Microsoft Announces Digital Image Suite
Redmond's A-team has announced Microsoft Digital Image Suite 9. Simply put, the suite is a blending of Digital Image Library 9 and Digital Image Pro 9 into what the software giant dubs a flexible and comprehensive photo solution. The goal of this union is to meet consumer needs of organizing, archiving, editing, and sharing soaring numbers of images.
Microsoft’s marketing mix declares that the inclusion of all of these features into one product is a first of a kind scenario for the software industry. This all-in-one approach, in tandem with ease of use and professional editing capabilities, sums up the product’s objective to create new competition among Microsoft’s digital imaging software.
Comprising one half of the suite, Digital Image Library 9 includes: a new Import Pictures Wizard; an advanced organizational system; a featured dubbed virtual views; Photo Story Lite; and space saving archiving technology.
The other half, Digital Image Pro 9, boasts features such as: Smart Erase, Blending Brush, Straighten Picture, Multiple selection tools, Gaussian Blur, Unsharp Mask, Rule of Thirds, and Save for a Mobile Device. These features allow customers to remove blemishes, pin point specific areas for editing, perform visual effects, re-size for portables, and apply visually pleasing proportions for well-balanced photos.
"Beyond simply taking digital photos, customers are becoming more sophisticated in how they want to edit, store and share their images," said Michelle Richardson, product manager for home imaging at Microsoft. "They want advanced yet easy-to-use photo software that can do it all, and that's exactly what they're going to get with Digital Image Suite.
According to research conducted by Lyra Research Inc. a projected 56 billion digital photos will be taken in 2005 with the sales of digital cameras ever-increasing. This leaves plenty of room in the world of digital imaging for a flurry of competition, as Microsoft seeks to carve out its niche.
Digital Image Suite 9 is available for an estimated retail price of $129 with various rebates, coupons, and incentives.