Monkeys cannot own a copyright, judges rule in infamous monkey selfie lawsuit
A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that monkeys cannot own a copyright in an infamous case over who owned the rights to a selfie snapped by a monkey. The court has ordered PETA to pay the photographer's legal fees over a legal process that has now stemmed more than three years.
This plug-in makes Prisma-like painted videos possible on a PC
Mobile apps first brought painted videos into the spotlight -- but now those effects are available from a PC. A new plugin for PowerDirector 16 allows video editors to turn their work into a painted film, in resolutions up to 4K. The first styles are for Van Gough and Impressionist painters.
Grip Gear’s dolly slides phones, compact cameras around for smooth shots
Gripo Gear is back with the new Movie Maker 2, a small video slider system for smartphones, action cameras and compact cameras. Along with enhancements to the slider, the company also introduced a dolly add-on that converts the slider motor into a mini motorized tabletop dolly.
2018 Sony World Photo Awards winners
The Sony World Photography Awards has announced the Photographer of the Year, as well as category winners and student and youth prizes. The contest was one of the most diverse yet, with the most submissions yet. See just what the judges are talking about with just a handful of the shortlisted photos.
Photo FOMO: Get a (lens) grip, Sony a7 III firmware fix, Rylo gains 180 mode
In this week's photo industry news, see what errors Sony is fixing on the a7 III with new firmware. The 360 Rylo Cam also gets a firmware update to add a new 180-degree mode and a Bluetooth remote. And startup Band.it is bringing its lens grips to photographers without the Kickstarter risk.
Social Feed: Pinterest glams up, Facebook tests ‘live’ prerecorded premieres
What are the social networks up to this week? Facebook is launching a slew of new tests, while facing scrutiny for housing discrimination on top of data practices. Pinterest now has prettier profiles for businesses (with more stats). And YouTube addresses creator concerns.
There’s an entire photo studio in your phone with this AR app
Ready to experiment with lights, or pre-visualize that next shoot? Photo Studio AR is an augmented reality app that allows users to place models, lights, and props into any scene using a smartphone camera. The developer, with both Hollywood and Snapchat experience, says the app is for pre-visualizing that next shoot.
Facebook investigating more security vulnerabilities with third-party logins
Be careful where you log in using Facebook credentials -- Princeton researchers recently uncovered vulnerabilities that allowed third-party platforms to access data using scripts after users logged in with their Facebook data on other websites. The group found more than 400 websites with the vulnerable scripts.
You AR what you eat — augmented reality menus are coming to Snapchat
Have your food and eat it too? New augmented reality menus will allow diners to preview a dish using a Snapchat AR Lens before ordering, putting a lifelike model of the food right on the table.
Hold your Instagrams in your hand with Canon’s new tiny pocket printer
Meet the Canon Ivy Mini Photo Printer, a 2 x 3 photo printer with a compact design from cartridge-free printing. It uses Zink paper with embedded ink crystals, while an app tosses in editing tools like AR face filters and stickers. Canon says a calibration sheet helps the printer meet company standards.
Capture One makes batch editing and presets faster with latest update
Capture One 11.1 speeds up the workflow when using styles or presets, Phase One says. The update enhances a handful of tools while expanding the camera support to eleven new models and another ten lenses. The update is available beginning today, April 19, as a free download for owners of version 11.
Snap, then shop — Snapchat rolls out Shoppable AR filters
Snapchat fans can now shop directly from the app, thanks to new Shoppable AR filters. The new feature allows Sponsored Lenses to include product links, download links, or video links directly inside Snapchat. The expansion to sponsored filters is rolling out this week, initially with four advertisers.
GoPro will turn busted digital cameras into $50 with the Trade-Up program
That old and broken camera could be worth as much as $100. The GoPro Trade-Up recycles old cameras for a $50 to $100 discount on a new flagship GoPro. Unlike earlier programs, the camera can be from any brand and doesn't even have to work to qualify for the program.
JPEG XS will be a faster format for 8K streaming, better VR, and safer drones
The organization behind the JPEG is aiming to create faster streaming without sacrificing quality. JPEG XS is a new file format that offers faster -- but not more -- compression. The file type has the potential to impact a number of technologies, from better live-streams to safer drones.
Facebook highlights privacy settings you forgot about as new tools roll out
Facebook wants to make sure you haven't forgotten all the permissions you gave the network when you opened your account. Facebook will start prompting users to check their privacy settings. The network is also sharing exactly what Zuckerberg meant when he said GDPR protections would roll out worldwide.
Facebook’s photo tag suggestions could violate Illinois law — and cost billions
A federal judge has again dismissed Facebook's request to throw out a lawsuit that claims the social network's suggested photo tags tool breaks an Illinois law that prevents storing biometric data without consent. The suit seeks $5,000 for every resident in the system.
Want more AR masks? Snap’s Lens Studio now supports custom face filters
Snapchat now allows creatives to build their own augmented reality face masks using Lens Studio after they have added new face-based templates. The update also brings Giphy integration and a new program that is designed to reward top Lens designers as the program grows beyond 30,000 custom lenses.
Cambridge Analytica used more apps to steal data, former employee claims
During testimony to a U.K. Parliment committee, former Cambridge Aanlaytica employee Brittany Kaiser says she's "almost certain" the number of Facebook users with compromised data is more than 87 million, describing the ad tech industry as "wild west." She named at least two other apps designed to track data.
Adobe just bought Sayspring, a program for creating voice-control apps
Adobe's experiments with voice control are likely to grow, now that the company has acquired Sayspring, a company with an app for developing personal assistant apps. Adobe hasn't yet shared how the software will be integrated into the Adobe family, but companies say the app will continue to be developed.
PowerDVD 18 brings 4K Blu-Ray, HEVC support to Windows PCs
PowerDVD 18 is claiming a number of Windows firsts, including playing 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray and supporting the HEVC format before PCs even get native support. The media player update also includes a new view option for 360 and another designed for multi-taskers.
Social Feed: Zuckerberg unfazed by #deletefacebook, Boomerang moves to FB
While some tech giants have deleted their Facebook accounts, Facebook says the company hasn't seem significant changes in user count or even in privacy settings. Meanwhile, the network's camera gains the Boomerang mode, an unlikely network adds GIFs, and a fake Facebook pages steals thousands in donations.
Photo FOMO: Faster memory cards, color-neutral filters, and ‘Adventury’ bags
This week brought four-times faster memory cards, new camera bags for the adventurous, filters designed to leave colors untouched, and a new rugged on-site hard drive. Oh, and another lens company is moving into the cinema lens game. Find the latest photo industry news from Photo FOMO.
For that lopsided look, add an SLR lens to a smartphone with this accessory
Why not just add that DSLR lens to the front of a smartphone? That's the idea behind a smartphone DOF adapter and case from a company based in China. The adapter allows nearly any smartphone to shoot with nearly any lens, although the result does look a bit lopsided.
Spectacle speculation? Snap FCC filing points to ‘Model 002’ for camera glasses
Newly published FCC paperwork suggests Snap Inc. is working on a "Model 002" of the Spectacles camera glasses. The paperwork builds on earlier reports that the company would be releasing two new versions later this year.
Facebook faces Senate, potential government regulation — and big changes
In a 5-hour Senate hearing, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed privacy concerns in the wake of Cambridge Analytica. Lawmakers have already introduced the first bill in response.
Hackers place gun images in Vevo YouTube videos “just for fun”
Hackers managed to get into Vevo's YouTube account on Tuesday morning, causing some popular videos to temporarily leave the platform. Vevo has since corrected the breach after the videos were temporarily removed while the hacked information was corrected.
Vimeo’s new Final Cut Pro app cuts the distractions, expands export tools
Vimeo has a new app -- and it's designed to speed up workflow moving from Final Cut Pro to uploading on Vimeo. Vimeo for MacOS offers simultaneous uploads, privacy tools, notifications and more without the distraction of a web browser.
Have a design that bears repeating? CorelDraw’s new symmetry tool makes it easy
CorelDraw 2018 is making repeating design work faster with a new symmetry tool, a first for vector graphics, in one of the the biggest updates yet to the program.
Millennials are more likely to experiment creatively, from app design to knitting
Millenials are more likely to try a variety of new creative tasks over the next year, according to a survey by StoryBlocks.
Blackmagic’s 4K cinema camera fits in your hands, and budget
The new Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is a handheld cinema camera with features like dual native ISO and HDR that retails for under $1,300.
Leica goes wide with a new 16-35mm zoom for the SL camera
Photographers shooting with the Leica SL can soon access an ultra-wide zoom lens, thanks to the company's latest announcement.
DJI’s pro-level gimbal controls create custom movement in milliseconds
DJI is giving videographers more options for controlling the gimbal with an intuitive Force Pro and a high-end Master Wheels.