Adobe develops 3D camera technology

At a recent event in France, Adobe showcased a prototype 3D lens that could essentially capture a scene from 19 slightly different angles simultaneously, giving photographers a lot more to work with when they return home for post-processing. Essentially, the firm boasted that by using this lens along with software designed to understand the 3D nature of the image, individuals could utilize newfangled tools such as a "3D healing brush" and make perspective shifts based on the different viewpoints originally captured. Dave Story, vice president of digital imaging product development at Adobe, called the technology "computational photography," and suggested that it could open up an entirely new window of image transformation opportunities. As always, these type things are better explained in motion, so be sure and hit the read link to check out the video.

TG Daily - AMD promises huge speed gains with new graphics driver package 

 

Markham (ON) – AMD has released Catalyst 7.10 yesterday, which, according to the company, will speed up the gaming performance of some its graphics card configurations by up to 80%. HD 2400 and HD 2600 cards get Crossfire support.

If you are unhappy with your ATI graphics card and the performance delivers in recently released games, there’s a good chance that the manufacturer’s latest driver update may fix this issue. Performance increases for certain games are what we are expecting by now from driver updates, but version 7.10 certainly is a standout.
AMD said that 70% DX10 speed gains can be seen in Crossfire HD 2000 configurations for BioShock and 14-67% for World in Conflict. Single HD 2600 and 2900 cards will be able to return about 20% more performance under World of Conflict.
The entire HD 2000 series will see “at least” 70% more speed under DX9 in World of Conflict, according to the manufacturer.
Other games that see improvements are Lost Planet (+20% in DX10 for HD 2000 Crossfire); Call of Juarez (+42% in DX10 on HD 2000 Crossfire, +34% on single cards); Company of Heroes (+80% in DX10 on Crossfire HD2000, 31% on single cards); Battlefield 2142 (5-23% on Crossfire HD 2400, 2600, X1300, X1550), Call of Duty (+7% on Crossfire/single card HD 2400 and 2600 systems); Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (+23% on X1000, HD 2000); FEAR (+16% on Crossfire X1950 XTX, X1650 XT, HD 2400, X1300/X1550) and Supreme Commander (+30% on HD 2000, X1000; at least 82% on Crossfire X1650, X1300/X1555).  
The new driver also comes with a few new features such as adaptive anti-aliasing for X1000 cards as well as Crossfire support for HD 2400 and H2600 cards.
The driver can be downloaded from AMD's website.

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TG Daily - AMD promises huge speed gains with new graphics driver package

 

ESSENCE: The Face is the first book in the new 'Creative ESSENCE Series'. Designed for artists with a mid-to-advanced understanding of 3D character creation, the book starts with the photo shoot of model Monika and draws on the methods of six professionals to create a digital model from beginning to end.
Working as a team each artist develops a piece of the 3D character puzzle to show you how lifelike characters are created in a production environment. The Face encompasses reference photography, modeling, UV mapping, texturing and rendering to create a digital double that would be at home in a next-gen game or HD movie.

Ballistic Publishing: Essence - The Face

 

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Okemos, MI , October 11, 2007) TechSmith Corp., the world's leading provider of screen capture and recording solutions, today announced the availability of Camtasia Studio 5 which dramatically simplifies the creation and distribution of screencasts.
Now business professionals with no programming or multimedia expertise can create engaging demonstrations, rich marketing content, PowerPoint-based video presentations and interactive training in minutes.
A one-minute overview screencast of Camtasia Studio 5 can be viewed here: http://www.techsmith.com/cs5overview
“From the concept stage to final animation, Camtasia Studio 5 gives me everything I need to bring my digital drawings to life,” said Jason Ryan, supervising animator at DreamWorks Animation. “Compared to earlier versions, this new release has really been simplified so I can just focus on my presentation and not worry about the technical side. Camtasia gives me everything I need to record, edit and produce professional screencasts.”
“Every organization I’ve met has expertise and information they need to share,” said Troy Stein, Camtasia Studio product manager at TechSmith. “With Camtasia Studio 5, anyone can record what they know and share it in video format. Camtasia Studio users, whether they’re in the sales, marketing, training or the support department, get to shine like a rock star within their organizations because what they create helps make everyone more productive and helps to improve the bottom line.”
Camtasia Studio automatically records exactly what a user sees on a computer screen, what they say, and how they interact with any Windows-based application or website. Individuals can then edit the interactive content and share it online in all popular streaming media formats including Flash (SWF, FLV), fixed media such as CD or DVD, or portable media players such as the Apple iPod.
In addition to the many user experience, stability enhancements and added transitions, some of the new features in Camtasia Studio 5 include:

• Camtasia SmartFocus™ -- enables users to create smooth automatic zoom-n-pan action with a single mouse click to focus the viewer’s attention on important points of interest and to provide visual clarity when delivering screencasts inside small playback windows like blogs, on YouTube or via the Apple iPod. See the Camtasia SmartFocus screencast at: http://www.techsmith.com/cs5smartfocus
• TechSmith ExpressShow™ -- is a sleek staging and playback format for Camtasia Studio screencasts that gives the viewer user-friendly controls and puts maximum emphasis on the content while taking up minimal screen real estate. Customers can also apply their own corporate branding.
• Snap-to-App -- automatically places applications, dialogue boxes and the cursor in the right recording position at the right time so action is smooth, editing time is reduced, and the presentation is clear and professional. See the Snap-to-App screencast for the new recorder at: http://www.techsmith.com/cs5recorder
• New Screencast.com, blog, and FTP preset outputs that allow users to easily share content quickly online.
  Camtasia Studio 5 is integrated with the new Screencast.com service, which is currently in open beta testing. The integration between Camtasia Studio 5 and Screencast.com facilitates fast and easy video sharing. Unlike other online video hosting services, Screencast.com retains the original quality, size, and professionalism of the uploaded screencast.

System Requirements and Availability
Camtasia Studio 5 supports Microsoft Windows XP and Vista with DirectX 9.0 or later. Additional digital video formats can be imported, including AVI, MPEG, MPG, and WMV. Web cameras and microphones for capturing audio and video are available for purchase separately. Camtasia Studio 5 has a suggested retail price of $299 with a 30-day free trial. A free, 60-day account for Screencast.com is also available. The software and recommended hardware can be purchased at http://www.techsmith.com .
About TechSmith
Founded in 1987, TechSmith is the world’s leading provider of screen capture and recording software for individual and professional use. TechSmith’s products, SnagIt and Camtasia Studio, are used to capture content from computer screens to help the user communicate more clearly, create engaging presentations for diverse audiences, and analyse product usability and customer experience. The company is headquartered in Michigan and TechSmith products are available in five languages through a global distribution network of resellers in more than 30 countries

 

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