Nokia today announced in Barcelona a new effort to support Android developers through its new X line of smartphones. Not only do we have a new platform with Nokia's branding, but the company is also busy enhancing tools and services available for Windows Phone developers with a new version of the Imaging software development kit (SDK), adding Windows 8.1 support.
Version 1.1 of the SDK introduces new image editing features to both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.1 tablets and PCs. Developers can now take advantage of capabilities of the SDK to deliver "a converged Windows app experience across any Windows Phone 8 device." Essentially, Nokia is sharing a single codebase for both platforms.
While code will be shared between the two operating systems, the new SDK will also work regardless of the processor architecture, whether you're developing for hardware with x86 or ARM. Alongside some technical improvements, Nokia has also bundled some new filters and effects in 1.1:
- HDR effect – a new effect that can be applied to an image to create stunning and vibrant photorealistic color effects similar to HDR.
- Interactive Foreground Segmenter – a new filter API for picking the foreground/background from an image to be used as a mask. This is often used for background swap or for blurring the background with Bokeh.
- Lens Blur – a new effect, also known as Bokeh, which is a digital recreation of the familiar Bokeh effect often used in professional photography.
You can grab the new SDK from Nokia's developer website.
