nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 adds new tools, control
updated 08:55 am EDT, Tue April 19, 2005
nik Sharpener Pro 2.0
today announced nik Sharpener Pro 2.0, an upgrade to Photoshop plugin that offers the ability to sharpen digital images. 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 plugin 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. Version 2.0 now includes new sets of tools that allow users to apply selective sharpening: the sliders in the Advanced controls menu and the Selective tool as well as a new RAW Presharpening filter. It will ship in June for $160 (Inkjet edition) or $330 (Complete).
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.
nik Sharpener Pro 2.0 also offers a new 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.
A new RAW Presharpening filter fills the 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 realtime."
