nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 is announced. nik Sharpener Pro 2 is a plug-in for Adobe Photoshop and other programs that allows you to sharpen digital images. nik Sharpener Pro 2 adds compatibility with 16-bit images, more control over sharpening and a larger preview area. nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 also features a new RAW Presharpening filter. nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 will be available in June. The Inkjet Edition costs $169.95 and nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Complete Edition costs $329.95.

nik multimedia, Inc. Press Release

New version of company’s award-winning digital image editing software features new tools for photographers

San Diego, CA – April 19, 2005 – nik multimedia, Inc. today announces nik Sharpener Pro™ 2.0, the long awaited upgrade to the popular nik Sharpener Pro software.  nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 provides the easiest way for photographers and digital artists to optimally sharpen their digital images and achieve the best possible detail in their final prints.  As a plug-in to Adobe® Photoshop® and other image editing applications, nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 is the perfect addition to a photographer’s digital workflow.

New features in nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 include 16-bit compatibility for sharpening 16-bit images, a larger preview area to allow users to see how the sharpening alters their images, and new tools offering more control of where sharpening is applied to the image. 

“The original version of nik Sharpener Pro stood out as a better way to approach the complicated process of determining the optimum settings for sharpening software,” said Parker Plaisted, manager of product marketing for nik multimedia, Inc.  “nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 builds on that strong foundation and adds more innovative tools for controlling where sharpening is applied in digital images.”

nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 applies optimal sharpening to an image based on image resolution, viewing distance, paper type, and printer resolution rather than the traditional radius, amount, and threshold values used by other sharpening software.  Many digital photographers do not know how to correctly select the optimal radius, amount, and threshold for sharpening their digital images and frequently over- or under-sharpen them.  nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 removes the guesswork and provides controls that photographers understand. The software then does the work of calculating and applying the optimal sharpening for an image.

When preparing an image for printing, it is important to consider the printing process before sharpening the image.  Each type of printing process has its own image rendering characteristics that influence the sharpness of detail in the print.  nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 is designed to address the image rendering characteristics of different printing processes (traditional halftone, dye sublimation, inkjet, and digital photographic) and even differences between inkjet printer manufacturers (Canon, Epson, HP, and Lexmark).

New Tools
For photographers and digital artists who want to apply different amounts of sharpening to selected areas of the image, there are two sets of tools that allow users to apply selective sharpening: the sliders in the Advanced controls menu and the Selective tool.

The Advanced controls menu in nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 provides five slider controls that can be associated with different colors in a digital image.  Users can pick the color for a slider with an eyedropper tool or a traditional color-picker menu.  Once the colors are selected, each slider allows users to increase or decrease the sharpening applied to areas of the image that have that color.  For maximum control, each of the five sliders can be adjusted independently.  This is the perfect tool for reducing the amount of sharpening on the face of the bride in a wedding photo or the sky in an outdoor photo.  The simplicity and power of this tool is a true innovation in sharpening technology.

Another powerful new feature of nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 is the Selective tool.  This new tool allows users to apply sharpening to any part of an image with selective brush strokes.  The sharpening can be selectively brushed into the image, or the sharpening can be applied to the whole image and selectively brushed out.  This tool takes advantage of the layer technology in Adobe Photoshop and automatically creates the adjustment layer with a single mouse click.

nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 also features a new RAW Presharpening filter.  With the increased popularity of digital cameras offering the RAW file format, there is a growing need to presharpen digital photos from digital cameras.  Presharpening is different from sharpening for final print.  The RAW Presharpening filter is designed to enhance the detail in digital images that are converted from a RAW file format.  The RAW Presharpening filter is controlled with a simple slider and a preview area.  Although most digital cameras offer some presharpening, the nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 RAW Presharpening filter enables users to see and control the amount of presharpening in real time.

Pricing and Availability
nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 will be available in June through specialty camera stores and nik multimedia’s retail Web site (www.nikmultimedia.com).  nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 is offered in two editions: nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Inkjet Edition for $169.95 and nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 Complete Edition for $329.95.  Registered owners of nik Sharpener Pro 1.0 qualify for special upgrade pricing.  For more information about the two editions and upgrade pricing, call toll free 1-888-284-4085 (Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m.  – 5:00 p.m. PST) or visit the company’s Web site at: www.nikmultimedia.com.

Compatibility
nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 is available for Microsoft® Windows® and Apple® Macintosh® OS X systems and is compatible with Adobe Photoshop 5.5 – CS 2.0; Adobe Photoshop® LE 4.0 – 5.0; Adobe PhotoDeluxe® 2.0 – 4.0; Adobe Photoshop Elements 1.0 – 3.0; Jasc® Paint Shop Pro® 6.7 – 8.0; Corel® Photo-Paint® 8.0 – 10.0; Ulead PhotoImpact® 4.2 – 7.0; and Microsoft Digital Image Pro® 10.

About nik multimedia, Inc.
nik multimedia, Inc. is a privately held company providing innovative software solutions for the emerging digital imaging, photographic, and print markets.  nik multimedia, Inc. produces the award-winning nik Sharpener Pro, nik Color Efex Pro, Dfine, and penPalette software, which have become the leading software plug-in products for digital photography and imaging professionals.  The company’s products use a range of innovative, patent pending technologies that make digital imaging and photography easier and more powerful.  nik multimedia, Inc. is headquartered in San Diego, California with its European office in Hamburg, Germany.  nik Sharpener Pro, nik Color Efex Pro, Dfine, and penPalette are trademarks of nik multimedia, Inc.  All other trademarks and service names are the trademarks of their respective owners.