October 31st is Halloween, and all Spyder3Pro users have a chance to win a Spyder3Elite Upgrade every day for an entire week, beginning on 31st of October until the 4th of November 2011 - all you need to do is to

How does it work?

During the Halloween week - from 31st of October until the 4th of November 2011 - Datacolor will publish 3 serial numbers every day, and is giving away 3 Spyder3Pro to Spyder3Elite Upgrades which will allow owners of a Spyder3Pro to improve the use of their sensors and to use all the features available in the Elite version. That's a value of more than 75 Euros.

What to do?

Frequent visits to the Facebook page pay off! Write down the serial numbers, download the Spyder3Elite software from our support area and activate it. Beware though: every serial number can only be used once - so you better be fast! ^*

Good luck and have a spooky Halloween!

^*  If you get an error message, the serial number has already been taken (each serial number can only be used once).
   So another fan was faster. But don't worry and try again the next day.

Improving Our Services and Support In Thailand

We're constantly trying to improve services and support for our customers everywhere. This month, for example, we held a 3-day training event for our resellers in Thailand, together with our local distributer Filtech International. The ten attending resellers not only received in-depth product training from our Technical Training Manager, Joey Pong; we also held a trouble shooting session with them to share and discuss any possible technical issues. Trainings like these enable our resellers to provide the great support and knowledge our customers expect from us in Thailand and throughout the world.

Color Management Workshop WIth Grace Photographic Club In Hong Kong

Together with Grace Photographic Club, one of the best known photography clubs in Hong Kong, and PhaseOne, we recently held a Color Management Workshop there. More than 80 participants made use of the opportunity to learn about the basic concepts of Color Management and were very interested to see our broad range of Spyder products in action. Using PhaseOne's IQ180 camera and the SpyderCheckr, we demonstrated what a fully professional color management workflow looks like. And some lucky winners were drawn that received a SpyderCube, a Spyder3Pro and a SpyderCheckr!

Datacolor Teaches Students At The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Photo Club

More than 60 members of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Photo Club attended a Color Management Workshop we held for them on the 25th of October, where students learned the basic principles of Color Management and how to use the Spyder. Due to the great interest from the students, we're already looking forward to an additional workshop, to give some of them an opportunity to learn how to master their entire color management workflow, from capturing the image, to viewing and editing it, up to the final step of printing.

Octoberfest 2011 In Suzhou With Datacolor

For eight years now, one of the yearly highlights in Suzhou has been the Oktoberfest! This year, the event - organized by Münchner Biergarten and DUSA - was held from the 12th to the 15th of October, and Datacolor was the official sponsor. We invited 40 members of China Photo Life from Shanghai on a photographic trip to Suzhou, to have a full day of shooting and getting to know SpyderCube and SpyderCheckr. And of course to celebrate Oktoberfest with us - over traditional German food, beer and music in our authentic beer tent on the lakeside of Jin Ji Hu! Plus: We've launched an online photo competition with China Photo Life; the winner will receive a free Spyder3Elite!

"Otherworldly" is a word that comes mind when viewing Jennifer Wu's photography. Many of the images taken by the 1968-born American artist feel nothing short of magical. A shot of a twisted and gnarly tree trunk against a starry night sky makes you want to reach out and stir the galaxy's gas clouds with your fingers. Looking at an image of a fog drenched forest, it's almost as if you wouldn't be surprised to find a fairy or an elf between the branches looking back at you. And when Jennifer sets out to capture the power and rawness of volcanic explosions close up, the results make you feel as if she had passed the gates of Mordor to get the shot.

Many of Jennifer's most fascinating shots were indeed taken in a place that might be considered by some as at least somewhat unreal: California. Jennifer's home in Sacramento servers her well as a base between her many adventures, which often take her and the participants of her workshops to some of the most beautiful corners of the state or sometimes the world. "My lifelong quest for capturing nature's elusive or even unrecognized beauty has pushed me to embark on ever more challenging adventures in California as wells as throughout the United States and abroad", says Jennifer. "I spend my time driving, flying and hiking to scout for those ideal locations and waiting for the wind, clouds, and light to all come together in a mystical way. The striking compositions share with you the story of the transitional world as a beautiful place often with magical moments when anything can happen."

More about Jennifer's work can be found on her website and on Friends With Vision.

This picture was taken in Rome, it shows the Aventine Hill that looms above the Tiber. Unfortunately the sky is quite bland in it. Digital imaging offers of course not only the possibilities to optimize photos in regards to brightness, color or sharpness; you can also combine elements from different sources. You always have to keep in mind though, that your image will loose its documental character that way. Manipulations like that range from a harmless use of the Stamp Tool to remove a fly, all the way to truly evil-minded fabrications.

To learn how to best replace a sky in a shot like this one, read our Photoshop Tip.