Photo-editing

Updated 6/12/12 after a chat with Apple.

It didn't make the stage during the Apple WWDC keynote, but Apple rolled out a stealth upgrade to its Aperture 3 professional photo organization and editing software. Aperture 3.3 includes a variety of stability and performance updates as well as interface tweaks, most notably to support the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display; the biggest news for more general users is that the application now supports AVCHD video files.

Some of the changes sound like they're designed to make Aperture a little more consumer friendly. For instance, it … Read more

There are moments when an extra object in a picture can really throw off the balance. Maybe you're on vacation and taking a picture of a building, but street sign shadows or people stopping in front of you for their photo opportunities tend to ruin the shot. Instead of worrying about getting the perfect picture every single time, why not use an app that will help fix any flaws?

TouchRetouch is an app for Android and iOS that will allow you to remove unwanted objects from your photos. Those shadows on the ground? Gone. Poor … Read more

When Instagram finally arrived on Android, it was missing a major photo effect that iOS users had been enjoying for some time: tilt shift. Just over a month after its release, Instagram for Android has been updated to finally include tilt shift. It's a fun little effects tool that can make subjects in your photos appear miniature or to create a shallow depth of field.

Here's how to use tilt shift:

1. After choosing a photo, tap the new teardrop icon in the effects toolbar and choose whether you want a radial or linear tilt shift.

2. By … Read more

Mother's Day is less than two weeks away. In honor of May being National Photography Month, we decided to find some great deals on photography gifts for mom! Our friends at NewEgg.com are hooking up the CNET audience with a Mother's Day camera bundle with everything mom needs to start capturing memories at 50 percent off. And the folks at Serif are giving us an unbeatable deal on the Serif Creativity Collection Software at a whopping 97 percent off.

Maybe you heard the news last week (as if you could escape it): Facebook bought Instagram.

Insta-what? Although this app/service launched back in October 2010, and has snowballed in popularity ever since, not everybody knows an Instagram from a telegram. (Wait, what the heck is a telegram? Yeah, obviously I'm skewing toward an older audience here.)

If you've been sitting on the Instagram sidelines, here's your chance to find out what all the fuss is about and get started using Facebook's new baby.… Read more

iPhoto for iPhone and iPad has eclipsed the 1-million-user mark just a little over a week after Apple released the app alongside the new iPad, longtime Apple writer Jim Dalrymple (The Loop) reports.

What's impressive is that the number is for unique users, not total downloads. That means Apple has received $4.99 more than a million times from consumers eager to get their hands on what is now one of the most powerful photo-editing apps for iOS.… Read more

Apple has released an update to let Mac users view and edit raw files from several new high-end cameras, including the new $800 PowerShot G1 X, Canon's answer to the parade of high-end mirrorless compact cameras with interchangeable lenses.

Also supported is Nikon's new flagship SLR, the D4.

Raw photo formats, taken directly from the image sensor without in-camera processing into a JPEG, permit greater flexibility and quality for editing. But they require manual processing with software, and this update means Apple's iPhoto and Aperture can handle the shots. The proprietary raw formats aren't standard, so … Read more

Sporting some interesting user interface conventions and a fairly powerful set of image-editing tools, iPhoto makes a fairly splashy debut, especially at the relatively reasonable price of $4.99. Though it lacks some of the capabilities of the more expensive Photoshop Touch, including cross-iOS/Android compatibility and compositing, it looks like it has a reasonably broad image-editing feature set and a major advantage: it can handle images up to 19 megapixels, while Adobe's app is limited to 1,600x1,600 pixels. Though it was launched with the new iPad--and will probably be really nice to use with that … Read more

Adobe released the fourth version of its Lightroom software today, adding video abilities and editing finesse while cutting its price in half.

Lightroom 4 costs $149 new and $79 as an upgrade, a big step down from the earlier prices of $299 new and $99 upgrade. That's going the same direction Apple has with its competing Aperture, though not as dramatically: an introductory $499 price, then a drop to $199, and in the App Store version now, $80. You can download Lightroom 4 for Windows and Mac.

Lightroom is geared for photography professionals and enthusiasts, especially those who want … Read more