Afraid of missing out on the latest photo industry news while you’re out, well, actually taking pictures? Photography News of the Week is all the information you might have missed this week, published on the weekends. Alongside the biggest stories of the week, like Illustrator’s latest teaser and Luminar’s updated A.I. tool, find briefs on the latest in accessories and photography news from this week.
Could the upcoming iOS 13 simplify photo editing on the iPad?
The iPad is powerful enough that even Photoshop is expected out on the Apple tablet, yet the system isn’t without a few quirks. Apple may be working to solve one of them with iOS 13, expected to be announced in June. Anonymous sources recently told 9to5Mac that iOS 13 will have the ability to import images from an SD card or camera directly to an app. Currently, images need to be imported into Photos before adding to an app such as Lightroom.
If the feature is indeed coming to the next operating system, it could streamline the mobile editing process. One of the quirks of photo editing on the iPad is that users have to import photos twice, one to Photos, then once to Lightroom. Besides making the import process longer, the quirk means images potentially take up space in both the iCloud and Creative Cloud if not deleted.
Apple hasn’t confirmed the feature. The company is expected to launch iOS 13 during the Worldwide Developers Conference during the first week of June.
Zeiss promises images on par with medium format from a new full-frame lens
How much of a difference can a lens make? Zeiss says that the new Zeiss Otus 1.4/100 lens for Canon EF and Nikon F mounts creates image quality that’s “on par with those created using a medium format system.”
The lens is a 10mm f/1.4 full-frame lens that Zeiss says creates exceptional detail and bokeh, allowing the subject to stand out from the background. The lens is designed for minimum distortion and maximum quality, but it’s also a manual focus-only lens and retails for $4,500.
The lens joins a 55mm, 85mm, and 28mm in the same Otus series.
Instagram is so tired of the fake likes, it’s suing a company selling engagement
After taking several steps to remove the platforms selling fake likes and followers, Instagram has had enough. This week, parent company Facebook filed a U.S. lawsuit against one company and three individuals in New Zealand for violating the Terms of Use and Community guidelines.
Facebook says that the company continued to sell fake likes on Instagram even after Facebook revoked access to the social network and suspended the company’s accounts. The lawsuit also says that the company violated California laws against computer fraud and abuse.
“Inauthentic activity has no place on our platform,” wrote Facebook’s Jessica Romero, the director of platform enforcement and litigation. “That’s why we devote significant resources to detecting and stopping this behavior, including blocking the creation and use of fake accounts, and using machine learning technology to proactively find and remove inauthentic activity from Instagram.”
Vimeo Showcase allows creatives to design their own video site or even smart TV channel
Need to launch a video-heavy website such as a portfolio, or even a smart TV channel? Vimeo Showcase is a new feature that allows users to create custom webpages highlighting their videos. Vimeo says the tool is designed to help users create their look and style when showing off their videos, without paying for a separate website builder. Made for tasks like videography portfolios, marketing or establishing an online presence, the tool offers custom layouts as well as custom domain names and embeddable playlists.
Pro subscribers can also use Showcase to design their own channel for the Roku and Amazon Fire without learning code, Vimeo says.
Showcase replaces albums and mixes in some of the features from Vimeo portfolios. The company expects to expand the tool with more layouts, livestreaming, presets, and more in the future.
Polaroid launches special-edition instant camera and summer-inspired film
The Polaroid OneStep 2 has a new look. This week, Polaroid launched a special edition Polaroid OneStep 2 Summer Blue in color inspired by the summer sky. The new camera keeps the innards of the OneStep 2 instant film camera and gives the exterior a summer-inspired refresh.
Along with the special-edition camera, the company also launched Summer Haze and Summer Blues film, instant film that uses frames inspired by the sunset and the blues of the ocean. The camera retails for about $100, while the film sells for $17 for Summer Blues and $20 for Summer Haze.
