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Everything you need to try 3D in a box: Roxio Creator

August 30, 2010 By

Two photos are combined into a 3D image.

3D cameras and TVs are garnering attention everywhere — but can you or your customers try it out without buying a lot of new hardware?

Now, new software displays 2D photos in 3D on a PC — and even comes with the necessary red & blue anaglyphic 3D glasses.

Roxio’s Creator 2011 can analyze a single 2D photo for depth ques, and algorithmically apply a 3D effect.
Better yet, it can take two photos taken sequentially from slightly different angles, and turn them into a stereoscopic anaglyphic (red & blue) image.
The effect even works on video.

The $100 software package isn’t just for 3D: it’s also a full suite of tools for creating, editing, and sharing photos, video, and other media. Other new features include the ability to rotate videos.

On our recent Imaging Executive podcast, Chris Taylor of Sonic Solutions talks about the 3D photo market and how to experience it affordably.

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Canon adds articulating LCD to EOS SLR

August 30, 2010 By

An articulating LCD highlights Canon's latest SLR.

The three-inch articulating LCD on its new SLR “is ideal for composing low-angle or overhead shots,” Canon says.
The EOS 60D is an 18-megapixel SLR that shoots full resolution still images at 5.3 frames per second.

It also captures Full HD video at 1920 by 1080 resolution with selectable frame rates of 24p, 25p or 30p. The movie mode includes manual controls for exposure as well as manual audio levels in 64 steps. The camera has video clip editing and cropping features.

In-camera RAW image processing features include picture style, white balance, color space, high-ISO noise reduction, peripheral illumination correction, linear distortion correction and chromatic aberration correction. The in-camera editing tools “will allow photographers in the field to produce optimized images on the spot and generate JPEG files at various resolution and compression settings for immediate sharing,” Canon says, without affecting the original RAW data.

Also, Canon follows Olympus and others with new “creative image filters” that alter photos in-camera. These include Soft Focus, Grainy Black and White, Toy Camera, and a tilt-shift Miniature Effect.

The 60D is $1,100, or $300 more with an 18-135mm lens.

More info is here.

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Kodak camcorder gets touchy

August 30, 2010 By

Kodak's latest pocket camcorder sports a 3-inch touchscreen.

Kodak’s latest pocket-size camcorder adds a 3-inch touchscreen.
The Playtouch camera captures 1080p HD video with digital image stabilization, or 5 megapixel still pictures.
It also features a stereo jack for an external microphone for better audio recording, or headphones for private playback.
In-camera editing will trim video clips, or extract still images.
The $230 camcorder has a built-in USB arm and HDMI output.

Kodak also announced the M590, a 14 megapixel camera that also captures 720p video. It has a 5x optical zoom, and 2.7-inch LCD.
The $200 compact camera measures 3.8 by 2.3 by 0.6 inches — making it, Kodak claims, the world’s thinnest 5x optical zoom digital camera — and weighs 4.6 ounces.

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JVC waterproofs camcorder

August 30, 2010 By

JVC enters the increasingly-crowded pocket camcorder market.

The Picsio camcorder from JVC captures 1080p HD video and 5 megapixel still images.

It has a 3-inch touchscreen, image stabilization, HDMI output, slide-out USB connector, and a time-lapse recording function.

The basic GC-FM2 is $180. The similar WP10 is waterproof to a depth of 10 feet, and costs $200.

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Sony Ericsson, Dell introduce new camera phones

August 30, 2010 By

The Vivaz phone features an 8MP camera.

“Customers can capture spontaneous moments and memories instantly,” says Sony Ericsson of its new Vivaz phone.

The company touts the “superb imaging features:” an 8-megapixel camera, 720p HD video recording, and keys for both video and photo capture “which lock focus on the action as soon as it starts.”

The Vivaz is also “pre-loaded” with links to YouTube and Picasa Web Albums, which “make it easy to upload HD videos and high resolution photos for sharing with friends and even the world,” the company says. “Shooting and sharing brilliant HD content is what creativity-minded consumers want from their mobile devices right now and we are delivering it with Vivaz.”

The phone has a 3-inch screen, and costs $80 with a two-year service agreement from AT&T.

The Aero phone from Dell, meanwhile, has a 5 megapixel camera, flash, dedicated camera key, “and advanced shooting and editing capabilities,” the company says.

The phone runs the Android 1.5 operating system, which is more than a year old. It has a 624Mhz processor and a 3.5-inch touchscreen.

The Aero costs $100 with a 2-year AT&T contract, or $300 without a contract.

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Adobe redesigns online Photoshop apps

August 30, 2010 By

Adobe says its online apps are now faster and more intuitive for uploading and organizing photos for easy access anywhere, applying quick fixes and fun effects, and sharing albums and slideshows online with family, friends, and colleagues.

Photoshop Express Editor, Photoshop Express Organizer, and Photoshop Express Uploader are a free set of integrated online apps for editing, organizing, syncing, and sharing photos, the company says. “The online apps also integrate tightly with our recently released Photoshop Express apps for iPad, iPhone, and Android devices, so customers can truly interact with their photos anywhere they happen to be.”

The new gallery design makes taglines, descriptions, and comments more visible, Adobe adds, making it easier for people viewing a gallery to add and review comments. Sharing is easier with options for posting a gallery page to Facebook or Twitter.

Adobe also announced the free Photoshop Express 1.3 for Android devices. The new version plays videos from an Photoshop.com online library.

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Alien Skin improves 64-bit Bokeh filter

August 30, 2010 By

“Now photographers can get sophisticated focus effects without the hassle and expense of using tilt-shift or special effect lenses,” says software developer Alien Skin.

The Bokeh 2.0 lens simulation plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom is $200, and draws attention to the subject by manipulating focus, vignette, and depth of field, the company says. “Bokeh accurately simulates the distinctive blurring and creamy highlights of real lenses. This was achieved through careful experiments with lenses famous for their bokeh highlights, such as the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II and the Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro. Bokeh can change the depth of field of a photo after it was shot by realistically blurring the background.”

The new motion blur can give the illusion of movement: Every aspect of the lens blur can be customized, from highlight intensity and shape to motion blur and vignette, Alien Skin adds.

A cool demonstration video is here.

Bokek blurs backgrounds and adds lighting effects.

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NEC recognizes aging faces

August 30, 2010 By

New facial recognition technology developed at NEC accounts for changes in aging and weight — and a test conducted by the US Department of Homeland Security of 1.6 million people yielded 92 percent accuracy.

The new techniques focus on mostly static eyes, mouth, nose, and other prominent features, while disregarding more variable aspects.

NEC reportedly expects the technology will aid in criminal investigation and immigration control.

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Canon develops 120 megapixel sensor

August 30, 2010 By

Canon's latest CMOS sensor captures 120MP.

Canon claims a “record-high resolution of 120 megapixels” for its new APS-H-size CMOS image sensor.

The 13,280 by 9,184 pixel resolution is “the world’s highest level for its size,” the company adds. It provides nearly 7.5 times the pixel count of Canon’s current highest-resolution commercial CMOS sensor of the same size, which has approximately 16.1 million pixels.

The large chip is also fast: Canon notes high-speed readout for high pixel counts is achieved through parallel processing — but an increase in parallel-processing signal counts can result in signal delays and minor deviations in timing. By modifying the method employed to control the readout circuit timing, Canon says its “successfully achieved the high-speed readout of sensor signals… for a maximum output speed of approximately 9.5 frames per second.”

The sensor can output Full HD video from any approximately one-sixtieth-sized section of its total surface area, the company says.

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Fujifilm enhances 3D camera with HD video

August 23, 2010 By

3D movies can now be in HD.

Fujifilm updated its 3D camera with HD video, a mini HDMI port for playback on 3D televisions, and enhanced new 3D modes.

Last year Fujifilm introduced what it says was the first complete solution for 3D digital photography — and now its new model makes “3D imaging more accessible to all consumers, enabling them to shoot in 3D HD and making it easy to view their photos and movies on most 3D TV systems.”

The new slimmer model measures 21 mm at its thinnest point, and weighs 8.5 ounces with battery and storage card. Fujifilm says its stainless steel construction “ensures that the optical axis is balanced ever so precisely resulting in accurate 3D images.”

The $500 camera is built around two 10 megapixel CCDs and dual 3x optical zoom lenses (35-105mm). The optics are spaced 75 mm apart to create realistic images “that are similar to how human eyes see them,” the company says. “This technology produces a synchronized image with a natural sense of depth,” and captures 3D photos and video at 720p HD — a distinct improvement over the VGA resolution video of last year’s model. It also captures stereo audio.

The camera automatically adjusts parallax in 3D auto mode for an optimal sense of depth. Manual mode operates the parallax control lever on the top of the camera to fine-tune the sense of depth and alignment of the images. Both can be used to eliminate “ghosting” and increase or decrease the 3D effect.

Fujifilm says in an “enhanced” 3D mode, advanced users take two shots of the same subject from different positions; the camera merges and save the captured images as a single 3D photo. “Photos of distant subjects like mountains and skyscrapers look amazing in enhanced 3D,” the company says.

As the FinePix W3’s sensors and lenses have individually controlled shutters, the camera can produce more than just 3D photos. The user can choose different zoom ranges and color settings for each image:
- Tele/Wide simultaneous shooting can zoom in on a subject while also taking a wide-angle shot of the same scene.
- Two-Color simultaneous shooting takes photos of the same scene with a different color tonality.
- Dual-Sensitivity simultaneous shooting captures high and standard sensitivity simultaneously, to, for example, take panned shots of a moving subject at the same instant with different degrees of background motion blur.

The 3.5-inch autostereoscopic 3D LCD displays images and movies in 3D needing 3D glasses. The lenticular system uses rows of convex lenses that create a binocular parallax effect to produce a realistic 3D image with less cross-talk and flicker, Fujifilm says.  A “High Luminosity” mode display images 1.5 times brighter, and color reproduced 1.8 times deeper, then the previous model, “allowing for clear, distinct and vivid images.”

More details are here.

Also, Fujifilm’s SeeHere.com website sells 3D prints priced at $7 for a 5 by 7 inch print.

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Nikon SLR autofocuses video

August 23, 2010 By

Nikon claims the first SLR with autofocus during HD video capture.

Nikon says its new Expeed2 image processor allows for real-time contrast-based autofocus while shooting video, and tracking up to 35 faces.

Nikon claims the D3100 “is the first D-SLR to implement full time AF for D-Movie video shooting and while in Live View mode.” The camera captures 1080p video at 24fps in h.264 — a good step up from Nikon’s previous SLRs that had only 720p Motion JPEG video.

The 14-megapixel SLR shoots 3 still frames a second. It is priced at a reasonable $700 with an 18-55mm lens.

The D3100 also features an enhanced Guide Mode “that makes it easy to unleash creative potential,” Nikon says. It’s “like having a personal photo tutor at your fingertips… The graphical interface on the camera’s LCD guides users by suggesting and/or adjusting camera settings to achieve the desired end result images.”

The camera has a 3-inch LCD, measures about 5 by 3.8 x 3 inches, and weighs 17.8 ounces.

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Nikon updates projecting Coolpix cam

August 23, 2010 By

The latest Coolpix sports a brighter projector.

Nikon’s new Coolpix S1100pj camera has a 14-lumen internal projector — 40 percent brighter than the first projector-cam that came out last year — capable of projecting up to 47 inches from more than 7 feet. It also now has a built-in stand.

With its new computer connection feature, the S1100pj can project whatever is on a computer screen.

The Paint function allows users to write and draw on projected images in real time, the company says, while Retouch functions allow users to “add stamps for an entertaining effect or rate their favorite photos for a more convenient search,” Nikon says.

The 14 megapixel camera has a 5x zoom lens and a 3-inch touchscreen. It shoots and projects 720p HD video. The $350 unit measures 4.0 by 2.5 by 0.9 inches and weighs 5.5 ounces.

Nikon also announced the S5100, a 12 megapixel camera that has a 5x optical zoom lens, 2.7-inch LCD, and 720p video capture.

The $180 compact cam measures 3.8 by 2.2 by 0.9 inches and weighs 4.1 ounces.

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Sanyo Adds Zoom to pocket camcorder

August 23, 2010 By

Sanyo says it has the first pocket camcorder with an optical zoom.

Pocket camcorders provide ease of use and convenience — but they’ve lacked optical zooms. Now Sanyo aims to fill that niche with its Xacti VPC-PD2BK, with a 3X lens.

Like all pocket cams, it lacks a wide range: it starts at a 37mm equivalent, and extends to 111mm — but that beats a fixed focal length.

The $170 Xacti records HD video at 1080p, and also has dual microphones to capture stereo sound.

With a built-in flash, it snaps 10 megapixel still photos, or, in its “high speed sequential shooting mode,” 2-megapixel images continuously as long as the shutter button is held.

The camera has a 2-inch LCD, measures about 2.5 by 4.4 by 0.9 inches, and weighs 3.7 ounces.

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Canon heightens sensitivity in three new cameras

August 23, 2010 By

Canon's new cams promise greater sensitivity.

Whether shooting a large family photo at a sunset wedding or capturing a historical monument at night, Canon says, photographers will benefit from the new High Sensitivity System that improves low-light shooting in its latest PowerShot.

The HS System also helps to accentuate a number of hard-to-get details in images with decreased lighting, Canon says.

It’s the standout feature in the S95, a 10-megapixel camera with a bright f/2.0 lens with a 3.8x optical zoom that starts at 28mm wide.

The camera has a 3-inch LCD, and a ring on the front controls manual options and RAW shooting capabilities.

The $400 camera is also Canon’s first model to feature in-camera HDR “to help shooters capture the full magnitude of a scene that consists of very dark tones and bright highlights.” With the use of a tripod, one push of the shutter button yields three sequential images with various exposures, the company says, and then combines them into a single optimized image within the camera. As a result, the image showcases a better range of depth and detail found in natural settings.

The S95 also captures 720p HD video, and a “Miniature Effect” movie mode creates the illusion where large objects are shown in miniature proportions, “providing a creative way to play back video,” Canon says.

The S95 measures 3.9 by 2.3 by 1.2 inches, and weighs 6.8 ounces.

Next up: the SD4500, which Canon says is the slimmest digital camera with a 10x zoom with optical image stabilization — albeit a zoom that starts at a tight 36mm.

The $350 camera has a ten megapixel CMOS sensor, and its burst mode captures 8.4 frames per second. It also records 1080p HD video, and features a Super Slow Motion video mode that captures 240 frames per second. The SD4500 has a 3-inch LCD, measures 4 by 2.3 by 0.9 inches, and weighs 6.7 ounces.

And the SX130 is billed as having “extreme telephoto capabilities” with a 12x optical zoom lens (28 – 336mm) with optical image stabilization. The 12 megapixel camera has a 3-inch LCD and captures 720p HD video. The $250 model measures 4.4 by 2.9 by 1.8 inches and weighs 10.9 ounces.

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Driving with Augmented Reality

August 23, 2010 By

An iPhone screen alerts drivers to on-road obstacles.

A new iPhone App for using augmented reality while driving detects obstacles in real time.

imaGinyze’s Augmented Driving uses the phone’s camera to view the road ahead, and then detect obstacles, warning the driver of any potential hazards with voice notifications.

“Are you often driving on highways or country roads?” the company asks. “Then you do not want to miss the impressive technology of Augmented Driving with real-time object detection with up to 10 frames per second.”

The $3 app offers augmented reality overlays for lanes and vehicles; lane detection and lane change warning; and vehicle detection and low distance information.

There are a lot of caveats here, however. First, the company admits. “the iPhone is a mobile phone, not specifically designed for this kind of application… So, some compromises regarding the final functionality had to be made due to the limited processing power.”

imaGinyze says in optimum conditions “accuracy is expected to be 10-15 percent for lane width, in-lane position and vehicle distance. However, due to the low frame-rate fast changes in the scene are only detected with a certain delay. Hence, the system is not suited for dynamic driving maneuvers. If your observed accuracy of the lane width is permanently significantly higher, you should re-check the mounting height and the orientation of your device.”

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Google’s Picasa makes “Face movies”

August 23, 2010 By

A cool new slide show: Face Movies.

The latest version of Google’s free downloadable photo editing software Picasa adds an intriguing new feature: “Face movies” which creates a video from still photos, aligning the images to the selected face in the photo. “This creates an extremely smooth viewing experience,” Google says, “which allows the person in the photos to remain the focus, rather than the transition effects themselves.”

It’s a cool technique. A demonstration is here.

Google has also added the Picnik online photo editor to Picasa 3.8, and a batch upload function from Picasa to Picasa Web Albums.

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Polaroid making premium 3D eyewear for RealD

August 23, 2010 By

Look more stylish in the 3D theater.

Before its instant camera and film came and went, Polaroid made sunglasses — and it continues to do so. In addition to its namesake polarized lenses, the company is now making 3D optics for RealD, the leading 3D theater technology provider.

The Polaroid Premium 3D Eyewear “promises a range of custom frames with precisely curved lenses,” the companies say, “so moviegoers can fully experience RealD 3D with an uncompromising field of vision and a pair of glasses to match their personal style.”

Polaroid will distribute the RealD certified line to movie theaters and cinemas, eye care professionals and other retail channels.

Polaroid Eyewear is now a division of Stylemark AG.

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Canon printers feature “Intelligent Touch System”

August 23, 2010 By

The 3-inch LCD on Canon's new printers provides easier control.

Canon says its latest all-in-one printers provide a “ground-breaking Intelligent Touch System” with “new technologies that have not been seen before in desktop printers.”

The easier functionality is “a game changer for overall printer usability,” Canon continues. “Consumers will find it easier and quicker than ever to navigate through menus and perform everyday tasks with back-lit touch sensitive buttons and a new light guidance system eliminating buttons not in use, thus reducing opportunities for mistakes.”

Also, the Auto Photo Fix II function has been improved with enhanced light-source recognition and color-cast correction resulting in an increase in the overall image quality of printed images.

The Pixma MG8120 and MG6120 wireless printers have a maximum color resolution of 9600 by 2400 dpi, and sell for $300 and $200.

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InfoTrends predicts merchandise is future of photofinishing market

August 23, 2010 By

“Generating revenue from photo merchandise is the only way most vendors in the consumer photo market will survive,” claims InfoTrends.

The market research firm says traditional photo print volumes and revenues continue to decline, but the photo merchandise market — custom books, greeting cards, enlargements, posters, framed prints and calendars — will grow substantially, reaching $2.2 billion in revenues by 2014.

Mainstream photographers now take more photos than ever before, “and want to do creative things with them, rather than just view them on a PC screen or make traditional prints,” the firm says. “Photo merchandise opens up that creative avenue, giving consumers a variety of unique options for output.”

However, InfoTrends cites a significant challenge: “a lack of interest in photo merchandise products by a large percentage of the population.” The company says attracting more first-time buyers into the photo merchandise market is essential to success, and that its research shows “photo merchandise buyers are very likely to buy again, so it is crucial for the market to create awareness and find creative ways to get non-buyers to try it out for the first time.”

The U.S. Consumer Photo Merchandise Forecast for 2009 – 2014 covers photo merchandise in terms of units, revenues, and impressions, InfoTrends says.

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Dell delivers Streak: camera-equipped tablet

August 16, 2010 By

The Streak shows photos on a 5-inch touchscreen.

Dell claims its new Streak tablet “has found a way to fit your whole world in a 5-inch screen.”

The Streak has two cameras: a primary 5 megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, and a VGA resolution front-facing camera likely intended for video conferencing.

The 5-inch display has multi-touch capability and WVGA resolution. The Streak runs the Android operating system, but an older variant, 1.6, not the current 2.2 — and buyers can’t just download the new version. The tablet has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G connectivity, and runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 1GHz processor.

The Streak costs $300 with a new two-year AT&T contract, or $550 without.

The not-pocket-size computer is faring poorly in many pundits’ comparisons, as it has a smaller screen and higher price than the leading tablet, Apple’s 9-inch iPad ($500 without a carrier contract). And while the current iPad lacks cameras, the $199 w/contract iPhone 4 has similar 5MP and VGA cams — and the next iPad and iPod Touch are rumored to have them as well.

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Adobe Expresses Photoshop for iPad

August 16, 2010 By

Adobe's iPad image editor fixes portraits.

Adobe has evolved its Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone into Photoshop Express for iPad.

The software makes adjustments to exposure, saturation, and tint, and provides tools for crop, rotate and flip, as well as effects like vibrant, pop, border, and vignette.

The software still works on the iPhone, but specific functions for the iPad include changing screen orientation and redesigned workflows.

Photoshop Express is a free download from Apple’s iTunes store, as well as the Android Marketplace.

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Spyglass AR app uses iPhone gyroscope

August 16, 2010 By

The Spyglass 3 app is billed as a “fun-to-use multi-function augmented reality tool and heads-up display” with compass, GPS, and other information overlaid atop the live feed from the built-in camera, “turning the iPhone into a location-aware viewfinder.”

The $2 app now works with the gyroscope in the iPhone 4.

Navigating with Spyglass has become easier, adds developer Happymagenta, with enlarged target pointers, constantly displayed distance to the current destination, and audible feedback that beeps upon moving closer to the target.

Located in Minsk, Belarus, Russia, Happymagenta is a privately-held company founded in 2006.

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Camcorder with removable projector

August 16, 2010 By

A $550 camcorder costs a bit more than most similar HD models — but this one comes with a removable pico projector.

The HDV-D350S from Ordro Digital Products captures 1080p video with a 10x optical zoom and a 3-inch touchscreen.

It also projects that video, albeit not at HD resolution: the pico projector’s Texas Instruments DLP chipset yields just 854 by 480 pixels with 15 Lumens brightness.

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Making a ghost town of Google Street View

August 16, 2010 By

A pedestrian is removed from a Street View image.

Prototype software automatically washes people right out of a photo in Google Street View.

Google automatically captures photos from moving vehicles — and the shots have random people appearing.

Developed by students at the University of California, San Diego, new software identifies people, removes them, and, like Adobe’s content-aware fill in Photoshop, fills the gaps to look like the surroundings. However, the pixels are not interpolated from one frame’s similar pixels, but instead are taken from photos taken just before or after the primary image, photos in which the person in question is not at the precise location.

However, as PC World reports, “…on occasion, it renders some bizarre results: dogs with leashes held by invisible masters and ankles without legs appearing in shoes.”

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50-inch 3D TV < $1,000 from Samsung

August 16, 2010 By

Samsung Electronics latest 50-inch 3DTV is more than $400 cheaper than what were the least expensive 3DTVs.

The new PN50C490 is a 720p plasma, and ships for $989 with free delivery from Amazon.com.

However: It does not come with 3D glasses: those will run you more than $100 extra per pair.

Too small or too cheap for you? Samsung also announced a 65-inch screen — for $6,000. The UN65C8000 is the largest full HD 3D LED TV available for the home today, the company says. It has an 8,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

Need to take the 3D with you? Samsung says it has the first portable Blu-ray player with 3D capability. The BD-C8000 delivers 1080p HD video and enables 3D playback. It has three hours of battery life, and sells for $500.

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