WinZip 12 introduces lossless JPEG compression

24MP pics from Sony's next Alpha DSLR will benefit from WinZip compression
24MP pics from Sony's next Alpha DSLR will benefit from WinZip compression

As digital camera resolutions continue to accelerate skyward (Sony's 24MP Alpha 900 will be the sharp-shooting star of this year's Photokina show), Corel's latest version of WinZip has some features to help you keep your photo library under control.

First up in WinZip 12 ($30, £17) is the addition of lossless JPEG compression, an industry first that will reduce files by between 20-25 per cent in size, without affecting the quality or file integrity.

Zip it

Of course, few of us are going to use the feature if it's too much hassle, so WinZip 12 Pro ($50, £28) also introduces a Zip from Camera feature, where your images are automatically Zipped up while downloading from your snapper.

It will even auto-rotate pictures from cameras with orientation metadata tags, and allows you to rotate, resize or view images directly from Zipped files.

There are a bunch of other new features, including support for the highly-efficient LZMA compression technology and a Smart View option that makes it easier to explore the contents of Zipped folders. Pro users get expanded encryption and password management functions.

WinZip is available for download right now at www.winzip.com, where existing users will save 50 per cent on the prices above.

Mark Harris is Senior Research Director at Gartner.