Sharpener Pro 2.0™

Sharpener Pro 2.0[TM] Available from nik multimedia, Inc. http://www.multimedia.com/ sharpenerpro/usa/entry.php? Price: Inkjet Edition--$169.95; Complete Edition--$329.95 Registered owners of nik Sharpener Pro 1.0 qualify for upgrade pricing.

The digital process dictates that before an image is output to either a printer, for on-screen viewing or projection it must be sharpened if you want the best quality. Traditional sharpening methods such as unsharp mask are not easy-to-understand and you base the sharpening results on what you see on your monitor. While this method may work okay for images intended to be viewed on a monitor it is not really adequate for other media such as prints. Effective image sharpening must take into consideration many different variables such as the viewing distance, size of the print, how the print was created, the resolution of the output device, the viewing characteristics, and the viewing distance at which the image will be displayed.

Many considered the nik Sharpener Pro 1.0 [TM] to be the best solution for sharpening images. With this latest version you will be very pleased with the sharpness both of your inkjet prints and images that you project in slide shows. nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 allows you to sharpen your image according to the type of output and what details need to be sharpened. All you need to do is indicate the type of the display that you'll be using, and if you are making a print, the resolution of the printer, the size of the print, the viewing distance for the displayed image, and the location and amount of sharpening that will be applied. In the resulting dialog box you adjust the amount of sharpening using a slider and nik Sharpener Pro 2.() takes care of the rest.

A powerful new feature of nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 is the nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Selective tool. The nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Selective tool is used to apply any of the sharpening filters selectively to your images. You can use a mouse or a graphics tablet to paint sharpening into your image, controlling the amount and location of the effect quickly and easily (see figure 1). The new selective tool is located within either the Automate or Automation tools menu in Adobe Photoshop[TM] and Adobe Photoshop Elements. Photographers and print professionals will often use sharpening as a creative tool. By sharpening specific areas differently within an image, you can guide the eye to specific areas of the image, (see figure 2).

[FIGURES 1-2 OMITTED]

The complete edition includes sharpening continuous tone printers, halftone printers, laser printers, inkjet printers, and electronic display devices such as projectors and monitors. The complete edition also includes the RAW Pre-sharpening filter for RAW files. The Inkjet addition provides sharpening for inkjet printers and electronic display devices.

The nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Selective tool is compatible with Adobe Photoshop 5.5 through CS2 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 1 through 3.0 in the Windows operating system. It is compatible with Adobe Photoshop 7 through CS2 and Adobe Photoshop elements 2.0 through 3.0 on MAC OS 10.2.4 and later.

Stanley B. Ashbrook, FPSA

COPYRIGHT 2005 Photographic Society of America, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group