The free online photo editor FotoFlexer has added three new features - Morph, Smart Resize and Insert-A-Face - that are not even available in expensive desktop image editing software. The FotoFlexer editing solution is based on patent-pending Predictive Pixel Partitioning (P³) artificial intelligence technology.

AKVIS Chameleon 5 makes it easy and entertaining to create a photo collage. The new “Montage” mode allows copying an object, for example, a group of people, a monument, a flower, etc into a new background. The Macintosh version is now Universal Binary. AKVIS Chameleon is compatible with Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, Corel (Jasc) Paint Shop Pro, Ulead PhotoImpact, Corel Photo-Paint and other popular software. AKVIS Chameleon sells for $75, with a free 10 day trial version available.

PCMag have reviewed Adobe Photoshop Elements 6, the latest version of the No. 1 selling consumer photo-editing software.

“Unlike most competitors, Adobe has the advantage of starting with an extraordinarily powerful program, Photoshop. The developers’ challenge is to make the application useful to mere mortals, rather than the editing professionals who use it daily. I never doubted that Photoshop Elements would be powerful—the question was whether it would be usable. That appears to have been a major focus of the new version, and the results are very good.”

Website: PCMag - Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Review

ACDSee 10 Photo Manager is the latest version of the popular photo organization and sharing software. New features include seamless integration with photo sharing sites such as Flickr and SmugMug, real-time viewing, and management and editing of multiple image files. “The pace of sharing images moves faster as technology advances. People want easy-to-use tools to organize, edit and share files. ACDSee 10 is designed to make it simple to manage growing digital image libraries, share photos with friends and family and explore creative possibilities.” said Mark Franklin, executive vice president of ACD Systems. ACDSee 10 Photo Manager is available for a free 30-day trial and for purchase for $49.99.

JAlbum, the popular web photo album software, now offers a free hosting alternative for your pictures. Three million people have used JAlbum to create eight million published albums. The free hosting account holds 30MB and 200 pictures. “This is a big step for JAlbum, enabling anyone to publish web albums. I believe people who care about the appearance of their photo albums will find JAlbum a great fit for their needs”, says founder David Ekholm.

DSLR Remote Pro v1.5 introduces Remote Live View with Autofocus for the Canon EOS 40D and 1D Mark III cameras. DSLR Remote Pro can now autofocus the 40D and 1D Mark III from a PC using a contrast detection algorithm on the large remote live view display. This release is a free upgrade for all registered users who purchased a license within the last year. DSLR Remote Pro 1.5 costs $95 and is available now.

Exposure 2 from Alien Skin Software is a new film stock simulator and effects package. Exposure 2 lets photographers enhance any digital photo by simulating the rich, organic look of film. Exposure 2 features more than 300 presets, including Velvia, Portra, infrared and Polaroid. Exposure 2’s grain simulation models the size, shape, and color of real world grain. Exposure 2 sells for $249 USD with an upgrade price of $149 USD for registered users of Exposure 1.

DxO Optics Pro 5 RAW conversion software delivers exceptional quality especially for lowlight images. Fully rewritten, version 5 also adds dust/blemish removal, improved user interface, increased speed and expanded camera support. DxO Optics Pro v5 for Windows is planned to be available at the end of October 2007, priced from £99. The Macintosh version is planned to be available approximately one month after the Windows version. All purchasers of DxO Optics Pro v4.5 on or after August 1st, 2007 are eligible for a free upgrade to DxO Optics Pro v5.

Corel Painter Essentials 4 makes it easy to create paintings from your favourite photos or from scratch. “By further simplifying the user interface and including new training videos and tutorials, our goal is to educate and inspire our customers while giving them the creative freedom to develop something truly unique.” said Robert MacDonald, Product Manager, Corel Painter. Corel Painter Essentials 4 costs $99 US for the full version and $69 US for the upgrade, and is available now.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 is the latest version of the No. 1 selling consumer photo-editing software. The new Photomerge feature combines the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots to create a single cohesive group shot. Guided Edit mode helps walk users through the steps of improving a photo. Online galleries based on Adobe Flash provide an interactive experience for friends and family. Photoshop Elements 6 for Windows has an estimated street price of £69.99, or as a bundle with Premiere Elements 4 for £99.99. Photoshop Elements for the Macintosh platform is expected in early 2008.

Adobe Premiere Elements 4 is a major upgrade to the best-selling consumer video-editing software. New features include an Organiser to help find and sort video clips, one-click movie themes and an improved easy-to-use interface. “Video editing is a part of that process and users demand ease, speed and the ability to make professional-quality movies that grab the attention of viewers.  Premiere Elements new user experience does all the heavy lifting, with templates and drag-and-drop effects that will leave a lasting impact and the ability to make every day tasks easier like direct upload to the Web in Adobe Flash® Player compatible video, the ‘YouTube ready’ format.” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. Premiere Elements 4 for Windows has an estimated street price of £69.99, or as a bundle with Premiere Elements 4 for £99.99.

Qimage 2008 is a new version of the professional printing software, now supporting stitched panoramas and super high resolution scans. Qimage is designed to make image printing easy and painless by eliminating the need to resample images to higher resolutions, manually place images on printed pages, make touchups and apply filters in separate photo editors. The new version includes minor bug fixes and substantial improvements to memory management. Qimage 2008 is now available in 3 different versions - Lite Edition ($34.95), Professional Edition ($49.95) and Studio Edition ($89.95).

PCMag have just reviewed Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2.

“Aside from confusing upgrade numbering (how does X2 follow XI?), the most immediately noticeable change Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 (PSPX2) brings is its excellent “graphite” interface. In addition, a new Express Lab greatly speeds photo editing, and an added Layer Styles feature strengthens the program’s already-powerful graphics-creation capabilities. The combination, along with other improvements, creates a potent image-editing and graphics application.”

Website: PCMag - Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

ThinkCamera have just reviewed Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2.

“Each version of Paint Shop Pro has moved it closer to being a challenger to Photoshop instead of Elements big competition. And Paint Shop Pro X2 shows no sign of slackening off the pace. It’s keenly priced and more than delivers the goods. It lives up to the ‘Pro’ side of its name. The game just got raised in photo software on the PC.”

Website: ThinkCamera - Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

Corel MediaOne Plus is fast, fun and easy photo and video software. “Our focus with Corel MediaOne Plus was to create a software package that would provide users with the perfect companion to their point-and-shoot digital camera,” said Denise MacDonell, Director of Product Management, Digital Media at Corel.  Previously known as Corel Snapfire Plus, MediaOne Plus adds online backup and sharing with Sharpcast, new creative templates, DVD authoring and a simpler user interface. Corel MediaOne Plus is available now for $49.99 (US and Canada). Corel MediaOne Starter edition is also available as a free download.

PhotoArtist 2 from BenVista is a new software program for creating picturesque artwork based on digital photos. Version 2 of PhotoArtisit adds more than 30 additional filters, various new brushes, increased fine-tuning options, and an improved software interface. PhotoArtist 2 costs €69.00 and a free demo version is available.

AKVIS Frame Suite 2.5 applies artistic frames and edge effects to your photos. Frame Suite 2.5 adds a new texture effect that imitates an image drawn on different surfaces, for example, canvas or a brick wall. AKVIS Frame Suite costs $49 USD, and there’s a free 10 day trial version.

Adobe have released updates for Photoshop Lightroom Camera Raw which provide RAW file support for 14 additional camera models, including the Canon EOS 40D and Sony A700 DSLRs. The Lightroom update also includes corrections to Microsoft Windows Vista grid display errors and XMP auto-write performance. The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.2 update is available as a free download for existing customers. The Adobe Camera Raw 4.2 plug-in is available as a free download for users of Photoshop CS3, Photoshop Elements 4.0 (Mac) and Photoshop Elements 5.0 (Windows).

PhotoTune 2.2 is an easy-to-use colour-correction Adobe Photoshop plugin. Comprised of two plugins, ColorTune and SkinTune, PhotoTune 2.2 is available now for $129.95. “PhotoTune 2.2, available for the first time, includes ColorTune technology (formerly known as 20/20 Color MD) with its patented color correction process and SkinTune technology, developed after more than two years of in-depth skin color research.” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. ColorTune works like an eye exam to figure out precisely what is wrong with a digital image. SkinTune instantly finds the nearest acceptable skin color from a library of skin samples and automatically corrects the image.

Nikon Transfer and Nikon ViewNX are now available to download for free from the Nikon UK website. Nikon Transfer is a download utility which allows images to be simultaneously downloaded to two locations. Nikon ViewNX is a file browser which ensures quick access to images for instant viewing. To access the new software downloads, you must have an account with the European support centre and have registered a valid digital product.