Product Enhancement: More Control in Creative Mode

Creative Mode now employs a simpler focusing method, putting the optimum focus precisely where you tap.

Previously, tapping the screen while in Creative Mode set the middle of the refocus range. Now, you’ll just tap the object in your composition that’s most interesting to you, and that’s what will be in focus.

The current zoom position, focus position, and relative distances are all automatically taken into account under this new approach to establish the refocus range for your picture. The goal is to simplify capturing great Creative Mode shots.

Want to try it out? Simply plug in your camera to your computer to update your camera’s firmware.

Give it a go then share your pictures or let us know what you think of the change by posting to the comments.

Lytro Hires New CEO

It’s an exciting day at Lytro – we have appointed a new fearless leader! Jason Rosenthal joins us as CEO, bringing with him a treasure trove of strong operations, product strategy and engineering expertise. Jason developed a passion for visual storytelling at an early age when he started making stop motion animation films with his Dad’s super 8 camera and spent hours trying to recreate the attack on the Death Star scene from Star Wars in his back yard. Later in life, he worked on some of the earliest immersive 3D attractions at industry pioneer Iwerks Entertainment. As a photography enthusiast himself and as an early customer of the Lytro camera, Jason will help Lytro continue marching down the path of revolutionizing photography.

Jason comes to Lytro with more than 20 years of experience at important companies that helped shape tech history. He’s held leadership positions at HP, Opsware (formerly Loudcloud), AOL and Netscape. He also served as CEO of social media pioneer Ning, which was acquired by Glam Media. Jason joins Lytro from Silver Lake, a global technology investment firm, where he was an Operating Executive.

We are excited about where Jason’s talents will take us…and the future of light field technology. And we extend our deepest thanks to Charles Chi, who served as our interim CEO during our search for Jason and who will stay deeply involved and remain on our board of directors, representing Greylock Partners. Our founder and former CEO Ren Ng, who has transitioned to Lytro’s executive chairman, continues to focus his energies on the product roadmap and helping us advance light field science.
Continue reading

See Disney’s Journey to Oz Balloon Tour in Living Pictures

Lytro has teamed up with Disney to celebrate its highly anticipated fantastical film Oz, The Great and Powerful, the prequel of the classic “Wizard of Oz” film.

We are joining Disney on a multi-city Journey to Oz Balloon Tour to bring Oz to life for the first time ever in light field pictures. The “Oz” hot-air balloon has started its tour around the country with Lytro photographers capturing the excitement of the balloon’s visit.

Check out interactive map on Disney’s official Facebook app to check out pictures from the following destinations:

  • Premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood
  • Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California
  • Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida (coming soon)
  • Central Park in New York City (coming after the balloon’s March 5th & 6th visit)

Fans who visit Disney’s Facebook app will also have an opportunity to unlock screenings in cities across the country. Vote by tweeting with the hashtag for your city (i.e. #DisneyOzSanFrancisco) or sharing your vote on Facebook. The movie premieres nationwide on March 8th

Use Your Gift Cards to Buy Lytro Cameras and Accessories

Lytro CamerasDid you receive gift cards so that you can choose the present you really want? Lucky you! Use your gift cards to buy Lytro cameras and accessories with free shipping from 12/26 through 1/5 at Amazon.com, Target.com, CityTarget stores, and Canada’s FutureShop. Best Buy offers Lytro cameras too.

It’s Here! See Your Pictures with Perspective Shift and Living Filters

The wait is over. The Perspective Shift and Living Filters update is now available for camera owners. After updating the Lytro Desktop Software, they will be able to share their own living pictures with Perspective Shift and Living Filters. When those pictures are shared, whether on Facebook, Twitter or via email, everyone can play with Perspective Shift and Living Filters, no special software needed.

We work with some amazing photographers who have had an advance opportunity to use these new features. Check out this video interview with Lytro Pro Shooter Trey Ratcliff, who runs the leading travel photography website, Stuck in Customs:

Perspective Shift and Living Filters Enhance Light Field Creativity

Today, we’re excited to share our newest breakthrough capabilities for light field creativity: Perspective Shift and Living Filters.

Perspective Shift allows Lytro photographers to interactively change the point of view in a picture after it has been taken. On a computer or mobile device, both the photographer and viewers can move the living picture in any direction; left, right, up, down and all around. When pictures with Perspective Shift are shared to the web, Facebook and Twitter, friends can experience Perspective Shift without needing any special software. Perspective Shift works on any light field pictures previously taken with a Lytro camera and with any new light field pictures.

“The new Perspective Shift from Lytro is fun and artistic! I’ve had a wonderful time running around with my Lytro camera to grab little scenes and bend them into this new way of seeing living photos. The idea that you can take any little scene and make it like interactive Matrix-bullet-time is really cool,” said Lytro Professional Shooter, Trey Ratcliff.

In addition to Perspective Shift, we’re also introducing Living Filters. These creative, interactive filters respond to every click of your mouse to show off your unique style and imagination. Living Filters lets you add drama, fun or artistic whimsy to your light field pictures – including pictures you’ve previously taken. Lytro photographers will be able to apply one of nine interactive filters, including Film Noir, Crayon, and Carnival, to their living pictures to change the look of the picture based on light field depth. Living Filters works on light field pictures you’ve previously taken with a Lytro camera and on any new ones you take. Learn more about the science inside Living Filters.

Both Perspective Shift and Living Filters will be available to camera owners starting on December 4th as a free Lytro Desktop update. Lytro cameras are on sale now for delivery before Thanksgiving with overnight shipping.

See more living pictures enhanced with Perspective Shift and Living Filters

Light Field Capture Makes Living Filters Interactive and Amazing

Living Filters lets you apply stunning interactive special effects to your living pictures. These are filters like you’ve never seen before – filters that were never before possible. Living Filters uses light field capture to react to every click of the computer mouse with a playful response that shows off your unique style and imagination. There are nine creative filters, including the Crayon filter shown on this picture, that let you add drama, whimsy or artistic flair to your pictures.

You’ve probably played with popular filter apps that apply one effect to the whole photograph. For example, a black and white filter makes the entire photo black and white, or the app may combine effects to vignette the edges and boost the brightness in the middle. The results are static: every viewer sees the same result and the filter’s effect never changes.

Lytro’s Living Filters feature is different – more immersive, more interactive, and more fun. When you play with a Living Filter, you change the way the picture looks. When you share your pictures online, you and your friends can play with Living Filters simply by clicking on your picture. When viewed on a mobile device, the filter responds either to the tap of your finger.

Living Filters changes a picture based on light field capture and user interactions such as focus point, object depth, center of perspective, and more. For example, the Crayon filter has the in-focus area in color and the out-of-focus area in black and white. As you refocus, the color and black and white areas move, smoothly transitioning between the in- and out-of-focus areas.

Living Filters works with all living pictures, including any that you have taken before December 4, when Living Filters becomes available as a free Lytro Desktop update. You can buy a Lytro camera now with overnight shipping for delivery before Thanksgiving.

If you’d like to know more about how Living Filters work as well as future possibilities, read our whitepaper about the science inside Light Field Living Filters.

Lytro Cameras are for Sale in Hong Kong

After our recent announcements of new manual controls and expanded distribution in the United States, Canada, Australia and Singapore, we’re excited to share more news. Starting today, the Lytro camera will be available in retail stores in Hong Kong and Macau. The camera retails for HK $3,888 for the 8GB Electric Blue and Graphite models, and HK $4,688 for 16GB Red Hot Lytro camera.

Please see below for a full list of Hong Kong retailers, or check our “Where to Buy” page for purchasing options in other countries.

We have already seen some creative living pictures of Hong Kong and look forward to seeing what others photographers can capture.

Retail Locations in Hong Kong:

  • A&A Audio & Video Centre Ltd.
  • City Super
  • Crown Digital World
  • DC Fever
  • Delon Photo & Hi-Fi Centre Ltd.
  • Dollar Studio
  • Earner Development Ltd.
  • Pro Source Trading Int’l Company

Retail Locations in Macau:

  • One Central Store

Singapore Retailers Sell Lytro Cameras

We continue to expand purchase options for the Lytro camera in more countries and at more retailers. Starting today, the Lytro camera will be available in retail stores in Singapore. The camera retails for SGD 648 for the 8GB Electric Blue and Graphite models, and SGD 778 for 16GB Red Hot Lytro camera.

Please see below for a full list of retailers in Singapore, or check our “Where to Buy” page for details on all current purchasing locations around the world.

We have already seen some creative living pictures of Singapore and look forward to seeing what other local photographers capture and share.

Retail Locations:

  • Challenger Store
  • EpiCentre @ 313@somerset
  • Parisilk Electronics & Computers
  • South Asia Computer
  • SONG Brothers
  • Sprint-Cass Duty-Free Shops at Singapore Changi International Airport, Terminals 2 and 3

New Manual Controls Expand Creative Capabilities

We’re celebrating the launch of three big changes for the Lytro camera: new manual controls, new colors and new accessories.

Manual Controls – Creative Tools for Lytro Photographers

With new, easy-to-use, and readily accessible manual controls, Lytro camera owners have more creative capabilities with light field photography. “Manual controls give Lytro photographers the opportunity to take control of the exposure in a scene,” said Eric Cheng, Lytro’s director of photography. “We introduced these features as a result of feedback from our most creative camera owners, who are capturing things like subjects in motion or experimenting with artistic styles like light painting. With manual controls, they now have more flexibility as they push the boundaries of the light field.” Check out these examples for inspiration.

The new controls are:

  • Shutter Speed- By manually controlling the shutter speed, Lytro photographers can keep the shutter open longer to capture living pictures in dark conditions. The maximum shutter speed is 8 seconds and the minimum is 1/250 second.
  • ISO Sensitivity – Controlling ISO gives Lytro photographers more ways to take creative living pictures in a variety of lighting conditions, from low-light concerts and restaurants to brightly lit soccer fields and amusement parks. The ISO range is 80 (min) to 3200 (max).
  • Neutral Density (ND) Filter – When in full manual mode, Lytro photographers can turn on the ND Filter to adjust the amount of light captured in extremely bright settings.
  • Auto Exposure (AE) Lock – Lytro photographers can lock the auto exposure while changing the composition of a picture in a scene.

These controls are included in all new camera purchases starting today. For existing Lytro camera owners, the free camera update begins rolling out today. To check for the update, just plug your Lytro camera into your computer.

New Colors and Accessories – More Choices to Customize Your Camera

In addition to introducing new creative tools, we’re also offering two new colors (U.S. only), Seaglass and Moxie Pink, and two new accessories, a Camera Case and Camera Sleeve.

  • The Lytro camera in Seaglass – Available starting today, exclusively on Lytro.com (8GB, $399);
  • The Lytro camera in Moxie Pink – Starting today, available exclusively at Target.com and in November at CityTarget stores (8GB, $399);
  • Camera Case – Made of technical, coated canvas and lined with soft microfiber, it holds a Lytro camera and includes a removable bucket to hold several camera accessories. Available on Lytro.com and at select retailers ($59.95);
  • Camera Sleeve – Meant for everday use, the camera sleeve is made of technical, coated canvas and soft microfiber. It includes a matching wrist strap. Available on Lytro.com and at select retailers ($29.95).