Unifed Color Releases 32Float HDR Plug-in for Adobe Photoshop

HDR is all the rage, and Unified Color has thrown their hat in the software ring.  32 Float is the company’s affordable answer as an Adobe Photoshop Plug-in.  It is available now for $99.99 but I would recommend taking advantage of their 30-day free trial download to “kick the tires”.  Below is the official hype from the vendor.

32 Float™ is the first fully featured 32-bit color editing plug-in for Adobe® Photoshop® based on Beyond RGB™ color space. With 32 Float you can adjust color, brightness and contrast while maintaining a full 32-bit workflow. It accepts 32-bit HDR or 8/16 LDR images from any application and can produce crisp, photo-realistic images without ha­los or color shifts. This software package includes the Photoshop filter plug-in and the BEF file format plug-in for CS3, CS4 and CS5.

Key Features

•Provides unprecedented 32-bit image editing tools for Photoshop via filter plug-in.

•Compatible with Photoshop CS3, CS4 & CS5.

•Full support for 64-bit computing architecture (x64) on Mac and Windows.

•Enables local HDR editing on 32-bit images via layer masks prior to tone mapping or return tone mapped images to 16 or 8-bit to Photoshop.

•Accepts 8, 16 & 32-bit RGB images as input from any source in Photoshop.

•HDR image brightness histogram with visible range indicator and digital readout for RGB and Bch values.

•Based on Unified Color's patented Beyond RGB™ color model, allowing for tonal adjustments without color shifts or halos.

•Adjust HDR tonal range with Brightness/Contrast, Local Contrast, Shadow/Highlight and Veiling Glare correction tools.

•Adjust HDR color with White Balance, Saturation and Selective Color Tuning Controls.

•Best of class halo reduction algorithms.

•Perform Sharpening and Noise Reduction on 32-bit Images.

•Single click Dynamic Range Mapping tool.

•Save favorite settings as presets.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

OS: Intel-based Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) or 10.6 (Snow Leopard), 32-bit or 64-bit Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7). 
Adobe Photoshop: Requires CS3, CS4 or CS5 (Note: 32 Float will not work with Photoshop Elements). 
CPU: Dual-core 2.0GHz minimum; quad-core, 2.8GHz is recommended for best performance. 
RAM: 2GB minimum, recommend 4GB.
Video: Recommend 128M video memory minimum.

Unified Color 32Float Website

Kubota Releases Vintage Delish Presets for Adobe Lightroom

Kubota Image Tools has released “Vintage Delish” a package of new presents for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.  I've found Lightroom presets to be invaluable to my workflow whether as user-created or pre-configured downloads.  The images above show the effects of their "66 Beetle" preset.  Top image is "Before" with the bottom image displaying the "After" effects of the preset.  Available for $39, below is the company’s description of their product. 

Introducing 42 brand new Kubota Lightroom Presets that scream "modern retro". Evoking nostalgia from decades spanning as far back as 100 years, these Presets will transport your images with fashionable, highly sought-after looks. From handcrafted flavors channeling the days of the Holga to groovy old film styles reminiscent of sultry polyester, every creative Develop Preset is fully compatible with Adobe® Lightroom 3 and will be the perfect compliment to your existing collection of Kubota V3 Presets.

Kubota Lightroom Presets – Vintage Delish includes: 
      

•  Color-toned black & whites 
      

•  Faded antique effects 
      

•  Burnt & rusty colors 
      

•  Touches of grain 
      

•  Softening and glowing 
      

•  Deep, bold vignettes
      

•  Warming tones 
      

•  Funky cross process styling 
      

•  And many other creative surprises!

Download a Before and After .pdf sample gallery.
Kubota Vintage Delish Presets

Fujifilm Announces Finepix X100 APS-C Compact Digital Camera

I came across this article on Popphoto.com and had to share.  Fujifilm is joining Leica and Sigma in the APS-C compact camera category, but what I love about the Leica and now the Finepix X100 is the nostalgia factor.  As an avid camera collector I can’t resist the 70’s rangefinder look of this new compact.  It’s gorgeous and as we all know beauty does not come cheap.  Expect a price tag of around $1000 when it becomes available in 2011.

Here is full article from Popular Photography & Imaging:

Fujifilm entered the all but non-existent large sensor compact camera category this morning, with the launch of the Finepix X100—a 12.3MP APS-C sensor camera with a 35mm equivalent f/2 lens, a newly developed EXR processor and a 1970’s feel.  

Attempting to capitalize on the mass number of professional photographers looking for a compact with the image quality of a high-end DSLR to be used as a backup, as well as advanced amateur shooters looking for a high-end compact, FujiFilm built the Finepix X100 from the ground up. It is meant to compete directly with the Leica X1 and the Sigma DP2.

The X100 features a hybrid viewfinder that allows users to switch between a rangefinder-style optical viewfinder and an electronic viewfinder.  Other key features include 720p HD video capture, a magnesium alloy body and old-school analogue controls.  

The camera is well equipped for low-light situations, offering a maximum ISO of 6400. Other notable specs include 5 fps continuous shooting, support for the SDXC card format and a 2.8’’ LCD.

Expect this beautifully crafted high-end compact to hit stores sometime in 2011. We will keep you updated as our editors over at Photokina in Germany have a chance to get their hands on this bad boy.

Overheating Problems With Sony A55 and A33 DSLR

Apparently the new Sony A55 and A33 DSLR's experience overheating problems if video capture is utilized too long. Below is a recent article from Popular Photography and Imaging.

Plenty of DSLRs put a limit on how long video clips can be. Canon's 7D and Rebel T2i cap out at 12-minutes and even the current king of video DSLRs, the 5D Mark II, maxes out at 29:59 or when the file size reaches 4 GB. But, Sony has recently stated that their new A55 and A33 cameras will overheat after a couple minutes of video capture when the in-body SteadyShot is turned on.

Read more...

Fall 2010 Youth Soccer Samples Using Canon EOS 7D

Youth soccer season has started and I’m a couple of games into it so far.  One reason I upgraded to the amazing Canon EOS 7D is the frames per second speed it can achieve.  At 8fps I can capture the perfect moments within an action sequence.  The best soccer pics, in my opinion, are when the ball is off the ground or sailing into the net.  I’ve compiled a few shots from some U6 Girls games we’ve had so far.

Ladybugs Soccer Gallery