Optipix, a suite of Photoshop compatible plug-ins for Macintosh OS 9.x, Macintosh OS X 10.1+, and Windows 9x/NT/2K/XP, includes tools for correcting common problems in digital images. The Optipix package works on both 8 and 16 bit images and includes tools for automatically improving contrast, removing blur, image averaging, blending bracketed exposures, enlarging images,and color-safe sharpening.

Version 3.0 of Optipix adds several exciting new tools to the package:

Interactive Interpolation is the most sophisticated tool now available for enlarging digital images, allowing you to adjust how your interpolation is performed in an interactive preview by letting you see what you're going to get.

Optipix's new Refocus tool is a powerful blur remover suitable for correcting focus problems and blurring due to processing. Reindeer Graphics President Chris Russ told us, "The guys at NASA really knew what they were doing when they corrected the Hubble pictures. I'm glad there is enough horsepower to do that on personal computers now."

Optipix 3.0 also adds JPEG Cleaner, a one-step tool for removing the unsightly artefacts from JPEG images. "Even at the high quality settings (e.g. 90 or lower in Photoshop) we can still detect the JPEG signature in an image. The detail created by the JPEG compression process in a digital camera severely limits what you can do when enhancing or interpolating an image. Obviously we suggest people work in RAW, but if you're stuck with JPEG these are designed to help you cope," Russ noted.

Finally, the new release includes Grain Maker and many improvements to the plug-ins from earlier versions. "I've had a lot of fun making B/W images with channel mixer and applying grain to my images," Russ said. "It's also useful for hiding seams where I've pasted images together. This is not the same as just adding noise and I think it is very useful."

Visit the Optipix Web site to find out more.

In addition to the software, the Optipix 3 CD contains the Digital Fine Print Workflow, written by renowned photographer George DeWolfe. This document is a lavishly illustrated guide for the professional and hobbyist photographer, explaining tips and techniques for managing a fully 16-bit workflow from the shot to the final print. The Digital Fine Print Workflow is also available separately from George DeWolfe's Web site.

Optipix 3.0 is available immediately from the Reindeer Graphics online store. The retail price of Optipix is US$149.95. For a limited time, we are offering $15.00 off the retail price for Optipix 3 purchases made directly through Reindeer Graphics store. Users with a valid Optipix 2 serial number can upgrade to Optipix 3 for US$75.00. Users who purchased Optipix 2 after June 10, 2004, will receive Optipix 3.0 as a free update. More information about Optipix 3 can be found at the Reindeer Graphics Web site.

Reindeer Graphics, Inc. is the leading provider of custom image processing and quantitative image analysis solutions. Their flagship package, Fovea Pro, turns Adobe Photoshop(R) into a world-class quantitative image analysis tool.