Topaz just released the brand new Photo Ai 3.0 (Click here). I use this software a lot and I think it does an impressive job. The updates are really big too!

Press text:

Photo AI’s creative potential has been unlocked in this version, allowing the creation of your own workflows for the first time with presets, flexible ordering of enhancements, panel docking & collapsing, enabling RAW color and lighting adjustments, and a standardized Topaz UI across all of our applications.

Presets

Save your commonly used filter combinations into a single stack, including the filter settings and selections. Presets will then appear in the enhancement menu so that you can reuse your favorite settings and selections across any of your photos with a single click. This will speed up the process of editing large batches of hundreds or thousands of photos at a time. You can also delete old presets by hovering over them in the enhancement menu.

Docking & Collapsing

You can now dock the floating control panel on the right side of the viewport for easy access, or undock it and move it to where you need on top of your working preview area.

The right panel is also now collapsible, making more space for viewing your image while editing. For maximum space, try undocking the control panel while in collapsible mode.

Reordering

You can now re-order and combine your enhancements in any order on the right panel, allowing you to more dynamically chain effects together. For example, you can now sharpen the entire image first before denoising the background and then sharpening again with just the subject. Changing the order of the filters will affect the way the output is processed, and this freedom will allow you to achieve results that otherwise were not possible within Photo AI.

RAW Balance Color & Adjust Lighting

On top of RAW Denoise, you are now able to adjust the color balance and lighting for RAW files inside Topaz Photo AI using our AI-based filters. This allows you to get the best quality possible out of your image straight from the camera and inside the application without having to make these adjustments in an external application even for RAW files.

Other Updates

On top of these exciting updates, both Face Recovery and Preserve Text can now be applied to the image multiple times, allowing you to control the strength of the effect on different subjects and areas of the image independently. We have also added other performance improvements and fixes under the hood. Take a look at the full changelog for more.

UI Refresh

Topaz Photo AI has been updated with a standardized Topaz UI framework, with new colors and icons coming to Topaz Labs apps for a unified, streamlined look.

Changelog

• Refreshed user interface with Topaz UI style
• Implemented drag and reorder enhancements
• Implemented basic preset functionality
• Implemented docking and undocking feature
• Enabled Text Recovery to be added multiple times
• Enabled Face Recovery to be added multiple times
• Enabled Adjust lighting for RAW images
• Enabled Balance color for RAW images
• Fixed Adjust lighting crash on M3 with macOS 14.4 and above
• Fixed switching models on Denoise not updating the preview
• Fixed export output suffix not matching enhancements order
• Added preference for RAW Adjust lighting strength
• Added camera profile for Panasonic G9M2
• Added noise profile for Sony ILCE-6700

The new cards will be displayed at the NAB show and be soon available for reorder on their official storefront at Amazon and BHphoto.

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Lexar’s new Rugged Series includes the ARMOR GOLD SD UHS-II V60 Card. This card offers a max read speed of 280MB/s and a max write speed of 210MB/s,¹ features an IP68 rating, and supports seamless 6K video capture. The ARMOR SILVER PRO SD UHS-II V60 Card also clocks in at a max read speed of 280MB/s and delivers a write speed of 160MB/s.¹ It is also rated IP68 and supports 6K video as well. In the SSD category, the ARMOR 700 Portable SSD leverages USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 to provide max read/write speeds of 2000MB/s¹ and an IP66 rating lets users know that its design protects against both water and dust² and is built to withstand up to 3-meter drops and falls.²

Reminder: The Silver Lexar cards are on discount at Amazon and BHphoto:

Blackmagic announced three new cameras. Let’s kick off with the most impressive gun:

• By late 2024 they will launch the 17k 65mm(!) camera (here at BHphoto).
• They also announced a new 12k URSA camera
• And the PYXIS 6K Cinema Box L-mount camera

This 65mm sensor is just gigantic!!! Here is the coverage from CineD about this sensor (Click here).

One of the largest Japanese retailers shared the top 10 selling cameras in March. The Fuji X100VI was the most sold new camera while the Sony A7III was the most sold in the used department.

Top 10:

1. Fujifilm X100VI
2. Nikon ZF
3. Sony α7R V
4. Fujifilm X-T5
5. Sony α7C II
6. Sony α7 IV
7. Nikon Z 8
8. Canon EOS R6 Mark II
9. OM OM-1II
10. Ricoh GR IIIx

(image courtesy Nikon)

As reported on Nikoneye.com Keiji Oishi – Former Department Manager of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit is now the CEO of RED:

Nikon Completes Acquisition of US Cinema Camera Manufacturer RED.com, LLC

Nikon Corporation (Nikon) hereby announces that as of April 8th, it has successfully acquired 100% of the outstanding membership interests of RED.com, LLC (RED), which offers revolutionary digital cinema cameras and award-winning technologies.

Upon RED becoming a wholly owned subsidiary, RED’s President Jarred Land became a close Advisor to the company, along with RED’s founder James Jannard. Keiji Oishi, of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit, assumed the role of CEO and Tommy Rios, Executive Vice President of RED, moved into the role of Co-CEO.

“Welcoming RED, a company that has been at the forefront of innovative technology, to the Nikon family is sure to expand the possibilities of imaging expression, and further delight the market with its innovation,” comments Hiroyuki Ikegami, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit. “Combining the best of both companies and working together to develop new, distinctive products, is our goal and for the brand to remain the choice for fans of Nikon and RED, and possibly reach out to an even wider audience.”

“I believe it is my mission as the representative of RED to develop the market in a way that will pay respect to the corporate cultures of RED and Nikon,” says RED CEO Keiji Oishi. “You can look forward to RED’s future product development which will aim to meet and exceed the expectations of cinematographers around the world.”

“We are the pioneer in digital cinematography, and the synergy with Nikon will only help us to continue to evolve,” says RED Co-CEO Tommy Rios. “We’ll continue to deliver cutting-edge technology that no one has ever seen before. We remain committed to working together with the RED dealers around the world.”

Newly appointed RED Advisor James Jannard comments, “It is a proud moment for me to see RED, a brand that I have nurtured with passion for over 20 years, gain the opportunity to achieve new heights with the help of Nikon, a company that I also love.”

RED Advisor Jarred Land shared his excitement, stating, “By joining the Nikon family, a company that is known for the advanced technology that it has been cultivated over many years, I am confident that RED will bring a new era to the professional digital cinema camera market. It is an honor to be a part of this new chapter.”

There will be no changes to RED’s current product lineup, partners, and relationship with the dealers. RED will continue to support its policies with warranties, repair services, customer services, and overall product support.

Nikon and RED will merge the strengths of both companies to develop distinctive products, while leveraging the business foundations and networks of both companies to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market.

Western Digital this week is previewing the industry’s first 4 TB SD card. The Sandisk 4TB SD card is being showcased at the NAB trade show for broadcasters and content creators and will be released commercially in 2025. No info about the pricing yet…