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: ù 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. ù Kodak PhotoEdge image enhancement and correction software, which lets users do more advanced image correction and improvement. ù 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. ù 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. ù 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.]