July 6 - 5:40pm EDT   Boris FX has released its Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX video effects package for Avid DS. The package consists of approximately 180 filters, including 30 new effects such as Pixel Fixel, DV Fixer, Swish Pan, Cartoon Look, Pencil Sketch, Charcoal Sketch, and Water Color effects. The plug-in also includes such OpenGL-accelerated effects as 3D Extruded Image Shatter, Damaged TV, Glint, Glare, Glitter, LED, Lens Flare, Lightning, Prism, Scanline, and Tile Mosaic. [full story]

June 17 - 7:10pm EDT   Noise Industries and Idustrial Revolution have launched a new particle generation plug-in, ParticleMetrix, for visual effects applications. The plug-in works with Apple's Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express and Motion, along with Adobe's After Effects CS3 and CS4. ParticleMetrix is based on FxFactory and converts objects and text into particle effects, such as snow, fire, ice, bubbles, sparkles and more. The plug-in provides a library of pre-designed effects, with controls for rotation, size, gravity and other custom settings. [full story]

June 8 - 12:00pm EDT   Electric Rain has released Swift 3D v6.0, an update to its 3D modeling plug-in for Adobe Flash. The latest version offers Boolean operations with non-destructive union, intersection and subtraction options. Rendering speed is claimed to have been improved by a factor of five, with optimizations for multiple-processor systems. Users can now export to PaperVision3D v2.0 to display 3D objects in Flash. [full story]

June 5 - 4:50pm EDT   Akvis has released SmartMask 2.5, an update to its image selection and masking plug-in. The latest version features enhanced eyedropper tools with greater flexibility, along with improved support for Photoshop CS3/CS4 on Mac systems. The company also added French and Porgugese localization options for the interface language. [full story]

June 2 - 8:50pm EDT   Anthropics has announced that an update to its image editing software, Portrait Professional 9, is available as both a standalone application and a Photoshop plug-in. The software allows users to airbrush photographs to correct undesirable skin appearance. Portrait Professional 9 utilizes the new ClearSkin technology and is claimed to be programed with a knowledge base of "human beauty," referenced to automatically fix pictures. [full story]

May 26 - 6:55pm EDT   onOne software has released PhotoTools 2 Lite, a free version of its plug-in for Photoshop that includes 14 photo effects taken from both the standard and professional editions. The effects can be applied to any image brought into Photoshop, with a before-and-after preview available from within the plug-in. Effects can be combined into a layered stack, while each stack can still be individually altered. [full story]

May 21 - 2:45pm EDT   E-on has released Ozone 4, an update to its atmospheric simulation plug-in for 3ds Max, Maya, XSI, Lightwave and Cinema4D. The software is built on the same algorithms and technology as Vue 7 xStream, but with a focus on atmospheres and skies. Users can choose from four atmospheric models -- spectral, volumetric, standard and environment mapping. Over 100 preset atmospheres and 100 cloud shapes are included with the package. [full story]

May 14 - 9:20pm EDT   CrumplePop has released Freemeo, an HD title effects plug-in for Final Cut Pro. Freemeo enables users to create high definition text elements and lower thirds in the same style as Vimeo videos. The plug-in works directly within Final Cut Pro, helping to keep users editing process centralized in one application. [full story]

April 13 - 7:10pm EDT   CoolIris has updated its plug-in that is designed to improve the way web browsers display pictures, video and other digital content. The new version offers enhanced support for Facebook galleries, new ease-of-use improvements and options to add metadata to photos and videos. For the first time, users can also display images stored on their hard drives. [full story]

October 22 - 6:30pm EDT   DontCrac[k] has announced new Nomad Factory British Series plug-ins for high-end audio sequencers and editors, such as ProTools, Cubase, Adobe's Audition and Apple's GarageBand. The two new plug-ins are a part of the new Nomad Factory Ultimate 26 Plug-ins Producer Pack, with a special promotion launching in November. The new British plug-ins, the MCL-2269 and NEQ-1972, offer emulations of the equalizers and master bus compressor/limiters found in "British" mixing consoles. [full story]

September 15 - 12:25pm EDT   AKVIS Software has released AKVIS LightShop 2.5, an update to its lighting-effects software which adds 64 new pre-made effects and adds plug-in versions for Mac Photoshop users. The software generates lighting visuals with full parameter control, and v2.5 adds new downloadable ready-to-use effects which allow users to quick-start a complex effect. [full story]

September 8 - 6:45pm EDT   XChange International has launched two XTensions for QuarkXPress 8, Xtags and DATAformXT. Both are now available for QuarkXPress 8 and also as plug-ins to Adobe InDesign. [full story]

September 3 - 6:50pm EDT   Visual effects plug-in maker GenArts has released an OpenFX version of its Sapphire Plug-ins, making them available to users of The Foundry's Nuke, Autodesk Toxik, Eyeon Fusion, FilmLight Baselight, Digital Vision FIlm Master and Assimilate Scratch. Sapphire Plug-ins are well-known in the post-production community, providing visual effects for Apple, Adobe and Avid creative software. The addition of OFX expands the market considerably. [full story]

August 14 - 5:15pm EDT   Mac users of Google SketchUp 5/6/Pro will now be able to use the SU Podium rendering plug-in, just released for Mac OS X. Podium for Mac will be identical to the Windows version except for the OS compatibility. Users of the Windows version are permitted to switch to the new Mac version for free using their original serial number. A full Light fixture library for Mac has also been released, including a total of 227 fixtures that can be added to any SketchUp scene. [full story]

August 14 - 11:10am EDT   Mister Retro has announced Permanent Press, a set of retro filters for Photoshop. The filters create a vintage look, providing offset-printing effects, letterpress effects, ink works and more. The filters process images, type and visual designs, the plug-in is customizable and settings can be saved to reproduce specific effects. Permanent Press requires Mac OS X 10.2.6 or higher, 256MB RAM (1GB RAM recommended) and works with Photoshop CS2 and CS 3, and Photoshop Elements 4.0 and higher. The plug-in is available now for $100. [full story]