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Posts Tagged ‘adds’

Duet Display adds support for turning Android tablets into secondary displays

03 Oct

Duet Display, the software that was launched as a way to turn an iPad into a secondary Mac display, has launched support for Android. The new Duet Display for Android app enables users to turn an Android smartphone, tablet, or Chromebook into an extra display for use with a PC or Mac computer, a feature that is particularly useful when working outside of the office.

Apple made the Duet’s main product defunct with the launch of its Sidecar feature, which now directly offers a way for using an iPad as a secondary Mac display. Users had anticipated an eventual arrival of Duet Display for Android given the sudden change in its primary market.

As with iPad, Android and Chromebook users can turn their devices into secondary displays for a main PC or Mac computer by connecting the two with a USB cable. Users must install the free Dual desktop client on their computer and the Duet Display Android app on their supported secondary device.

Duet supports gestures and touch control, enabling users to scroll and zoom, among other things, directly on the secondary device. The Duet Display for Android app costs $ 19.99 USD, but is temporarily discounted on the Google Play Store at $ 9.99 USD.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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GoPro Hero8 Black adds improved stabilization, Media Mod, Digital Lenses and more

02 Oct

As promised in its teaser a few weeks back, GoPro has unveiled its latest action camera, the Hero8 Black.

The GoPro Hero8 Black now features Hypersmooth 2.0, GoPro’s second-generation stabilization technology that features a ‘Boost’ mode and an auto horizon leveling mode. TimeWarp (GoPro’s hyperlapse mode) also received a 2.0 update that will automatically adjust the playback of the video to the speed you’re traveling and can slow down to capture prominent moments with a tap of the screen.

Moving onto the hardware side of things, the Hero8 Black features the leaked ‘Media Mod,’ which adds additional ports and makes it possible to add a number of add-on accessories. When secured inside the Media Mod housing, the Hero8 Black gains a shotgun microphone, a 3.5mm microphone port, a Micro HDMI out port, a USB-C Port and two cold-shoe mounts.

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In addition to third-party accessories, GoPro has also released its own line of ‘Mods’ including a 1.9in flip-up LCD ‘Display Mod’ and a waterproof LED ‘Lighting Mod.’

GoPro has also added a new feature called ‘Digital Lenses.’ As its name suggests, this new functionality will effectively crop the image to adjust the framing in four different settings: Narrow, Linear, Wide and SuperView.

Presets have also been added to the Hero8 Black, which makes it easy for users to switch settings on the fly depending on what they anticipate filming. With the ‘Cinematic’ preset the Hero8 Black will shoot 4K/30p video, in ‘Activity’ it will shoot 2.7K/60p video and in ‘Slo-Mo’ it will shoot 1080/240p video. The exact settings can be further adjusted as with past Hero cameras, but these presets should provide a simple starting point for those who don’t care to dive into the settings too much.

GoPro has also updated its SuperPhoto and HDR functionality to deliver more ‘detail you never thought possible.’ Other improvements include the ability to livestream Full HD video, a 2x stronger lens and a dedicated Night Lapse Video mode.

Below is a detailed video of all the new and improved functions of the Hero8 Black:

The GoPro Hero8 Black is available to pre-order starting today for $ 399.99. The first shipments are expected to go out October 15th with in-store availability starting October 20th. The Media Mod and Display Mod will retail for $ 80 and the Light Mod will retail for $ 50 when they become available to pre-order in December.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Halide 1.14 adds full iPhone 11 support, a ‘Tactile Lens Switcher,’ ‘Lens Guides’ and more

01 Oct

The team behind iOS camera app Halide has released version 1.14, bringing with it support for Apple’s latest iPhone 11 Pro devices, a new ‘Tactile Lens Switcher’ and more.

As explained in its announcement blog post, Halide 1.14 brings full support for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The day the iPhone 11 devices were released, Halide was updated with ‘basic support for the new cameras.’ Now, Halide offers full support for the new hardware within the latest iPhone devices.

Halide has also added a ‘Tactile Lens Switcher.’ When there were only two cameras on iPhones, it was easy enough to switch between the standard lens and tele lens—with the tap of a button. But now that the iPhone 11 Pro models offer three camera modules, the Halide team had to rethink how to switch from one camera to another in the most efficient way possible.

Now, in addition to simply tapping on the lens switching button, you can also long-press to bring up a lens switcher, which makes it easy to jump between any of the three cameras on iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max devices: .5x, 1x and 2x.

Another new feature is a Lens Guides. Exclusive to the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, Lens Guide will overlay frames on the image from the .5x camera to show what the composition would look like if you were to shoot it using the 1x or 2x camera. Tapping the composition of your choice will automatically jump you into that camera mode.

The Halide team has also noted that it’s working to further improve its ‘Smart RAW’ capabilities. Halide says it’s ‘an area of ongoing research’ and it’s ‘currently building a lot of data to research and improve our Smart RAW for iPhone 11, and we’ll have a blog post soon about how the new iPhone 11 camera processes images in software and how it compares to the RAW shot.’

Lastly, Halide says it’s managed to make Raw renders in its photo reviewer 3x faster. Halide is available to download in the iOS App Store for $ 5.99.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Sony a9 firmware update adds Animal Eye AF, interval shooting and more

24 Sep

Sony has officially released the latest firmware for its a9 full-frame mirrorless camera, bringing with it Real-Time Eye AF for animals, interval shooting and more.

Firmware version 6.00 makes good on Sony’s promise to bring Real-Time Eye AF for animals to its flagship mirrorless camera. As detailed previously when Sony launched Animal Eye AF on its a7R III and a7 III, the new mode will be available to select alongside Human Eye AF in the autofocus menu.

Only one of the modes can be selected at once and the Animal Eye AF will be slightly slower than Human Eye AF due to the increased processing power required, but the a9 shouldn’t have any problem keeping up. Sony has a detailed documentation page to read up on all of the intricacies of the Animal Eye AF mode.

The firmware update also includes built-in Interval Shooting, a feature we previously detailed with the a7R III and a7 III update:

Now, it’s easy to capture between 1 and 9999 photographs in 1 to 60 second intervals. The new feature also includes an auto exposure (AE) sensitivity setting that can be adjusted between High, Mid or Low to account for changing exposures throughout the set capture time. The resulting images can also be put together into a full video using Sony’s Imaging Edge app, which will process the Raw photographs and output the final video to YouTube, PlayMemories Online and other online video services.

Another addition is the ability to select the Focus Frame Color so it’s easier to see it in various environments, as well as the ability to make the ‘My Menu’ appear when the menu button is pressed on the camera. Bugs have also been addressed to smooth out the overall stability of the a9.

Firmware version 6.0 for the a9 is available for free on Sony’s support page for macOS (direct download) and Windows (direct download).

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Blackmagic RAW 1.5 adds Adobe and Avid support, two new Blackmagic Video Assist 12G units also announced

15 Sep

Blackmagic has announced a number of new products and updates at IBC 2019, but two particular announcements stand out: the introduction of Blackmagic RAW 1.5 and the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G.

Blackmagic RAW 1.5 is a new software update that adds support, via plug-ins, for working with Blackmagic RAW video files directly inside Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer, negating the need to transcode files and rely on proxies to edit footage. The update also includes a new version of Blackmagic RAW Speed test that’s compatible with Linux and Windows computer; until now, it was only available for macOS.

The Blackmagic RAW 1.5 update is currently available to download from Blackmagic’s website (under the ‘Latest Downloads’ section halfway down on the page)

Blackmagic also announced the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G, an update to its Video Assist 4K monitor-recorder that includes a brighter HDR screen, built-in scopes, 12G-SDI connectivity and support for recording to external disks over USB-C.

The Blackmagic Video Assist 12G is offered in 5in and 7in models, both of which feature 2500 nit touchscreen LCD displays with wide color gamuts to show Rec. 2020 and Rec 709 colorspaces. Both models include 12G-SDI connections, analog inputs for audio, USB-C external disk recording, dual battery slots for Sony L-Series batteries and headphone output for monitoring audio. Other features include four built-in scopes, tally indicators, enhanced focus assist features and 3D LUTS.

The only difference between the units, aside from size, is the 7in model features dual UHS-II SD card slots, compared to the single SD card slot on the 5in model. These SD card slots are hot-swappable, meaning you can remove and add storage even while recording, making it possible to shoot longer videos without the need to stop and start.

Connections on the device include two S12G-SDI ports, two HDMI ports, two Mini XLR inputs, a USB-C port on the base and a locking 12V DC power connection.

The 5in and 7in Blackmagic Video Assist 12G units will be available in September 2019 for $ 495 and $ 795, respectively, from authorized resellers.

Press releases:

Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic RAW 1.5

IBC 2019, Amsterdam, Netherlands – September 13, 2019 – Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic RAW 1.5 a new software update with support for Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer, plus Blackmagic RAW Speed test for Mac, PC and Linux, so customers can work on a wider range of platforms and editing software with their Blackmagic RAW files. Blackmagic RAW 1.5 is available for download now from the Blackmagic Design web site.

Blackmagic RAW 1.5 will be demonstrated on the Blackmagic Design IBC 2019 booth #7.B45.

The new Blackmagic RAW 1.5 update includes Blackmagic RAW Speed Test which is now available on Windows and Linux for the first time. Blackmagic RAW Speed Test is a CPU and GPU benchmarking tool for testing the speed of decoding full resolution Blackmagic RAW frames on their system. Multiple CPU cores and GPUs are automatically detected and used during the test so that customers get accurate and realistic results. Simply select Blackmagic RAW constant bitrate 3:1, 5:1, 8:1 or 12:1 and the desired resolution to perform the test. Results are displayed in an easy to read table that shows how many frames per second the computer can decode for all supported resolutions.

Editors working in Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer can now work with Blackmagic RAW files using the free plug-ins found in Blackmagic RAW 1.5. These new plug-ins enable editors to work with Blackmagic RAW directly, so they no longer have to transcode files. That means camera original Blackmagic RAW files can be used throughout the entire workflow. There is no longer a need to create proxy files and conform edits for finishing. These plug-ins bring the quality of RAW in small, modern, GPU and CPU accelerated files that are faster and easier to work with than any other video format.

Best of all, when projects are moved from Premiere Pro or Media Composer into DaVinci Resolve for color correction and finishing, all of the camera RAW metadata and image quality is still there.

“Blackmagic RAW is now available for editors working on all major professional NLEs,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “It’s exciting because you can now edit native Blackmagic RAW files in Premiere Pro and Media Composer and then finish them in DaVinci Resolve without needing to create proxy files, all without ever losing quality!”

Blackmagic RAW 1.5 Features

  • Includes Blackmagic RAW Speed Test for Mac, Windows and Linux.
  • Adds support for Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer.
  • Performance improvements and minor bug fixes.

Availability and Price

Blackmagic RAW 1.5 is available now for download from the Blackmagic Design web site.

Blackmagic Design Announces New Blackmagic Video Assist 12G

IBC 2019, Amsterdam, Netherlands – Friday, 13 September 2019 – Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic Video Assist 12G which are new models of the company’s popular combined monitoring and recording solutions. These new models feature brighter HDR screens, built-in scopes, upgraded batteries, 12G-SDI and much more. Blackmagic Video Assist 12G will be available in September 2019 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide from US$ 795.

The new Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR adds professional monitoring and recording to any SDI or HDMI camera in all HD, Ultra HD, 2K and 4K DCI formats. The new improved design includes innovations such as brighter screens for HDR work, tally indicator, 4 built-in scopes, enhanced focus assist features, 3D LUTs and native Blackmagic RAW recording from supported cameras. With 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 on both 5″ and 7″ models, customers get support for recording from virtually any device in all formats up to 2160p60. A brighter touch screen ensures a better view of their recording when shooting HDR digital film, or when shooting outdoors in sunlight. The new design also features upgraded batteries and supports two standard Sony L-Series batteries. This means Blackmagic Video Assist 12G is incredibly versatile and is the perfect solution for the next generation of digital cinema shoots, live production mastering, broadcast testing and measurement.

There are two models of Blackmagic Video Assist 12G, with each model including an innovative touch screen user interface with deck controls, as well as a large screen to view recordings. The Blackmagic Video Assist 7″ 12G model also includes 2 media slots, while both the 5″ and 7″ models include 12G-SDI for high frame rate Ultra HD, analog inputs for audio, USB-C external disk recording, plus a front panel speaker and side-mounted headphone jack. Customers also get 2 rear battery slots for mounting Sony L-Series batteries, so customers have enough power for the brighter HDR screens and higher speed Ultra HD electronics. A 12v universal power supply is included for studio or on-location use.

Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR is an ideal upgrade for cameras, as it’s super bright 2500nit display is bigger than the tiny displays found on consumer cameras, plus users are also adding professional focus assist features and better quality file formats. Video Assist is also a great solution for professional cameras because customers can use it to upgrade older broadcast cameras to modern file formats used on the latest editing software. No matter what editing software customers use, Video Assist lets customers support them all, as customers can record in Apple ProRes, Avid DNx and Blackmagic RAW. With both HDMI and 12G-SDI inputs customers can connect it to any consumer camera, broadcast camera or even DSLR cameras. Then, on supported cameras, customers can even upgrade to RAW style workflows with Blackmagic RAW.

The innovative touchscreen LCD user interface provides incredible control. On-screen, there are dedicated buttons for play, stop and record, plus a mini timeline for scrolling through their recordings. Customers can even image swipe to jog. The LCD includes a heads up display of timecode, video standard, media status as well as audio meters. Scopes can be enabled via the touch screen as well as focus and exposure assist. Plus customers can load and save 3D LUTs.

Video Assist uses commonly available SD card media, so customers can record to flash memory cards that are easy to obtain. The files are small enough to allow long recordings on standard SD cards or the faster UHS-II cards. The larger Video Assist 12G 7″ model even includes 2 SD card slots so customers can swap out any full cards even during recording, allowing infinite length recording. Standard SD cards or the faster UHS-II cards are perfect for broadcast because they are small, high speed and affordable.

If recording to other media types is required, then the USB-C Expansion port lets customers plug in an external flash disk for recording. Imagine adding a Blackmagic MultiDock 10G for easy SSD compatibility with other recorders such as Blackmagic HyperDeck models. Customers even get on-screen menus for managing external disks using the touch screen.

Video Assist features a wide range of video and audio connections such as multi-rate 12G-SDI for SD, HD, and Ultra HD SDI devices. HDMI is included for HDMI cameras and monitoring to consumer televisions and video projectors. The 7-inch model features Mini XLR inputs which are provided for audio input from microphones and external audio mixers. Video Assist even includes a 12V DC power connection with locking power connector.

Customers will be ready for the latest HDR workflows with support for the latest HDR standards and an extremely bright screen with a wide color gamut. Plus the high brightness screen makes outdoor shooting in bright sunlight possible. The built-in scopes even change to HDR scopes when working in HDR formats. Files are tagged with the correct HDR information then SDI and HDMI inputs will also automatically detect HDR video standards. Static metadata PQ and HLG formats are handled according to the ST2084 standard. The bright LCD has a wider color gamut so it can handle both Rec. 2020 and Rec. 709 colorspaces. The built-in Video Assist LCD color gamut can even handle 100% of the DCI-P3 format.

Video Assist features full internal waveform monitoring so customers can ensure compliance to broadcast standards and it also works great as a portable waveform monitoring solution. The waveform display provides a traditional luminance (brightness) levels view of the video inputs or the playback signal. The vectorscope display allows customers to see the intensity of color at 100% SDI reference levels. Customers also get an RGB parade display which is ideal for color correction and checking for illegal levels. Histogram shows the distribution of white to black detail in their images and highlights or shadows clipping. The built in scopes can even be overlaid on live video, or as a small picture in picture view at the top right of the scope.

The SDI and HDMI connections are multi-rate, so handle SD, HD, and Ultra HD. SD formats include NTSC and PAL. 720p HD standards include 720p50 and 59.94p. 1080i HD interlaced formats include 1080i50 and 59.94. 1080p HD formats include 1080p23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60p. Customers can even do 1080 PsF formats. Ultra HD is supported up to 2160p59.94. Customers can even record 2K and 4K DCI rates up to 25p for digital film work.

Video Assist works with industry-standard 17 and 33 point 3D LUT files, or customers can work with the built-in LUTs such as Extended Video, Film to Video, Film to Rec.2020 and more.

Video Assist records using standard open file formats so customers don’t have to waste time transcoding media. Recording works in industry-standard 10-bit ProRes or DNx files in all formats and from all HDMI or SDI cameras, as well as 12-bit Blackmagic RAW when connected to supported cameras. Best of all media files work on all operating systems.

Blackmagic RAW is a revolutionary new format designed to capture and preserve the quality of the sensor data from cameras. Video Assist supports Blackmagic RAW recording from popular cameras such as Panasonic EVA1 and Canon C300 MK II. This eliminates the problems with popular camera formats such as H.264, which are highly compressed resulting in noise and processing artifacts. It also saves camera settings as metadata so customers can set ISO, white balance and exposure, then override them later while editing, all without any loss of quality. Blackmagic RAW files are also small and fast to use making them easy to work with.

Blackmagic Video Assist 12G includes a built-in professional audio recorder that’s much better quality than the audio quality found in most cameras, eliminating the need to carry around extra audio equipment. When working in SDI formats, customers can record 2, 4, 8 or 16 channels of audio in real-time. For connecting microphones the Video Assist 7″ model has two XLR analog audio inputs with phantom power that support the high definition audio sample rate of 192 kHz at uncompressed 16 and 24 bit per sample. Customers can monitor using on-screen audio meters with user-selectable VU or PPM ballistics.

Multiple languages are fully supported so customers don’t need to learn another language to use it. Support is included for English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Italian, Portuguese and Turkish.

The files from Blackmagic Video Assist 12G are common and are compatible with all operating systems or in most video software. Media can be formatted using ExFAT or HFS+ so customers can easily access the media on computers and access the files like regular disks. DaVinci Resolve is perfect for use with Video Assist because it features editing, color correction, audio post-production and visual effects all in one software application.

“The original Blackmagic Video Assist monitors and recorders were very popular and a fantastic way to upgrade older cameras, as well as for use in general broadcast areas of the television industry,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “These new models are an incredible improvement and incorporate all the lessons we have learnt from our customers in Hollywood. They have brighter LCD screens, 12G-SDI, Blackmagic RAW, better focus assist tools, presets, 3D LUTS and much more! They are so nice and it’s very exciting!”

Blackmagic Video Assist 12G Features

  • Supports live production, digital signage and archive use.
  • Modern design with fast to use touch screen controls.
  • Upgrades cameras to better monitoring and better record codecs.
  • Large LCD screen for digital film style focus assist tools.
  • SD/USH-II card support for commonly available media.
  • Records direct to external USB-C media disks.
  • 12G-SDI and HDMI for recording in SD, HD and Ultra HD.
  • Advanced HDR support with bright 2500nits wide gamut LCD.
  • Built in scopes include waveform, vector, parade and histogram.
  • Latest Multi Rate 12G-SDI technology for SD, HD and Ultra HD.
  • 3D LUTs can be applied for both monitoring and recording.
  • Standard open file formats compatible with popular software.
  • Records Blackmagic RAW from supported third party cameras.
  • Professional multi channel digital and analog audio.
  • Localized for 11 popular international languages.
  • Works with popular NLE software such as DaVinci Resolve.

Availability and Price

Blackmagic Video Assist 12G will be available in September 2019 from US$ 795, excluding duties, from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Google Photos adds Instagram Stories-style Memories feature, now offers canvas prints

13 Sep

Google Photos is expanding its feature set and has launched Memories, a slideshow feature that works in a similar way as Instagram stories. Memories is designed to highlight special events, such as birthdays, trips and holidays, and let you remember those special moments without having to sift through stacks of duplicate images.

Photos and videos from previous years will be pinned to the top of your gallery for you to browse. Google uses machine learning to curate your Memories and pick the best shots out of many similar ones. Certain people or time periods can be blocked in case you´d rather not be reminded of them, and you can also deactivate the feature completely.

Memories can also be shared with people who appear in them and others. Google says that in the coming months it will make this process even easier. Shared photos will be added to an ongoing, private conversation which should make it easier to keep count of the images you have shared with each other.

In addition, you can now search for text that appears in photographs or screenshots via the standard search function. This could be useful for those who store recipes or other text documents in image format in Google Photos.

U.S. users can now also order both standard photo prints and canvas prints directly from the app. Individual photo prints can be ordered directly through Google Photos and are available to pick up from your local CVS Pharmacy or Walmart that same day at over 11,000 locations. Canvas prints are available in 8x8in, 12x14in, and 16x20in formats and prices start at $ 19.99. The app suggests the best photos to print and the canvas prints will be delivered straight to your home.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Tamron firmware update adds support for Nikon’s FTZ adapter to three of its lenses

05 Sep

Tamron has released firmware updates for three of its F mount lenses to add support for Nikon’s FTZ adapter.

Back in November 2018, Tamron announced firmware updates (1, 2) for half a dozen lenses that added support for Nikon’s F to Z mount adapter. Now, three additional lenses gain support: the Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F016), 70-210mm F/4 Di VC USD (Model A034) and 100-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD (Model A035).

No additional changes are mentioned in the firmware update, but regardless of whether or not you have a Nikon Z6 or Z7 camera, it’s probably in your best interest to download and install the firmware updates via Tamron’s TAP-in Utility, which works with the Tamron TAP-in console to update compatible Tamron lenses.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Meike adds Canon RF, Nikon Z mount options to its manual focus 85mm F2.8 macro lens

16 Aug

Hong Kong-based company Meike has launched new Canon RF and Nikon Z mount options for its full-frame 85mm F2.8 macro lens. The lens — which is currently available in Sony E, Fuji X, MFT, Canon EF and Nikon F mount systems — is a manual macro lens with an F2.8 to F22 aperture, 55mm filter size, 0 to 1.5x magnification, and 25cm (9in) minimum focusing distance.

The lens is constructed of 11 elements in 8 groups and comes in at just 500g (1.1bs). Like its previous full-frame counterparts, the is features an all-metal body alongside three manual adjustment rings for focus, macro focus, and aperture.

The 85mm F2.8 macro lens for Nikon Z and Canon RF is currently listed on the Meike website. No pricing information is available for these two new models, but the current versions currently retail for $ 269.99.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Adobe’s August update adds ‘GPU Accelerate Editing’ to Lightroom Classic, Camera Raw

14 Aug

After accidentally publishing the announcement yesterday, today Adobe has officially released its August Photography update for Lightroom Classic CC and Adobe Camera Raw, bringing with it a number of improvements including GPU Accelerated Editing.

As explained in a post on the Adobe Blog, GPU Accelerated Editing allows ‘Lightroom Classic and Camera Raw take advantage of the more powerful graphics cards (GPUs) while editing, providing a smoother and more responsive experience.’ Specifically, Adobe says the acceleration will ‘more pronounced with larger resolution monitors (4k and above) as well as with more powerful GPUs.’

A screenshot of the new splash screen that will greet you after updating Lightroom Classic CC.

This update won’t fix all of the complaints lobbed at Lightroom Classic CC, but it does address one of the program’s biggest issues—speed.

We took the update for a quick spin on a 2016 Retina MacBook Pro with a Radeon Pro 455 2GB and Intel HD Graphics 530 GPUs and although it’s difficult to quantify the exact improvement, we immediately noticed adjustments made to Raw photos captured on a Canon EOS R were applied much faster than the previous version of Lightroom Classic CC. From small, incremental adjustments to large two-stop exposure adjustments, the image immediately adapted to the new settings—something not always possible before unless you were using Smart Previews to make edits.

A screenshot from Adobe showing the new PNG export module.

Aside from the GPU Accelerated Editing, both Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom Classic CC have gained PNG export support. Lightroom Classic CC has also received updates to the Library Module for improved navigation through folders, Color Labels for Collections and batch processing for HDR and panorama merges.

A screenshot from Adobe highlighting the new Color Labeling option for Collections.

Lightroom, Adobe’s cloud-centric photography ecosystem, has also gained a few new features in the August update, including the ability to recover deleted photos, improved search options, updated preset options and batch metadata edits. Some of these changes apply only to specific versions of Lightroom, so check out Adobe’s announcement post for full details.

Screenshots from Adobe showing off the new batch metadata editing on Lightroom for Android.

The August Photography update should be available through the Creative Cloud application. Additional details on ‘What’s New’ have been detailed by Adobe for Lightroom Classic, Camera Raw, Lightroom for Mac and Windows, Lightroom for iOS and Lightroom for Android.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Syrp’s Genie Mini II portable motion control system adds USB-C and improved connectivity

27 Jun

Syrp has unveiled Genie Mini II, a sequel to the original pocket-sized camera motion controller introduced in 2016. The second generation model retains the same general design and features as the original, but with the inclusion of USB-C instead of micro USB, Bluetooth 4.2 instead of Bluetooth 4.0, and WiFi.

The Genie Mini II offers the same portable panning functionality as the original, enabling filmmakers to capture smooth motion in real time and photographers to capture time-lapses. The motion control system supports multi-row panorama capture, offers Astro Time-Lapse and HDR modes, and offers an Ease In/Ease Out feature.

The device works with Syrp’s Genie 2 app for Android and iOS offering keyframed motion control in addition to various presets for easily initiating shooting sessions. According to Syrp, the new Bluetooth 4.2 support makes it possible for advanced users to ‘advantage of more complex, custom motion control settings and multi-row panoramas to create 360/VR images.’

The Genie Mini II, which has a total load capacity of 3.9kg (8.8lbs), is designed to sandwich between a tripod and camera. The device is powered by an internal lithium-ion battery capable of powering six hours of continuous smooth panning, an increase from the previous version’s five hours, or up to a 15-hour time-lapse, a noticeable decrease from the original’s 24-hour duration. The new model has a max 360-degree capture speed of 33 seconds.

Syrp has launched the Genie Mini II for pre-order at the same $ 249 price as the original model.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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