Popular Image Processing Tool Boasts Up To 10X Faster Performance; Now Available as Standalone Version

San Mateo, Calif. - Oct. 6, 2008 - Luxology® LLC, an independent technology company developing modern 3D content creation software, today announced the immediate availability of imageSynth^TM 2, the newest version its popular image processing tool. Featuring up to ten times faster performance, imageSynth 2 allows artists to quickly process existing images into new seamless textures, synthetic images and backgrounds, and generate super high-resolution images from low resolution sources. imageSynth 2 is now available in both a standalone version and as a plug-in for Adobe® Creative Suite® 4. For more information or to purchase please visit www.luxology.com/store/imageSynth.aspx.

"imageSynth has become a favorite plug-in for the Photoshop community due to its ease of use and the smooth - almost magical - results users get when processing input images," said Brad Peebler, president and co-founder of Luxology. "imageSynth 2 is a real workhorse - processing even print resolution images into new, tile-able images at amazing speed."

"Since its creation, there has been no substitute for imageSynth - it fills an essential need for game developers and DTP professionals alike," said Gary Bouton, noted PhotoShop author and artist. "There's no other Photoshop plug-in that even comes close for manually building high-resolution seamless tiling textures."

The imageSynth software allows users to quickly create a new synthetic image based on areas of interest that are identified in one or more source images. imageSynth can handle a wide range of image subjects, and is especially useful when working with ‘noisy’ images such as crowds or beach pebbles. The royalty-free images that imageSynth creates are unique derivations and will tile together seamlessly, making them ideal for use as backgrounds, brushes or texture maps.

New and improved features in imageSynth 2 include:

• Native performance improvements will process images up to 10 times faster than previous version
  
• New algorithm is threaded for use on dual-core systems
  
• Improved memory management enables handling of larger scenes
  
• New control over chunk size and orientation

Pricing and Availability

imageSynth 2 is available now for USD $99. Existing imageSynth users can upgrade for USD $49. imageSynth works with Adobe Photoshop CS3 or higher and also includes a new standalone version. imageSynth users are welcome to use it on both the PC and the Mac as needed. To view sample images created with imageSynth, please visit http://www.luxology.com/whatismodo/imageSynth/.

About Luxology

Based in San Mateo, Calif., Luxology® LLC is an independent technology company developing next-generation 3D content creation software that enhances productivity via designer-friendly tools powered by a modern underlying architecture known as Nexus®. Founded in 2002 by Allen Hastings, Stuart Ferguson and Brad Peebler, Luxology is home to some of the top 3D engineering expertise in the industry. More information on Luxology, its flagship product modo®, and a gallery of customer created images is available online at www.luxology.com.

Labels: imageSynth, Luxology, Photoshop

Peter Kim has an article, More on Adobe's Pixel Bender in CS4 and Flash, GPUs, and Performance, on Create Digital Motion, with lots of nice images. He talks about Pixel Bender in AE CS4, Photshop CS4 and Flash 10.

Labels: After Effects, Flash, Photoshop

Abalone FaceShop lets you rotate any face in Photoshop in real 3D! The FaceShop PS Plug-in can be used to alter angles of people's faces in photographs. It is easy to use, and does not require a long learning curve. This application may appeal to both graphic artists and amateurs who need to alter photographic images. Works with recent Photoshop editions, Elements or the new CS3.

On sale now for $29.97 through October 31st.

Labels: Abalone, FaceShop, Photoshop

Toolfarm has built the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Upgrade Mega-Matrix which makes it easy to find out which upgrades you need. There are a couple of upgrade paths for each product so we've made it simple and clear and all in one spot!

If you still have questions, don't hesitate to contact us.

Labels: Adobe CS4, After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth, upgrade

Are product names getting longer and longer every year or is it just me? :-)

Lightroom 2.1 is out but they would like that people continue to test it, so if you use it and find a bug, please help 'em out and post it to their User to User Forum. They've fixed several bugs and stability issues and added support for new cameras too.

The Photoshop Camera Raw 4.6 update supports new cameras.

Labels: Adobe, Lightroom, Photoshop

Tiffen announces its Dfx version 2.0 Digital Filter Software



Now offers an incredible two thousand filters and effects!

Based on the success of its original award-winning Dfx Digital Filter software that revolutionized the digital filter market, Tiffen now introduces Dfx version 2.0.

Steven Tiffen, company CEO commented. "We are very excited about the release of Tiffen Dfx version 2.0. It affirms our on-going commitment to the software category, as we extend our reach into the digital imaging marketplace with innovative new products."

The new version now features multiple masking and layering capabilities with its Photoshop and Aperture plug-ins, previously only offered with the Stand-alone edition, plus more than 1,000 new filters and effects including: Ambient Light, Close Up Lens, Dot, Eye Light, Flag, Gobo, HFX® Star, Haze, High Contrast, Ice Halos, Rainbows, Sepia, Sky, Soft Contrast, Soft Light, Warm Center Spot, Warm Polarizer, Water Droplets, Wide Angle Lens and 812® Warming.

Professionals and enthusiasts alike can now choose from a palette of more than 2,000 standard, exclusive and special effect filters that simulate Tiffen's award-winning optical equivalents. These can all be quickly and easily customized, then saved to a filter library for later use.
An exclusive new feature with Tiffen Dfx version 2.0 plug-ins for Photoshop/Elements and Aperture owners is multiple masking and multiple layering capabilities without having to exit the plug-in each time.

This revolutionary new feature, speeds workflow and extends the already incredible capabilities inherent with Dfx Digital Filter software.

Unlike other software that professes to offer you selection technology that is precise, our exclusive EZ Mask, one of seven mask types, allows users to create precise multiple masks with just a few quick strokes.

And, with our multiple layering, users can quickly and simply add multiple filters on a single Photoshop layer. In addition, filters and masks can be easily copied and moved between Dfx layers.

Creative control no one else can even come close to, and there's still more!

Tiffen Dfx version 2.0 now includes foreign language support for French, Spanish, German and Japanese in the Adobe Photoshop, Apple Aperture and Stand-alone editions.

Tiffen Dfx version 2.0 is available as a Stand-alone application for still images, specific plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop or Elements, Apple Aperture and the most popular video post-production host software, such as Apple Final Cut Pro and Express, Adobe After Effects and Avid Editing Systems. Tiffen Dfx version 2.0 is available for Windows XP and Vista and Macintosh systems v10.4 or higher and its new comprehensive Stand-alone edition has a suggested retail price of $99.95.

All Tiffen Dfx version 2.0 software is available as a free trial download.

Current owners of original Dfx editions will be able to upgrade to the corresponding Dfx version 2.0 edition and should visit the Tiffen website for complete details.

Labels: After Effects, Apple Aperture, Avid, Final Cut Express, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Tiffen Dfx

It's been all over the web today... September 23 is the big day for the announcement about Adobe Creative Suite 4, aka CS4.

Register here to register to watch it live!

Labels: Adobe, After Effects, Photoshop, Podcast, Premiere Pro

Cutting edge algorithm enlarges photos while keeping them clear and sharp. New user interface simplifies cropping and resizing. Batch processing saves huge amounts of time when working with large numbers of photos.

Raleigh, NC - August 29, 2008 - Alien Skin Software today announces the immediate availability of Blow Up® 2, the new version of its photo resizing plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® and Photoshop Elements.

Blow Up 2 takes the complexity out of preparing photos for printing with a user interface that intelligently handles resizing, cropping, and sharpening. The sophisticated enlargement algorithm produces photos dramatically sharper and more detailed than any other method.

"Blow Up 2 makes even clearer enlargements now, but the biggest improvements are in ease of use," said Tom Welsh, designer and lead programmer of Blow Up 2. "We looked for tedious or confusing aspects of every stage of photo cropping and resizing and built intelligence into Blow Up 2 to take those hassles out of the photographer's hair. With the addition of presets, Smart Cropping, adaptive sharpening, and built-in batch processing, Blow Up 2 takes the pain out of high quality photo resizing."

Beauty
The already crisp, clear output of Blow Up is even better now that it provides more control over simulated natural texture and film grain. These effects help to keep enlargements looking natural rather than computer generated. New controls that clean up JPEG compression artifacts and sharpen edges allow enlargement of low quality source images.

Brains
Blow Up 2 has intelligence built into every feature, so photographers don't have to deal with most technical details. As a preset is chosen, Smart Cropping^TM centers the crop area over the most interesting part of the photo, and Auto Rotate^TM adjusts the preset to match the orientation of the photo. Sharpening adapts to match the degree of enlargement and paper type.

Resizing With Less Hassle
The most dramatic improvements to Blow Up 2 are in the new user interface that simplifies and speeds up all aspects of preparing photos for printing. Cropping and resizing at the same time are easily handled by presets for common output sizes. The Blow Up 2 built-in batch processing is an easy single step, which is more straightforward than Photoshop's usual multi-step procedure.

Technology
Blow Up 2 takes advantage of multi-processor and multi-core systems to make rendering as fast as possible. Blow Up 2 can handle the most sophisticated images demanding professionals can throw at it, including CMYK color space, 32-bits/channel HDR images, and output up to 300,000 pixels on a side.

Pricing and Availability
Blow Up 2 sells for $249 USD with an upgrade price of $99 USD for registered users of Blow Up 1. Online or physical delivery is available through the Alien Skin website at www.alienskin.com. A real live human (imagine that!) can take orders or answer questions at 888-921-SKIN (7546). Blow Up 2 is also available worldwide through stores, catalogs, and resellers. Free upgrades are available to purchasers of Blow Up 1 who purchased after July 26, 2008.

Host Requirements
Blow Up 2 is a plug-in and will require one of the following: Adobe Photoshop CS2 9.0.2 or later, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0.1 or later (Macintosh), or Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 or later (Windows).

System Requirements
Microsoft Windows users must have at least a Pentium 4 processor or compatible and Windows XP or later. Apple Macintosh users must have a PowerPC G5 or Intel processor and Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later. A monitor with 1024x768 resolution or greater is required.

About Alien Skin Software
Alien Skin Software makes Photoshop plug-ins for photographers and graphic designers. We distill advanced math and cutting edge research into simple tools that render beautiful pictures. Our reputation for bug-free software and fast, friendly tech support has grown worldwide since 1993. For more information, visit our website at www.alienskin.com.

Labels: Alien Skin, Blow Up, Photoshop

Topaz Adjust is updated to v2.3, which fixes stability and preview speed issues.

Topaz Labs has just released a free update to Topaz Adjust, their Photoshop creative exposure plug-in. We've make it much more stable, snappier, and easier to work with. It also has four additional presets. Unfortunately only the Windows version has been updated, Mac users will have to wait another week. Get it here.

Among other things, the new Topaz Adjust substitutes a scaled-down image when zooming below 100% and automatically disables noise reduction. This helps to keep the memory usage lower and updating speed faster. Check the Release Note on the site for more details and other changes.

Also: for those of you who use Flickr: a user recently created a Topaz Adjust group for everyone to share photos, comments, and tips. Be sure to join if you use Topaz Adjust!

Labels: Photoshop, Topaz Adjust

Sale of Video Products Allows Company to Fully Concentrate on Photoshop and Professional Photography Markets.

San Francisco, CA - August 4, 2008 - Digital Anarchy, known for its high quality creative software in both the broadcast and Photoshop markets, has announced today the sale of their full video product line to Red Giant Software. For seven years, Digital Anarchy has made a name for itself by delivering innovative software for visual effects, video editing and 2D animation in the film and television industry. Effective Monday, August 4th, the company will transfer sales and support of 12 plug-in products for host applications that include Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid systems and Autodesk systems.

This asset sale will allow Digital Anarchy to focus on their other core market, Photoshop plug-ins for photographers and digital artists. Since 2004, the company has released tools that help professional and hobbyist photographers to uniquely create a fully digital portrait studio. The company has recently focused on software that provides custom graphic effects, and plans to release new innovative products by the beginning of Q4 2008. Digital Anarchy is also considering development for related host applications like Adobe Lightroom and Apple Aperture.

Jim Tierney, president of Digital Anarchy, said, "We have been a leader in the After Effects and related markets since 2001, but have decided to focus on the Photoshop and digital photography markets. We’re excited about some of the opportunities there and are looking closer at current customer needs. Developing more creative and productive technology to service the wide variety of Photoshop artists and digital photographers is an important part of our strategy moving forward. In making this decision, it was important that we find a company who would take excellent care of our current film/video customers, and we think Red Giant Software is that company."

Photoshop Products Kept; Video Products Sold.

The sale of its video products will not affect Digital Anarchy’s Photoshop customers. Digital Anarchy has retained its full Photoshop product line and will continue to provide the quality software and support that the company is known for. These Photoshop products are: Primate Chromakey, Backdrop Designer, Knoll Light Factory, and Texture Anarchy. All sales and support questions for Photoshop products should be directed towards Digital Anarchy at www.digitalanarchy.com.

Digital Anarchy has sold the following video products: 3D Assistants, Data Animator, Anarchy Toolbox, Geomancy, Psunami Water, Text Anarchy, ToonIt!, Microcosm, Color Theory, PlasmaFX, Chaos Stock and Knoll Spark Pack. Already a recognized video plug-in company, Red Giant Software has rebranded and reissued some of the Digital Anarchy products, and pulled others off the market temporarily for future re-release. All sales and support questions for video products should be directed towards Red Giant Software at www.redgiantsoftware.com. Existing Digital Anarchy customers will be fully supported for product upgrades, updates and changes.

About Digital Anarchy.

Digital Anarchy is a privately owned company in San Francisco that creates high-quality creative software for professional photographers, Photoshop artists and graphic designers. Since 2001, our tools have solved a wide range of design issues, from masking out bluescreens for commercial still photography to generating custom lighting effects. Digital Anarchy products work in conjunction with Adobe Photoshop, PS Elements, and related design applications. For more information, please see the company's website at www.digitalanarchy.com or call 415-586-8434.

About Red Giant Software.

Red Giant Software LLC (www.redgiantsoftware.com) is a San Francisco-based company that develops professional tools for digital video production. Products are available as plug-ins for popular video editing and effects applications, including After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, and Avid. All tools are based on production-proven technology developed by visual effects veterans.

Labels: Digital Anarchy, Knoll Light Factory, Photoshop, Red Giant

Major Software Upgrade Further Simplifies Photography Workflows

(San Jose, California - July 29, 2008) Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 software, the photographer's essential toolbox for managing, adjusting and presenting large volumes of digital photographs.

With new enhancements such as dual-monitor support, radical advances in non-destructive localized image correction, and streamlined search capabilities, Lightroom 2 is a compelling upgrade that simplifies photography from shoot to finish. As Adobe's first application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Macintosh computers with Intel® processors and Microsoft® Windows® Vista® 64-bit operating systems, Lightroom 2 also provides improved memory performance for dealing with large scale images.

"A worldwide community of photographers provided valuable insight and feedback, as part of the Lightroom 2 public beta program, ultimately helping us deliver a better product," said Tom Hogarty, senior product manager for Lightroom and Camera Raw at Adobe. "We've considered their requests which helped us develop useful features that make it easier than ever for our customers to quickly refine, enhance and present brilliant photographs."

Photoshop Lightroom 2: Smarter, Faster and More Accurate
The enhanced Library module in Lightroom 2 helps streamline and accelerate photographers' workflows. With the ability to visually organize images across multiple hard drives, Lightroom 2 and its powerful Library Filter Bar makes it easy for users to quickly find the images they need. The Suggested Keywords feature helps photographers keyword their images by making intelligent suggestions based on their own previous efforts. New dual-monitor support allows users to expand their workspace, giving them flexibility to edit and organize images in a way that maximizes an additional display.

In the Develop module, the new Local Adjustment Brush lets photographers fine-tune specific areas of an image to precisely adjust color, exposure and tonal range without affecting other areas of the image. The new Graduated Filter expands the toolbox in Lightroom, allowing for edits to larger areas by applying gradually diminishing or increasing adjustment effects such as exposure, clarity, and saturation, alone, or in any combination. Lightroom 2 also helps photographers print more efficiently by quickly arranging photos of multiple sizes on one or many pages with flexible and customizable templates to maximize paper and ink.

Intelligent algorithms automatically determine optimal sharpening for screen or print, producing crisper images faster. Developers can further extend the Lightroom workflow with Web, Export and Metadata Software Development Kits available at the Adobe Developer Connection, http://www.adobe.com/devnet/.

Ground-Breaking Innovation in Raw Technology
New raw technology gives photographers access to flexible camera profiles. Camera profiles are the visual starting point for the raw processing workflow, but image preferences vary for every photographer. To minimize surprises, Adobe is supplying default camera profiles that closely emulate the visual looks that photographers are used to seeing from their favorite camera, while also providing the ability to create highly customized profiles to suit different tastes. Camera profiles are available for immediate download on Adobe Labs (http://labs.adobe.com ) for use with Lightroom 2 and Camera Raw 4.5, along with the DNG Profile Editor for the community to test and create their own profiles.

The Adobe Camera Raw 4.5 plug-in and DNG Converter 4.5 are also now available on Adobe.com and support over 190 camera models including the Olympus E 420 and E 520 models.

"One of the big reasons why Lightroom has become such a phenomenon among serious photographers is that Adobe built it with the input of a very vocal user community," said Scott Kelby, president of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). "Adobe really listens to the issues and challenges today's photographers face and they've built a complete solution that not only meets the needs of photographers; it really feels like it was made just for us. The enhancements to Lightroom 2, combined with the power of Photoshop, give photographers the ultimate freedom to produce professional images quickly."

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 is available now through the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/store in English, French and German with the Japanese language version planned to be released at a future date. The estimated street price is USD$299 for new users with an upgrade price of USD$99 for registered users of qualifying Lightroom customers. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OSX 10.4, 10.5 1 GHz PowerPC G4 or G5 or Intel® based processor, or Microsoft Windows® XP SP2 or Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise, Intel Pentium 4® processor, 1 GB RAM and a 1024x768 resolution screen. Additional information on product features, upgrade policies, pricing, and language versions is available on www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

Labels: Adobe, Lightroom, Photoshop

"Creative exposure" takes on a whole new meaning with the new Topaz Adjust image manipulation plug-in for Adobe Photoshop. Easily and effectively take full control over image exposure, color, and detail for stunning creative effects and automated exposure correction.

Topaz Adjust uses advanced algorithms to achieve unique exposure effects and adjustments in seconds. It offers the user full control over creative exposure, color, and detail effects, and has the ability to save and reuse presets for maximum convenience.



Topaz Adjust is compatible with:

• Photoshop CS and above
• Photoshop Elements
• ImageReady
• Photo Impact
• Paint Shop Pro
• IrfanView (requires Photoshop 8bf plug-ins add-on)

Labels: Photoshop, Topaz Adjust

Download Camera Raw 4.5 from Adobe Labs. The Camera Raw plug-in gives easy access to the raw image formats in Photoshop.

Labels: Adobe, Photoshop

Users of Adobe's Photoshop and inDesign are reporting that the Leopard 10.5.3 update causes their files to be corrupted when loaded from and then saved back to network volumes. Downgrading to 10.5.2 seems to solve this problem. Adobe advises against saving directly to servers, and recommends saving locally and then transferring to the server. More information can be found at the Macworld website.

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Bug, Leopard, Photoshop, Update

Brad Peebler, president of Luxology, interviews John Knoll, Father of the Lens Flare and a creator of Photoshop. Listen now!

Labels: Luxology Modo, Photoshop, Podcast

The next DMA/LA meeting is Tuesday, May 20 at Gallery Theatre at Barnsdall Art Park, 7-10pm. It's FREE thanks to Adobe Systems. Learn more at DMA/LA.

Labels: DMA/LA, Event, Photoshop

Topaz Vivacity, the popular Windows-only Photoshop plug-in, is now released for Intel-based Macs.

Topaz Vivacity is an advanced Photoshop plug-in suite that uses the latest in wavelet-based image enhancement technology. It is jam-packed with the best image enhancement tools on the market and is an integral part of any image enhancement workflow.

Topaz Vivacity combines advanced noise reduction, intelligent sharpening, and high-quality enlargement into a comprehensive Photoshop plug-in suite. Our noise reduction filter work with in synergy with sharpening and edge detection functions to create a clean, clear, and crisp picture that retains important details much better than any competitor.

Interestingly enough, Topaz Vivacity also contains a unique smoothing algorithm that apparently causes some side effects if you overapply it.

Labels: Photoshop, Topaz Vivacity

They've been talking about it for a while and today, Photoshop Express has hit the tubes. How is this free online Photoshop going to affect business? This version is stripped down compared to the full version. I think this is a great sales move. New users will try this out and realize they need something more powerful and get the full version. Sounds like a plan to me.

Press Release: Adobe Launches Photoshop Express Public Beta

Free Online Software Brings Photoshop Technology to Anyone Taking Digital Photos

SAN JOSE, Calif. - March 27, 2008 - Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® Express public beta, a free Rich Internet Application (RIA) available to anyone who wants to store, sort and show off digital photos with eye-catching effects. During the public beta period, Adobe will solicit Photoshop Express user feedback on product features and functionality, which will continue to evolve over time. As the newest addition to the Photoshop family line, Photoshop Express has taken much of Adobe's best image editing technology and made it simple and accessible to a new online audience. Photoshop Express allows users to store up to 2 gigabytes of images online for free, make edits to their photos, and share them online in creative ways, including downloading and uploading photos from popular social networking sites like Facebook.

"Photoshop is trusted technology that has changed the visual landscape of our world. Now, Photoshop Express allows anyone who snaps a digital photo to easily achieve the high-impact results for which Adobe is known," said Doug Mack, vice president of Consumer and Hosted Solutions at Adobe. "Photoshop Express is a convenient, single destination where you can store, edit and share photos whether you're at home, school or on the road."

Simple, Fun and Accessible
With Photoshop Express, digital photos can be uploaded and sorted anytime, edited non-destructively to always preserve the original image, and shared from anywhere, on any Web browser. In a few easy clicks, Photoshop Express empowers anyone to make standard edits, such as removing blemishes and red-eye, converting to black and white, cropping and resizing, and much more.

No experience is required to add special effects that will impress friends and family. In keeping with its one-click approach, Photoshop Express offers tricks like Pop Color which selects an object in an image, mutes the background color of the photo and allows the user to swap the object's color so it jumps off the page. Sketch effects help photos look like drawings and the Distort feature allows you to distort facial features or objects within the images for a comical or artistic effect. Even users with limited photo editing knowledge can simply select what looks best from a line-up of sample photos with visual hints showing different variations of the added effect.

Photoshop Express offers a variety of creative sharing options, including uploading and showing off photos and
slideshows in your own online "Gallery" hosted by Adobe, or conveniently embedding or linking photos to social
networking sites and personal blogs without having to leave the application. Slideshows never looked better with
animation that makes photos float and fly across the screen, allowing for viewer interactivity and unique presentation styles.

Adobe Photoshop Family
Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop CS3 Extended are at the heart of the Photoshop family, joined by solutions for users at every level who want to bring out the best in their digital images. Photoshop Lightroom addresses the workflow needs of professional and serious amateur photographers. Photoshop Elements provides exciting tools and sharing options for photo hobbyists.

Photoshop Express is the latest step Adobe is taking to leverage the advanced technology that underpins its awardwinning creative products and deliver it to new online communities. In early 2007, Adobe also announced the availability of Adobe® Premiere® Express, an online video editing and mash-up tool on partner sites such as MTV and Photobucket. Adobe Premiere Express leverages the functionality found in Premiere Elements, a fully-featured desktop video editing program.

Free and Available Now
Adobe Photoshop Express beta is available now for free via any Web browser at http://www.photoshop.com/express. Photoshop Express was created with Flex, Adobe's free, open source framework for building RIAs. Flex applications provide a consistent, rich user experience across operating systems and all major browsers, including Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari and others. An Internet connection and an up-to-date Flash® Player 9 are all that are required to experience Adobe Photoshop Express. In its early phases, Photoshop Express is available to US residents-only in English.

Users may experience slow performance if accessed outside of the US. Future plans include availability in other languages and countries.

Labels: Beta Test, Photoshop, Press Release

Compose an engaging 15-second or less animation or motion graphic video of the Photoshop brand logo that illustrates the theme of 'See What's Possible.' The winning work must incorporate and close with the Adobe Photoshop logo and will be used by Adobe as part of an upcoming Photoshop marketing campaigns.

Accepting submissions February 15 through March 15, 2008

Learn more at Cut&Paste.com

Labels: Adobe, Contest, Photoshop

• Converting Bitmaps to Vectors in Flash - the latest Adobe Creative Suite podcast
• Logo Creation tutorial with Photoshop - From Dennis Radeke's The Genesis Project Blog
• Putting video inside the Photoshop UI - John Nack has an interesting article on his blog about this topic
• Camera Stabilization in AE (a gift from AE CS3 Studio Techniques) - From Mark Christiansen's Flowseeker blog. Mark walks you through a 5 minutes tutorial from FxGuide tv.
• Easy ways to green your post house from Post Magazine
• Motionworks Explosion Challenge: 1 week left Make a better explosion with Trapcode Particular and win a $500 voucher for Red Giant Software!
• Workflow Management in Cinema 4D v.10.5 Kai Pedersen's tutorial at Studio Daily

Labels: After Effects, Flash, Genesis Project, Photoshop

This new product works exclusively with Photoshop (older version, Elements and the new CS3). The FaceShop Photoshop plug-in can be used to alter angles of people's faces in photographs. It is easy to use and does not require a steep learning curve. This application may appeal to both graphic artists and amateurs who need to alter photographic images. FaceShop lets you rotate any face in Photoshop in real 3D!

Just check out the examples. It's really amazing software.

Labels: Abalone, Photoshop, plug-ins

I was just perusing some of the upcoming online events from Adobe after receiving a notice about one I'm signed up for.

Tomorrow is the Discover the hidden power of Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 eSeminar at 11am PST.

On November 15, there's a seminar called Working with Photoshop Extended to use with Premiere Pro and After Effects.

November 29 is Create DVD motion menus that wow your audience using Adobe After Effects CS3 and December 13 is A New World of Interactive Video Content.

Sign up today. It's free and you're certain to learn a lot.

Labels: Adobe, After Effects, Creative Suite, Photoshop, Premiere Pro

Filter Forge Basic, Standard, and Professional plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop (Windows only). The Basic version comes with 3,796 user-created filters, the Standard allows you to modify these plus create your own filters and the Professional version does all of this plus supports bitmaps up to 65000x65000 pixels, bump and normal maps, and supports an unlimited number of CPU cores.

Labels: Filter Forge, Photoshop, plug-ins

New Version Has Improved UI, Real-Time Preview, and Support for Intel Mac and 64-bit OS

San Francisco - October 9th, 2007 - Digital Anarchy, a leading provider of cost-effective special effects software for Adobe and Apple products, has released version 3.0 of the acclaimed Knoll Light Factory. The new features in this Photoshop package give increased control over the look of hundreds of lighting effects, and further the creative abilities of photographers and designers to enhance existing images or create original works.

Version 3.0 introduces a complete redesign of the user interface, with a simplified layout, new functions, a quick Preview Window, and preview thumbnails for light presets. The Light Editor has been integrated into a single interface that can be moved and resized to the user's workspace. An additional 50 light presets give users additional pre-made effects that range from naturalistic to dramatic.

Some of the exciting features in Knoll Spark Pack 3.0 include:

• New User Interface: The UI has been redesigned for ease of use, including previews of light presets and access to editing functions in one window.
• Real-Time Preview: The main Preview Window now supports real-time manipulation, as well as the ability to resize and zoom in/out.
• 100+ Light Presets: There are now well over 100 great places to start when looking for that special flare.
• 16-bit Color Support: Light effects now render out to higher bit depths, which reduces banding and outputs better looking glows and gradients.
• Mac Intel and 64-bit Windows compatible: Full support of all of the new operating systems and religious preferences.
  
• Obscuration Layer: Use a grayscale mask to partially obscure the lights, and make more realistic effects when lights are being partially blocked by an object.
  
• Tint Layer: Use a separate layer to change the flare color for easier compositing on complex images.
• Randomize Feature: A Randomize button and slider let users organically discover fun new effects.
• Undo Functionality: Multi-level undo allows for an improved workflow when designing lights.

Pricing and Availability

Knoll Light Factory 3.0 is priced at $149 USD. An upgrade path from version 2.0 to 3.0 is $89.00. Until October 31st, it will be available for $129 and the upgrade will be $79. The product is available for Photoshop 7.0 and higher, including CS3, and Photoshop Elements 3.0 and higher. The product also works in other drawing applications that fully support the Photoshop API.

For Macintosh, Light Factory runs on OS 10.3 and higher, and is native to both PPC or Intel systems. For Windows, the product runs on Windows 2000, XP Pro, XP Home, Vista 32-bit and Vista 64-bit systems. Demo filters and samples are available at www.digitalanarchy.com.

About Digital Anarchy

Digital Anarchy is a privately owned company operating out of San Francisco, Calif., that creates high-quality creative software for broadcast designers, 2D animators and professional photographers. These tools solve a wide range of design issues, from creating text effects and background design elements, to masking out bluescreens for commercial still photography. Digital Anarchy products work in conjunction with a wide range of products from companies like Adobe, Apple and Autodesk. For more information, please see the company's website at www.digitalanarchy.com or call 415-586-8434.

Digital Anarchy is a registered trademark of Digital Anarchy Inc. All other brand names, product names, service marks, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Labels: Digital Anarchy, Knoll Light Factory, Photoshop

Via John Nack's Blog:

Last night at MAX, Adobe's Geoff Baum got on stage during the sneak peek session to show off a bit more of Photoshop Express. Boy, things have come a long way in the few weeks since the sneak at Photoshop World, and last night's demo showed Healing Brush- & Liquify-like tools running via the app's Flash interface. CNET's Martin LaMonica has details and screenshots.

The company is still being somewhat coy (as is par for the course when previewing technology), but as info firms up, I'll pass it along.

Labels: Adobe, Photoshop

The ever prolific Ko Maruyama has produced a couple of videos for the Adobe Design Center about Vanishing Point.

Working with Vanishing Point in Photoshop and After Effects

Using Vanishing Point to map a 3D environment

Labels: Adobe, After Effects, Ko Maruyama, Photoshop, Tutorial

Last Call to sign up for the September 25th meeting at Adobe in San Francisco, 601 Townsend. Tickets are almost SOLD OUT. Claudia Crask, SF Cutters Ambassador/Business Manager gives the download of the meeting:

• Mabel Valdiviezo's long awaited preso of "oledad is Gone Forever" with her Colorist Chris Martin of Spypost
• Bob Donlon of Adobe showing Premiere Pro and After Effects
• Torrey Loomis of Silverado Systems and the RED CAMERA
• Dan May President of Blackmagic Design: "Choose the right card for the job"
• Alan Wray artist Photoshop and FX in FCP
• Chris Martin Digital Colorist Spy Post

Claudia needs to turn the attendee list in to Adobe on Monday morning, and just received permission to extend the total attendees to over 100. There are only about 15 seats left - if you were thinking about coming sign up now. Adobe is also buying a lot of pizza.

Pizza!? RSVP for the September 25 meeting now.

Also, Chris Phrommayon is holding a Final Cut Pro Workshop for Editors on October 20. Christopher Phrommayon is a video editor, motion graphics designer, and Apple, Avid, and Adobe certified instructor, whose clients include PBS, ABC, ESPN, Comcast, and Fox. Chris teaches Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Motion, Shake, Adobe After Effects, and Avid Media Composer.

Enrolling Now: Limited Seating - no more than 18 in this class.

Labels: Adobe, After Effects, Event, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, SF Cutters

The Ultimatte AdvantEdge Demo v1.6.3 contains Universal Binary plug-ins for After Effects, Avid, Photoshop and Shake.

Labels: After Effects, Avid, Demo, Photoshop, Shake, Ultimatte AdvantEdge, Universal