Light Crafts Unveils LightZone 3.0
By
Mike Pasini, The Imaging Resource
(Tuesday, May 22, 2007 - 13:46 EDT)
Substantial revision is first paid upgrade.
Light Crafts, creators of LightZone photo-editing software, today announced an upgraded version of its award-winning and patented image analysis and editing software. The latest version includes new photo management tools and enhanced features, such as instant styles, that make it faster and easier for everyone to edit photographs.
LightZone's advanced photo-editing based on the Zone System is made even simpler with new built-in intelligent styles. With LightZone 3.0 photographers can quickly convey what they saw, or what they want to evoke, often with a single click. The new version also dabbles in some asset management features.
Highlights of the New Version
Highlights of the new release include:
Intelligent Styles: More than 20 built-in instant styles allows anyone to edit like a pro, in less than one second. Apply your favorite style, then change by moving a single slider. Send and exchange edit styles amongst peers.
Intelligent Tools : The new "Re-light" tool replaces the already "magical" ToneMapper, new controls allow for greater control in re-lighting virtually any scene. The new "History Pane", gives users full and direct access to intermediate editing steps, all the way from first opening the photograph. Added support for the latest RAW dSLR cameras, like the Canon 1D Mark III.
Improved Learn-ability: Styles automatically produce tools, guides new users through the interface process. New context sensitive help and tool tips to assist users "pre-flight" and "in-flight" Revamped user interface with distinct Browse and Edit modes, new skins to optimize clarity of the photograph. Logical button groupings.
Improved Interoperability: New default save mode: edit stack now embedded in JPEG. Provides seamless interoperability with any best-of-breed application. New "Send" end "Convert" capability provides advanced pre-processing capabilities to other applications in the photographic ecosystem. New drag and drop capabilities in Browse mode to folders, file-system or directly to other applications in the dock (on Mac).
New Integrated Batch Processing: New "Lift Style" in Browse mode and apply to multiple images at once. New "Send" and "Convert" capabilities converts your images for sending by e-mail, posting on a web gallery or simply convert in another file format. New "drag-and-drop" capabilities in Browse mode to folders, file-system or directly to other applications in the dock (on Mac).
New Asset Management Capabilities: New "Stack" and "Unstack" hides and shows the intermediate edit versions of every photograph. New "Smart Select" button automatically selects the latest version of the photograph, so they can be post processed in batch within a single click. New "Metadata Editor" allows for editing of Title, Copyright, Creator and other fields, a new preference for Copyright will automatically populate when specified.
Upgrade Information
LightZone 3 is a paid upgrade for previous owners of LightZone but a free upgrade for May 2007 purchasers of LightZone 2.
Only the full version of LightZone 3 is currently available for upgrade. ightZone 3 will only work with a full version 3 key. You can only use version 3 when you purchased either one of these:
• New version 3 key
• Upgrade from previous Full to version 3 Full
• Upgrade from previous Basic to version 3 Full
The full version is available for $249.95, the basic-to-full upgrade for $79.95 and the full-to-full upgrade for $49.95 from the online store.
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Original Source Press Release:
| Light Crafts Unveils LightZone 3.0 Easy to Use Photo-Editing Software Allows Photographers of All Levels to Bring their Photographs Back-to-Life
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- May 21, 2007 -- Light Crafts, creators of LightZone photo-editing software, today announced an upgraded version of its award-winning and patented image analysis and editing software. LightZone 3.0 offers a new approach for a new digital photography market, which applies to all dSLR photographers. Advanced photo editing is made even simpler than before with LightZone's new, built-in intelligent styles. With LightZone, photographers can quickly convey what they saw, or what they want to evoke, often with a single click.
As the PC is quickly becoming the digital hub of the information age, LightZone is the first product to fulfill the photo-editing needs of all photographers on that platform. The latest version includes new photo management tools and enhanced features, such as instant styles, that make it faster and easier for everyone to edit photographs.
LightZone's best-of-breed photo-editing software produces true-to-life images. After more than 150 years of photographic evolution, no camera today produces an accurate picture of reality.
"LightZone 3.0 has a unique ability to bridge the gap between what you saw and the image that was captured," said Uwe Steinmueller, editor of Outback Photo News. "With the new styles available in 3.0, you don't have to be a professional photographer to bring photos back to life."
For years, photo-editing has been considered too difficult, which is evident by the most talked about editing tool on the market -- Adobe PhotoShop -- attaining less than 4 percent market share among SLR photographers. This means 96 percent of serious photographers believe Photoshop does not meet their needs. More than 80 percent of PhotoShop's functionality, which has a $649 price-tag, is not geared for photography. And after 20 years of Photoshop development, fundamental capabilities such as native RAW editing, integrated noise reduction and operational layers are still missing. LightZone 3.0 addresses this with software that includes RAW editing, noise reduction, direct and batch processing and more intelligent editing tools for $249.95.
"Light Crafts is committed to putting advanced photo-editing capabilities in the hands of everyone," said Georges van Hoegaerden, CEO of Light Crafts. "LightZone 3.0, with its intelligent styles, gives photographers instant access to the most powerful photo editing capabilities available, at a price one third of its closest competitor."
Light Crafts mission is to simplify photo-editing. Its LightZone software focuses solely on improving the quality of pictures and enabling users to give them the professional treatment they deserve. LightZone 3.0 incorporates an open, file-system based, digital asset manager and integrates seamlessly with proprietary databases, such as Apple Aperture, iPhoto and Adobe Lightroom. LightZone enables superior photo-editing functionality, making it a complimentary component to these offerings.
LightZone 3.0 is available for purchase and download at http://www.lightcrafts.com. The price is $249.95 for the Full version.
About Light Crafts
Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Light Crafts is the expert in photo-editing software. LightZone, the essential photo-editing application, enables photographers of all experience levels to effectively and efficiently edit digital images--visually. LightZone's patented digital signal processing technology powers a suite of intelligent tools that simplifies photo editing while increasing photographer control. For more information about Light Crafts, please visit our website, www.lightcrafts.com.
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