Project: Lightroom is Adobe’s effort to engage the professional photography community in a new way, giving you the opportunity to kick the tires and shape the feature set of a new tool being created just for you. Ultimately, we want Lightroom to be truly built from the ground up by photographers, for photographers, helping solve your unique workflow challenges.

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PRESS RELEASE

New Intuos3 6×11 is Designed for Use with Widescreen Displays and Dual Monitors

Wacom Technology Corporation’s new Intuos3 6×11 pen tablet is specifically designed for photographers, designers and artists who are using multiple monitors or a widescreen display like the 23” Apple Cinema HD display. The Intuos3 6×11 features an active area with an aspect ratio (height-towidth) that is a great match to the screen aspect ratio of either a widescreen display or two standard displays used together. This provides optimal pen control and efficient use of the entire tablet.
“With as much as 50% of the creative community soon using either widescreens or dual monitors, we’re confident that the Intuos3 6×11 is going to be very popular,” said Michael Marcum, Wacom’s Director of Product Management. “The Intuos3 6×11 is really a demonstration of the importance we place on identifying emerging customer needs and providing products in a timely way to meet those needs.”

Creative Controls for the Seriously Creative
The Intuos3 6×11 comes with all the features that have made the Intuos3 line of pen tablets the de facto standard for the serious photographer, designer and artist. Intuos3 turns on the full power of Adobe® Photoshop®, Corel® Painter™ and over 100 other leading software applications with its intuitive controls. Programmable ExpressKeys™ and Touch Strips are within easy reach for modifier keys, keyboard shortcuts, scrolling, zooming, controlling brush size and more. The comfortable cordless, battery-free Grip Pen offers 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity for superior creative input and, when used alternately with the ergonomic five-button Intuos3 mouse, reduces repetitive motion. The Intuos3 6×11 has a suggested retail price of $389.95.

Perfect Companion for the Wacom Cintiq 21UX
The Cintiq 21UX interactive pen display (priced at $2499) combines the advantages of an LCD monitor with the control, comfort, and productivity of Wacom’s most sophisticated patented cordless, battery-free tablet technology. Users report that working with the pen directly on the screen yields significant productivity gains. Using the new Intuos3 6×11 with the Cintiq 21UX lets users navigate seamlessly across multiple monitors (including the Cintiq) with a single pen.

Valuable Software Included
All Intuos3 pen tablets include Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 for digital photo editing, Corel Painter Essentials 2 for creating natural media art, nik Color Efex Pro™ 2 IE for selectively applying photographic enhancements, and Wacom Brushes 2 for even more brush choices in recent versions of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

Basically, the article tells us:

• Aperture doesn’t mess with the original images so your originals are always safe and can never ever be over written (unless you really really want to I assume)
• A section called the Library is where you will gather all your photographs. The library will worry about all the photo organizing and will not trouble you with extra stuff. Theoretically the library can hold an infinite number of images but you know thats not true since you’ll be capped by your computers hardware
• You can partition your Library into Projects which can be exported or imported back in
• It is meant to be used by only one photographer. You can’t have profiles for multiple photographers.
• It creates automatic backups in to a place called the Vault
• It is mainly for use with RAWs but also supports PSDs, JPEGs, TIFFs etc.
• Uses its own algorithms to convert RAW images (to increase the speed) instead of relying on software development kits (SDKs) from Canon, Nikon etc. This might be bad because this may decrease image quality but Apple assures us that this is not the case and that the RAW conversions are optimized for most popular cameras
• Works with Automator (which can be applescripted) to do lots of advance batch stuff.
• The colours that flow through Aperture’s colour managed printing pipeline to the printer driver are impacted by four things, beyond the colours in the picture itself: the profile selected, the rendering intent, black point compensation and gamma. This is just how Photoshop handles printing

Basically, it is mainly competing with Capture One PRO and its wins in some areas and loses in others.

How will this affect us Photoshoppers? In my opinion, we have nothing to lose. Photoshop has nothing to worry about because all Aperture is doing is provide an easy to use program for computer illiterate photographers who get lost in programs which have more than 10 buttons (no offense to anyone).

What Photoshop users should expect, however, are improvements in Photoshop. Adobe will be watching closely and if they like what Aperture is doing as far as workflow management and ease of use goes then they will implement it into Photoshop and improve on it. This is a good time to be a Photoshopper

Read the complete preview by clicking here.

Brush stops working and Photoshop freezes when you paint (Photoshop CS2 and CS)

Application updates are unavailable with the Adobe updater (Adobe Creative Suite 2)

Brush stops working and Photoshop freezes when you paint (Photoshop CS2 and CS)

Issue

When you use the Brush tool in Adobe Photoshop CS2 or CS, your brush becomes unresponsive and Photoshop freezes.

Details

– You use a Wacom tablet.

– If you move the cursor off Photoshop when the brush is unresponsive, the outline of the brush shape displays next to the cursor.

– You selected Scattering and Smoothing for your brush.

Solution: Deselect the Scattering and Smoothing options.

To deselect the Scattering and Smoothing options for brushes you use when you paint with a Wacom tablet:

1. Open an image.

2. Choose a Brush tool.

3. Open your Brushes palette.

4. Select the brush tip you want to change.

5. In the Brush Tip Shapes pane, deselect Scattering and Smoothing.

Background information

The most recent Wacom driver (version 4.91-3) does not resolve this issue.

Application updates are unavailable with the Adobe updater (Adobe Creative Suite 2)

Issue

When you choose Help > Updates from an Adobe Creative Suite 2 application, the released updates for that application are not available.

Details

The specific update you are trying to download is not listed when you select Show Details in the Adobe Updater dialog.

The updater may display the error message: “There are no updates available at this time. Please note that update for the following products cannot be determined at this time: Adobe Updater.” when you choose Help > Updates.

Solutions

Do one of the following solutions:

Solution 1: Download the updates manually.

If you are accessing the internet from behind an authenticating proxy server, download updates manually from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads/ .

To determine if you access the internet from behind an authenticating proxy server, contact your network administrator.

Note: Some Adobe updates may not be immediately available on Adobe.com. If the update you want is not available, then try again at a later time.

Solution 2: Add crl.adobe.com to your proxy server exception list.

If you are accessing the internet from behind a non-authenticating proxy, then add crl.adobe.com to the exception list of your proxy server and ensure that port 80 is open. For more information regarding your proxy server exception list and ports, contact your network administrator.

Solution 3: Delete the Data folder and run the updater again.

B. If you are accessing the internet from behind a non-authenticating proxy, then delete the Data folder from the Adobe/Updater folder and choose Help > Updates again.

The Data folder is found in the following location:

– Mac OS: Users/ [username] /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Updater folder

– Windows: Document and Settings/ [username] /Application Data/Adobe/Updater

Background information

The Adobe Update Manager currently does not support downloading updates from an authenticating proxy server. Customers who access the internet using an authenticating Proxy Server will need to download updates manually from the Adobe website.

Adobe makes software updates available via the Adobe Update Manager and also posts them on the Adobe website as soon as possible. In some cases, an update is available from one source before it is available from the other.

Even though Aperture seems to be squaring off with Adobe’s market leading Photoshop, Apple executives said the application is not meant to compete with Adobe.

“We are positioning this as an all-in-one solution,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “We know photographers use Photoshop, so we integrated support into Aperture.”

This will take some market share away from Adobe so I expect that the next version of Photoshop will have some big upgrades so that it will be able to compete with the next generation of image adjustment software like Aperture and LightZone.

Apple Aperture

Introducing the first all-in-one post-production tool for photographers. Built from the ground up for professionals, Aperture offers an advanced RAW workflow, powerful compare and select tools, nondestructive image processing and versatile printing and publishing.

Apple has released a new program called Aperture created for professional photographers. Aperture includes advanced RAW workflow, a unique user interface and an interesting feature called Stacks which groups images together based on the time differential between shots.

Features:

1. Advanced RAW workflow
2. Professional project management
3. Powerful compare and select tools
4. Nondestructive image processing
5. Versatile printing and publishing

(Press release) The Chameleon plug-in allows inserting a copied object into a picture in such a way that it adapts to the new color range and blends with the background. Designers would especially appreciate this tool as it allows them to combine images with entirely different color ranges, to create the effect of drawing on a texture surface (crumpled paper, wood, etc), and all that with only a mouse-click.

The new version of AKVIS Chameleon supports 16 bits per channel and allows processing images in color modes RGB, CMYK, Lab and Grayscale. This gives you the opportunity to process images without quality loss. With 16 bit there is more in-between colors and tones and the result is smoother, which is especially important if you prepare photos for printing.

AKVIS offers a 10 day fully functional free trial. Users who tried the previous version of Chameleon and have their version expired, can now test the software again. Registered users of previous versions of AKVIS Chameleon can upgrade to V.3.0 for free. More information about Chameleon is available at the Akvis website.

Retails for $ 69

Example:

Source: Newsweek via MSNBC
Written By J. D. Jordan-Newsweek

Sept. 19, 2005 issue – “I could get an art student to do it for $35 and a six-pack.” I remember the first time a prospective client said that to try to intimidate me into accepting dramatically reduced fees for Website design services. I was newly self-employed and hungry for work, so I conceded. I delivered a great Web site, but I hated my client for making me work for so little—and myself for not knowing how to get what I deserved.

It was 2002, and I had just opened my own graphic-design studio in my basement, where I was working with two old friends. Back then, I thought I had to compete with local students—to accept it as just another part of doing business. Now I find myself at one of Atlanta’s premier art colleges, standing at a podium and teaching those very same students.

In my small, windowless classroom, in front of a baker’s dozen of powerful G5 computers that line the walls, sit tomorrow’s crop of great graphic designers, illustrators, filmmakers and animators. But despite their skills, their burgeoning individual styles and their unlimited creativity, they are crippled by the narrow focus of their education.

It took me a couple of years out of college to realize that my own B.A. in history was an asset. I landed my first salaried job during the heady days of unstoppable Internet growth, when the fact that I hadn’t gone to art school was no impediment to getting hired as a senior Web specialist at a studio. Then the World Trade Center was attacked, and suddenly, I was answering questions about Islam, oil policy and our government’s struggle against a new enemy for my colleagues—degreed artists all—who didn’t understand the basic issues of the day.

Read entire article

dpreview.com writes:

Adobe Systems has today announced Photoshop Elements 4.0. The lite version of Adobe’s professional image editing program Photoshop, offers a new automatic red-eye removal function, which detects face shapes in images and removes red-eye as photos are downloaded from the camera. It also features a new Magic Selection brush for adjustments to specific parts of an image as well as Magic Extractor and new Skin Tone Adjustment. Adobe has developed the tagging feature found in Elements 3.0 with the new Face Tagging, which automatically detects faces in a photo so they can be easily tagged and quickly found later. Photoshop Elements 4.0 is currently only available for Windows, priced £69.99. A spokesman for Adobe said that the program will be supported on the Mac in the ‘near future’.

Click More to read the press release

Adobe Introduces Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0
Major Upgrade to Popular Tools Provides Innovative and Intuitive Ways to Edit and Share Digital Photos and Home Videos Just in Time for the Holidays

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Sept. 27, 2005 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced two new products for digital photo and digital video enthusiasts. Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 4.0 for Windows®, a new version of Adobe’s No. 1 selling consumer photo editing software*, adds powerful and intuitive ways to organize, edit and share photos. For video hobbyists, the award-winning Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 software for Windows brings unparalleled control, ease of use and more options for creative digital video editing with a self-adjusting workspace, support for all video types and DVD customization.

Available together in a single retail package, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Plus Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 delivers the powerful and affordable software integration consumers need to be creative and impress friends and family with their digital photos and home videos. Photoshop Elements 4.0 and Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 also are available as separate products (see separate press releases).

“This holiday season, photos and video will be captured from digital devices which extend far beyond traditional point and shoot cameras,” said Bryan Lamkin, senior vice president of Digital Imaging and Digital Video Products at Adobe. “With so much freedom to capture any moment at any time, our customers need software that allows them to edit and share this unique content from any device, quickly, easily and in ways that are truly all their own.”

Photoshop Elements 4.0 delivers more editing power with the new Magic Selection Brush that allows consumers to select specific parts of photos for easy color, lighting and contrast adjustments. The Magic Extractor easily extracts subjects from photos, with advanced edge defringing, for great composites. Smart technology behind new features means effortless photo enhancement with automatic red eye removal across a batch of photos, one-click skin tone correction and Face Tagging, which allows consumers to keep photos at their fingertips with new ways to find and view them. They can show off their creativity in countless ways, from exciting dynamic slide shows to one-click online printing, and enhanced Photo Mail (see separate press release for details).

Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 offers the perfect combination of superior control, new self-adjusting workspace ease and reliability to help automate tedious video editing tasks so that consumers can be creative more quickly. Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 makes it easy to import video clips from all digital video devices, experiment with hundreds of professional transitions and effects, and burn videos to DVD. Consumers can create professional-looking DVDs with customizable menus, or transfer their home movies to portable video players to delight friends and family anytime, anywhere (see separate press release for details).

Photoshop Elements 4.0 is part of a complete family of Photoshop products that meet the needs of a diverse spectrum of digital photographers: the free Photoshop Album Starter Edition for the novice digital camera user; Photoshop Elements for the digital photography enthusiast; and Photoshop CS2 for the professional or the most demanding amateur photographer. Similarly, Adobe offers Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 for superior quality home-video editing and Adobe Premiere Pro for the more advanced professional or the most demanding amateur videographer.

Each product offers more growth and creative control for customers, giving them access to award-winning technology and options for more sophisticated editing, organization and sharing options for their digital photos and video.
Pricing and Availability

Adobe’s digital imaging and digital video products are available at www.adobe.com . Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Plus Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 for Windows is available as a bundle in the United States and Canada at an estimated street price of US $149.99. Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 for Windows XP (Home, Professional, and Media Center with Service Pack 2) is available for an estimated street price of US $99.99. Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Windows XP (Home, Professional with Service Pack 2 or Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005) is available for an estimated street price of US $99.99. Adobe’s complete hobbyist product line is being made available in early October 2005 on online sites and select retail stores. Information about the other language versions, as well as pricing, upgrade, and support policies for other countries is available on www.adobe.com . For more information, customers can call 1-800-492-3623.
About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe is the world’s leading provider of software solutions to create, manage and deliver high-impact, reliable digital content. For more information, visit www.adobe.com .

* Source: The NPD Group/NPD Techworld, September 2003 – May 2004

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© 2005 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe Premiere and Photoshop are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Windows and Windows XP are either a registered trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

An actual video of the presentation they did at DemoFall can be viewed at this page (click here)

Everything that is demonstrated in that video is also easily doable in Photoshop. From the video it seemed like the guy was using a tool like the magetic lasso and then changing the brightness values. I will wait for the reviews (or free demo) before I will pass my judgement.

Currently, the impression that I got from the video is that they have a simple program comparable to Googles Picassa and they are desperately trying to attract attention by comparing it to Photoshop. Also the words at the end of the presentation that said how the great photographers of today will be using Lightzone to create great works of art seemed very offensive. That is like saying that the master chefs create good food because they use a specific companys pot to cook their food in.