photography

Ready or not, compulsory Creative Cloud cometh

It's been a bumpy few weeks for Adobe since announcing its controversial decision to move all its "perpetual license" Creative Suite applications to a subscription-only plan -- almost 32,000 people have signed a petition against the move and our own survey with Jeffries indicates that "Creative Suite users loathe Adobe's subscriptions" -- but as of Monday night it's officially here.

If you've bought into or opt to buy into the plan, you'll get a host of interesting application updates, settings sync via the cloud, and access to all of Adobe'… Read more

Speed boost for Photosmith, a Lightroom-linked iPad app

C2 Enterprises has improved the performance and abilities of Photosmith, its iPad app for screening, cataloging, and rating photos before they're handed off to Adobe Systems' Lightroom.

Photosmith 3 is a complete overhaul, developers said in a blog post: "Much of the core of the app has been rewritten or updated to provide more stability. Key areas have been optimized for speed." The software arrived on the App Store on Wednesday.

Version 3's reworked import process is much more flexible, they promised. Instead of storing photos in the iPad's camera roll, Photosmith 3 can store … Read more

Hidden iOS 7 feature puts panoramas in lock screen

An otherwise undocumented iOS 7 feature has been discovered that lets users view the entirety of large, panoramic photos on their iPhone's lock screen.

The feature uses the device's built-in gyroscope to track movement, and pans across the photo. In its demos of the software at the Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, Apple had only shown off that the background of the lock screen and home screen would move slightly as users tilted the phone.

A Vine of the eye candy, spotted by Business Insider on Wednesday, shows the feature in motion. Try not to throw up watching … Read more

Samsung's NX series gets the fisheye

Adding to its growing lineup of lenses for its NX series of interchangeable-lens cameras, Samsung plans to release a 10mm f3.5 fisheye later this year.

The lens is Samsung's widest-angle model to date, and it looks like a pancake.

Here be specifications:

Mount Samsung NX i-Function Focal range 10mm (15.4mm equivalent) Aperture range f3.5 - f22 Aperture blades 7 Minimum focus distance 3.5 inches Angle of view 180 degrees Elements Seven elements in five groups (one aspherical lens) Filter diameter n/a Minimum length 1.0 Maximum length 1.0 Weight 2.5 ounces (est.) … Read more

Mix and match film textures with Mextures for iOS

Mextures is a photo editor that focuses on applying multiple high-resolution textures to your images for some truly unique results. This app isn't like most photo editors that have you add a filter or a frame and then save the image; instead it requires a good amount of experimentation, mixing and matching textures to get the look you want.

On the first screen there are three buttons across the bottom: Camera, Inspiration, and Library. Camera and Library are self-explanatory for selecting a photo to use in the process, but the Inspiration button is where you'll find a gallery … Read more

Infragram: Infrared camera on the cheap

You can already buy an infrared camera, but only if you have hundreds of dollars to sink into the purchase. An inexpensive infrared-modified camera, originally developed by Public Lab to monitor damage to wetlands after the BP oil spill, is now available through Kickstarter.

The Infragram project has already handily topped its $30,000 goal and gives you several different options for obtaining a cheap infrared camera. You can do it yourself and modify your own camera for $10, buy a pre-modified bare-bones Webcam for $35, or buy a ready-to-use point-and-shoot camera for $95.… Read more

Think of it as Instagram Pro: DxO FilmPack 4 is out

DxO Labs released FilmPack 4 Wednesday, a new version of its software for photographers fond of the retro film look made possible by Instagram and similar filter-effect apps.

The software goes well beyond the usual sepia-tone and cyanotype effects. It's based on precise measurements of 60 specific types of film -- everything from Fuji Velvia to Kodak Tri-X -- to quickly endow digital photos with an old-school analog look.

Some might call it a throwback or gimmick, but plenty of shooters such as wedding photographers like such tools for quickly adding a little character or flavor.

New to the … Read more

Zeiss ships 12mm, 32mm lenses for Fujifilm and Sony cameras

Carl Zeiss has begun selling its first two Touit lenses for Sony and Fujifilm compact cameras, high-end prime lenses whose existence reflects the steadying maturity of the market for smaller "mirrorless" cameras.

The $1,250 Touit 2.8/12 and $900 Touit 1.8/32 autofocusing lenses are geared for the Sony NEX and Fujifilm X series of cameras, both of which employ an APS-C-sized sensor common in lower-end digital SLRs. That means the 12mm lens has a field of view equivalent to an ultrawide 18mm lens on a full-frame SLR, while the 32mm is equivalent to about … Read more

CamFind turns your iPhone camera into a search engine

Your iPhone's camera is good for a lot more than just snapping photos. For example, it can translate foreign-language signs, menus, and other printed materials in real time. And grade the foods at your grocery store. And scan documents on the go.

CamFind turns your camera into a search engine, allowing you to look up information just by pointing the lens at any real-world object or location. And it's pretty darn cool.… Read more