News

Eastman Kodak Company has introduced the new DIGITAL GEM Professional Plug-In, which enables users to dramatically reduce both visual noise and film grain in their digital images without excessive softening. This new, professional plug-in has the same basic features and functionality as the award-winning DIGITAL GEM Plug-In, plus it offers 16 bit support, more control and improved results for automatic noise and grain reduction.

In conjunction with the release of the new DIGITAL GEM Professional Plug-In, the original DIGITAL GEM Plug-In price has been reduced from $79.95 to $49.95. The recently released DIGITAL GEM Airbrush Professional Plug-In which automatically smoothes and renews skin surfaces without affecting prominent details like hair, eyes, lashes, etc, rounds out the family of DIGITAL GEM products.

The image correction and enhancement plug-ins provide easy and effective methods for automatically improving digital images in ADOBE PHOTOSHOP Software and compatible image editing applications. Other members of the suite include the DIGITAL SHO Plug-In for revealing hidden details in shadows or dark image areas, and the DIGITAL SHO Professional Plug-In, which adds more control, functionality, and the ability to reveal hidden detail from highlight areas. The DIGITAL ROC Plug-In restores, corrects, and balances image color, while the DIGITAL ROC Professional Plug-In adds advanced features for brightness and contrast control, as well as 16 bit support.

The DIGITAL GEM Professional Plug-In now has two unique and powerful algorithms to reduce digital image noise and film grain in both 8-bit and 16-bit color images. Each algorithm is customized for different types of image noise and grain, and each has separate controls associated with it. The "Noise Suppression" algorithm is an improved version of the algorithm used within the original DIGITAL GEM Plug-In. This algorithm is very aggressive and works better for extreme noise problems. The "Grain Suppression" algorithm is not as aggressive, but is specifically tuned to reduce grain problems, while preserving more detail within the image.

The DIGITAL GEM Professional Plug-In also offers a new "Noise Preview Screen" which enables users to view just the noise or grain that they want to reduce. Adjustments can be made to define how much noise/grain versus how much image detail they want to affect. Users can then toggle back and forth between the Before screen, the After screen, and the Noise Preview screen as they make adjustments in order to see the how the plug-in will improve their image.

A FREE trial version is available for download at www.asf.com. This fully functional trial version applies digital watermarks to images. To disable the watermark, users may purchase a software key via a secure, e-commerce site for $99.95. Plug-in product CD-ROMs are also available for purchase at www.asf.com. A special, limited-time offer will be made available to existing DIGITAL GEM Plug-In owners to purchase the new Professional version for only $49.95 (offer good thru 9/30/04). See www.asf.com for details.