This new version of the Camera Raw plug-in replaces the original Camera Raw plug-in that was installed with Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 and 4.0 software. Visit the Camera Raw page for a complete list of supported cameras.

Updated Camera Raw 3.4 Plug-in Now Supports Over 120 Camera Models With Eight New Cameras from Canon, Epson, Leaf, Olympus, Pentax and Samsung

Press Release: SAN JOSE, Calif. – May 8, 2006 – Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced an update to the Camera Raw plug-in for Adobe(r) Photoshop(r) CS2, extending raw file support to eight additional digital camera models. Available as a free download from the Adobe Web site, the Camera Raw 3.4 plug-in builds on Photoshop CS2 raw file support for digital cameras from leading manufacturers such as Canon, Epson, Leaf, Olympus, Pentax and Samsung.

Source: TechWeb
Written by W. David Gardner

Legislation calling for open data formats is gathering support in Minnesota. Passage could require proprietary software providers including Microsoft and Adobe to adhere to state-mandated documents standards. In the meantime, additional details on the proposed legislation have been disclosed.

Technology to Accelerate DNG Adoption from Software Developers and Camera Manufacturers

Press Release: SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 18, 2006 — Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced the availability of a Software Developer’s Kit (SDK) for the Digital Negative Specification (DNG), an industry-wide initiative to create a universal file format for solving workflow and archiving issues. DNG SDK provides support for reading and writing DNG files as well as support for converting DNG data into a format easily displayed or processed by imaging applications. DNG SDK serves as a crucial starting point for adding DNG support to imaging applications and allows camera manufacturers to incorporate native DNG support to their cameras.

Adobe has posted the Camera Raw 3.3 update information to the Camera Raw product page. The links to the actual Macintosh and Windows download pages have been updated to show the correct download links. PSN has the updated links for download. Here are the direct links for Macintosh and for Windows.
Updated on 01/20/2006 at 10:30 AM Central time

Source: The Luminous Landscape
Written By Michael Reichmann

You may not realize it, but your digital camera doesn’t give you every pixel that it records. In most cases this is because the manufacturer masks off pixels at the very edges of the frame. This is done for a couple of technical reasons.
 

A group of photographic trade assosiations have banded together to form guidelines and best practices for the reproduction and management of digital image files. The group, UPDIG (Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines), states the guidelines “aim to clarify issues affecting accurate reproduction and management of digital image files.”

Adobe Updates DNG Converter and Adds New ‘Camera Raw’ Plug-in for 14 New Cameras

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 20, 2005–Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE – News) today announced that its Digital Negative Specification (DNG) — an industry-wide initiative to create one unified format for archiving raw digital images — is continuing to win support from camera manufacturers and software makers. Ricoh Co. is the latest camera manufacturer to support DNG, with its new GR digital camera. By providing DNG support directly in its products, Ricoh joins respected camera manufacturers Hasselblad and Leica, along with a wide range of software manufacturers such as Apple, Extensis, iView and ULead.

Starting with DNG Converter version 3.2 (available for download from Adobe) the application can be controlled via command line control on both Macintosh and Windows systems.

As a direct result of DNG users’ requests, the command line control was authored into DNG Converter 3.2 by its primary author, Thomas Knoll. While this has not really been documented, Thomas recently posted the following on the DNG User to User forum hosted by Adobe.
 

Source: Photoshop Support Knowledgebase

Issue: When you convert images to DNG using the Camera Raw 3.2 plug-in and open them in Photoshop CS2, they contain artifacts.

After a slight web glitch, Camera Raw version 3.2 and DNG Converter 3.2 are now available for download from the Camera Raw product home page.

Four new products address needs of both general and specialist professional photographers.

Press Release: GÖTEBORG, Sweden, 8/24/2005 – A year from the launch of the new Hasselblad, the company is setting a new benchmark for digital professional photography with the announcement of new flagship digital cameras and camera backs based on a new digital platform, satisfying the needs of both the general and specialist professional photographer.

The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is deeply concerned at the developing crisis that is threatening continued access to the world’s photographic heritage.

Source: OS News
Written By David Adams

While note directly related to Photoshop, the concept of Vendor Lock-in may ring a bell when trying to understand why the camera manufacturers seem to be so reluctant to let go of proprietary and undocumented file formats. Interesting reading on that basis.

Source: New York Times
Written by Ivan Berger

SNAPSHOOTERS don’t bother, but serious photographers like to do things the way professionals do: spurning shiny chrome cameras for black, for instance, or lately, setting their camera’s menus to RAW.

The previous article, DNG Workflow / Part I outlined the basic use of Adobe DNG Converter for converting proprietary Raw files into DNG files. While useful for a variety of reasons, it does indeed add a step in a Raw processing workflow.

So, what if you used Adobe DNG Converter right from the very beginning of your Raw processing workflow–Image Ingestion?

Editor’s Note: The Raw Flaw is an article by Michael Reichmann and Juergen Specht posted on LuminousLandscape.com and OpenRAW.org about the problems facing the digital photographic industry and the use of undocumented, proprietary RAW file formats by Camera Companies.

When the DNG format specification was announced at last year’s Photokina, a little touted free application was also announced called Adobe DNG Converter. The application is for the conversion of undocumented, proprietary Raw files into the publicly documented DNG format. At the time, many people played with the DNG Converter and decided that while interesting, it didn’t really add anything to their raw processing workflow except perhaps adding a step. As a result, most people don’t really use a DNG workflow.
(Updated 05/25/05 at 4:00PM Central)

Well, things have changed, and now both the DNG file format and the Adobe DNG Converter do have something substantial to offer.

Source: Post-Gazette
Written By John Coston, The Wall Street Journal

(From the end of the article)
Shooting RAW is another option. RAW format is unprocessed data, or the closest you can get to a digital “negative.” It takes up more space on a memory card than a JPEG, but only about half as much space as a TIFF, and many photographers who used to shoot JPEG have switched to RAW to gain wider latitude in the processing phase. After shooting in RAW, you can adjust the color or sharpen the contrast of an image directly on the unprocessed “negative” after you transfer it to your computer.

How Long will Digital Photography Last?

The long-term preservation of traditional photographic medium (AKA Cow Hooves) has a tradition backed by research and known “Best Practices”. Given dark storage and reduced temperature environments, silver based photographic materials can be preserved for hundreds of years. Given a sub-zero environment the time is estimated to be thousands of years. But, what about digital photography?

Source: engadget
Written By Peter Rojas

For this week’s Engadget Inteview, journalist J.D. Lasica spoke with Steve Heiner, the head of Nikon’s digital single lens reflex systems, about how Nikon is faring in the transition to a digital world, its new line of D70S and D50 cameras, and the hullabaloo about Nikon’s encrypting white balance metadata in RAW image files in some of its cameras. Or at least he tried.

The Adobe Camera Raw Product page has been updated to show the current Camera Raw 3.1 update. The download for the 3.1 update also includes the new DNG Converter.

Cameras added in Camera Raw 3.1 — May 2005
Canon EOS Rebel XT (EOS 350D/EOS Kiss Digital N)
Nikon D2X
Olympus EVOLT E-300
Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom

Windows Updates / Macintosh Updates

Should a company be able to control the way content you have created is stored? Simon Bisson looks at moves towards open file formats. . .

In addition to offering preliminary support for the Nikon D2X and Canon EOS 350D, the newly-released Adobe Camera Raw 3.1 adds two new preferences that are useful for anyone using a DNG workflow in conjunction with third-party asset managers.

You can read about them in this short excerpt from the soon-to-be-released Real World Camera Raw With Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Working with DNG
(204KB PDF download)

From a post in the Adobe User to User Forum for Camera Raw, Adobe Camera Raw 3.1 update is reported to have been released to the Adobe FTP site. Note: the Camera Raw Home Page has yet to be updated.