Reduce noise for sharper and crisper images. Noise is a very important issue in digital photography. Nearly all digital cameras produce images with an easily noticed noise component. This digital noise is especially strong in images taken at high ISO rates. Scans of negatives show a similar film grain. When the picture is taken in low light (indoor/night) or high-speed (sport/action) the noise is even more noticeable and a tool such as Auto DeNoise is needed. The noise and grain reduce the visual quality of digital images and resulting prints.

Noise is inherent to digital photos. Digital image sensors, because of the size and sensitivity, produce a slight noise as photons arrive at random intervals. The induced sampling error produces the noise. Small sensors on compact digital cameras generate more noise but even top-of-the-line cameras at high ISO settings show some noise.

Digital tools are needed to control digital noise. In many situations, fast-action photos, indoor, and low-light, a high ISO setting is required to avoid motion blur or shaking. Without the right digital tool, the photographer is faced with the choice of using a low ISO and get a blurry photo, or a high ISO and get a noisy image. The problem is compounded when photo enlargement is required.

Auto DeNoise uses a sophisticated algorithm that preserves detail and sharpness while removing grain or noise. Since noise is highly dependent upon the sensor of the camera (even within the same digital camera model, results may differ) and the picture being taken, it is very important to rely on a fast and simple tool.

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Manufacturer: Human Software Company Inc., The

AutoCorrect 1.8 (Windows v1.5) is a very efficient one click color correction tool. It is not based on curves (even if we have added it for a perfect final tune-up) but based upon the techniques professionals are using in darkrooms.

With AutoSelect, define the source colors on which to operate - select multiple colors with a color picker. Take advantage of RGB, LAB, or HSV space to perform color changes, even if the image remains in RGB. Simply sample the colors in the area to be affected with the built-in color sampler tool, and use the sliders to obtain the color. Adjust the range and limit of the extent of modifications. An easy brush mask creates an instant selection and quickly limits the effect. Unlike Photoshop HSV changes, the selectivity range will limit the effect to the color to be changed and will keep all the shades for a natural rendering.

Features:

• selectively change colors in GB without building a mask;

• easily compare changes side by side;

• view up to nine variations at once;

• correct a color cast in a snap;

• correct red eyes; and

• change eyes, clothes, color and more.

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Manufacturer: The Human Software Company Inc.

AutoSmooth is a very efficient one-click color correction. It is not based on curves (even though we've added it for a perfect final tune-up), rather it is based upon the techniques professionals are using in darkrooms. With AutoSmooth, get a professional picture-enhancement tool in RGB (including 16 bits) or CMYK — optionally applied directly on a layer within Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

Features:

• smoothes surfaces of all digital images to provide a glamorous look;

• smartblurring of all digital surfaces — five simple sliders provide very precise tuning of the smoothing while maintaining details;

• easy visual and single-click operation;

• anti-aging, smoothes surface while maintaining details;

• combine several adjustment in one click for the best image tuning;

• enhance digital images for print and web;

• work on RGB (including 16-bit support) and CMYK images; and

• save hours of very difficult manual retouching.

With AutoSmooth the professional or amateur photographer will enhance and change the age of the subject by reducing or enhancing imperfections or spots. For all ages (old skins with wrinkles, middleage with light spots, teens with blemishes) AutoSmooth enhances faces for a great look. The technique preserves edges and details and save hours of masking or airbrushing.

With AutoSmooth, get the best features available at a very affordable Plug-in price. AutoSmooth is a Plug-in and it will supports all versions of Photoshop from 7 to CS3, Photoshop Elements 2, 3, 4, and 5, Corel PaintShop, ULead, Microsoft Picture, Painter, and even Illustrator and FreeHand and more.

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Manufacturer: Human Software Company Inc., The

Blow Up 2 is a Photoshop plug-in that produces enlargements dramatically sharper than any other software, especially Photoshop! Blow Up uses an innovative algorithm that temporarily converts pixels to a vector representation which results in perfectly smooth, crisp edges. Simulated texture and film grain keep photos looking natural even in extreme enlargements. Blow Up can even clean up JPEG compression artifacts when a client insists on using a low quality source image from the Web.

Powerful masking for the most difficult photos within Photoshop Elements. Easy-to-use curves for color corrections. Create duotones, sepia, or perform color changes with Swap Element.

Features:

• Mask Module for density masking, fast and easy;

• Curves Module provides simple and intuitive color corrections; and

• Swap Module creates duotone/sepia, and optionally compare side by side.

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Manufacturer: Human Software Company Inc., The

Essentials 2.1 for iPhoto is a collection of four tools to help you correct colour, add depth of field by realistically blurring the background, add creative borders and resize your photos to get a larger print. You'll spend less time behind the computer and more time behind the camera! Plus with its built-in tutorials and easy to use interface you'll be up and running in no time.

Essentials for Photoshop Elements is a collection of four tools to correct color, remove unwanted backgrounds, add creative borders, and resize photos to get a larger print. Users will spend less time behind the computer and more time behind the camera! With built-in tutorials and an easy-to-use palette, even beginners can be up and running in no time.

Like the original release, Exposure 2 is a Plug-in for Photoshop and compatible host applications. Exposure provides amateur and professional photographers, graphic designers, and photo retouchers with one-click access to the broadest range of film stock and special effects settings available anywhere. Exposure 2 delivers even more features that add the look and feel of film to digital photography. Users can easily simulate current and discontinued print and slide film stocks — both black and white and color — and subtly manipulate realistic grain, mimic darkroom effects such as push and cross processing, even save a signature look as a preset. What's more, everything in Exposure 2 is accessible in one simple interface.

Exposure 2 is the new, even more feature-packed version of our award-winning Photoshop Plug-in that gives digital photographs the look and feel of film. Whether you're a fashion or wedding photographer, a designer, or art director, with Exposure 2 you'll have one-click access to the broadest range of film stocks and special effects settings available in any software package. That's why Exposure 2 is the closest thing to film since film.

Pick a film, any film. When it comes to the variety of films you can simulate, Exposure 2 has no peer. Match the look of popular film stocks such as Portra, Velvia, Kodachrome, Polaroid, and TRI-X. We've even saved some films from extinction in Exposure 2, such as Agfa Scala, GAF 500, and Kodak EES.

It all comes down to grain. Exposure 2 provides the most realistic grain on the market, now with even more control over sharpness, color variation, and intensity throughout the tonal range; and since Exposure 2's grain size automatically adjusts to the image size, the user will get consistent results across all cameras.

More effective effects. With over 300 presets, Exposure 2 has even more special effects settings than before, including push and cross processing, a vastly improved infrared simulator, and sophisticated color to black and white conversion.

So easy to use. Exposure 2 simplifies workflow by collecting color, dynamic range, softness, and grain control into one easy-to-use Plug-in. Correct a colorcast, soften a digital portrait, or tweak contrast with our powerful slider and curve controls; or even define a signature look and save it as a one-click effect.

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Manufacturer: Alien Skin Software

Within Adobe Photoshop 6 or Photoshop Elements multiple effects may be applied at once on a layer or within a text. This is referred to as a style. FXPak Styles is a huge collection of beautiful styles at a very affordable price.

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Manufacturer: Human Software Company Inc., The

Image Doctor is an all new set of powerful image-correction filters for Photoshop, Fireworks, Paint Shop Pro, and other image editors. Image Doctor magically removes blemishes and defects, quickly repairs over-compressed JPEGs, and seamlessly replaces unwanted details and objects. Professional and amateur photographers, photo editors, archivists, graphic designers, and web designers can quickly fix their images with Image Doctor.

Image Doctor delivers these effects in a clean, easy-to-use interface. Users can tweak effects in a huge preview that includes a before/after toggle, command menus, keyboard shortcuts, and unlimited undo capability.

Image Doctor is the only filter set to offer selection-based image repair. Use the familiar selection tools of the image-editing application, then correct large and small areas in one pass. The intelligent pattern matching of Image Doctor makes it the perfect complement to existing photo-editing tools.

Features:

• smart fill replaces large objects and defects, intelligently combining the repair with the background;

• remove signs and trash from landscapes, unwanted tourists from vacation snapshots, and uninvited guests from party photos — without leaving seams;

• scratch remover mends small defects and removes unwanted background details making photo restoration such as repairing scratches, folds, creases, and wrinkles, a breeze;

• scratch remover offers the fastest way to cleanly eliminate text from a photo;

• spot lifter removes blemishes while preserving the texture and detail of the underlying image;

• ideal for erasing skin flaws such as moles, birthmarks, acne, beauty marks, or tattoos and for reducing dark circles, shadows, and wrinkles around the eyes;

• erases photo imperfections such as watermarks, stains, time codes, and dust;

• JPEG repair revitalizes over-compressed JPEGs;

• remove blocky compression artifacts while retaining detail and adding grain;

• repair an entire image, or repair as needed to smaller selections; and

• repurpose web graphics and replace lost originals.

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Manufacturer: Alien Skin Software

A bundle of Page Curl Pro and Puzzle Pro. See individual product listings for complete feature descriptions.

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Manufacturer: Av. Bros.

PhotoSurface v3 includes 300 ready-made textures for applying to images.

PhotoWeave is a very powerful Plug-in for designing striped fabrics or adding many kinds of pattern effects to images.

SiteGrinder 2 builds entire web sites from basic multilayer Photoshop documents. Here is a partial list of the kinds of page elements, from simple web graphics to popup menus and forms, that SiteGrinder empowers the user to create with basic Photoshop skills.

SmartPicker is an interactive color wheel designed to help designers and artists apply color theory to create effective color schemes. SmartPicker offers a color wheel within Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. SmartPicker uses analogous, complementary, split complementary, monochromatic, tetradic, and triadic schemes. Color information will be retrieved automatically inside Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

SmartPicker also offers the ability to save a dynamic list of colors. Several kinds of comparisons (against other colors, against gray levels, or against another image OS X feature) enables the user to find the perfect color for their designs.

SmartPicker is the most powerful color wheel picker on the market and a must have for all advertising agencies, graphic artists, or illustrators.

Features:

• slick color wheel;

• image-to-color comparisons;

• works in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements;

• use multiple color schemes; and

• dynamic color palette.

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Manufacturer: Human Software Company Inc., The

Beauty: Snap Art 2 is a Photoshop plug-in that turns your photography into beautiful works of art with a single click. Detailed simulation of individual brush strokes and canvas texture gives results that are indistinguishable from handmade art. The finished piece begs to be hung in a gallery, especially when printed on canvas.

Xenofex 2 delivers 14 more phenomenal effects for web designers, graphic artists, digital photographers, and special-effects enthusiasts.

With Xenofex 2, simulate spectacular natural phenomena such as lightning and clouds. Create striking images and text using sophisticated distortions such as flag, television, and the brand new rip open. Transform photos into jigsaw puzzles, constellations, and intricate mosaics with a single click. Presets put hundreds of quick and easy effects at the users' fingertips.

Xenofex 2 is OS X compatible and with the familiar, uncluttered interface of Eye Candy 4000, Xenofex 2 is better than ever.

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Manufacturer: Alien Skin Software

Imaging applications today work with linear resizing, so everything within the image changes size proportionally. Xfile 2 does that too with super advanced algorithms and now features a seam carving tool that allows the image to be resized while changing its aspect ratio and keeping important features untouched. It removes or adds areas to an image that would be least noticed.