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1992-11-16
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KODAK EXPANDS USE OF DIGITAL PHOTOS
WITH NEW SOFTWARE FAMILY
Family of Photo CD-Related Software Products
Promises to Kick Off an Image Revolution at the Desktop
NEW YORK, Aug. 25_In 1990, Eastman Kodak Company announced the
Kodak Photo CD system, with technology the company said would
change the way people look at and use pictures. Today, having
delivered on that promise ahead of schedule, Kodak has introduced
a family of imaging software products that promises to
revolutionize the way computer users work with pictures.
From a simple access tool to an ultrasophisticated image
database, the new software family includes:
∙ Kodak Photo CD Access software, launched earlier this
month at MacWorld Expo, which gives DOS/Windows and
Macintosh operating system users the ability to read and
save Photo CD images.
∙ Kodak PhotoEdge image enhancement and correction
software, which lets users do more advanced image correction
and improvement.
∙ Kodak Browser software, a basic image database package
that allows easy key word search and retrieval. This
product is only available on Kodak's new Photo CD Catalog
disc. It comes on every Kodak Photo CD Catalog disc.
∙ Kodak Shoebox image search and retrieval database
software expands on the capabilities of Kodak Browser
software, offering more powerful database functions to
people who need to search through large numbers of stored
images.
∙ Kodak Renaissance design software, an intuitive page
layout package that has been upgraded to allow direct input
of Photo CD images.
The members of Kodak's new imaging software family employ user
interfaces that are designed to be simple. The Kodak Shoebox and
Browser software interfaces are nearly identical and provide a
seamless transition to the newly announced Kodak Picture Exchange
and the Kodak Professional Photo CD Image Library system as well
(see related news releases in this press kit). Kodak Photo CD
Access and PhotoEdge software also share a common user interface.
All this means that people who learn one of these applications
will have an easy time moving to another product in the same
software family, because they use similar commands with a common
look and feel.
"Since its introduction, the Photo CD disc has caught the
attention and imagination of the computer industry," explained
Georgia L. McCabe, worldwide manager, Commercial CD, in Kodak's
CD Imaging unit. "That's because the Photo CD system finally
answers the long-standing need for high-resolution images that
can be worked with at the desktop.
"With the products we're announcing today, we're pointing the
way toward widespread use of Photo CD images by the full range of
computer users," McCabe said, "from those who just want to
display pictures on their screens to 'power publishers' who need
to edit and organize images in large numbers."
Kodak designed its application software products to extend
desktop imaging by targeting new opportunities created by the
increased use of images through technologies such as Kodak's
Photo CD system. "Kodak's new imaging software family will bring
high-quality, low-cost photographic images to the computer
desktop, contributing to the growth of the imaging market,"
McCabe added.
Intuitive, Easy-to-Use Interface
All five software packages are designed to have the same
intuitive feel that characterizes applications running in the
Apple Macintosh environment. To make their selections, users
point to icons. Pull-down menus make commands easily accessible.
Kodak Photo CD Access software is a low-cost tool that's
designed for occasional users of Photo CD images and for those
who want to import Photo CD images to current applications (such
as Adobe PhotoShop or Aldus PhotoStyler software). With Kodak
Photo CD Access software, users can read and display Photo CD
images and can perform basic functions such as cropping, zooming,
and image rotation.
The software also acts as a bridge, allowing users to carry
their digital images into other applications for page layout,
image enhancement, and other uses. Kodak Photo CD Access
software supports PICT, TIFF, EPS, and other popular image file
formats.
The software is available now in both Macintosh and Windows
3.x versions. It is being sold direct from Kodak for $39.95.
Future plans call for the software to be bundled with CD-ROM
drives and third-party software packages.
Kodak PhotoEdge software is designed to meet the needs of the
business user who is just beginning to work with images at the
desktop. Like Kodak Photo CD Access software, PhotoEdge software
lets a user zoom, crop, rotate, and flip Photo CD images. It
supports the same image file formats as Kodak Photo CD Access
software.
In addition, Kodak PhotoEdge software makes it possible to
correct unsharp pictures, under- or overexposures, and adjust
contrast, color, soft focus, and sharpness.
"The features that we've built into Kodak PhotoEdge software
will be especially useful for people creating their own business
presentations, newsletters, and similar materials," McCabe
explained. "Amateur photographers who want to improve their
pictures on a home computer also will find a lot to like about
Kodak PhotoEdge software."
McCabe noted that "for pixel-level editing that can add a
highlight to the bumper of a '66 Mustang or remove a light pole
from the background, users will want a higher-end image-editing
package, such as Adobe PhotoShop software."
Kodak PhotoEdge software will be available next month in both
Macintosh and Windows formats. It will retail for $139.
Kodak Shoebox software helps automate the storage and
retrieval of images for anyone maintaining a Photo CD image
archive. Using Kodak Shoebox software, users store
lower-resolution thumbnail images in a database that resides on
their computer hard drive or similar media. Because of their
relatively small file size, these images can be searched very
rapidly using key words.
For example, a designer sitting at a workstation could enter
the words "football," "autumn," and "college" to locate
thumbnails of homecoming games. Users can also browse through
thumbnails in a Kodak Shoebox database.
Double-clicking on a thumbnail tells the software to retrieve
the corresponding high-resolution image file from the proper
Photo CD disc. (If the right disc isn't mounted in the CD-ROM XA
drive, the software will prompt the user, identifying which disc
to load.)
The resulting images can be viewed in color or grayscale and
in a variety of sizes and resolutions. They can also be framed
on the screen, cropped, or incorporated into an on-screen "slide
show."
The images can be exported as PICT or TIFF files to other
applications. Kodak Shoebox software also supports Apple's
QuickTime system software extension.
Future versions of Kodak Shoebox software will allow users the
option of linking to the Kodak Picture Exchange to enable
searches of its vast image database. In 1993, when Kodak Picture
Exchange services become available throughout the United States,
a version of Kodak Shoebox software will enable direct interface
with Kodak Picture Exchange, making image search and retrieval a
simple, consistent process for users of Kodak imaging software.
Shoebox software will be available in Macintosh and Windows
3.x formats later this year. The retail price is $399.
Kodak Browser software, a scaled-down version of Shoebox
software, will be contained on every Kodak Photo CD Catalog disc.
It's designed to give the casual user key word access to images
from the moment the disc is inserted into a Photo CD-compatible
CD-ROM XA drive.
Created to work the way graphic designers think, Kodak
Renaissance software is a page layout package newly equipped with
Photo CD capability. The software allows text, graphics, and
images to be merged easily into comprehensive layouts, while it
promotes creativity and experimentation on the part of the
designer.
"Renaissance software has been developed as a way for
designers to harness the power of their imaginations," explained
McCabe, "and the availability of Photo CD images gives them
another creative element to work with. Kodak Renaissance
software is the ideal brainstorming complement to other page
layout applications, such as Aldus PageMaker, Quark Xpress, and
Adobe Illustrator."
Kodak Renaissance software that is Photo CD-compatible will be
available for the Macintosh platform beginning next month. The
retail price is $695.
For more information about any of Kodak's software products,
users may call the Kodak Information Center at 1-800-242-2424,
ext. 53.
###
[Note: Kodak, Kodak Browser, PhotoEdge, Renaissance, Shoebox are
trademarks.]