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Posts Tagged ‘Updates’

Nikon Z50 gets Animal Detection AF, Z6 and Z7 get minor improvements via firmware updates

22 Jul

In addition to a new camera, a pair of teleconverters and a compact zoom lens, Nikon has also released firmware updates for its Z50, Z6, Z7 cameras and FTZ adapter.

Nikon Z50 firmware version 2.00

The most substantial firmware update is firmware version 2.00 for the Nikon Z50. In addition to support for the new Z-mount teleconverters and the ability to update older F-mount lenses via the FTZ adapter, firmware version 2.00 brings Nikon’s Animal detection autofocus (AF) as a custom AF mode. Nikon says this mode can detect the eyes and faces of dogs and cats when shooting stills (only faces will be detected when shooting video).

Additional improvements, taken from the changelog, are listed below:

  • Changed some of the f/-number values displayed when exposure is adjusted in steps of 1/3 EV (f/1.2 is now displayed as f/1.3). As of July 21, 2020, this applies to NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lenses.
  • The bracketing increment is now properly applied to photos taken with exposure locked during AE bracketing in Continuous H (extended) release mode.
  • Release-priority is now enabled if AF-S Single AF is selected for Focus mode when AF-ON is assigned to the AE-L/AF-L button.
  • The following improvements have been made to subject tracking:
    • Users can now switch between the auto-area AF and target selection displays using a custom control such as the Fn1 button.
    • The behavior of subject tracking when AF-C is selected during still photography now more closely resembles that for 3D-tracking on digital SLR cameras.
  • The conditions for displaying the prompt suggesting the use of the flash have been reviewed and the prompt is now displayed under more appropriate conditions.
  • Fixed the following issues:
    • The crop selected for “tall” (portrait-orientation) pictures using PictBridge would not be accurately reflected in the printed image.
    • In rare circumstances, autofocus would not engage if a NIKKOR Z DX 16–50mm f/3.5–6.3 VR lens was extended at the same time the camera was turned on.

You can download firmware version 2.00 and find installation information on Nikon’s support page.

Nikon Z6, Z7 firmware version 3.10

Firmware version 3.10 for the both the Nikon Z6 and Z7 adds support for Nikon’s new teleconverters, as well as the ability to update Nikon F-mount lenses when attached to the cameras via Nikon’s FTZ mount adapter. Other updates for the cameras, taken from the changelog, are listed below:

  • Changed some of the f/-number values displayed when exposure is adjusted in steps of 1/3 EV (f/1.2 is now displayed as f/1.3). As of July 21, 2020, this applies to NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct lenses.
  • The bracketing increment is now properly applied to photos taken with exposure locked during AE bracketing in Continuous H (extended) release mode.
  • When an external recorder compliant with Atomos Open protocol is connected, movie recording can now be started and stopped using camera controls if all the following conditions are met:
    • The camera is in movie mode and the recorder is connected via HDMI.
    • A memory card is inserted.
    • The following are selected for HDMI > Advanced in the SETUP MENU:
      • External recording control > On
      • Output data depth > 10 bit
      • N-log setting > Off
    • 3840×2160; 30p/25p/24p is selected for Frame size/frame rate in the MOVIE SHOOTING MENU.
  • Fixed the following issues:
    • The camera monitor would exhibit a green cast when the camera was connected to an external display via HDMI if:
      • Adobe RGB was selected for Color space in the PHOTO SHOOTING MENU,
      • Shutter-release button > Record movies was selected for Custom Setting g2 (Custom control assignment) in Group “g” (Movie) of the CUSTOM SETTING MENU,
      • 10 bit was selected for HDMI > Advanced > Output data depth in the SETUP MENU,
      • On (cannot record to card) was selected for HDMI > Advanced > N-Log setting in the SETUP MENU,
      • On was selected for HDMI > Advanced > View assist in the SETUP MENU, and
      • movie mode was selected with the photo/movie selector.
    • The crop selected for “tall” (portrait-orientation) pictures using PictBridge would not be accurately reflected in the printed image.
    • In rare circumstances, autofocus would not engage if a NIKKOR Z DX 16–50mm f/3.5–6.3 VR lens was extended at the same time the camera was turned on.

You can download firmware version 3.10 for both the Z6 and Z7 on Nikon’s support pages.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Panasonic announces minor firmware updates for 6 cameras, release of macOS streaming utility and more

14 Jul

Panasonic has announced minor firmware updates for half-a-dozen of its G Series mirrorless cameras and announced the upcoming release of new software for Windows and macOS computers that will give its mirrorless cameras the ability to be used as a webcam without the need for a capture card.

The firmware updates are for Panasonic’s GH5, GH5S, G9, G95, G85 and GX9 camera systems. The respective updates improve compatibility with Panasonic’s new Tripod Grip DMW-SHGR1 and add ‘operational stability’ with the LUMIX G VARIO 12–32mm / F3.5–5.6 lens. The new firmware updates will go live on Panasonic’s support page on July 21.

Panasonic has also announced the release of LUMIX Streaming (Beta) for macOS. Like the Windows version released back on June 9, the macOS version allows select Panasonic mirrorless cameras to be used as webcams through a derivative version of Panasonic’s LUMIX Tether utility that removes unnecessary interface elements to create a clean output for using as a webcam feed.

A screenshot of the Windows version of LUMIX Streaming (Beta).

At this time, the LUMIX Streaming (Beta) supports Panasonic’s S1H, S1R, S1, GH5S, GH5 and G9 mirrorless cameras. It requires at least macOS 10.11 (El Capitan), 2GB of RAM for 64-bit systems and 200MB of space. You can download the utility for free on Panasonic’s website.

Beyond the LUMIX Streaming (Beta) for macOS and Windows, Panasonic is also developing LUMIX Webcam Software. Unlike LUMIX Streaming (Beta), which is effectively a tweaked version of its tethering utility, LUMIX Webcam Software ‘[will make] it possible to use an applicable LUMIX camera as a webcam over a USB connection not only for live streaming, but also for video conferencing, etc.’ Panasonic says the software will be compatible with its S1H, S1R, S1, GH5S, GH5, and G9 camera systems, and is due for a September release on Windows and an October release for macOS.

Press release:

Panasonic Announces the Release of Firmware Update Programs for LUMIX G Series Cameras, “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” for Mac and the Development of “LUMIX Webcam Software” for Windows/Mac

Newark, NJ (July 14, 2020) – Panasonic is pleased to announce the release of firmware update programs for the LUMIX G Series of Digital Single Lens Mirrorless Cameras and software programs “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” for Mac and the development of “LUMIX Webcam Software” for Win/Mac.

The firmware update programs are for DC-GH5,GH5S, G9, G95, G85 and GX9 to improve compatibility with the new Tripod Grip DMW-SHGR1 and operational stability with LUMIX G VARIO 12-32mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. /MEGA O.I.S.(H-FS12032) lens. Meanwhile, “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” and “LUMIX Webcam Software” enhance work-at-home activities using LUMIX cameras.

1. Firmware update programs for DC-GH5, GH5S, G9, G95, G85 and GX9

Model

Firmware Version

?Tripod grip DMW-SHGR1 can be used.

?Improved operational stability with the Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 12-32mm / F3.5-5.6 ASPH. /MEGA O.I.S.(H-FS12032)

DC-GH5

Firmware Version 2.7

Yes

Yes

DC-GH5S

Firmware Version 1.6

Yes

–

DC-G9

Firmware Version 2.2

Yes

Yes

DC- G95

Firmware Version 1.2

Yes

Yes

DC- G85

Firmware Version 1.5

Yes

Yes

DC-GX9

Firmware Version 1.5

–

Yes

The firmware program will be available at LUMIX Global Customer Support website https://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/ on July 21, 2020.

2. LUMIX Streaming (Beta) for Mac

Followed by the release of “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” for Windows, the “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” for Mac has also been released. It is derived from conventional “LUMIX Tether (Ver.1.7)” with an additional display option for the cases where this software is used for live streaming purposes. It may help user convenience in the growing self-streaming opportunities.

As “LUMIX Tether” is a software program originally designed for tethered shooting, GUIs such as a focus area mark as well as control panels are displayed with live view images on the PC monitor during USB tethering. However, these graphic items become a hindrance when the software is used to capture camera view for live streaming. In response to the demands of customers to resolve this issue, LIVE VIEW mode has been added on “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)”. It enables displaying camera view only, making it easy for the separate streaming software to read it. Users can choose to show or hide these graphic items during USB tethering according to the usage purpose.

“LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” is provided as a pre-release version that is currently still under development. Please note that this software is not eligible for operation warranty and customer support.

Compatible models: DC-S1H, DC-S1R, DC-S1, DC-GH5S, DC-GH5, DC-G9

LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta) for Mac Operating Environment

OS

Mac OS X 10.11,

Mac macOS 10.12, macOS 10.13, macOS 10.14

*Operation with macOS 10.15 Catalina is under verification but some issues are reported. https://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/info/macos_tether.html

(When to officially support macOS 10.15 Catalina is yet to be fixed.)

CPU

Intel CPU of 1 GHz or higher

Display

1024 x 768 pixels or more

RAM

1GB or more (32bit),2GB or more (64bit)

HDD

Free space of 200 MB or more for installation

Interface

USB 3.0/3.1

LUMIX Tether for Streaming (Beta) web page with download link

https://www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/lumixtether.html

3. LUMIX Webcam Software

While the “LUMIX Streaming (Beta)” is basically a software for tethered shooting that can also be used to capture camera views for live streaming, the upcoming “LUMIX Webcam Software” makes it possible to use an applicable LUMIX camera as a webcam over a USB connection not only for live streaming, but also for video conferencing, etc.

Compatible models: DC-S1H, DC-S1R, DC-S1, DC-GH5S, DC-GH5, DC-G9, DC-G100 *

Release Date*: End of September (for Windows) / End of October (for Mac), 2020

*The release date of LUMIX Webcam Software for DC-G100 is yet to be decided.

Panasonic is committed to continuous improvement with its LUMIX product line, including the Full-Frame S Series and the Micro Four Thirds G Series, by providing customers with valuable products and services, a part of which are these firmware and software update programs.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Profoto updates B10 series flashes for iPhone camera compatibility

08 Jul

There’s no shortage of lighting accessories available for smartphones, ranging from small LED lights to more sophisticated Xenon-flash solutions like the Godox A1 or the Profoto C1. However, all those solutions are more or less designed for maximum portability and amateur use. If you needed professional-level studio lighting that is fully compatible with smartphone cameras, you were pretty much out of luck…until now.

Profoto has announced it’s made its B10 flash series compatible with Apple’s iPhone cameras. The B10 and B10 Plus are compact studio flash heads and have a powerful continuous light source for videographers as well. They come with removable lithium-ion battery and have output control via the company’s AirTTL system. The B10 is a 250Ws unit while the slightly larger and heavier B10 Plus doubles the output.

‘This is a revolutionary innovation, said Profoto CEO Anders Hedebark. ‘Making professional flash available to smartphones has the potential to be ground-breaking, just like how the transition from analog to digital cameras once changed everything. We believe freedom with connectivity is the next step for professional photography. No matter what kind of photographer you are, it’s all about the light. And we want to offer image creators to work with great light, regardless of what capturing device you chose to use.‘

Shot on iPhone with B10 series flash by Andrea Belluso

Profoto says it has been able to make the B10 series units work with the iPhone by using ‘a range of advanced technologies.’ The company’s AirX technology has been key to the project as it allows users to clock synchronize Bluetooth devices. The flash unit has to fire at exactly the right point in time, and for the right length of time. Using Bluetooth-sync iPhone photographers who use the B10 series can capture images at 1/25.000 sec exposure time and still sync the full power.

‘One challenge when working with smartphone cameras is that they require much more flexible flash-length on different shutter speeds than for instance DSLR or MILC. This has forced us to refine our methods with PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) flashes into long, or extremely short, pulses with an exact and controlled intensity‘, explained Göran Marén, Product Manager at Profoto.

Most serious photographers who are happy to lug a portable flash system like the B10 around will almost certainly also carry a DSLR or mirrorless camera. However, this is still very good news from Profoto as it simply gives you the option to shoot with an iPhone on those occasions when you have to work with a flash but absolutely have to or want to minimize the bulk you carry. It also makes the iPhone a potential backup device should your main camera fail on a studio shoot.

Shot on iPhone with B10 series flash by Profoto product manager mobile Marko Pirc

iPhone connectivity for the Profoto B10 flash series is available from today. Profoto B10 users will have to update the flash firmware for the new feature to work which can be done through the Profoto app. The feature requires iOS 11.0 or later and works with the iPhone 7 and newer models.

The Profoto app also allows you to control B10 and B10 Plus strobes from both iPhones and Android devices when shooting with a ‘real’ camera.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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WWDC2020 : A round-up of photo features and updates in iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and macOS Big Sur

24 Jun

Apple’s virtual WWDC keynote yesterday was light on photography-related news, but hidden within the iOS 14 and macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) are a few small updates worth noting.

iOS 14

In iOS 14 the launch time of the stock camera app has been improved and time required between shots has been reduced. Specifically, Apple says ‘you can now shoot photos up to 90% faster (compared to iOS 13.5) at up to 4 frames per second’ and start-up time for the camera app has been improved by 25%.

Additionally, Apple has added a new exposure compensation control that lets you lock an exposure value while separately locking focus on another point — something third-party camera apps have offered for years now. Also new is an updated interface when shooting in Night mode on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro that provides an overlay using gyroscope information to ensure you stay steady throughout the image capture.

A final small update is a new option within the camera settings that lets you mirror photos captured with the front-facing camera.

Also, although it’s not directly related to photography, Apple has added an option within its accessibility settings to run Shortcuts with a double- or triple-tap on the back of the device. This means you could trigger various photo-related Shortcuts with either of these gestures, such as opening up a third-party camera app with a double-tap and opening up the editing app of your choice with a triple-tap.

You can see all of the latest iOS 14 features on Apple’s iOS 14 ‘New Features’ page.

iPadOS

iPadOS doesn’t put as much emphasis on the capturing of photos as iOS, but Apple didn’t leave it hanging either. In camera mode, Apple has added quick toggles to change video resolution and framerate within the camera app and like iOS, there’s now an option to mirror images captured with the front camera.

The Photos app on iPadOS is redesigned using Apple’s new full-height sidebar, making it easier to navigate between albums, search and more. It’s also possible to add captions to images within the Photos app and Apple has also improved the Memories function, which should better select more relevant photos and videos to highlight.

The image picker has also been redesigned, which should make it easier to find and share or upload images within Safari, Messages, Mail and other third-party apps.

You can find a full rundown of all the new iPadOS 14 features on Apple’s website.

macOS 11.0 (Big Sur)

Aside from the overall user interface changes and a few changes to the Photos app, there aren’t many photo-specific changes within macOS Big Sur. At least not for now.

As much as macOS Big Sur changes things up on the visual side of things, it’s also about laying the groundwork for Apple’s forthcoming computers that will use its own ARM-based architecture. This requires a lot of behind-the-scenes work and programming to ensure apps designed for current computers and CPUs will work with the first computers with Apple’s own chipsets, the first of which Apple CEO Tim Cook says will be out by year’s end.

Apple showcased both Adobe Lightroom CC and Photoshop running on one of its ARM-based developer kit computers and specifically said it’s working with Adobe to make sure Creative Cloud apps will work with the new architecture out of the gate, but we’ve heard similar statements before that took a little longer to come to fruition to be expected (i.e. Photoshop for iPad), so you might want to keep your expectations subdued for the time being.

Still, making the jump from Intel chips to its own is no minor feat for processor-intensive applications such as Lightroom and Photoshop, so any collaboration between Apple and Adobe ahead of future hardware releases is a welcomed sight.

As for the Photos app, Apple has added new video editing capabilities such as adjustments, filters and cropping, as well as improved the Retouch tool, which now uses ‘advanced machine learning to remove blemishes, dust specks, and other objects from photos.’

Like the iPadOS update, Photos for macOS adds improved navigation, the ability to add captions to images and the aforementioned improvements to Memories for more relevant collections.

Wrapping up

Overall, the photo-related updates to iOS, iPadOS and macOS are relatively minor based on the hardware currently available. However, it’s usually the hardware that brings major changes and all of these operating system updates, macOS Big Sur in particular, lay the foundations for future hardware. You can watch the complete keynote on Apple’s YouTube Channel.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Video: A look at every new feature in Adobe’s June Lightroom, Photoshop updates

23 Jun

Last week, Adobe released its latest updates for Lightroom, Photoshop and Camera Raw, bringing new and improved features to each of its photo-centric apps. While the list of updated features is exhaustive, Colin Smith from YouTube Channel Photoshop CAFE has broken down every new feature so you don’t have to.

Smith’s feature overview is split between two videos: one that focuses on Photoshop and Camera Raw, and one that focuses on Lightroom Classic.

For the 12-minute Photoshop video, Smith covers the improved AI-powered Select Subject tool in Photoshop as well as the updated Lightroom-inspired interface for Adobe Camera Raw.

The Lightroom video comes in at 11 minutes and addresses the new Local Hue tool, the updated Tone Curve interface, ISO Adaptive Presets and the new performance improvements Adobe has made throughout the app.

You can keep up to date with Smith’s Photoshop and Lightroom tips and tutorials over on the PhotoshopCAFE Youtube Channel.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Adobe’s Exciting New Updates to Lightroom, Photoshop, and ACR

20 Jun

The post Adobe’s Exciting New Updates to Lightroom, Photoshop, and ACR appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

new adobe updates

Adobe has released several impressive updates to its Creative Cloud programs, including Lightroom, Photoshop, and Adobe Camera Raw.

The changes give Adobe users a number of features to be excited about, including:

  • Enhanced subject selection in Photoshop
  • Easy movement from Lightroom to Photoshop on iPad
  • An interface makeover for Adobe Camera Raw
  • The addition of local hue adjustments in Lightroom

While you can read about the many new and improved features on Adobe’s blog, I’ll run through the most important new upgrades for photographers, starting with:

Adobe's Exciting New Updates to Lightroom, Photoshop, and ACR

Photoshop offers updated Select Subject tool

Photoshop’s Select Subject tool has been steadily improving since the feature was first released.

But with these new updates comes a huge advance in terms of Select Subject’s capacity to identify complex edges.

As explained by Adobe, Select Subject has advanced in two key ways:

First: “Select subject is now content aware, and applies new custom algorithms if it detects a person is in the scene.”

And second: “Hair and treatment around hair has been vastly improved.”

When it comes to subject selection, any improvements are welcome; for most folks, better selection tools means less time spent in Photoshop and more time out shooting photos.

Hair has traditionally been the most difficult aspect of selecting, even with Adobe’s most powerful tools in hand. But with these improvements, subject selection should become at least slightly easier.

Lightroom on iPad offers easy Edit in Photoshop button

If you frequently edit images in Lightroom on your iPad, you’re in luck:

Adobe has now added an easy method for moving your photos from Lightroom to Photoshop:

The Edit in Photoshop button, which you can access from the export menu in Lightroom and use to quickly open an image in Photoshop.

Adobe explains that, after editing an image to Photoshop, “you can either send it right back to Lightroom, or keep it as a new cloud document.”

This should be a massive improvement for folks frustrated by the lack of integration between Lightroom and Photoshop on iPad.

(According to Adobe, this was among the “top requests” of iPad users.)

Adobe Camera Raw starts to look sleek

the new adobe camera raw interface
The new ACR layout looks far more stylish!

It’s finally happened:

Adobe Camera Raw has shed its aging skin and turned into something better; it’s still not exactly modern, but it’s certainly much sleeker.

Take a look at ACR, and you’ll now see a new interface, one that’s designed to “feel familiar to any Lightroom user.”

The layout has changed, the sliders have changed, and you even have some tool enhancements (for instance, the Curves tool is much easier to work with).

You also get a brand new tool, which comes to both Adobe Camera RAW and Lightroom in the form of local hue adjustment:

Lightroom and ACR gain local hue adjustment feature

Lightroom (and ACR) has long offered global hue adjustment capabilities in its HSL panel:

You select the original color, then you shift it along the color spectrum via a slider.

Up until now, this has remained a global editing tool. Lightroom included no option to selectively adjust hue via the adjustment brush, radial filter, or graduated filter, which meant that selective color editing was a feature largely confined to Photoshop.

But all that has changed, because you’ll now see a new slider when using local adjustment tools, one that allows you to select an area and shift its colors via a handy hue slider.

Local hue adjustment slider

With this new local editing option, you can selectively adjust skin tones, clothing color, sunset color, and much more.

So here’s my recommendation:

Head over to your Lightroom, Photoshop, and Adobe Camera Raw applications right now.

And try out these new options!

Now I’d like to ask you:

Which of these new updates are you most excited to try? And were there any changes that you’d still like to see from Adobe? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The post Adobe’s Exciting New Updates to Lightroom, Photoshop, and ACR appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Adobe’s June Creative Cloud update brings improvements, updates to Lightroom, Photoshop and more

17 Jun

Adobe has released its June Creative Cloud updates, bringing with it a number of new features for its cloud-based product suite, including Photoshop, Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw.

Adobe Photoshop

First on the agenda is Photoshop for desktop. Adobe has updated its Select Subject tool with new algorithms to help it better recognize what’s being selected and alter its selection accordingly. Specifically, Adobe has worked on portrait selection, which will recognize when a person is being selected and more accurately select the subject’s hair and other details using its Sensei AI machine learning technology.

Adobe has also added rotatable patterns, Adobe Fonts auto-activation (no more messages about missing fonts) and an updated Match Font feature that can detect fonts in an image and suggest similar-looking fonts within your library to use in the image.

You can find a detailed post explaining all of the new Photoshop features in depth on Adobe’s announcement blog post.

Adobe Lightroom

Moving on to Lightroom, Adobe has added a new Local Hue adjustment (ACR, Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC macOS/Windows, iOS and Android), Versions (Lightroom CC macOS/Windows, iOS and Android), Raw defaults (Lightroom CC macOS/Windows, iOS and Android) and ISO Adaptive Presets (ACR and Lightroom Classic).

The new Centered Crop Overlay makes it easier to center a subject in an image.

The Local Hue adjustment makes it possible to edit the color in select areas of an image, the new Versions feature makes it possible to create and edit multiple versions of the same image without needing to duplicate it, Raw defaults makes it so you can apply specific default settings to Raw photographs to make the images reflect the internal picture profile you’ve set in-camera and the ISO Adaptive Presets makes it possible to change how a specific preset looks based on what ISO the image was captured at.

One of the new features in Lightroom CC for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android is ‘Versions,’ which lets you make multiple edits of the same image without having to duplicate the file.

Other new features include Centered Crop Overlay, Watermarks and Lightroom for iPad finally has an Edit in Photoshop’ option for immediately editing the image in Photoshop for iPad (with a reverse option to ‘Send to Lightroom’ when you’re done with your edits).

The ability to export an image from Lightroom for iPad to Photoshop for iPad and back is a very welcomed addition that’s been requested by users for quite some time now.

Lightroom Classic has also received performance improvements. GPU acceleration for image editing came about last year, but these new improvements focus on a smoother experience while scrolling through your library, searching and filtering collections and scrubbing sliders in the Develop module. Adobe says ‘you’ll experience faster scrolling and less stuttering especially while navigating up and down larger catalogs and sifting through longer lists of collections.’

You can see a detailed breakdown of each of the new features and updates in Lightroom on Adobe’s announcement blog post.

Adobe Camera Raw

The new ACR interface more closely resembles that of Adobe’s more recent Lightroom and Photoshop updates.

Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) has also received an update that brings its interface and feature set more in line with Lightroom. In addition to the Local Hue adjustment, ISO Adaptive Presets and center crop overlay, ACR has also moved many of its local tools to the right-hand side of the interface and put its various adjustment in stackable panels, similar to what’s found in Lightroom’s Develop module. You can also choose whether the Filmstrip (image thumbnails) appears on the left-hand side of the interface or on the bottom, underneath the images.

You can find a rundown of all of the new features on Adobe’s ‘What’s new in ACR’ announcement post.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Fujifilm releases minor firmware updates for seven of its XC, XF lenses

11 Jun

Fujifilm has released minor firmware updates for seven of its Fujinon XC and XF lenses.

The company doesn’t elaborate on what exactly was fixed in each of the firmware updates other than a ‘fix of minor bugs.’ Still, for the sake of keeping up to date and preventing any of these unmentioned ‘minor bugs’ from affecting your workflow, it’s well worth it to download the update(s) and apply them to your Fujinon lenses.

Below is a list of each of the lenses and a link to their respective firmware updates:

  • XF 10–24mm F4 — firmware version 1.13
  • XC 15–45mm F3.5–5.6 — firmware version 1.03
  • XC 16–50mm F3.5–5.6 OIS II — firmware version 1.12
  • XF 18–55mm F2.8–4 — firmware version 3.23
  • XF 18–135mm F3.5–5.6 — firmware version 1.12
  • XC 50–230mm F4.5–6.7 OIS II — firmware version 1.11
  • XF80mm F2.8 — firmware version 1.12

Instructions on how to install the new firmware are listed on each of the download links above.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Adobe updates logos, branding for easier navigation and consistency across platforms

01 Jun

Software manufacturer Adobe is rolling out new logos and icons for many of its applications in a bid to make them easier to identify and to make their appearance more uniform across all the platforms on which they are used. The changes are slight in the main, and may not be noticeable unless you go looking, but the company hopes they will help users find the applications they are looking for.

The most dramatic change will be the Creative Cloud logo which will switch from its current red and white design to a white emblem on a rainbow background. The two-letter initials on the Photoshop and Lightroom logos will remain, but the pale text will become darker and the borders will be removed. Getting rid of the colored borders and making all the corners rounded will ensure the logos look the same wherever they are used. The forthcoming Photoshop Camera application will use three letters, adding an uppercase C to the Ps of the Photoshop logo.

The Adobe logo will also get a make-over that includes a slight shift in the tone of red used to make it a little warmer and more ‘contemporary,’ according to the company. Adobe dives further into the branding changes on its Adobe Blog.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Adobe updates Creative Cloud video and audio apps, adds GPU-accelerated encoding, ProRes RAW support and more

20 May

Adobe has released updates for a variety of its software products, including major updates to Adobe Premiere Pro. Adobe Premiere Pro version 14.2 includes GPU acceleration for encoding on Windows, promising export speeds up to five times faster than encoding performed using only the CPU.

For Nvidia and AMD GPUs which support hardware encoding, the new versions of Premiere Pro, Media Encoder, After Effects and Audition on Windows promise vastly improved performance when exporting files. Of the new update, Adobe senior engineering manager Manish Kulkarni says, ‘With new support for NVIDIA GPUs on Windows, exports are hardware accelerated leveraging the power of the GPU to make Premiere Pro more powerful and keep video creators productive and nimble.’

‘This graph shows encoding speeds gains using hardware-based encoding with an NVIDIA RTX 5000 GPU. With the addition of AMD and NVIDIA support on Windows, hardware encoding is now available across all modern macOS and PC systems.’ Image and caption credit: Adobe

Adobe has also introduced ProRes RAW support in Premiere Pro and After Effects on Windows, a very welcomed change that’s been a long time coming. The graphics workflow in Premiere Pro has also been enhanced through the addition of an improved Pen tool with better support for Bezier curves. This will allow users to more easily create lines and shapes.

Further, in After Effects, motion graphics artists have new tapered shape strokes to use when creating animations and designs. There are also new repeating concentric shape parameters and Mask/Shape cursor indicators.

In addition to faster encoding through hardware acceleration on Windows, users can also expect faster Auto Reframe across all devices. Utilizing its artificial intelligence, Adobe Sensei, Auto Reframe now automatically reformats and repositions video across varying aspect ratios. Speaking of aspect ratios, Adobe Premiere Rush users will now be able to automatically resize projects to the 4:5 aspect ratio frequently used for Facebook and Instagram videos.

‘Auto Reframe in Premiere Pro uses Adobe Sensei AI to reposition video within different aspect ratios. The feature is now twice as fast.’ Image and caption credit: Adobe

On the workflow side of things, Adobe has added support for audio files within Creative Cloud Libraries, which allows users to save, organize and share audio assets for easier access through the CC Libraries panel. For macOS users, automatic audio hardware switching has been added to After Effects, Media Encoder, Audition, Character Animator, Prelude, Premiere Pro and Premiere Rush. This means that when changing audio devices, Adobe applications will now automatically switch to the current hardware.

Improving software performance and stability is Adobe’s top priority. Alongside today’s updates, Adobe has published a new blog post outlining the various efforts the company and its engineers have made over the past year. Further, as many performance updates depend upon the user’s hardware, Adobe has also expanded its research into crash reports and how users are taking advantage of the company’s suite of software. If you are interested in learning more about the performance gains introduced with today’s update and becoming part of Adobe’s expanding public beta program for future updates, be sure to read the new post.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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