Sony Announces “Visual Story” A New iOS App For Professional Wedding & Event Photographers

Sony announced the new iOS App For Professional Wedding & Event Photographers (check it out here on iTunes).

Press release via Alphauniverse:

SAN DIEGO – December 1, 2020 – Today, Sony Electronics announced “Visual Story” – a new application for wedding and event photographers that simplifies gallery creation, cloud storage and web delivery 2.  Unique to Sony camera users and available for iOS, Visual Story offers professionals a solution to expand their business and increase overall client satisfaction by allowing them to immediately share their gallery with their friends and family via social media.

Visual Story Allows for Fast Editing and Instant Delivery of Curated, Edited Galleries for Clients

  • Free iOS app for wedding and event photographers
  • Automated image transfer from compatible Sony Alpha cameras to the Cloud
  • Immediately edit and deliver curated digital albums to clients
  • Utilizes AI and camera metadata to assist image selection and organization
Alpha-Universe-Visual-Story-Workflow-5.jpg

The new Visual Story app for iOS is free and gives photographers a streamlined workflow to upload images to the cloud and send to clients in real time.

“The voice of our customer is at the center of everything we do,” said Neal Manowitz, deputy president of Sony Imaging Products and Solutions Americas. “Today’s professional photographers constantly challenge themselves to deliver higher quality content faster than ever to their clients. Visual Story allows them to streamline their workflow, ultimately giving them the ability to edit, select and send photo galleries to their clients on the day of the ceremony or event. Sony continues developing innovative hardware and software solutions empowering content creators to capture, communicate and share in ways never before possible.”

A Professional Workflow Simplified

With Visual Story, photographers can now deliver a fully edited and curated photo gallery instantly, on site and on the day of the big event – eliminating days of work previously spent organizing and editing assets.  This is made possible by the connection of the app to a compatible Sony camera.  While the photographer is shooting, all images are automatically transferred from the camera to a connected smartphone or tablet, as well as Sony’s cloud service 3. Images are then automatically organized using Artificial Intelligence (AI), and can be sorted based on metadata, star ratings, shooting timeframe, focus position and more.

AI will also sort based on different types of images from the event, including cake and ring ceremony, speeches, first dances and others, automatically detecting if a subject’s eyes are closed in an image.  Additionally, when reviewing images shot with more than one camera, the photographer can also filter images by camera for added sorting options.

Alpha-Universe-Visual-Story-Workflow-6.jpg

Effortless Edits

Using Visual Story’s auto preset application, wedding photographers can automatically apply edit presets that they have created or fixed presets – significantly reducing time spent editing images. By simply registering an edit preset prior to shooting, users can apply that preset to all images saving time and effort all while maintaining a consistent look throughout the entire shoot. The application is also equipped with a variety of editing functions, from basic corrections such as exposure, white balance and contrast, to more advanced corrections such as hue, saturation and luminance.

Sharing Made Simple

Using cloud collaboration, images can be synchronized on multiple mobile devices for easy viewing. Visual Story also allows wedding photographers to automatically create an online gallery for their clients, which can be delivered instantly on site. This can be offered to their client as an additional service, or complimentary and included in their wedding or event package.

Ratings and selections made while creating a photo gallery can be downloaded as an XMP file, then transferred to another application on a PC to simplify the final delivery process. As a bonus, photographers can also embed a logo, their social media information and more, directly on the images within the photo gallery – making it easier than ever to brand and market their business, especially when their clients share the images on various social media platforms.

Visual story is perfect for a variety of events from weddings to parties and corporate events to family photos and more. It is ideal for any situation where many photos are taken that need to be delivered instantly. Visual Story will continue to evolve in these various applications, reflecting our customers’ needs.

Compatibility and Availability

Visual Story is available now for iOS in the Apple App Store for free and is compatible with select Sony cameras including: Alpha 7C, Alpha 7R IV, Alpha 7S III, Alpha 9, Alpha 9 II 1. Alpha 7 III will be supported in a future firmware update planned for Spring 2021.

Sony’s new Visual Story is available to download for free HERE, and development on additional platforms is under discussion.

Exclusive stories and exciting new content shot with Sony’s imaging products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, a site created to educate and inspire all fans and customers of Sony α – Alpha.

NOTES:

1. Please refer to the website for a full list of compatible models. Firmware must be updated on cameras to ensure compatibility.

2. Membership to “Visual Story” account and app on smartphone required with connection to Wi-Fi.  See “Visual Story” terms and conditions/privacy policy for details.

3. iPhone/iPad: iOS 13.0 -14.2.

About Sony Electronics Inc.

Sony Electronics is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America and an affiliate of Sony Corporation (Japan), one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world, with a portfolio that encompasses electronics, music, motion pictures, mobile, gaming, robotics and financial services. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Sony Electronics is a leader in electronics for the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and development, engineering, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Sony Electronics creates products that innovate and inspire generations, such as the award-winning Alpha Interchangeable Lens Cameras and revolutionary high-resolution audio products. Sony is also a leading manufacturer of end-to-end solutions from 4K professional broadcast and A/V equipment to industry leading 4K and 8K Ultra HD TVs. Visit http://www.sony.com/news for more information.

Sony Tidbits…


Tamron 70-180mm F2.8 [2021] Award Winning Lens | Hands-On Review

A Primer on Prime Lenses (Explora).
A Gift Guide for Street Photographers (Explora).
Tips For Purchasing Your Next Camera Bag (Explora).
28-60mm pancake zoom tested at Asobinet
Nisi S6 For Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 (Sony E)
First Week With The Sony a7SIII – Video Diary (a7s3) by Harv Video.
Wide Angle Adapter For the Sony ZV-1 | Best Point & Shoot Vlog setup? (Potato Jet).

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

We have our own Facebook camera groups and pages you can join to discuss the upcoming new cameras in detail:
Sony A9 group and Sony A9 page.
Sony A7rIV group and Sony A7rIV page
Sony A7sIII group and Sony A7sIII page
Sony A7III group and Sony A7III page
Note: In groups you can post your own stuff like images, news and questions. While on pages you will read the specific camera news from SAR.

Get award-winning photo editor Luminar 4 in this bundle of 12 Mac apps for $42

There are many Mac users in the photographic community. If you happen to be one of them, this holiday deal is definitely worth checking out. The Official Cyber Monday Mac Bundle offers 12 award-winning apps, including the highly rated photo editor, Luminar 4. SonyAlphaRumors readers can get the full line-up for $69.99, and with promo code CMSAVE40 they can all be yours for $41.99.

Named Outdoor Photographer’s Best Photo Software of 2019/20, Luminar 4 uses artificial intelligence to streamline the editing process.

Rather than making dozens of individual adjustments, you can improve your images using smart sliders and effects, such as Sky Replacement and Portrait Enhancer. In addition, you get full RAW processing and 70 one-click styles created by professional photographers. The app works both as a standalone, or as a plugin for other apps.

The other apps in the bundle are also very highly rated, covering a wide variety of tasks. Parallels Desktop Pro allows you to run Windows software inside macOS, while a lifetime Goose VPN subscription will keep your browsing secure. You can also keep track of your shoots in BusyCal 3, find and delete duplicate photos in Gemini 2, and easily sign contracts with PDFpen Pro 12.

The full line-up of 12 apps is worth $1,266, but you can get this bundle today for just $69.99, and for a limited time get it for just $41.99 with promo code CMSAVE40.

Sigma released new firmware updates for the MC-11 adapter and 16mm f/1.4 E-mount lens

MC11 Benefits of the update:
・It makes the converter compatible with the SIGMA 12-24mm F4 DG HSM | Art in Canon EF mount, that has the latest firmware Ver.2.01
・It makes the converter compatible with the SIGMA 24-35mm F2 DG HSM | Art in Canon EF mount, that has the latest firmware Ver.2.01
・It makes the converter compatible with the SIGMA 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art in Canon EF mount, that has the latest firmware Ver.2.03
・It makes the converter compatible with the SIGMA 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports in Canon EF mount, that has the latest firmware Ver.1.03
・It makes the converter compatible with the SIGMA 24mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art in Canon EF mount, that has the latest firmware Ver.2.02
・It makes the converter compatible with the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art in Canon EF mount, that has the latest firmware Ver.2.02

16mm f/1.4 E Benefits of the update:
・Improved operability during manual focus.

Sony Tidbits…


7Artisans 35mm f/0.95 Lens Review – Lab Testing, Real World, and Sample Video

Samyang 45mm f1.8 AF lens review by Hanna Saba.
Sony FX6: Any Reason Over A7S III? (Camera Conspiracies).
Manfrotto Introduces the 3-Axis Handheld Gimbal 460 (Explora).
Sigma 105mm macro review at ThePhoBlographer.
DpreviewTV: Best Smartphone Gimbal (DJI OM 4, Zhiyun Smooth XS, Moza Mini MX)
Sony a7C Update (TheDigitalDigest).
Japanese Fujiablog lists the recommended lenses for the Sony A6400.

Personal photos and tests from SAR Admin Andrea on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and 500px.

Join the new Sony Alpha Camera Facebook group.
To get news from our Forum subscribe that RSS feed.
I kindly invite you all to follow our RSS feed, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to not miss news and rumors

This week SAR readers photos selection


Paul Tan
Blue-tailed Bee-Eater season in Singapore begins!
a9+FE200-600mm+1.4TC/Handheld

1) You can submit one single picture per week only.
2) To submit your picture for the weekly readers roundup post you can choose one of the following three options:
Instagram: Follow @sonyalphagallery and tag us on your picture to give us the permission to repost your image on the instagram gallery and on SAR (we will credit you)
Facebook: Submit your picture on our group: facebook.com/groups/sonyalphacamera. Please add the hashtag “#sonyalphagallery ” to grant the permission for reposting on SAR. Without the hashtag we will not add your picture!
Forum: Submit your picture on the SonyAlphaForum image section and add the hashtag “#sonyalphagallery
3) Like and comment the pictures from other readers here: instagram.com/sonyalphagallery, facebook.com/groups/sonyalphacamera and on SonyAlphaForum.
4) A selection of most liked pictures by the community and by me SAR admin will be posted weekly on SAR.

Note: When sending a pic feel free to also add a link to your site to promote yourself! And please do share one single picture per week only. Do not spam :)

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