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JPEG Standard Gets a Boost, Supports 12-Bit Color Depth and Lossless Compression

The JPEG standard made its debut in 1991 (publicly in 1992), and since then it's become the most widely used lossy compression format for digital images. Now, The Independent JPEG Group at the Leipzig Institute for Applied Informatics -- the folks responsible for defining the standard -- has released an all new version 9.1 of the software library that comes with some powerful new abilities.

How a 365 Project Changed My Life

Just over a year ago, photography was my most precious hobby. I really enjoyed it and took photos fairly often, but I felt that if I wanted to take this thing to the next level, I had to do something extraordinary. A couple of days before New Year's Eve I decided to start a "365 days 365 photos" project like so many other photographers before me. It felt like a great idea, and so I just went for it. What could possibly happen?

Captivating Slow Motion Macro Footage of a Match Head Catching Fire

When we shared photographer Adam Magyar's talk in which he describes the techniques he used to capture the mesmerizing photos and footage in his portfolio, he said 'everything looks cool in slow-motion.' And even though he's probably right, we would add an Orwellian addendum to that statement: 'but some things look cooler than others.'

That's the case with this macro footage of a match head lighting on fire, which was captured at 4,000fps by Emmy Award-winning cinematographer and founder of UltraSlo, Alan Teitel.

The Jaw-Dropping Photography of Storm Chaser Mike Hollingshead

You might not come out on top if you weigh the pros and cons of storm chasing, but there are definitely pros beyond feeling like a bada** and a deep fulfillment of your twin passions for meteorology and spiking your adrenaline. If you want proof of that, just check out the awe-inspiring photography of storm chaser Mike Hollingshead.

Lingerie Ads Aimed at Young Women Take a Stand Against Retouching

More compelling (at least for us) than the anti-Photoshop/retouching campaigns that have recently been going viral are the magazines and advertising campaigns that are backing these movements by actually taking excessive retouching out of the equation.

Magazines like Verily, who earlier this year explained their no-Photoshop policy, and ad campaigns like Aerie Real, a new campaign for the lingerie brand Aerie that is currently taking the Internet by storm.

London Then and Now Video Puts Identical Footage from 1927 and 2013 Side-by-Side

A couple of times last year, we had the chance to share with you amazing color film footage shot all the way back in the 1920s by filmmaker and cinematographer Claude Friese-Greene. His father had invented the bicolour technique of capturing color film, and using this technique Friese-Greene captured beautiful footage of 1920's Britain for his collection of films The Open Road.

The most famous of these films were shot in London, at the end of Friese-Greene's two-year roadtrip around Britain; and now, 86 years later, we can compare his footage with the same shots taken in present day thanks to filmmaker Simon Smith.

Creative Music Video Gives Lead Singer a Photoshop Makeover as She Sings

There are many videos and articles out there condemning the use of Photoshop to alter a model's body in unnatural ways. The practice is abhorred by most, and hardly a week goes by that another "Photoshop fail" or controversy doesn't arise (this week's featured photos of actress Lena Dunham taken by iconic portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz).

The most recent anti-Photoshop video making the rounds online, however, is a bit different. It's a music video that shows the lead singer being given a digital makeover as she sings the song.

Hasselblad to Launch ‘World’s First CMOS Sensor Medium Format Camera’ in March

Every announcement out of Hasselblad recently has had the model names Lunar or Stellar attached, and as such has been more mockery than announcement. We'll be honest... we're not really Hasselblad's target market where those cameras are concerned.

But Hassy has something new for us, and it's not a Sony dressed in Hasselblad clothing: it's 'the world's first 50MP medium format CMOS sensor camera.'

Long-Time Nikon Photographer Scott Kelby Explains Why He Switched to Canon

About six months ago, well-known photographer Scott Kelby switched from Nikon -- which he had shot for many years -- to Canon. The switch has caused a flurry of questions from the photo community, and so today, Kelby asked Canon Explorer of Light Rick Sammon to stay for a few minutes after they wrapped up an episode of The Grid to help him answer this question.

Tamron 150-600mm Telezoom Shootout

There’s been a lot of interest in the newly released Tamron 150-600mm f/5-6.3 SP Di VC USD lens. (For those wondering what the initials mean, VC means vibration control, the others all read ‘marketing drivel’.) But meaningless initials or not, with a price under $1,100, a superior range, and vibration control, this lens has created a lot of excitement.

Using LEGOs to Develop Your 35mm Film Automatically

Here's a really neat DIY idea for those of you who shoot and develop your own film, and also happen to love playing with LEGOs (that's everyone right?). Using LEGOs and a bit of ingenuity, Dutch photographer Jan van den Broek built a semi-automatic film processing rig.

New England at Night: An Interview with Bob Avakian

Bob Avakian and his wife Gail visited Martha’s Vineyard for the summer in 1973, and it has been home ever since. Trained in architecture, engineering and building, for years he has worked in the construction field as a custom homebuilder. After finding himself in management, removed from the satisfaction of hands-on involvement, he turned to photography as a means of self-expression.

As his photographic vision has evolved he has been drawn to the natural landscape and an exploration of night photography.

Creative Photos of Imaginary Inventions that Will ‘Save the Universe’

Photographer Jan Von Holleben specializes in imaginary awesomeness, creating scenes that whisk you away to a different place where random objects can be used to turn dreams into reality.

For his most recent project, however, he and his friends set about doing something even more difficult than bringing 'Dreams of Flying' to life: they're trying to save the universe... with imaginary machines, of course.

Creating Motion in Stills: How to Animate a Photo in Post (Part 2)

A couple of months ago, The Creators Project and post-processing guru Joe Fellows teamed up to show you how to turn stills into '2.5D' animated sequences. The tutorial was very popular on PetaPixel, but it left some with as many questions as answers, and so the duo are at it again, creating a part 2 that addresses the most common concerns.

Lightroom for iPad Leaks Momentarily on Adobe’s Site, Will Cost $100/Year

Back in May, Adobe Lightroom product manager Tom Hogarty appeared on the online show The Grid and gave the photo community a sneak peek at the powerful RAW editing capabilities of the tablet version of Lightroom the company is working on.

At the time, the app was very much in the 'alpha' stages, but it seems Adobe is finally primed to release the first version judging by the product references that accidentally appeared on the company's site earlier this week.

This Is, Quite Possibly, The Coolest Photo of Queen Elizabeth II Ever Taken

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery very recently unveiled a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II that might just rank as the most legend(wait for it)dary portrait of a monarch ever taken. It's titled, "Queen of Scots, Sovereign of The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of The Thistle and Chief of The Chiefs" and the name only partially does it justice.

How To: Photoshop Perspective Warp Tool Demonstrated Using Optimus Prime

The introduction of the new Perspective Warp tool (among other things) for Photoshop CC was met with a good deal of excitement by photographers. But if you haven't had a chance to play with it yourself, or you're still unsure exactly how it works from the intro video, the demo above should give you a much better idea of how to put the tool to use.

Interview with Photographer Dave Jordano About ‘Detroit: Unbroken Down’

Dave Jordano is an award-winning documentary photographer based in Chicago, IL. Jordano has exhibited widely and his work is in several private, corporate and museum collections, most notably The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

He published his first book titled “Articles of Faith” in April 2009 by The Center for American Places, Columbia College Press. His current project, Detroit: Unbroken Down, documents the cultural and societal identity of his hometown, Detroit.

A Rare Connection: My Photo Shoot with John Schneider

I recently got asked to shoot photos for a show called “The Haves and HaveNots” for the Oprah Winfrey Network. I’ve shot many shows in my career and I always enjoy these shoots because there are so many challenges involved.

Behold Lux: The 100% Do it Yourself, 3D-Printed Medium-Format Camera

"Do-it-yourself" can mean a lot of things, but for camera dweebs, it's usually entailed some degree of scavenging and recycling parts from factory-made cameras. Grad student and specialty camera builder Kevin Kadooka understands the ease and accessibility of the practice but doesn't think it's sustainable -- eventually we'll run out of old cameras to cannibalize.

Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari: More Than Just a Photo Shoot

For those close to me, you know how much Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident and subsequent critical condition has affected me. He is one of my heroes, and my family are of the many Ferrari tifosi (fans) that have cheered him on through the years. Like so many around the world we continue pray for his recovery in dark times.

When word came that his 1998 F1 car was in Scottsdale for an auction, I quit everything I was doing and started to call every contact I had that might be able to get me near the car. It meant too much, for I saw it as a way to show my respect to a legend that I have never met.

9 [More] Adventure Sports Photographers You Need to Check Out

In my last post, I said that Adventure Photography doesn't get much attention; however, based on all of your feedback and reactions it seems I may have been mistaken. Perhaps it's just quiet attention? Regardless, I wanted to go ahead and compile a second list because, as I said in the first post (and as many of you pointed out) there were clearly some people missing.

This happened for a number of reasons, the most common being limited communication due to shoot schedules. But now, with a little more time for people to respond, I've been able to rectify the problem and include a lot of the great photographers that got left out the first time. So without further ado, here are nine more adventure sports photographers you should check out.

DIY: Take Wireless Control of Your Canon DSLR Using a $30 Router and Android

The CamRanger has been a big hit with photographers, and if you have $300 to spend on a wireless controller for your DSLR then it is a phenomenal option. But if you don't want to spend that kind of money, own an Android device and don't mind hacking a bit of router firmware, you can actually get similar results using this DIY rig for less than $40 bucks!

Rolex Retouching Timelapse Demonstrates Astonishing Skill and Attention to Detail

Okay, we know you've asked for less time-lapses and we're doing our best to kick the habit, but this one couldn't be helped, and we're pretty sure you'll forgive us. It's not your standard stunning landscape time-lapse, this one shows the remarkable attention to detail and skill that goes into taking a great photograph of a Rolex watch, and making it phenomenal.

How ‘The Walking Dead’ is Just Like the Photography Industry

I didn’t want to like this show. Cross my heart, I didn’t.

Zombies? The undead? Not really my thing. I liked to think I was a little more cultured than that. Sure, I’ll eat Nutella straight from the jar but I DO use a spoon and I always heat up my Pop-Tart before eating it, which is a true sign of refinement.  So, I held out for the entire first season. I felt it to be just another apocalyptic zombie show like a gazillion that had come before it.

But then, while editing on a long winter’s night, I clicked on Netflix to occupy myself while I worked and there, in my “Suggestions for Cheri” list was none other than the AMC hit series,“The Walking Dead.”

Microscopic Sand Photography Reveals the Breathtaking Beauty Hiding at the Beach

Next time you're at the beach, forget about the sunset or the crashing waves or the light that's reflecting off of the water just so; if you want an amazing photo opportunity, all you have to do is look down at the stuff between your toes.

We're talking, of course, about sand. And if you're thinking that sand isn't exactly photogenic we have a feeling your opinions will change once you feast your eyes on what Dr. Gary Greenberg saw when he put sand grains under the microscope.

Adobe Adds Perspective Warp and Linked Smart Objects in Major Photoshop Update

One of the advantages to the Creative Cloud model is that those onboard don’t have to pay any extra when major upgrades come. No more updating to the newest creative suite because Adobe has added a tantalizing feature like Content Aware Move, the update will come your way and all you have to do is continue to make your monthly payment.

Such an update just went live this very moment, featuring a couple of exciting new features: Perspective Warp and Linked Smart Objects.