Google enables virtual tour creation via Street View or a smartphone
Google wants anyone to be able to create a virtual tour -- Google Tour Creator is an online program for creating virtual tours with multiple scenes. Anyone can use the program, using new images (like images from the Ricoh Theta V), Street View photos or, now, images shot in the Cardboard Camera app.
The sleek, wooden body of the Ondu III pinhole is as inspiring as the photos
We're not sure what looks better, the sample photos or the camera itself. The Ondu III is a new series of pinhole cameras covering sizes from 135mm to large format. Constructed largely from wood, the cameras incorporate several new features. The latest generation is the company's third Kickstarter.
This vintage-inspired instant camera only requires film and creativity
With a manual film dial, the Escura Instant 60s just needs Instax Mini film, no batteries required. The 60s vintage-inspired camera can also be paired with a matching flash. The camera comes from a Hong Kong-based company, with a Kickstarter campaign to get the camera from prototype to fully fledged instant camera.
TourBox is a one-handed Photoshop console designed to swiftly edit photos
Among a growing number of photo editing "keyboards," the TourBox is designed to use just one hand to leave the other on a mouse -- or graphics tablet. Designed to work with Lightroom, Photoshop and several others, the TourBox is a smaller take on physical controls for photo editing and graphic design.
Organic sensors jump out of the lab and into Panasonic’s upcoming 8K camera
Organic sensors are now making their way out of research labs and into actual cameras. Panasonic recently announced an 8K video camera that uses an organic sensor with a global shutter for a wider range of light and color with less distortion. The camera will arrive next year.
LinkedIn gets serious about video with Vimeo integration
LinkedIn is gaining new video options, thanks to an integration with Vimeo. The new agreement allows for native uploads with further reaching, along with bringing tools like video analytics. The agreement is LinkedIn's first end-to-end video integration tool.
Trigger live-action animations in Twitch with new tool coming from Adobe
Why use Bits for your favorite Twitch streamers when you can use Bits and trigger an action in the live stream? Adobe is developing an extension for Twitch using Character Animator that will allow viewers to trigger an action within the animation using Bits. The extension is currently under development.
Photography News: Filter your drone; outfit a Sony with its smallest ultrawide
Flying one of DJI's latest drones? Tiffen now makes filters to enhance the quality or flexibility of those on-board cameras. Venus Optics also announced the smallest in class ultrawide angle zoom for Sony E Mount. New Wine Country filters and Nikon Z7 accessories all in this week's photography news.
Jam to your News Feed, Stories, and profile with Facebook’s new music beat
Turn up the volume -- Facebook now allows users to add music to Stories, and soon, the News Feed. Along with a sticker for adding music to photos and video, Facebook is also adding profile music and expanding a tool for lip-syncing to a live audience. The new Facebook music tools follow several record label deals.
These flights are most likely to leave you stuck in an airport for the holidays
Traveling for the holidays? AirHelp's new study looks at the best times to fly, the best times to book, and the flights most likely to experience delays. The busiest travel days vary by airport, but a look at the study can help passengers avoid the busiest travel days over the holidays.
The Leica M10-D is a reincarnated classic ‘film’ camera with digital guts
Can you tell this camera's not film? That's the idea behind the Leica M10-D, which even goes as far as including a fake film advance lever. The screen-free camera is designed to help photographers focus on the images instead of the camera, all without losing the perks of digital cameras.
How to photograph the moon
The night sky is among the most inspiring scenes to capture -- but it's also one of the most difficult. With a tripod, the right exposure settings and a bit of manual focusing, however, you can capture sharp shots of the moon. Here's how to photograph the moon, where you just want to capture a phase of the moon or a lunar event.
With a real rangefinder, Pixii brings film favorites to digital in odd mash-up
The rangefinder is back -- and in digital. The Pixii is a digital rangefinder camera that uses M-Mount lenses. Made by a startup of the same name, the Pixii is a manual focus camera without a back LCD screen, and instead sends digital images right to a smartphone for "development."
Which landmarks are searched for most by creatives? This list has some surprises
What popular landmark video and images are creatives looking for most? A recent study by StoryBlocks analyzed search trends to dig up the most requested landmarks on the stock platform. While some are expected, other results are a bit surprising -- like the major city that didn't breach the top 10.
Photography News: A ‘bombproof’ camera bag, Nikon D850 gets firmware fix
Mountainsmith calls its latest photography backpack designed with photographer Chris Burkard "bombproof." Nikon has launched a new firmware update for the D850 that fixes a rare bug. Snapchat's camera can now recognize cats. The news and more in this week's Photography News.
Some major Facebook investors want to oust Zuckerberg after scandals
After multiple scandals and a falling stock price, some Facebook investors are proposing founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg leave his position as chairman. The group says making the position independent would remove Zuckerberg's "unchecked corporate power." A similar proposal was turned down last year.
Adobe’s craziest new tools animate photos, convert recordings to music in a click
Software giant Adobe shared a glimpse behind the scenes at what's next -- and the Creative Cloud future is filled with crazy A.I.-powered tools, moving stills, turning your voice into an instrument, watching an animation react to real-time tweets, and quickly masking a video. Here are the sneak peeks from Adobe Max 2018.
This gadget lets you sleep on airplanes without snuggling a stranger
Odd gadget, or a hug for your face? The Napup Fly+ is a travel pillow, sleep mask, and personal speaker system all rolled into one. The ergonomic support attaches to the back of the headrest and holds your head up, so you don't wind up sleeping on the shoulder of the passenger next to you.
Like a pocketable personal stylist, Pinterest overhauls shopping tools
Pinterest shopping just got a bit better with a trio of updates now rolling out to Pinterest. The first replaces Buyable Pins with Product Pins for more features, including knowing whether or not a product is actually in stock. Shopping shortcuts and recommendations are also rolling out now with the update.
You can finally throw away your PC; Photoshop is coming to the iPad
Photoshop will soon be headed to tablets -- as a full version with the same capabilities, Adobe shared during Adobe Max 2018. From a new Content-Aware Fill to finally no longer having to hold the shift key while resizing layers, here's what's new in Photoshop, Lightroom CC, and Lightroom Classic CC.
Sony crammed 28x zoom, 4K into a $450 camera that weighs as much as a smartphone
The Sony HX99 is a tiny compact camera that mixes 4K and fast burst speeds with a 28x optical zoom. The travel zoom camera upgrades the processor over the earlier model for better video and super-long-burst captures. Sony still managed to fit a touchscreen and electronic viewfinder on the small camera body.
Adobe’s Premiere Rush is a video-editing app designed for social media projects
During Adobe Max 2018, Adobe unveiled updates across the board for all Creative Cloud apps. From an entirely new app for digital drawing and painting to Photoshop for iPad, Adobe is focusing on mobility and artificial intelligence for the latest round of updates to Adobe Creative Cloud.
Photography News: Raw edits on iPad and an A.I. research lab for PicsArt
In this week's photography news, Canon launched an iPad app that allows for RAW edits on the go. Popular mobile editing app PicsArt now has a research lab dedicated entirely to A.I.-powered tools. The news along with a unique darkroom Kickstarter and Google Photos Update here.
Mirrorless vs. DSLR: How do these competing camera systems stack up?
DSLRs may be the longstanding champs, but mirrorless cameras are much easier to tote around. As mirrorless cameras grow up, the difference between mirrorless vs. DSLRs is narrower than ever before -- so what do you need to know before picking a side? We break it down to each feature.
3D Facebook photos jump out of the newsfeed, no glasses needed
You're not seeing things -- that photo in your Facebook newsfeed is 3D. Launching today, 3D Facebook Photos use the depth maps from dual-lens smartphones to add dimension to an image as you move your phone. The effect is an image that pops as you scroll, without any specialty gear (unless you want to use your Oculus).
Luminar (re)touches the sky with a simple A.I.-powered slider
Tired of making complex masks to bring out the sky in a photograph? A.I. can do some of that enhancement for you with a new A.I. Sky Enhancer inside Skylum Luminar. The tool uses A.I. to apply the adjustment to only the sky. The tool continues an A.I. focus for the photo editing software company.
Incredible images reveal the eye of a weevil and other microscopic wonders
Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not stunning. The winners of the 2018 Nikon Small World competition are a mix of both science and art. The winning entry captures the eye of a weevil and the jewelry-like scales surrounding the eye. Ninety-five images in total were recognized in the contest.
This battery-free ‘printer’ turns your smartphone pics into film
A mobile printer that doesn't require batteries? The Hola Printer is an oddly cool "printer" that snaps an instant film photo of your smartphone screen to convert your favorite shots into prints to hold. With a mechanical design, the Holga Printer doesn't require batteries either. The project launched on Kickstarter today.
Apple acquisition points to possibility of easy background removal in photos
According to a Danish newspaper, Apple now owns a company that uses machine learning to remove or replace the background on photos and videos. Spektral, a company originally working with green screen technology, now says they are working to bring the A.I. background removal to smartphones.
Google is revolutionizing smartphone photos with computing, not lenses
The latest Google Pixel 3 is here -- and with it, a slew of new features. But the most intriguing features on the Google Pixel 3 camera aren't the actual camera or lens itself, but the A.I. So can machine learning help smartphones ditch crappy zoom, poor low-light images, and even missed shots?
Snapchat is using VR to let you step inside its new original shows
Tuning in to your favorite shows not enough? Snap Originals will allow viewers to set into a virtual set. The new exclusive shows debut today with three different shows. Snap Originals are vertical, short, and exclusive to the platform. Oh, and they can come with their own Lenses, too.
Bitplay’s unique mount brings new lenses, filters to Android and iPhone
Bitplay's lens lineup is now accessible to both iPhone and Android photographers, thanks to a unique lens clip design called AllClip. The new mount launches alongside a new 3x macro lens. Two new filters, a star filter and a graduated neutral density filter, also launched recently.
Photography News: Luminar teases Libraries, Sony develops polarized sensor
In this week's photography news, Skylum is continuing a series of teasers sharing insight in its upcoming Library mode for the RAW editor Luminar. Sony's latest sensor has a polarizer built right in (and a global shutter, too) while Tamron says its lens aren't all compatible with the Nikon Z adapter.
Snap a photo to follow a new friend on Instagram with its Nametags tool
Skip the typing and search bar -- Instagram now lets you add friends using the in-app camera. Nametags are scannable graphics that lead straight to your Instagram profile. The network is also testing a new tool designed to help college students connect with other students and alumni with new profile options.
Facebook tries to put Nearby Friends location-sharing feature back on the map
Facebook's location-sharing tool Nearby Freinds could be going back to a map view. Facebook recently confirmed a test that revamps the tool designed to help users connect offline with nearby friends. The location-sharing tool requires opting in and turning location services on for the Facebook app.
With Premiere Elements’ new A.I. editor, you may finally finish that video project
Continuing a trend of artificial intelligence enhancements, Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements will now create entire slideshows and collages for you when you open the program. Both entry-level programs also include speed enhancements and support for new file formats in macOS.
Instagram hacked? Here’s how to get your account back
Instagrammers are reporting a new hack that changes the email address associated with your account -- so how do you get back into a hacked Instagram account? Here's what to do if your Instagram is hacked and how to keep your account secure from future hacks.
Pinterest’s ‘More Ideas’ tab suggests new notions based on your old ones
Searching for something, but don't have an exact keyword? Pinterest will now make suggestions based on what's already on your Board. The new tab allows users to explore more related ideas to add to the board. The update also brings suggested section tools to use.