Happy Thanksgiving!

I am visiting family for the next 1 1/2 weeks. I wish you all a happy and festive Thanksgiving! I will start updating this blog again after Thanksgiving!

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Image of the Day: Bells

Image by Henrik Lehnerer
Title: Bells
You may buy this image under license at Cutcaster.

Description:
Silver shiny bells close up on white background.

Keywords:
christmas, silver, festive, holiday, xmas, decorate, decoration, white, shiny, seasonal, background, bell, bells, decorative, celebration, december, jingle, glitter, ribbon, noel, present, art, shine, texture, festivities, close, gifts, joyous, presents, sound, happy, giving, jingle bells, closeup, jinglebells, jingling, ringing, sleighbells, seasons, decorations, winter, sleigh bells, metallic, glittery, sparkle, traditional, sparkly

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FUJIFILM BRINGS INSTAX 200 INSTANT FILM CAMERA AND INSTAX INSTANT COLOR FILM TO U.S. MARKET

Instant Photo System Delivers Quality Instant Prints for Law Enforcement, Health Care, Commercial Use

VALHALLA, N.Y., November 14, 2008 – FUJIFILM U.S.A., Inc. today announced it is introducing the popular Instax 200 Instant Film Camera and Instant Color Film to the U.S. market, making available an instant photo system that has enjoyed success in Asia and Europe for years. With its automatically-adjusting flash, high-resolution retracting lens and a big, clear viewfinder, the Fujifilm Instax 200 captures and delivers vivid, high-quality prints in an instant. The compatible Instax Instant Color Film is professional grade and provides superior performance.

“In recent months, as availability of instant film has dwindled, we’ve received inquiries from customers in a range of markets here in the U.S. including health care, law enforcement, insurance, real estate, and others, who really need to continue using a traditional instant film solution” said Christian Fridholm, vice president of marketing, consumables, Imaging Division, FUJIFILM U.S.A. “We believe that people familiar with instant photography, but who are new to the Fujifilm Instax brand, will be impressed with the intuitive design of the Instax 200, and will be especially pleased with the vivid colors and bright whites delivered by our Instax Instant Color Film.”

The Instax 200 and Instax Instant Color Film will begin shipping in late December and will be available for purchase through Fujifilm’s professional dealer network. MSRP for the Instax 200 is $69.99 and a 20-pack of Instax Instant Color Film is $28.99.

The Instax 200 Camera includes design features such as:

* LCD control panel displaying focal distance and film count
* Programmed electronic shutter, 1/64-1/200 sec
* Automatic flash for low-light shooting
* Two-range selectable shooting options: 0.9-3m and 3m-infinity

Instax Instant Color Film includes features such as:

* Wide Picture Format (Image size – 3.90” x 2.44”)
* Sharp, Vivid, Super Fine Grain Prints
* ISO 800
* Highly Stable Emulsion (useable from 41-104 degrees F)

The Fujifilm Instax System offers an appealing alternative to previous users of Polaroid cameras utilizing Polaroid Type 600 Films.

The Instax 200 Camera uses Fujifilm Instax Instant Color Film, which was first introduced in 1997 and has been sold successfully in other parts of the world since. Fujifilm started producing instant films in Japan in the 1980’s and began introducing branded peel apart type instant films (FP100C, FP100B, FP3000B) in the U.S. in 2003. With Instax Instant Color Film, the image develops in front of your eyes eliminating the need to peel it apart. All Fujifilm instant films imported into the US are professional grade films, and therefore are sold only to dealers and photo labs that support the professional photography market. FUJIFILM instant films may be purchased at the same locations that sell traditional FUJIFILM professional film (Color Reversal, Color Negative and B&W).

Source: FUJIFILM U.S.A.

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OVK Soft Introduces Quick MTF - Optical Device Quality Testing Software

Kiev, Borodyansky R-N, Ukraine, 11/17/2008 - Application Quick MTF is designed for fast assessment and comparison of the major image quality components. Measures sharpness (MTF, LSF, edge profile), chromatic aberration and noise. Measurements are presented in graphical and numerical form.

Quick MTF is intended for fast assessment and comparison of the main image quality components. It helps you to make the right choice and spend your money wisely when you want to purchase a new or used lens, camera, scanner etc. With Quick MTF, to estimate your target device, all you need is a picture of a very simple object (see Image navigation) taken with it. You can ensure that it is not so complex and the process of quality testing is not the lot of test laboratories only.

Why Quick MTF can help you:

- You do not need to search reviews and test results for the device you are interested in.
- Devices may strongly vary from sample to sample requiring tons of time to compare them, while Quick MTF allows you to estimate your product very quickly.
- The image quality may significantly depend on many factors such as a shooting mode, distance from image center, additional equipment used (filters, flash guns etc.). With Quick MTF you can quickly find out how they influence the quality.

Quick MTF measures:
- Resolution, including SFR (spatial frequency response) also called MTF (modulation transfer function), edge profile (edge spread function) and LSF (line spread function).
- Chromatic aberration (CA), including area chromatic aberration in pixels, CA as percentage of the image height and distance from an image center.
- Color noise as dispersion of high-frequency noise component in shadows and highlights.

Application uses the slanted-edge measurement technique for discrete sampled systems, described in ISO 12233. Measurements are presented in graphical and numerical form. You can export the measurements in Excel XML and HTML format.

The software works very fast and precise and does not require any additional exterior components or libraries. It has multiple-document user-friendly interface, intuitive and easy to master.

The evaluation version of Quick MTF allows you to analyze up to 50 edge profiles. Even when the evaluation period expires you may still continue using Quick MTF to view and analyze your saved measurements (see Save and Open Workspace).

All updates/upgrades for your purchased copy are free of charge, except major updates(e.g. Quick MTF 2.x).

System requirements: Win98/NT4.0/2000/XP/Vista/XP64/Vista64, 1.5Mb disk space for install.

Source: Newswire

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Adobe MAX 2008 Showcases Future of Digital Experiences

Conference to Highlight Innovations in Cloud + Client Computing, Devices and Desktops, and Social Computing

ADOBE MAX 2008, SAN FRANCISCO — Nov. 17, 2008 — At its annual MAX conference today Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) will unveil innovations that are shaping the future of 21st Century digital experiences and driving how people and businesses engage with information and ideas across multiple mediums and screens. Drawing 5,000 attendees from around the world, this year’s conference is the company’s largest MAX event to date.

Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen and CTO Kevin Lynch will be joined on stage by a lineup of guest speakers, including Bud Albers, CTO of Disney Interactive Media Group; Michael Zimbalist, vice president of research and development operations at the New York Times Company; and Steve Fisher, senior vice president of the platform division at salesforce.com. Adobe is also announcing a strategic alliance with SAP. Additionally, new commitments announced today from ARM and Qualcomm reinforce Adobe’s growing influence in the future of mobile communications and devices.

“MAX has become the industry’s premier forum for the people who are shaping the future of the digital landscape,” said Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch. “This is the event that brings the worlds of design and development together to share ideas and learn about cutting-edge technologies. Our vision is to unleash the creative potential of the community by delivering the products, technologies and platform for next- generation digital experiences.”
Driving Innovation for a Changing World

In his keynote this morning, Narayen will share his worldview of how changes in the economy, evolving demographics and shifting consumer behavior are raising expectations for technology. Consumers and businesses have moved from a single screen world, to a multi-screen experience with the lines between work and home disappearing.

Lynch will speak to the trends that are driving how people are connecting from wherever they are - whether it is on a PC, mobile device or television. He’ll explore the impact of these trends across three major areas of innovation: how software is developed and experienced across multiple screens; the impact of cloud computing on next-generation Web applications; and how the growth of social networking is transforming software development and the nature of digital experiences.

Ubiquitous Reach: The Adobe Flash Platform

Today’s announcements underscore the rapid proliferation of the Adobe Flash Platform, powering new, engaging applications, content and video across operating systems and devices. According to independent research firm comScore, 81 percent of worldwide online videos are viewed using Adobe Flash technology, making it the number one format for video on the Web. This statistic, coupled with the fact that Adobe® Flash® Player software is already installed on 98 percent of Internet-connected desktops and a growing number of mobile devices, reassures content publishers that Adobe Flash content will reliably reach audiences on the operating system and device of their choice.
Product, Technology and Partner News at MAX 2008

Adobe made several announcements today (see separate press releases), including:

- Adobe Flash Catalyst (formerly code-named “Thermo”), which improves design and developer workflows; “Gumbo,” the next version of Adobe® Flex® Builder™; availability of Adobe AIR™ 1.5; and a 64-bit Linux® version of Adobe Flash Player.

- An extended collaboration with SAP AG to help enterprises across the globe build richer business applications.

- Adobe Flash Player has shipped on more than 800 million mobile devices worldwide, one year ahead of schedule, and today onstage Adobe will preview Adobe Flash Player 10 (FP10) for smartphones.

- Adobe and ARM are announcing a technology collaboration to optimize and enable FP10 and AIR for ARM powered devices. The announcement is a result of the Open Screen Project.

- Qualcomm announced that it is making its SDK available for the new BREW Mobile Platform, fully integrating Adobe Flash.

- Adobe® Flash® Media Interactive Server 3.5 software and Adobe Flash media Streaming Server 3.5 software, two key components of the Adobe Flash Platform.

- Adobe is introducing a new Platform-as-a-Service, codenamed “Cocomo,” that lets developers easily add real-time social capabilities into RIAs via cloud computing.
2008 MAX Awards

MAX award winners will be acknowledged at an awards ceremony tomorrow night and officially announced on Nov. 19. 2008 MAX Awards honor the most engaging and innovative work from designers and developers using a broad spectrum of Adobe products and technologies.

For more information today’s announcements, please visit www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/ .

Source: Adobe

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FOOTAGE Awards Closes 1st December

UK, 14 NOVEMBER 2008 - FOCAL International Awards 2009 in association with AP Archive * 17 Awards to celebrate the use of footage archive images in the creative media!

SUBMISSIONS INVITED NOW!

• Have you supplied, licensed, researched, or used archive or stock footage in any type of production premiered in 2008?
• Is the production’s use of footage worthy of an award?
• Have you handled, restored or preserved remarkable archive or stock footage in 2008?
• Is there a particular individual worthy of an award for their footage research in a 2008 production, or, for their overall services to the footage archive industry?

If so, then we invite your Submissions to the FOCAL International Awards NOW!

FOCAL International home page www.focalint.org/
FOCAL International Awards submissions forms www.focalint.org/focalawards.htm
FOCAL International Awards Rules www.focalint.org/awardsrules.htm
FOCAL International Awards Categories www.focalint.org/awardscategories.htm

The FOCAL International Awards 2009 in association with AP Archive will be presented on 5th May 2009 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London. Hosting the event will be Lord (David) Puttnam CBE, Chair of FOCAL International Patrons
SUBMISSIONS CLOSING DATE –1st December 2008

FOCAL International, office: +44 (0)20 8423 5853, fax: +44 (0)20 8933 4826, email: info@focalint.org, www.focalint.org for News, Members Directory, Footage Finder, Researcher Finder, Facility Finder services & more.

Sorce: CEPIC

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Techbytes 11/14/08

Syracuse, NY - Top Stories of the day - Techbytes 11/14/08

• BlackBerry Storm
• google voice search
• Windows Live Makeover
• Emergency Charger

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Latvia's little secret spy camera

The brand name of the Latvian-invented camera favored by spies worldwide lives on in Germany. The revolutionary Minox camera was invented by Waltar Zapp and produced in Latvia in the 1930s and the brand still lives on in Germany where everything from everyday cameras to spy gadgets are still made under the famous name.

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First photos of distant planets unveiled

Earth seems to have its first fuzzy photos of four alien planets outside our solar system. Three of them orbit the same distant star, Fomalhaut. The fourth circles a different star. (Nov. 13)

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Consolidated Graphics Adds Multiple KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses for Growing Photo Products Business

New devices join 28 existing KODAK Presses already in production at the company

Rochester, NY, November 12 -- Consolidated Graphics, Inc. (CGX), entered the rapidly expanding photo products market in 2005 with a fleet of KODAK NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses, and with its recent purchase of additional KODAK NEXPRESS S3000 Digital Production Color Presses now operates more than 30 NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses around the world. These new devices will enhance CGX’s operations in Prague, the Czech Republic and the United States, and represent the company’s ongoing commitment to KODAK Solutions.

Headquartered in Houston, CGX is one of the world’s leading sheetfed, web and digital commercial printing businesses. With 70 printing companies strategically located across 27 states and Canada, and with a new facility in Prague, CGX offers an unmatched geographic footprint, unsurpassed capabilities, and unparalleled levels of convenience, efficiency and service.

CGX produces millions of high quality, photo rich pages annually on its NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses. The quality and reliability of NEXPRESS Solutions have helped CGX grow this segment of its business. With the added devices, CGX intends to significantly increase its page volume over the coming year by nearly doubling the figure in 2009 and beyond.

Used in CGX’s photo applications, the KODAK NEXPRESS S3000 Digital Production Color Presses are capable of producing 3,000 A3 sheets per hour, or 100 A4 pages per minute, for the full range of supported substrate types (coated, uncoated, synthetics, standard offset paper, textured stocks, selected packaging board, labels and films) and weights (60 gsm-350 gsm). Maximum sheet capacity totals 11,000 with monthly print volumes of up to 2.2 million pages.

“Kodak has been one of our key suppliers for many years and has played an important role in the success of CGX,” noted Joe R. Davis, Chairman and CEO of Consolidated Graphics. “From the products to the professionals in service and support, our experience with Kodak has been exceptional. It’s very important to our company that we are able to work closely with our suppliers to identify the optimum solutions for our needs. With one of the broadest portfolios in the graphic arts market, Kodak has been instrumental in establishing CGX as an industry leader.”

Kodak’s relationship with CGX goes far beyond its NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses. Kodak supplies litho plates, CTP devices, proofers, inkjet solutions, workflow, and many other products and services to CGX. The addition of these new NEXPRESS S3000 Digital Production Color Presses is proof of the strong relationship with Kodak and CGX’s long running satisfaction with KODAK Solutions.

CGX boasts annual revenues of $1.2 billion and its significant investment in digital printing makes it one of the world leaders in the digital printing market. The company is committed to the digital print market and the advantages that digital print offers by providing a number of unique products. CGX complements its digital footprint with its unmatched network of sheetfed, web, fulfillment, and online technology solutions designed to help customers produce and deliver printed products more efficiently.

“These new devices will make a great addition to the multiple NEXPRESS Digital Production Color Presses already in service at various CGX locations,” said Andrew Copley, Chief Operating Officer, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “We look forward to continuing this productive relationship with CGX and being an integral part of their rapidly growing digital print business. Kodak’s full range of integrated workflow and imaging solutions are a perfect fit for the growth plans of a business such as CGX.”

KODAK Products are backed by KODAK Service and Support.KODAK Service and Support is made up of more than 3,000 professionals reaching more than 120 countries. It is a leading multi vendor integrated services provider, delivering consulting, installation, maintenance and support services for the commercial printing, graphic communications, document imaging and data storage industries. KODAK Service and Support professionals are uniquely qualified to provide services that control costs, maximize productivity, and minimize business risk.

Source: Kodak

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Alamy provides images for Copyright Clearance Center corporate subscription service

Oxfordshire, UK, 12 November 2008 - Alamy, the world’s largest online stock photo site, has teamed up with rights licensing experts Copyright Clearance Center to help create a revolutionary new way for corporations to access pre-licensed images for internal business uses.

ReadyImages is a corporate-wide subscription service that offers a simple search, select and download process. Alamy has provided more than 1.3 million keyword-searchable professional images to the service.

With no logins, checkouts or credits to track, all employees can add visual impact to presentations to colleagues, customers and prospects without the risk of using unauthorized photos taken from the web or other sources.

Subscribers to the ReadyImages service pay an annual subscription fee to use all the images they need for a range of internal communications needs, such as training and HR materials, company newsletters, emails and intranet postings, as well as in client, partner and trade show presentations.

“ReadyImages is an innovative new service that helps customers find and use the quality licensed images they desire,” said Bill Burger, Vice President of Marketing at CCC. “The breadth and depth of Alamy’s image catalog made them a logical partner as we offer a cost-effective way to make sure that everyone in the organization has access to high quality, licensed professional images.”

ReadyImages takes the hassle out of using images for business purposes. Subscribers no longer have to waste time searching for quality images, getting permission, navigating shopping carts and completing complicated check-out processes. They can also be sure that the images they are using are properly licensed and available in a variety of sizes and resolutions for a single annual fee.

Alamy CEO James West said: “CCC has used its experience in licensing all types of content to solve a big headache for large corporations. It has recognized that businesses want a safe way of sourcing pictures online for internal communications. We are excited to have the opportunity of combining CCC’s expertise with our database of high-quality images.”

Source: Alamy

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Stock Photography Company Can Stock Photo Inc. Acquired

As the result of an acquisition, microstock innovator Can Stock Photo Inc. is now an affiliate of stock photography pioneer Fotosearch. As part of the new relationship, Fotosearch will distribute Can Stock Photo imagery, allowing Can Stock Photo's contributors access to the robust worldwide distribution network Fotosearch has built over the past 10 years. Can Stock Photo contributors will be able to present their stock photos to millions of Fotosearch visitors every week.

Halifax, Canada (PRWEB) November 12, 2008 -- As the result of an acquisition, microstock innovator Can Stock Photo Inc. is now an affiliate of stock photography pioneer Fotosearch. As part of the new relationship, Fotosearch will distribute Can Stock Photo imagery, allowing Can Stock Photo's contributors access to the robust worldwide distribution network Fotosearch has built over the past 10 years. Can Stock Photo contributors will be able to present their stock photos to millions of Fotosearch visitors every week.

Contributors to Can Stock Photo will further benefit by having their images marketed as prints and their best content licensed in a professional brand. "It's only been a few days and we've already had a tremendous amount of interest from photographers in adding new content to Can Stock Photo as a result of this relationship with Fotosearch," said Can Stock Photo's founder, Duncan Enman.

Can Stock Photo will continue to operate as a separate company, and its already easy-to-use upload process has been improved to accept vector files. Further enhancements to the site will be made in the near future, including the acceptance of footage content. As a result of the new owner's growth strategy, Can Stock Photo will be marketing its website more aggressively to attract even more stock photography buyers. Enman, who created Can Stock Photo while a university student in Nova Scotia, Canada, will remain involved with Can Stock Photo.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

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Tech Bytes for 11/12/2008

Syracuse, NY - Top Stories of the day - Tech Bytes for 11/12/2008

• Google Flue Trends
• Gmail
• TroopTube
• mino HD
• iTunes Movie of the Week

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Sony Ericsson Offers Wannabe Photographers a Taste of the Big Time

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Nov. 11, 2008) - Editor's Note: A photo is available with this press release

Love photography? Love your mobile? Love the glamour of the red-carpet? Now your passion can earn you a role as an official Sony Ericsson photographer.

Just grab your camera and start sharing the results on Flickr.

And you could also win a C905 Cyber-shot(TM) cameraphone with 8.1 megapixel camera along the way, too.

Sony Ericsson C905 Photographic Competition:

Attend a number(i) of key red carpet events in 2009 as an official Sony Ericsson Photographer.

What does that mean? Well ONLY that you get to behind the scenes to some of the year's most exciting events - which could be a film premiere or music awards ceremony - to snap away on the hottest Sony Ericsson cameraphone of the moment, which yes, you get to keep.

The competition is only open to people based in the UK. Sorry if that doesn't include you.

If it does, join and upload a 'never before published online' portrait shot YOU took to our Flickr group. Then go out and find people to vote for your efforts.

Sign up to Flickr.

We'll give you some tools to show off your work and drum up support, including a facebook badge, and other simple applications to share on your own social network profiles and blogs.

This link allows you to create a competition badge to embed in any webpage and will stream all pictures you upload to the group. We hope it'll help you get support from your friends.

The individuals who create the five pictures with the most 'Favs' will go through to the final round where they are provided with a C905 (8.1 megapixel) camera-phone which they get to keep.

They will be challenged to a take a particular picture (revealed the night before) every day for a week. Again the individual who gets the most combined 'Favs' for their series of seven pictures wins the 'red carpet' prize.

How to enter:

Photos for the competition are being stored and shared on Flickr, the free photo storage and sharing site owned by Yahoo. You can submit photos by following these steps:

1. If you don't already have one, sign up for a free Flickr account or login using your existing Yahoo account if you have one.

2. Join the 'Sony Ericsson C905 Photographic Competition' Flickr group

3. Upload a portrait photo (we mean a picture of a person), you have shot and that hasn't been previously uploaded to Flickr, to your account, tagging it with 'sony ericsson, c905, photo competition'

4. Go to the page of the photo(s) you want to submit to the competition.

5. Click the "Send to Group" button between the photo title and the photo.

6. Choose the 'Sony Ericsson UK Photographic Competition' Flickr group

Timeline:

10th November - Competition officially launches

5th December - Finalists announced and Sony Ericsson C905 handsets sent out.

5th-12th December - Photo's taken on Sony Ericsson C905 uploaded to group and voting starts.

15th-19th December - Voting continues
22nd December - Winner announced.

Terms and conditions

Flickr's normal Terms and Conditions and rules apply - see www.flickr.com

Disclaimer: Sony Ericsson retains the right to withdraw any such related prizes from the winner if indiscretions are found including; their not being a UK resident, any photography submitted isn't owned by them. Events included in the prize are decided at the discretion of Sony Ericsson.

More details about this competition are available from

Brando-Digital
David Cushman
+44 (0) 20 7 691 8766
M: +44 (0)7736 353590
+44 (0) 20 7691 0878 (FAX)
Email: david@brando-world.com
Website: www.brando-world.com

Keywords:
Photography, cameraphone, camera, mobile, competition, flickr, win, celebs, C905, 8.1 mega pixel

Source: Marketwire

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New Features Enhance KODAK EASYSHARE Software

Rochester, NY, November 12 -- Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) has released an updated version of KODAK EASYSHARE Software, the leading consumer-preferred photo software application in the U.S.*

“Consumers are more interested than ever in fun and easy experiences that enable them to be more creative with their pictures,” says Patti Smith, Worldwide Director, Product Marketing, Software Center of Excellence. “KODAK EASYSHARE Software delivers a wealth of features to anyone seeking exciting ways to unleash the joy of their favorite moments.”

“Consumers are especially interested in more editing tools and more creative options,” explains Smith. “So the new EASYSHARE Software lets you easily remove blemishes and wrinkles using the Facial Retouch function. We’ve also bundled EASYSHARE Software with ArcSoft Print Creations, giving consumers access to hundreds of creative choices for bringing their favorite memories back into their lives.”

Features offered by KODAK EASYSHARE Software 7.1 include:

- Easily upload videos from EASYSHARE Software to YouTube™ with one click. Users can set the software to remember their YouTube account information to easily upload videos with just a few clicks.

- New editing tools including facial retouch and adding text to pictures. A simple click-and-slide interface enables the user to control the smoothing of facial blemishes and wrinkles. The “Add text” function allows the user to select the font type, size, justification, and color to add to the image.

- A wide range of creative print-at-home options. Pictures from an EASYSHARE Software collection can be easily integrated into ArcSoft Print Creations where users can create greeting cards, calendars, photo books, scrapbooks and much more on their home printer. Users enjoy full access to two ArcSoft Print Creations modules, and after a free 15-day trial, receive discounted offers to purchase full access to the others.

- Easy transfer of content to a Digital Picture Frame or portable memory devices such as USB drives and SD memory cards. Users select images in the picture tray and with one click on the “Copy To” icon, images are copied to storage devices, or automatically resized for display on KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Picture Frames.

- More creative options for exciting photo merchandise at the online Kodak Gallery. Consumers can choose from the breadth of Gallery product offerings, and once the desired product is selected, EASYSHARE Software uploads images directly into the Gallery’s creation workflow.

- Easy search functions for finding and organizing content. Search by keyword, star-rating or both; personalize your organization by tagging and star-rating your photos; sort by date using calendar view; and add captions.

KODAK EASYSHARE Software version 7.1 is available via a free download at www.kodak.com/go/easysharesw.

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Major Publisher Adopt the Plus Image Licensing Standards

New York (USA), 12 NOVEMBER 2008 - Three major publishers have called for the adoption of the PLUS (Picture Licensing Universal System) standards by picture archives, photographers and all other image suppliers. Representatives of McGraw Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Pearson each announced that they will adopt the PLUS Picture Licensing Glossary definitions in their contracts, and that they encourage image suppliers to begin embedding PLUS license metadata in all images within one year. The publishers voiced their support at the “PLUS Takes Root in the Publishing Industry” event hosted by the Picture Archive Council of America, during their International Conference in New York City.

The PLUS standards were developed by the PLUS Coalition, an international non-profit organization dedicated to simplifying and facilitating the communication and management of image rights. In the PLUS Coalition, publishers, picture archives, photographers, illustrators, designers, advertising agencies, museums, libraries, artist representatives, educational institutions, manufacturers and their associations collaborate toward that shared goal. The PLUS standards allow rights and attribution information to travel within image files in a machine-readable format that provides instant access and universal understanding.

“We are very pleased that these major publishers – the largest image licensees in the industry – are aligned in their support of the PLUS standards,” said Maria Kessler, President of the Picture Archive Association of America.

Bonnie Beacher, Senior Director of Contracts, Copyrights and Permissions at McGraw-Hill Education, said “The PLUS standards benefit publishers and their suppliers by simplifying and clarifying the process of licensing and managing images. We are in the process of implementing PLUS standards, and we would find it very useful for our image suppliers to adopt PLUS standards as well.”

Jeff Sedlik, President & CEO of the PLUS Coalition, said “The PLUS standards will allow publishers to leverage embedded license metadata to increase automation and more efficiently manage images in their digital asset management systems.”


The PLUS Coalition includes participants in thirty countries, and receives significant support from Leadership Circle members Adobe, Adbase, Adobe, Pentagram, Jupiterimages, Digimarc, Belay Development, Getty Images, IDEAlliance, ImageSpan, Photo District News, IPTC, NAPP, PACA, StockPhotoFinder, Swan Turton, WongDoody and Capture. To learn more about PLUS, visit www.useplus.org or contact info@useplus.org.

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Photo Editing Is Now a Picnik for SmugMug Users Worldwide

SmugMug.com and Picnik.com Join Forces to Provide Top-Notch Photo Editing and Sharing for Photography Enthusiasts Worldwide

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA and SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - November 11, 2008) - SmugMug.com and Picnik.com today announced the integration of Picnik's photo editing capabilities with SmugMug's leading photo sharing site.

With this new integration, SmugMug users can view and organize their photos, then take their photo experience to a new level by adding elements of creativity and personalization utilizing Picnik's photo editing features. SmugMug users will now have full access to Picnik's basic editing tools along with its long list of special effects such as color boost, vignette, infrared, panography, frames, shapes, text, layers and collage -- all within the SmugMug site.

"My eyes light up every time I click the Picnik button," said Chris MacAskill, president of SmugMug. "It's fun and friendly, and helps photos come alive."

"Everyone knows SmugMug is the Ferrari of photo-sites," said Jonathan Sposato, Picnik chief executive officer. "Now, that Ferrari has a jet engine in it."

The Picnik plus SmugMug integration is seamless and instant. SmugMug users will be able to edit their photos by simply clicking the 'edit' button on their SmugMug upload page, edit gallery page or their tools menu.

Over the last six months, Picnik has grown extraordinarily fast and now hosts more than 19 million visits a month, with double-digit month-to-month growth. The ad-supported free version is available to anyone with an Internet browser. The Premium version, which includes an ad-free experience and an even broader range of tools and features, is available for $24.95/year.

About Picnik

Picnik.com gives real people photo-editing superpowers. Because Picnik lives online, users get fast, easy access to a powerful set of photo editing tools for editing, sharing, and printing images using any Internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Mozilla, etc.) on any computer platform (PC, Mac, Linux).

Picnik is fast, fun, and easy-to-use and is fully integrated with a wide variety of Web sites including Flickr, Facebook, SmugMug, Photobucket, MySpace, Webshots, Box.net, Picasa Web Albums and Lexmark. With Picnik, you can edit your photos wherever they are from wherever you are.

The Picnik team, headquartered in Seattle, is dedicated to making great, affordable software for real people. Picnik is also committed to leaving a light carbon footprint by encouraging environmentally conscious business practices and keeping it green in all we do.

For more information, demos, screenshots of the new features or a reviewer's guide please visit: http://press.picnik.com.

Source: Marketwire

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See Must Have Holiday Gadgets

Get a look at the must-have gadgets for the upcoming holiday season.

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Image of the Day: Bells

Image by Henrik Lehnerer
Title: Bells
You may buy this image under license at Cutcaster.

Description:
Silver shiny bells in a group on white background.

Keywords:
Christmas, silver, festive, holiday, Xmas, decorate, decoration, white, shiny, seasonal, background, bell, bells, decorative, celebration, December, jingle, glitter, ribbon, noel, present, art, shine, texture, festivities, close, gifts, joyous, presents, sound, happy, giving, jingle bells, closeup, jinglebells, jingling, ringing, sleighbells, seasons, decorations, winter, sleigh bells, metallic, glittery, sparkle, traditional, sparkly

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BrightQube Enhances Web Site to Provide Stock Photo Buyers More Efficient Ways to Find Royalty-Free Images

Advanced Dynamic MosaicTM interface enables rapid access to 'all the photos you need, all in one place'

San Diego, CA November 11, 2008 -- BrightQube (www.brightqube.com), the award-winning online stock photography destination, is now offering image buyers the most efficient way to find royalty-free stock photos from its collection of more than three million images with new and enhanced features to its revolutionary Web site. Fast becoming the go-to creative resource for designers, BrightQube continues to anticipate its customers' needs for every project and budget by offering a range of helpful navigation options to quickly pinpoint and purchase stock photos faster than ever before.

Each of the new Web site features, including updates to the home page's appearance, new search tips and additional options for navigation, was created to help simplify the process of buying stock photography. Buyers can now use a mouse, arrow keys or a navigational grid to move and filter their findings and to zoom in or to pan out from their search results. New "Tool Tips" provide brief explanations of ways customers can find photos and scan them rapidly, and a redesigned and simplified home page supplies a clean workspace for customers.

"BrightQube's mission is to provide image buyers with the most straightforward and inspirational venue to review and compare thousands of stock images all at once, both easily and intuitively. We are always listening to our customers and continuously optimizing our Web site to ensure our service is useful and fast and that buyers feel an emotional connection with their purchase," said Lee Corkran, president and CEO of BrightQube. "Our Dynamic Mosaic ensures beautiful images will appear on a single page of search results, in the online digital equivalent of a light table, a common industry viewing tool used by photographers and image buyers for years."

Many of the new features further innovate BrightQube's unique patent-pending Dynamic Mosaic technology, which quickly delivers thousands of images in one interactive, photo landscape. Built on Adobe's ActionScript 3.0, the powerful programming engine beneath Flash, the Dynamic Mosaic is a spry rich Internet application that searches in seconds across BrightQube's vast photo database, pulling from dozens of unique worldwide collections such as Eyecandy, Juice Images and Ojo Images, select imagery from Corbis, Getty Images including Stockbyte and Digital Vision, Jupiter Images' Bananastock, Comstock and Thinkstock, as well as microstock provider Dreamstime.

BrightQube's ever-increasing library of more than three million royalty-free images brings together more than 40 premium commercial photography brands and professional stock from individual photographers from around the world. BrightQube's breadth of images encompasses advertising and corporate photography and illustrations focused on a wide range of subjects including wildlife and nature, family, business, lifestyle, travel and landscape imagery.

Source: PRWeb

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Masterfile Pocket Diary 2009: Daydreaming

Toronto (CANADA)/ Düsseldorf (GERMANY), NOVEMBER 2008 - For the third consecutive year stock photo agency Masterfile is delighted to present its strictly limited edition pocket diary. The chosen images are inspired by the theme “Daydreaming” and taken from Masterfile’s outstanding and extensive rights-managed and royalty-free collection.

It is a blend of classic diary pages and eye-catching collages, whose dreamlike quality allows the viewer to be momentarily transported out of their everyday lives. From time to time one comes across fantastic short stories added to these colourful collages. The diary demonstrates the depth of creativity Masterfile’s image collection has to offer. The 168 page, high-quality diary’s cover is coated with woven cotton. Inside, each double spread is ideally structured to make up one week in the calendar year, with plenty of space for daily appointments, notes or letting the mind wander. Carefully arranged within these pages also lie Masterfile’s memorable images. The pocket diary is clearly set out and practical, making it the perfect addition to the office, home or on the go.

The diary's concept and layout was realised by the in-house creative team at Masterfile’s European Headquarters. The image collages and illustrations were made by Parasol Island (parasol-island.com) in Düsseldorf. Hamburg based company “Produktionsschmiede” once more dealt with production. The diary has been manufactured according to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards and was a carbon-neutral production. Masterfile’s exclusive diary will be delivered to selected clients worldwide, in their particular national language, in mid-November.

Source: CEPIC

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Tech Bytes 11/11/08

Syracuse, NY - Top Stories of the day - Tech Bytes 11/11/08

- iPhone
- Tracking Traffic - software for cell phones
- Robotic Legs
- Sesame Street

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Sigma Corporation Acquires Three-layer Image Sensor Developer Foveon, Inc.

Kawasaki, Japan, November 11th, 2008 - Sigma Corporation (Location: Kawasaki, Japan) has acquired 100% of the stock of the company that developed the original three-layer image sensor, Foveon Inc. Foveon will continue its sensor development operations in San Jose, CA, USA.

Foveon made history when it developed and patented the world's first three-layer image capture technology, placing a stack of RGB pixels in each pixel location. As a result, Foveon sensors detect all three primary colors in every pixel location, producing images that are sharper and have significantly reduced image artifacts compared to competing image sensor technologies.

Since Sigma first worked with Foveon in 2000, both companies have enjoyed a cooperative working relationship directed toward developing highly-efficient DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras and compact digital cameras which take the best advantage of the X3 sensor technology. Sigma Corporation has employed Foveon's technology in its entire digital camera line, producing images which are acclaimed by both amateur and professional photographers all over the world for their high resolution and for their three-dimensional look. Both the latest DLSR, the SD14, and the compact DP1 camera - which packs the full spec of a DSLR into a compact camera - have met with similar acclaim. Two additional Sigma camera products based on Foveon's image sensor technology have been announced for 2009.

The acquisition of Foveon will not only enhance the development of new types of image sensors for high quality digital cameras, but will also create a synergistic effect with Sigma's camera and lens business by improving the integration between the camera and sensor. This will result in camera products which will uniquely meet the widely ranging functional and image quality needs of demanding photographers.

As the digital camera market continues to expand, Foveon and Sigma will continuously evolve and improve the X3 sensor technology, thus expanding the company's photography-related business. In addition, Sigma remains firmly committed to preserving and nurturing the culture of photography.

More information
More information about Foveon, Inc. can be found at www.foveon.com.

Source: SIGMA

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Taylor Swift Got Milk Photo Shoot

Not even 18, country star Taylor Swift has already accomplished most of her dreams. Now she can cross off another one from her list: appearing in a Got Milk? Hollywood 411 tagged along for the photoshoot earning her white mustache.

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DAZZ.com New Online Photo Restyling Service Launches

Homburg, Saarland, Germany, 11/11/2008 - DAZZ.com, the German, web-based photo restyling service, eliminates the existing background of portrait photography and restyles the image into a collection of digital artwork, DAZZ calls 'Photostyles', to improve the look of photo gifts.

DAZZ.com has launched its online photo restyling service to improve the look of photo gifts for internet users around the world. The service takes the work out of photo editing and is aimed to effortlessly improve the overall look of photo gifts. Customers view their 'Photostyles' on photo gifts in 3D video clips, free of charge, before deciding to buy the digital image.

"Photo gifts are a hot selling product for birthdays and special occasions but a lot of the photos we see of family, friends and pets are spoiled by bad backgrounds“ said Ulf Unbehaun, founder of DAZZ.com. "Our designers eliminate the background and restyle your photo into a collection of 'Photostyles' so you have a photo you're proud of. We show you exactly how your 'Photostyle' will look on various photo gifts. If you like what you see you can download the 'Photostyle' for a minimal fee, and then have it printed on a mug or the gift of your choice. This way your photo gifts get more of a designer look.“

Since Unbehaun incorporated the service into his German photo gift company, Personello in 2007, over 35 000 'Photostyles' - have been downloaded and put onto mugs, canvases and mousepads. The 'Photostyles' are presented on photo gifts in 3D product videos and include styles such as pop art, sepia wash, comic strip and retro. Further styles set the photo into backgrounds ranging from trendy to fun and make unique greetings cards.

"Photos are a key element in social expression,“ said Unbehaun. "With digital photography and online sharing the memory making market is booming like never before. Our goal is to help you make the most of your photos before you give them a new lease of life as a photo gift.“

Source: Newswire

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Image of the Day: Keyboard

Image by Henrik Lehnerer
Title: Keyboard
You may buy this image under license at Cutcaster.

Description:
Black and white piano keyboard from an angle.

Keywords:
acoustic, classical piano, piano, piano keys, black and white, closeup, instrument, piano key, piano keyboard, melody, music, piano, play piano, shiny piano, tune up, white background

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Exposed: High-End Photo Retouching Firm Launches New Site to Showcase Perfect Pixels

Master magicians at manipulating images and sought out by top photographers, Barking Pixel showcases highly sophisticated retouching gallery

GEORGETOWN, Texas, Nov. 7 -- Barking Pixel and Justine Boyer announce a new web site, http://www.barkingpixel.com, with one of the largest post production photo retouching image galleries available from a digital retoucher. The Austin area-based commercial retouching firm has uploaded the best images from years of experience to better exhibit the company's capabilities.

"This is a very comprehensive group of before-and-after images showcasing the range of photo manipulation and color correction available at our studio," says Justine Boyer, owner. "We've showcased an extensive collection of digitally retouched images from fashion and model photography, auto photography, architectural photography, landscape photography, furnishings photography, jewelry photography and food photography."

Justine Boyer has been called "The Best Retoucher in Town" and she has been in the digital retouching and color correction business for over 17 years. The new site is intended to showcase the company's maturity, extensive experience and creativity.

"We have received a lot of positive feedback from customers, as well as from those who appreciate the post production skills needed for professionally enhanced and color corrected images," continued Boyer. "We suggest people visit the site if they want to see the latest in professional digital photoshop retouching and color mastery."

"This site shows our capabilities well," says Boyer. "It gives the potential customer an effective and convenient method of reviewing a complete portfolio before choosing a digital image retoucher and color corrector."

Source: PRNewswire

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Zymmetrical News: Tutorial writers wanted

Zymmetrical offers the Tutorials area in their message forum as mind-share between the the talented designers, photographers and other creatives that use this website.

$ Get paid to submit tutorials $ - Read below on this page for more details..

On a regular basis we will present member-submitted tutorials that will help you advance your skills on the following topics:

- Photography
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Indesign
- Adobe Lightroom
- Quark
- Typography
- VJ Software
- Photography
- Design
- Self-Promotion and Marketing for Creatives
- ..have your own idea? Let us know

Submission & Payment
We accept tutorials from anyone. The basic rules: - We offer no guarantee any submitted tutorial will be accepted and reserve 100% editorial discretion on which tutorials make it in - if you aren't sure, ASK! - Tutorial must be 100% original, written by you - We retain exclusive rights on the tutorial once it is paid for, meaning you may not submit it to other websites, unless otherwise agreed to - You can include 1 description of yourself and 1 link at the bottom of each tutorial.

TUTORIAL COMMISSIONS - Negotiable - $10 to $300, dependent on quality. Submit and we will give you a fair shake! Payouts via Paypal or Payoneer.

To submit a tutorial, please email it to us at info@zymmetrical.com If you are a first-time submitter, it is HIGHLY recommended that you send us a message via our Help Center describing your tutorial idea, BEFORE you spend a lot of time on it. Remember, we will be ruthless with low-quality, low-content, or generally boring tutorials, so please check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Tutorial Creation Guidelines
Create your tutorial using the message input system in this message forum. You may upload images via the included uploading tool, or if that is giving you grief, email them to us directly. We don't really recommend using HTML tables, but if you absolutely must (for a complex layout), ensure that the overall table width is no more than 650 pixels wide. Otherwise it will break the layout of this website and that makes us upset (and causes deductions off your payment for the work of cleaning stuff up).

1. Study other tutorial sites. How original is the idea behind your tutorial? Has the topic been done a thousand times before? It’s easy to find out – Google is your friend. There’s no point writing what a numerous people have covered already. Look at the tutorials that seem to have had a lot of traffic – what is it about their tutorial that is so good? Conversely, look at the unpopular ones – why might they be receiving less attention?

2. Use correct spelling and grammar. This is an obvious point but important one. Poor grammar and punctuation gives off an unprofessional image; a well-written, articulate article on the other hand is much easier to work through. Some visitors may not speak the language the tutorial is written in as their first language so they may be confused by slang and abbreviations. If you struggle with spelling and grammar ask a friend to proofread your tutorial or run a spell check in some Word Processing software. If we have to 'clean up' your tutorial a lot to make it read in the 'King's English' then we will devalue the price paid on it according to the amount of work we have to perform.

3. Let them know what they're in for. Give the user as much information about the tutorial as possible. Clearly explain any prerequisites to the tutorial such as any third party files the user may need, platform versions the tutorial is compatible with and software versions it is will work with. Additionally, try to attach a difficulty rating to the tutorial and give them an estimated time as to how long the tutorial will take.

4. Write step-by-step. Step-by-step doesn't mean you have to detail every mouse click, it means the process must be thoroughly documented. If you are targeting beginners then hold their hand and walk them through it. On the other hand, if you are targeting experienced designers/photographers take them through the fundamentals.

5. Include plenty of non-text elements. A page full of text can be boring and very difficult to get through. Include anything you can to make the page more pleasing to the eye and easier to follow: code excerpts, diagrams, screen shots. The types of elements you include depend largely on the subject matter of your tutorial.

6. Describe your tutorial properly. Be as specific as you can when naming your tutorial. For example “Nice Effect in Photoshop” doesn’t tell the user anything about your tutorial. Remember the words in the title of your tutorial are the ones that the search engines and tutorial directories will use to identify it when people search for it. Ask yourself this question: if I were searching for a tutorial like this what would I enter into the search engine?

Source: Zymmetrical

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Ancient Rome: 310 AD in 3-D

A new high-tech theatre is about to open to give tourists a deeper look at life in the Italian capital in the ancient past. The 30-minute 3D show uses 60, 000 virtual characters, or avatars, to help tourists get a taste of what Roman life was probably like in 310 AD.

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Image of the Day: Golf Feet

Image by Henrik Lehnerer
Title: Golf Feet
You may buy this image under license at Cutcaster.

Description:
Golfer on green grass aiming for the ball.

Keywords:
sport, sports, activity, aiming golf, golf ball, golf iron, golf shot, challenging, closeup, golf club, golf course, golf wedge, wedge shot, fairway, feet, golf game, golf, golfball, golfer, golfing, green grass, hit golf ball, leisure, match play, outdoor, play golf, golf player, golfer, golf stick, golf swing, preparation

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Wedding Memories Finally Returned To NJ Newlyweds

(New York, NY) The nightmare is finally over for thousands of couples fighting to get their wedding memories back from a photography company that went out of business. CBS 2's Christine Sloan has more on the newlyweds' newfound happiness.

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LCN.com & Fotolia Form Strategic Partnership

Fotolia Offers Three Free Stock Photograph Credits to LCN Hosting Customers

LONDON, Nov 06, 2008 -- LCN.com, one of the largest UK domain registration and Web site hosting companies, have today announced a partnership with Fotolia ( http://www.fotolia.com), the world's largest provider of micro-priced stock imagery, offering nearly 4.5 million high-quality images.

There will be a two-fold benefit to LCN customers through this alliance -- Customers will be able get three royalty free stock photograph credits at no cost from the world's largest and fastest growing databases of nearly 4.5 million micro-priced, royalty-free images. Not only that, once signed up with Fotolia, customers of LCN, will be entitled to a 10% bonus on every order placed with Fotolia from then on.

Mark Boost, Managing Director of LCN.com commented, "Both LCN and Fotolia are dedicated to providing their customers with the best products within our respective industries. With high quality imagery being such a top level need for quality web design, it was a natural decision for us to partner with Fotolia as our imagery provider.

"With Fotolia, we have gained a trusted partner that offers the largest image bank of free and affordable royalty free images. This announcement is something new and existing web design customers will be delighted to hear." Boost noted further.

"This partnership allows LCN customers deeply integrated access to Fotolia's database of nearly 4.5 million high-quality, micro-priced images, using Fotolia's Partner API. It also gives users a platform to generate their own revenue through the intuitive Fotolia system whereby commission is earned on images they submit to the Fotolia Web site," said Oleg Tscheltzoff, co-founder and president of Fotolia.
Find out more about the Fotolia offer and LCN Web Hosting packages below:

www.lcn.com/fotolia_offer
www.lcn.com/web_hosting

Source: Fotolia

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ZF-I: Modified Lenses for Industrial Applications

Carl Zeiss has significantly expanded its industrial lens portfolio.

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 06.11.2008. The line of SLR lenses for industrial applications has now grown to seven models. Thus, a complete line of lenses is now available, which offers the right solution for most standard requirements in industrial applications.

The modern optical design of these lenses with fixed focal lengths ensures maximum image quality.

Professional industrial applications require reliable, constant settings. Therefore, the ZF lenses are available in a special industrial version. The f-stop and focus settings of the ZF-I lenses can be fixed. For this purpose, the lenses are supplied with five locking screws which enable reliable locking of the adjustments once they have been set. Measuring inaccuracies and errors are thus reduced, and there is no need to waste time checking the settings.

A special coating which guarantees a high transmission value for wavelengths up to 1,100 nanometers can be applied to enable photos in the near infrared range. The ZF-IR lenses from Carl Zeiss are suitable for use with special cameras (IR cameras without appropriate barrier filters). Fields of application for technical IR photography include forensic science.

All ZF lenses provide the proverbial performance, i.e. sharp image definition, color fidelity in accordance with ZEISS standards, stray light absorption, well-corrected distortion and no reflections. With their F-bayonet, they comply with the globally accepted standard for high-resolution industrial cameras featuring large-format image sensors. All lenses with focal lengths 18, 21, 25, 28, 35, 50 and 85 mm and the two macro lenses with 50 and 100 mm focal lengths are available as ZF-I or ZF-IR version on request.

Source: Carl Zeiss

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Super Wide Angle Lens for Industrial Imaging Applications

Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZF: the new eye of quality assurance.

OBERKOCHEN/Germany, 06.11.2008. Carl Zeiss has now introduced the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZF for industrial applications and technical automation – a compact wide angle system covering an extremely wide image angle.

Many industrial imaging applications demand more than excellent imaging performance. Only an extreme image angle can ensure that large objects are captured reliably and completely in a small space.

With the new Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZF, industrial robots for quality assurance tasks achieve an impressive diagonal image angle of up to 99°. This means maximum acquisition of ambient and object information, even at short distances, making the lens ideal for near-range photogrammetry and optical measurements of components, e.g. in the automotive industry.

The Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZF offers low-distortion, sharp images from infinity up to the near range – even in difficult light conditions. Thanks to the ZEISS color matching technology, the lens features the same, uniform color rendition as all other lenses in the ZF product line.

Like all lenses in the ZEISS portfolio for industrial applications, the Distagon T* 3,5/18 features the Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflective coating and a sturdy all-metal mount which makes the lens extremely robust.The sales price of the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3,5/18 is 1.115 euros (excluding VAT). For more information about this lens, please go to:
www.zeiss.com/photo.

Technical data:
Focal length: 18 mm
Aperture range: f/3.5-f/22 (half increments)
Focusing range: 0.3 m-infinity
Number of elements/groups: 13/11
Angular field, diag./horiz./vert.: 99/90/67°
Object field at smallest near setting: 44x29 cm
Image ratio (close range): 1:12
Filter thread: M 82x0.75
Dimensions (with caps): 87 mm diameter, length 84 mm
Weight: 470 g
Camera adapter: F-bayonet (ZF)

Source: Carl Zeiss

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Photographer Editta Sherman - Does she have to move?

I was listening to the story "Duchess' Demands $10M To Leave Carnegie Hall" on NPR today. And I was shocked the hear that Carnegie Hall is trying to move out the 97 years old famous photographer Editta Sherman.

• Article on NPR - Duchess' Demands $10M To Leave Carnegie Hall
• Listen to NPR - Duchess' Demands $10M To Leave Carnegie Hall
• Editta Sherman at MySpace

Good luck Editta Sherman!

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Techbytes 11/7/08

Syracuse, NY - Top Stories of the day - Techbytes 11/7/08

AT&T - iPhone G3
Soon you can use it as a modem for your laptop.

NeatDesk
NeatDesk is a high-speed desktop scanner and digital filing system that scans receipts, business cards and documents in one batch. Includes NeatWorks software to identify, extract and organize key information.

StealthSwitch
…for your eyes only - The World’s First Desktop Cloaking Device - Protect your Privacy – Save your Job – Use the StealthSwitch™

• Protect Sensitive Information
• Get Confidential Materials off your screen … FAST!
• Instant Computer Privacy
• Works with any application
• Intuitive, Discreet and Fast
• Easy to Install

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Update - Digital Railroad Shutdown

5th NOVEMBER 2008 - SAA continues our commitment to intervene on behalf of photographers who had Digital Railroad archives and post updates to the community. We are in ongoing communications with Diablo Management, the crisis management company handling the matter.

On Oct. 28, Digital Railroad operations shut down. On Oct. 31, Diablo issued a memo announcing that a Letter to Intent was received to purchase some of Digital Railroad's assets. Diablo is now issuing an email in response to inquiries, which provides some answers about the fate of archive fees paid
and license fees due.

Following is our latest information on the issues facing photographers with DRR archives.


1. Access to image files and licensing records

As of today, DRR's servers are still online, but they could be turned off at any time. Diablo's Oct. 31 memo stated that image files will be preserved and "after the completion of an asset purchase agreement, the acquiring company will contact owners of the images to determine their disposition."

SAA still urges photographers to back up image files and download licensing records. Download licensing records, including details about pending sales, and a list of all registered users who accessed your Archive.


2. Status of DRR archive fees and Marketplace licensing fees already paid

Diablo's Nov. 3 email confirms that "all monies that have been received are the property of the senior secured creditor. The cash received will not be adequate to satisfy the claim of this creditor. Therefore DRR lacks the cash necessary to pay any additional claim related to hosting services, payments
to photographers, or other payables."

SAA suggests that photographers who pre-paid archive fees by credit card for a full year of service should consider disputing this charge. For those who paid monthly by credit card, be sure to check your statements to confirm that these fees are no longer being charged.


3. Status of payments due for pending Marketplace licenses

Diablo has confirmed to SAA and stated in their Nov. 3 email the intention to pay photographers for licensing fees still outstanding: "With regard to images in Marketplace that have been downloaded
and /or used, and for which the publisher has not already made payment, we will work, with the assistance of photographer associations, to get the photographers paid."

In addition, the memo states that a status report on financial matters will be sent to all creditors in approximately thirty days, and requests that photographers "submit a statement for unpaid amounts that may be due to you from DRR by December 1, 2008 to: Digital Railroad, Inc, c/o Diablo Management
Group, 1452 N. Vasco Road, #301, Livermore, CA 94551."

SAA will continue to stay engaged in this issue, seeking clarification and pressing for a fair resolution. We will be posting updates to the SAA web site at http://www.stockartistsalliance.org/drr

Betsy Reid
SAA executive director

Source: CEPIC

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