HP Offers Two New Software Applications

November 22, 2005: Hewlett-Packard (HP) has released two software products that enable amateur digital photographers to print high-quality photos at home in two steps.
HP Photosmart Essential 1.9 is a freeware application that replaces the current HP Image Zone Express. It is only 4MB at download and replaces the earlier program without compromising access to image files already stored on the computer. Once installed, it occupies approximately 10MB of HDD space and is compatible with all versions of Windows from 98 on and most inkjet printers (including older HP models). The software assists with the organisation of digital images by sorting photos by date and name; keyword searches are also provided. Photosmart Essential 1.9 includes photo organising, editing and sharing tools. Users can easily crop, rotate and flip image files; correct red eyes in flash shots, convert images to B&W or sepia and adjust colours to make them warmer or cooler. Special facilities such as Holiday Card Packs enable users to create personalised holiday greeting cards by dragging and dropping photos into professionally designed templates. It can be expanded with free new features or upgrades as they are released.
For more advanced editing and hundreds of creative photo projects, advanced search and backup and restore capabilities, HP Image Zone 5.0 is available for the first time as a standalone product for $US49. The software provides all the features of HP Photosmart Essential as well as sophisticated photo editing tools such colour restoration for faded photos and the ability to select individual frames from video clips for printing. HP Image Zone 5.0 also includes HP’s Adaptive Lighting tools plus easy-to-apply special effects such as antique and soft glow.
Both products are available in 21 languages and are included with select HP consumer photography products worldwide. Photosmart Essential 1.9 and free plug-ins are available online at www.hp.com/go/pse. HP Image Zone 5.0 is available with select HP consumer digital photography products or can be purchased separately for $US49 at www.hp.com/go/iz. More information to help people choose between the software products is available at www.hp.com/go/imagezone.