Cambridge, Mass – Digital Light & Color announced availability of the latest major upgrade of Picture Window Pro. The new edition extends the tradition of the highest image quality and full control of all image parameters in an easy to use package and at moderate cost. Now Picture Window 5.0 adds a host of new features to this powerful professional image editing program.

New Editing Features
New transformations in this release include Color Remap for changing selected colors and 2 and 3 Zone transformations which lets you divide images by their tonality ranges and control contrast, saturation and brightness of each range independently and many other changes and improvements. In all, ten transformations have been enhanced including improved HDR, a new Sharpen method.

Picture Window Pro 5.0's new Raw file converter in use Screenshot copyright © 2009, Imaging Resource

New Raw Converter
The Raw Converter is completely new in this release. It gives the user full control over color, brightness, exposure. It also includes Sharpening, Highlight Recovery, Noise Reduction and bad pixel. The converter creates sidecar files which preserve the settings used for opening each image.

New Automation Features
New automation and batch processing features have been added. For instance, a Transformation Redo function allows transformation parameters to be changed and reapplied, with the change propagating through subsequent transformations. Also, entire workflows developed for one image can be applied to other images after the fact and can be saved in sidecar files.

Other New Features
Other new features new masking tools, soft print proofing for better color fidelity, a new histogram tool, monitor curves and other features.

Pricing
But perhaps the best news of all is the price – Picture Window Pro is still priced at only $89.95 – a very moderate price for such a full featured, professional image editing package. However, Picture Window shouldn’t be confused with the many programs made for the point and shoot crowd. It’s nothing like them. Instead, Picture Window is intended for the serious photographer and provides the same precise, in-depth control over virtually every aspect of an image found in much more expensive professional programs. Users are invited to download a free trial version from the company’s web site at www.dl-c.com to experience this power first hand.

Regular version of Picture Window also available
For those who do not need Color Management, 48 bit image support, and raw conversion, Picture Window Pro’s little brother is also still available. Picture Window 5.0 regular edition sells for only $49.95.

Both editions of Picture Window provide in-depth functionality, unusual for programs in this price range. In addition to several fast, easy to use tools for adjusting brightness, color balance, contrast, removing dust marks, and the like, Picture Window gives the photographer precise control over the entire brightness curve as well as over each of the color channels. It also features color controls based on standard photographic filters and supports several standard color spaces. It provides a choice of several sharpening and blurring algorithms. Its perspective correction transformation lets the user line up a grid with image features for easy, precise control.

Other features include extensive support for making composite images, page layout, text, calendar, a print dialog that lets users print poster-sized photos on standard printers, a visual file browser, and support for making stereo photos. Picture Window also has many stunning special effects transformations including spiral, kaleidoscope, tile, high contrast, posterize, and many others.

Three-zone image transformation in Picture Window Pro 5.0 Screenshot copyright © 2009, Imaging Resource

Company Background
Picture Window Pro was developed by Jon Sachs, a life-long amateur photographer who is probably better known as the developer of the original Lotus 1-2-3 spread sheet program. "I really wanted a tool that would give photographers the same control over their images that professional graphic artists have enjoyed by using expensive professional programs." says Jon. "But I realized that photographers and graphic artists thought differently. So I created a comprehensive image enhancement program that used the photographic idiom that photographers are more comfortable with."

Digital Light & Color is a small independent software company specializing in tools for serious photographers. Previous releases of Picture Window are enjoyed by thousands of users around the world. For more information or to download a free trial version of Picture Window, visit the Digital Light & Color web site at www.dl-c.com.

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