ThumbsPlus gets major update!
By
Mike Tomkins
(Monday, May 13, 2002 - 23:27 EDT)
ICC profile and Canon RAW support join many other changes in the new release...
Cerious Software Inc., the company behind Windows-only image database app ThumbsPlus, has announced the release of a major update to the program. ThumbsPlus v5.01 has many changes, including: - Support for Canon CRW files via a new ThumbsPlus Plug-in.
- Windows Color Management support (ICM, ICC Profiles) support. ThumbsPlus will now adjust the display for your current monitor profile, and will load and observe embedded ICC profiles in TIFF, JPEG and PNG files.
- Ability to set, convert to, or remove ICC color profiles from images. (Color profiles can be saved in TIFF, JPEG and PNG files.)
- Rotate and Resize functions are now separate functions with an easier-to-use interface.
- You can change or modify the image resolution during resize, and the print size is computed. You can also enter a print size and the pixel dimensions will be computed.
- You can save color balance values for later reference or use in batch processing. After performing an Auto Color Balance, the values computed will be the next values shown in the Color Balance dialog.
- You can now stamp an image with any image info (such as file name, date, EXIF fields, etc.)
- There are several new image filters (Mosaic, Posterize, Solarize, Oil Painting).
- When playing MP3 files, you can expand the window to see the waveforms while playing.
- Special locations, such as "Desktop," "My Documents," and "Fonts" are now shown as top-level entries in the folder tree.
- External programs added to the toolbar are now available on the Edit menu in both the main and view windows. (For these to appear in the view window, they must be added to that toolbar as well.)
- Web page formatting is improved, and two new options are available: Photo borders (puts small white border around thumbnails), and Create thumbs in database, to control whether the thumbnails created for the web pages are entered in the ThumbsPlus database.
- Windows Still Image support (so you can launch ThumbsPlus automatically with your scanner or when attaching your camera.)
- Additional photo paper sizes are included in the Print Size. By default, you will see the sizes that match your system local (imperial or metric). You can select "show all sizes" to show both. You can save Print schemes to quickly use your favorite configurations.
- You can Tag images, which adds them to a gallery called "(Tagged Images)." You can tag selected images from the main window, or tag images from a view window or slide show.
- There is now a "TWAIN Setup" option that will allow you to specify the next file name and type to use for single-image acquisitions.
- There is a new "Info" tab (along with Preview and Tasks) that you can use to display selected file information, including image information, EXIF, IPTC and user fields. Right-click to select the items you want to include on the Info tab.
- Many improvements to EXIF information display, including showing text instead of numbers for fields such as "auto focus mode," choice of format for dates, exposure time and shutter speed.
- You can now modify JPEG file comments and resolution without recompressing the JPEG file. You can also change file dates for a selected set of files to the current date, the EXIF date, or to a specific date and time:
- You can edit IPTC/NAA information in TIFF and JPEG files, either within a view window or main window. Editing IPTC information from the main window will modify JPEG files without recompressing them.
- You can now remove specific or all keywords from selected files.
- Support for JPEG 2000 files (read and write). JPEG 2000 provides both lossless and lossy compression modes. The lossless mode is generally much smaller than corresponding PNG or LZW TIFF files. The lossy mode provides equivalent quality to JPEG in smaller files.
- You can view the JPEG file size before saving. As you change the quality, the file size is automatically updated so you can see the effect without saving and examining the resulting file.
- ThumbsPlus now performs accurate CMYK to RGB conversion for CMYK TIFF and JPEG files with embedded ICC color profiles.
- You can display any file information (including EXIF, IPTC and user fields) on contact sheets, catalogs, and web pages.
- New file types:
- ICL: Icon Library
- CMP: LEAD tools Compressed
- XBM: Xwindows bitmap
- XWD: Xwindows screen capture
- CLP: Windows clipboard
- CUT: Dr. Halo files
- AWD, FXR, FXD, FAX, G3, G4, IOCA, DCA, LZR: Fax formats
- You can run batch sets from within a view window (to apply to the current image only).
- Color Balance, Replace Colors, and Combine Images are now available in batch mode.
- Added a New button to the first tab of the Batch Process wizard/property sheet to clear all settings.
- Added a summary of the steps and output to the first tab of the Batch Process wizard, so you can see at a glance what the set does.
- Made creation of specific sub-folders more explicit on the Output Details tab of Batch Processing.
- You can view the steps you have performed on an image, and save them as a batch set.
- You can select a batch to run on selected images by holding down the toolbar button for Batch Process. A menu of available batch sets will appear.
- There are now dozens of transitions available in the slide show.
- You can have the slide show produce a better scaled-up image when the image is stretched to fit the screen.
- Added the ability to control whether the image comments are centered in slide shows, and adjust the height of the text window based on the size of the comment.
ThumbsPlus can be tested by either downloading a 12.3MB full installer, a 439KB web installer (which then downloads selected components only), or through a Runaware-powered evaluation through your web browser. The electronic distribution version of ThumbsPlus can be purchased for $74.95, or a full version including CD and manual for only $5 more ($79.95). Owners of previous versions are entitled to an upgrade for $20, and anybody who purchased ThumbsPlus v4 after December 1st, 2001 is entitled to a free upgrade. For more, visit the Cerious Software website.
Source:
Cerious Software Inc.
|
