Today, Sigma released the latest version of their Photo Pro software, Photo Pro 5.5. If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because Sigma had mentioned that this update was coming (slated for Feb. ’13 release) back at CES 2012. Those familiar with Sigma’s cameras will be no stranger to the Photo Pro software as it is, and has been, the best software to get the most out of the Foveon sensor. Hit the jump for more information.
As you can probably tell by the change in version numbers from 5.4.1 to 5.5, Sigma did not perform a complete overhaul of Photo Pro. Instead, they fixed a few bugs and added something that will get black and white shooters hot and bothered, Monochrome Mode. This new mode, geared towards pure black and white post processing, is really the star of this software update.
Monochrome Mode is a new processing interface that adds several new functions including a channel-mixing palette and a grain palette. The channel-mixing palette gives users complete control over the red, green and blue channels while the grain palette lets users manage the strength and size of image grain (i.e. noise). As you may know, the Foveon sensor creates quite a bit of image noise above ISO 400; so this is the company’s way of embracing it.
With the success of dedicated black and white processing tools like Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro, it’s nice to see Sigma jumping into the ring to provide their loyal users with a solution that is designed to pull the best black and white image possible from their Foveon sensors.
Other updates/changes within Photo Pro 5.5 include:
- Design change for fringing reduction
- Updated adjustment settings: Selecting “Auto” chooses the appropriate preset value for the color mode (only compatible with the data of the SD1, SD1 Merrill, DP1 Merrill, DP2 Merrill, DP3 Merrill)
- Ensures TIFF files save completely
- Added Monochrome Mode interface (only compatible with the RAW data from SD1, SD1 Merrill, DP1 Merrill, DP2 Merrill, DP3 Merrill)
- Ensures color consistency on Macs when viewing X3 files in SPP compared to the same file in JPEG opened with the default Mac preview mode
- Ensures SPP reflects the data of the latest lenses on Windows
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