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Filed under: Design, Developer, Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Adobe, Microsoft

HD Photo support for Photoshop

photoshop hd supportWhats next for Microsoft? Well, at least one of its eyes is focused on the HD Photo format, once called Windows Media Photo. This is reportedly a better alternative to the standard JPEG format, and of course, it's built into Windows Vista. The new format features multiple color formats for display or print, high dynamic range image encoding, lossless compression, and efficient decoding for multiple resolutions.

Adobe has adopted the technology by enabling Photoshop to read and write images that are stored in Microsoft's HD Photo format. There is a plug-in download ready for Windows users on Microsoft's website. A PowerPC and Intel based Mac download will be ready in two weeks, and a final plug-in release is due for April. This new plug-in allows for Photoshop users to save raw images taken directly from a digital cameras image sensor, as an HD Photo image. This plug-in will work with CS2 and the upcoming CS3.

Microsoft has also announced that many companies will be adopting the raw uncompressed photo type format and digital cameras with HD capabilities are scheduled to arrive on shelves in 12-18 months.

Filed under: Developer, News, Windows, Microsoft

Vista fires warning shot at JPEG images

There are few file formats ubiquitous as JPEG (ASCII text comes to mind). It's almost universally compatible, available in every image handling application you could possibly want to use and, it works swimmingly well. Who could possibly want to change all that? Microsoft, that's who.

Last year Microsoft began promoting its Windows Media Photo format, recently renamed HD Photo (ostensibly to gain a little street cred from public familiarity with HDTV), as a "better" alternative to the standard JPEG. According to Microsoft's specification literature, HD Photo gives twice the quality compared to JPEG at similar file sizes. Vista includes built-in support for HD Photo and, Microsoft has been actively promoting HD Photo to camera manufacturers as a superior alternative to the aging JPEG specification.

Sounds great, where's the catch? Licensing. Patents surrounding JPEG have expired, meaning if you want to include JPEG support in your application, and be universally compatible with other applications supporting JPEG, you don't have to pay fees to any company or individual. HD Photo is a published standard, but it's owned by Microsoft lock, stock, and barrel. If you want your application to be compatible with cameras that use HD Photo, you'll need to sign a deal with the boys in Redmond, and pay the license fees they demand for the privilege. If widely adopted, HD Photo could spell big trouble for compatibility on Open Source platforms, or any platform Microsoft feels presents an undue competitive threat.

Update : HD Photo is licensed under the Open Specification Promise, under which Microsoft vows not to enforce its patent rights as long as developers conform to the specification. Thanks to Bob for straightening me out!

Filed under: Photo, Microsoft

Windows Media Photo: Microsoft's JPEG-killer?

Windows Media PhotoI just love making those "XYZ-killer" titles, though I suspect you readers tire of it. Anyhow, at Microsoft's WinHEC conference on Wednesday it showed off Windows Media Photo, a new file format intended to displace JPEG. Though the CNet article isn't especially specific, Microsoft had all kinds of good things to say about its new baby, including how it can achieve twice the compression at the same quality as JPEG. The sticking point, of course, is the licensing. Windows Media Photo was created by the same team that built Windows Media Video and Audio, which does not suggest very open licensing terms, but Microsoft's Bill Crow says, "the philosophy has been that licensing should not be a restriction" to its adoption. I'd love to see a new image format with superior features, but we learned our lession from JPEG and GIF's patent issues, so that better be one unrestrictive license if Microsoft wants WMP to go anywhere. At any rate, even in the best case it will be years before it sees any widespread adoption. If you like technical documentation, Microsoft has the file format specifications available on its web site, and Microsoft intends to release software for integrating WMP into hardware and software soon.

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