New U Point Powered Control Points-Enables precise, selective sharpening control;.

September 5, 2008: Nik Software has announced the latest version of its popular Sharpener Pro photographic plug-in for use with Adobe Photoshop and Apple Aperture.

Designed for professionals and photo enthusiasts, Sharpener Pro 3.0 is the most advanced and powerful sharpening solution from the company to date. Features of the latest update include:
1. New U Point Powered Control Points-Enables precise, selective sharpening control;
2. Updated Output Sharpening-Provides the ultimate control to create perfectly sharpened images on all devices and media types such as display, inkjet, continuous tone, half tone, and hybrid tone;
3. New Creative Sharpening-Enhances fine details and textures with new structure, focus, and local contrast tools for drawing attention to desired areas within the image
4. New Industry-First Sharpening Soft Proof-Allows detailed inspection of sharpening results on screen before printing, eliminating costly test prints
5. New Output Presets-Enables custom settings to be saved for consistent, professional results;
6. Updated RAW Presharpener-Retains and enhances sharp details within images without amplifying noise and other artefacts;
7. Updated Powerful Selective Tool (Photoshop only)-Enables the use of Photoshop’s brush tools to paint in sharpening selectively;
8. New Smart Filter Support (Photoshop only)-Provides compatibility with Adobe Photoshop’s Smart Objects enabling adjustments to sharpening after Sharpener Pro has been applied;
9. New Multi-Image Support (Aperture only)-Provides compatibility with Aperture’s multi-image support, allowing photographers to easily copy and paste settings between images to maintain consistency.

Sharpener Pro 3.0 will be available in September for electronic delivery directly from Nik Software (www.niksoftware.com) in four languages (English, French, German, and Spanish). The suggested retail price of Sharpener Pro 3.0 is US$199.95. Upgrades from any previous version are available for US$99.95. Sharpener Pro 3.0 installs as a plug-in for either Adobe Photoshop or Apple Aperture 2.1 and is available for Windows and Macintosh operating systems, including Vista and Leopard.