Digital Camera News and Reviews

Apple’s popular photo editing and organizing tool, Aperture, has been updated to version 2.1. Aperture 2.1 updates several functions in the program and according to Apple, be faster and more stable.

A big improvement in Aperture 2.1 is the support for plug-ins from third party developers.

Download Apple Aperture 2.1 here.

Adobe Elements 6 is now out for the Mac system. Adobe Elements is a “light” and cheaper version of Adobe Photoshop, but contains a lot of the Photoshop functions.

Read more about it on the Adobe site.

AKVIS ArtSuite is a program (previously known as Frame Suite) that can be used to give photos different kind of effects. Version 3 of the program is now launched with 3 new effects: Black&White, Shift Colors and Channel Mixer.

ArtSuite is available both as a standalone program and as plug-in to Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Corel Painter, Corel Photo-Paint, Corel Paint Shop Pro, ACD FotoCanvas and Ulead PhotoImpact.

AKVIS Artsuite can be downloaded here and used free for a period of 10 days.

Coral has updated their video editing tool Ulead VideoStudio to version 11.5 Plus. The program supports Blu-ray, HD DVD and Advanced Video Codec High Definition (AVCHD).

Some Ulead VideoStudio features:
-Upload videos directly to Youtube.com
-Burn HD-content on standard DVDs with AVCHD-format
-Make HD-videos with H.264 – video format
-Import and edit .tod video files
-Import .m2ts and .mts files directly from AVCHD-disks, hard drives or memory cards

The VideoStudio 11.5 Plus package include WinDVD 8 Silver and MediaOne Plus from Corel. Users of can download it here.



Press release:
Corel® Announces Ulead® VideoStudio® 11.5 Plus Update

Newest release delivers complete high-definition solution for video editing and Blu-ray Disc Authoring; Makes it easy for users to create professional quality videos that can be uploaded directly to YouTube™

OTTAWA – March 11, 2008

Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE), a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software, today announced Ulead® VideoStudio® 11.5 Plus, the latest version of its award-winning consumer video editing and DVD authoring software. VideoStudio 11.5 Plus combines the benefits of VideoStudio 11 Plus and the VideoStudio 11 Plus Power Pack in one box.

“With VideoStudio 11.5 Plus, consumers now have access to the very latest in DVD and HD editing and authoring, all in one box, making it even easier to edit, author and share their favorite videos with family and friends,” said Jeff Hastings, President and General Manager, Corel Digital Media. “VideoStudio 11.5 Plus also includes support for the latest HD formats including Blu-ray, HD DVD and AVCHD, giving consumers the ability to create professional-looking, high definition videos that they are proud to share whether it is in their living room, a board room, or over the Web.”

VideoStudio 11.5 Plus offers a complete, user-friendly solution for standard- and high-definition editing and authoring. It includes the following features designed with today’s consumers in mind:

Upload videos directly to YouTube™: Users can easily encode and upload videos directly to YouTube from within VideoStudio 11.5 Plus.

Blu-ray Disc (BDMV) Authoring: Users can edit their HD videos and author Blu-ray Discs complete with motion menus.

Create AVCHD discs: Users can author HD content on standard DVD discs in the AVCHD format and play their discs on Blu-ray Disc players and Sony® PlayStation® 3.

H.264 High Profile (HD) Encoding: Users can create HD videos using the H.264 video format and enjoy optimized encoding for multi-core processors, such as the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Quad.

Native .TOD format (JVC HD Camcorder) Import and Editing: Users can import and edit TOD video files in native form.

M2TS File Import: Users can import .m2ts and .mts files directly from their AVCHD disc, hard drive, or memory card camcorder.

Bonus Software: VideoStudio 11.5 Plus includes Corel’s WinDVD® 8 Silver, the world’s number one DVD and video playback software and Corel® MediaOne™ Plus to enhance photos, trim video clips, produce digital scrapbooking pages and create photo and video slideshows to share with family and friends.

Pricing and Availability
VideoStudio 11.5 Plus is priced at $129.99 SRP (US and Canada), and is available starting today from www.amazon.com and www.corel.com.

VideoStudio 11 Plus users can enjoy the added features found in VideoStudio 11.5 simply by downloading the free VideoStudio 11 Plus Power Pack from www.corel.com/powerpack.

About Corel Corporation
Corel is a leading developer of graphics, productivity and digital media software with more than 100 million users worldwide. The Company’s product portfolio includes some of the world’s most popular and widely recognized software brands including CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite, Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo, Corel® Painter™, Corel DESIGNER®, VideoStudio®, Corel® WordPerfect® Office, WinDVD®, WinZip® and iGrafx®. Designed to help people become more productive and express their creative potential, Corel’s software strives to set a higher standard for value with full-featured products that are easier to learn and use. The industry has responded with hundreds of awards recognizing Corel’s leadership in software innovation, design and value.

Corel’s products are sold in more than 75 countries through a well-established network of international resellers, retailers, original equipment manufacturers, online providers and Corel’s global websites. The Company’s headquarters are located in Ottawa, Canada with major offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Taiwan, and Japan. Corel’s stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol CREL and on the TSX under the symbol CRE.