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Update 9/6/07: Okay, I got the version names confused--two years ago the "X" in the product name meant "10," then was switched to mean "X." As a result, I miscalculated the product cycle. Corel actually shipped a new version last year. So please ignore my attempt at a clever lead-in.

It's been three years since Corel acquired Jasc Software, and about two years since its last major release of Paint Shop Pro; that's a couple of lifetimes in the consumer software market. Today Corel finally announced and shipped a new … Read more

SnapVillage, the brand-new microstock from late entrant Corbis, has just fired up a revamped Web site, and it features some notable changes for photographers--chiefly, the ability to upload images with IPTC metadata such as captions and keywords. But the more interesting information from the company is in the future: the potential for raw-image support at SnapVillage, which I just wrote about at CNET News.com.

SnapVillage has added support for Adobe Systems' XMP, which can record raw-file settings as well as other metadata. Part of the reason for the move was that it would make it easier to handle raw … Read more

Adobe Photoshop is a fantastic software product. I use it at CNET every single day. However, I don't own a personal version at home, and I find that I don't miss it much for my own limited image editing and graphic design needs. For cropping snapshots, removing red-eye, resizing, or creating LOLcat images, I turn to the free image editors available at CNET Download.com.

The grandaddy of free design software is the GIMP (short for GNU Image Manipulation Program), which provides much of the functionality of Photoshop, with a very large and dedicated community that produces tons of valuable tutorials. However, the GIMP isn't the most user-friendly application. Newbies would be advised to try GIMPshop, which puts a Photoshop-like interface on top of the GIMP's core functionality.… Read more

Update: This posting previously included an incorrect picture next to a caption. It has been replaced by the intended photograph of the Canon PowerShot G7.

In the course of writing a story about compact cameras that have some characteristics of higher-end SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, I informally tested some cameras to see how they fared.

The bad news is that I was a bit disappointed, though I recognize the impossibility of affordably reproducing the full abilities of a bulky, big-sensor SLR in a pocket-size package.

The good news is that there's progress on the horizon. In the month since … Read more

Update 5:15 p.m. PDT Friday: Adobe requested minor adjustments to quotations, and I obliged.

Adobe Systems' Digital Negative (DNG) format isn't a competitor to JPEG XR, a format Microsoft created as a higher-end replacement for conventional JPEG, an Adobe executive has predicted.

"I wouldn't label the two formats as competitive," said Tom Hogarty, product manager for Photoshop Lightroom, in an e-mail interview. He believes that not only is the case now, but more significantly, will be the case in the future as well.

DNG is Adobe's attempt to standardize the profusion of proprietary &… Read more

Adobe Labs has released a tool to let customers of the RawShooter software convert image-editing settings to equivalents in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

The RawShooter conversion tool is a free download and works on Windows systems. However, because the two programs operate differently when it comes to features such as noise reduction, tone curves and color balance, images won't necessarily appear the same, Adobe cautioned.

RawShooter, software used to convert unprocessed "raw" images from higher-end digital cameras into more portable formats such as JPEG, was discontinued after Adobe bought its producer, Pixmantec, in 2006.

Photoshop Senior Product Manager … Read more

The people, bless their hearts, have spoken.

As reported Monday, Canon will restore raw-image support for its G line of compact cameras when its new $500 PowerShot G9 goes on sale in October. Raw images, the unprocessed data from an image sensor, retain a lot of information that's otherwise thrown away when cameras convert sensor light into a JPEG image. Raw images are useful for tasks such as correcting underexposure, enhancing tonal subtleties and tweaking color balance for different lighting conditions.

Raw images are not for everyone. They're bulky, usually proprietary, and photographers have to spend time staring … Read more

My company recently added a client for whom Like.com is a direct competitor.

The Web site was much-hyped and reviewed 10 months ago, when it fired up, including being dubbed the "First True Visual Image Search," but little has been made of it since.

If you believe the traffic trend data from Alexa, traffic to Like.com has mirrored interest by the media and blogosphere, having a spike at launch, followed by a marked decline.

Like.com employs the technology of Riya, an image search company that focused primarily--until Like.com became a factor--on facial recognition. Now … Read more

It's a common combat-after-dark feature on YouTube: the greenish, hot white blob--representing the human circulation system--bolts from cover and is promptly cut in half by 20mm fire.

Now that same thermal imaging technology is lighting up some even tougher foes, termites.

The Australian company Termicam presents Termibot, a thermal video equipped robot that searches out termite nests by homing in on their thermal signature--and it does it without tearing your house apart. That's right, the heat generated by these busy little buggers shows up right through the baseboards.

Thermographic devices detect infrared radiation emitted by an object based … Read more