot of work with images.

The Gimp for Mac interface opens with a folder and file directory tree in the left pane, a … Read more

DxO Labs and Phase One updated their image-editing programs this week, aiming to improve image quality and editing controls in an attempt to fend off market heavyweights Adobe Systems and Apple.

DxO Optics Pro 8 and Phase One Capture One Pro 7, like Adobe's Lightroom and Apple's Aperture, are designed in particular to handle raw photos from higher-end cameras, photos taken directly from the image sensor for higher quality, greater flexibility, but more hassle.

Among DxO Optics Pro's new features announced during the PhotoPlus Expo show in New York:

• A "Smart Lighting" control designed to … Read more

Apple issued an OS X update today that lets iPhoto, Aperture, and other Mac software use raw photos taken by the Nikon D600 and several other cameras that arrived last month at the Photokina trade show in September.

The Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 4.01 enables use of raw photos from the following cameras: … Read more

While there are numerous apps that help you edit, organize, and share your digital images, many of them cost a lot and are geared toward users with experience in image editing. Picasa is an app from Google that offers only the basics and it won't cost you a dime.

The app's gray interface is on the plain side, but all of the options are easily accessible and even less experienced users should be able to jump right in. If you do run into difficulties, you can visit the Help center to view tutorials from the publisher and from … Read more

If you're looking for a decent photo editor without breaking your wallet, FX Photo Studio for Mac is a solid solution. It comes with plenty of tools and filters for post processing and adding flare to your photos.

Upon launching the program, users are welcomed with a slick, dark interface that directs your attention to the photo itself. The layout makes great use of screen estate and the interface is clean and uncluttered. The overall experience of Photo Studio really focuses on bringing out the elements and emotions that you want out of the photo through its custom filters … Read more

How many awesome photos have been ruined by a telephone pole appearing to stick out of someone's head, or people walking into the background at the last second?

Anyone adept with Photoshop can remove such unwanted elements, but it takes some doing. You need time, expertise, and, well, Photoshop (which ain't cheap).

Today only, Giveaway of the Day has Inpaint 4.7 for Windows free of charge. Normally $19.99, this clever utility can quickly and easily remove date stamps, power lines, people, scratches, and other undesirable elements from your photos.

Update: Make sure you click the "Download Inpaint 4.7 now" … Read more

The Mosaic Team sent me an early copy of the app and I was able to go through the process of creating a photo book, and have the finished product sent to me late last week. Today, the company unveiled the heymosaic Web site, where you can get more information and sign up to receive word when the app launches.

How does the Mosaic app work? It lets you gather up pictures from a vacation, party, barbecue, or other life event, and easily make a coffee table book of photos at a reasonable price. Once ordered, the finished product arrives … Read more

Adobe Systems isn't making any promises, but an update to company's Digital Negative (DNG) image format paves the way for two important features in Lightroom: panoramas and high-dynamic range photography.

Lightroom is for editing, cataloging, and publishing photos, especially those shot in higher-end cameras' raw formats. Raw photos consist of data captured directly from the image sensor without in-camera processing into a JPEG. Although raw photos offer better quality and flexibility, they're also much less convenient than JPEGs.

One aspect of their inconvenience is that raw photos usually arrive in proprietary formats from camera makers. Adobe has … Read more