Post Description

Nik Software Inc.'s award-winning noise reduction software tool Dfine 2.0 now features Nik Software's patented U Point technology for selective editing control and a completely new user interface that is easier to use and improves workflow for busy photographers. b When capturing images, all digital cameras inherently create unwanted imperfections known as noise. High ISO speeds and low light conditions can also contribute to noise. Dfine 2.0 addresses the issue of digital image noise with unprecedented selective control and a revamped image processing core, which provide superior noise reduction while maintaining detail and sharpness in an image. A re-designed user interface, new automatic camera profiling system, and the addition of U Point powered Control Points help photographers quickly and easily improve the quality of virtually every digital photo.

"Many photographers have simply ignored or accepted image noise as a part of digital photography due to the complexity of the image editing tools available," said Michael J. Slater, president and CEO of Nik Software, Inc. "The complete re-design of Dfine takes simplicity and control of noise reduction to an entirely new level, a point recognized when it earned the coveted American Photo Editor's Choice 2007 award."

Dfine 2.0 noise reduction can be applied globally or selectively using various controls including:

* Control Points powered by U Point technology - with a single mouse click, photographers can place Control Points on an image and selectively adjust the amount of contrast (luminance) and color (chrominance) noise reduction.
* Target Colors - usingan eyedropper tool to select colors, photographers can reduce noise based on a range of colors. This method is ideal for batch processing a series of images.
* Selective Tool - using brushes, noise reduction can be applied selectively. For added control and fine detail adjustments, Dfine also supports pressure sensitive features optimized for Wacom Pen Tablets.

Dfine also includes a new auto camera profile system as part of its image processing core. This feature adjusts the noise reduction to match specific parameters and nuances based on camera manufacturer specifications. Camera profiles may be applied automatically upon launching the plug-in, thus
enabling literally "one click" noise reduction for images and faster workflow. Profiles may also be created manually and saved, and then loaded by users at a later time.

What is Noise?
Virtually, all digital cameras inherentlycreate unwanted imperfections known as noise. The amount or type of noise in an image typically depends on the quality and type of imaging sensor with which it was created.
Contrast (Luminance) Noise and Color (Chrominance) Noise can be individually present in an image or might be seen in the same image. Fast or high ISO speeds and low light levels can add noise to images, while some images might exhibit high levels of JPEG artifacts.

Introducing Dfine 2.0
Dfine 2.0 gives you unprecedented control over exactly how much and where to apply noise reduction. This makes it ultra-easy to eliminate noise in your images while maintaining detail and sharpness, thus improving the quality of every digital photo you take. Dfine 2.0 is designed to prevent the loss of detail other noise reduction tools often introduce.

U Point® Technology
One of the hottest technologies in digital photography today, U Point technology powered Control Points have been added to Dfine 2.0 making it easy to reduce noise only where it is needed, maintaining details everywhere else.

Selectively Apply Noise Reduction
The Control Point and Color Range methods, along with the Selective Tool offer you the most advanced ways for selectively applying noise reduction to your images.

New and Improved Noise Reduction Engine with Automatic Profiling
Dfine 2.0 contains a brand new reduction engine that provides best-in-class noise reduction while retaining an incredible amount of detail.
Automatic camera profiling replaces the need to purchase camera profiles and fine-tunes Dfine's revamped noise reduction engine to produce the best results for your camera. You can also create and save your own profiles for batch processing images.
Improved User Interface
The new resizable interfacelets you easily incorporate noise reduction into your workflow and quickly preview the results from the noise reduction applied.

Powerful Selective Tool (Adobe® Photoshop® only)
The Selective Tool gives you instant access to Dfine 2.0 and allows you to brush filter effects into your image using any brush tool available in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Layers and layer masks are created automatically, enabling you to quickly and easily apply enhancements to precise areas in your image.

Smart Filter Compatibility (Adobe® Photoshop® only)
Dfine 2.0 is Smart Filter compatible which allows you to go back and fine tune your images even after effects have been applied.