Adobe has released new beta camera profiles for Camera Raw 4.5 and Lightroom 2.0 as well as a beta of the new application called DNG Profile Editor for editing DNG profiles. The betas of the profiles and the editor app are on Adobe Labs.

Adobe has released the final version of Camera Raw 4.5 as well as the DNG Converter 4.5. The updates are available for download from the Camera Raw Product Page.

In addition to new camera support (now at over 180 cameras), Camera Raw 4.5 and DNG Converter 4.5 also adds support for rendering the newly released Lightroom 2.0 functionality.

The direct download pages are here; Macintosh, Windows

Major Software Upgrade Further Simplifies Photography Workflows

Press Release: SAN JOSE, Calif. — July 29, 2008 — Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 2 software, the photographer’s essential toolbox for managing, adjusting and presenting large volumes of digital photographs. With new enhancements such as dual-monitor support, radical advances in non-destructive localized image correction, and streamlined search capabilities, Lightroom 2 is a compelling upgrade that simplifies photography from shoot to finish. As Adobe’s first application to support 64-bit for Mac OS X 10.5 Macintosh computers with Intel® processors and Microsoft® Windows® Vista® 64bit operating systems, Lightroom 2 also provides improved memory performance for dealing with large scale images.

John Nack - Photoshop Principal Product Manager from Frederick Johnson on Vimeo.

So, it may be a bit incestuous for the Lightroom Marketing Manager to post an interview with the Photoshop Product Manager, but it does offer an interesting glimpse into the mind of John Nack. 

Note: Flash required to view this video

Source: The New York Times

Written by Ann Eisenberg

ROBOTS already cut the grass and vacuum rugs. Now they are helping with a more artistic job: creating vast photographic panoramas with ordinary cameras.

The Daily Show has some interesting (and of course very funny) thoughts on Iran’s new found Photoshop skills (or lack there of). Worth the 2:49 it takes to view…(Flash required)

Press Release: COPENHAGEN, Denmark — (Marketwire, July 14, 2008) — Phase One A/S today announced the P 65+ digital back and the P 65+ camera system based on Sensor+ CCD technology co-developed with DALSA Semiconductor. This patent-pending, Sensor+ technology represents a significant advancement in image capture. The chip platform offers the most demanding photographers upgradeable CCD functions, ensuring a longer lifespan for their digital back investments.

Source: boingboing

Iran: You Suck At Photoshop

Boing Boing readers are invited to further manipulate the image, whip up nuclear cat macros, or create topically specific fan-remixed versions of YOU SUCK AT PHOTOSHOP.

Post links in the comments, and our digital manipulation ambassadors will evaluate as hastily as a nuclear missile seeks the heavens.

Editor’s note: PSN’s fav is…

Below, from BB commenter JIMH.

Scientific Imaging with Photoshop: Methods, Measurement, and Output by Jerry Sedgewick

Photoshop World Conference & Expo - September 4-6, 2008 - Las Vegas, NV

Source: The New York Times

Written by Mike Nizza and Patrick Witty

The image that Agence France-Presse obtained from Sepah News on Wednesday.

As news spread across the world of Iran’s provocative missile tests, so did an image of four missiles heading skyward in unison. Unfortunately, it appeared to contain one too many missiles, a point that had not emerged before the photo appeared on the front pages of The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times, The Chicago Tribune and several other newspapers as well as on BBC News, MSNBC, Yahoo! News, NYTimes.com and many other major news Web sites.

Another image that The Associated Press received from the same source on Thursday.

Agence France-Presse said that it obtained the image from the Web site of Sepah News, the media arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, on Wednesday. But there was no sign of it there later in the day. Today, The Associated Press distributed what appeared to be a nearly identical photo from the same source, but without the fourth missile.

Read entire story

Editor’s Note: Even from the small images above, it’s obvious to anybody who knows anything about digital imaging, that the image has been altered. Aside from the cloned clouds of dust, the sky surrounding the 4th missile obviously doesn’t blend naturally. Clearly Sepah News service doesn’t employ the best Photoshop artists…file this one under OOOPS!  

This full-week photography workshop is an intense immersion into digital photography with one of its pioneers. In five days you will go from perhaps not even understanding what a RAW file is, to making well-crafted and thoughtful prints.

Award-Winning Drobo Adds FireWire 800 and Dramatically Improved USB 2.0 Performance 

Press Release: Mountain View, CA – July 8, 2008 ˆ–Today Data Robotics launched the second generation of its award-winning Drobo product. Featuring FireWire 800 alongside improved USB 2.0 performance and an upgraded core processor, the new Drobo is the fastest product in its class for managing and storing digital information.

The increased read and write performance now makes the product ideal for use as primary storage for media applications such as photography and video editing, as well as secondary storage.

Source: MediaMatters.org

On the July 2 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends, co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade labeled New York Times reporter Jacques Steinberg and editor Steven Reddicliffe “attack dogs,” claiming that Steinberg’s June 28 article on the “ominous trend” in Fox News’ ratings was a “hit piece.” During the segment, however, Fox News featured photos of Steinberg and Reddicliffe that appeared to have been digitally altered — the journalists’ teeth had been yellowed, their facial features exaggerated, and portions of Reddicliffe’s hair moved further back on his head. Fox News gave no indication that the photos had been altered.

George Jardine, Adobe evangelist for Lightroom and digital photography is leaving Adobe effective the beginning of this month, July, 2008. George has winamp posted his farewell on his blog and can be read here.

This is the second time George has done time at Adobe. He had worked with Russell Brown during the 1990’s acting as evangelist for Photoshop. He left and turned to working in video and other mediums. He came back to Adobe for the purpose of working on Shadowland (AKA Lightroom) with Mark Hamburg. You can read the PSN story on Shadowland’s development here.

George will be missed but not forgotten and I suspect he’ll be around Acronis the industry working on different projects after he takes his summer vacation. I know that after our recent bike trip together he went out and bought a new K1200 GT BMW motorcycle that he’ll be touring around on. We may hook up for another trip later in the summer.

I personally would like to say a hearty thanks and congratulations to George on the work he has done and what he has brought to Adobe. Thanks George…see ya around!

John Nack, the Senior Photoshop Product Manager at Adobe has been invited by Scott Kelby to post on Scott’s Photoshop-Insider blog.

John’s post talks about the relative difficulties of determining what features and functionality to add to new versions of Photoshop. It’s a little something I know a bit about having coined the phrase; careful what you wish for, the Photoshop engineers may (or may not) give you what you said you wanted.

Check out John’s post here.