MGI Software Sneak Previews New Generation PC Photography Software for the Visual and Connected PC MGI PhotoSuite II Delivers The Easiest and Most Complete PC Photography Experience.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 17, 1997--MGI Software Corpora(TSE:MGI.) MGI Software (TSE - MGI), the leader in PC Photography and Video Publishing software, today previews the next generation of its flagship photography software. MGI PhotoSuite II, the complete PC Photography software, is built from the ground up around new technology, which embraces the Internet at its core. It begins with a new approach to user interface design that provides the most thorough step-by-step guided or interactive experience for capturing, organizing, transforming, printing and sharing pictures over the Internet. Packed with hundreds of new features and an extensive array of new tools typically found only in professional-level applications or specialized programs, PhotoSuite II offers users countless hours of fun, fascination, better productivity, and the ability to do more things "to" and "with" their photos. The software delivers to home and business users the easiest to use and most comprehensive standard in PC Photography software, at an estimated street price of US$59.95.

The New Look in PC Photography Software

MGI PhotoSuite II's new desktop combines elegance with a unique context sensitive visual display that diverges from traditional interfaces. PhotoSuite II is modularly organized around the essential functions of working with a photo(s) on your PC -- capturing and printing (getting photos in and out); editing, transforming and enhancing (MGI Photo); organizing (MGI Album); photo projects and activities such as creating greeting cards, magazine - covers collages, and more (MGI Publish); creating slide shows and multimedia presentations (MGI Presentation); and working with photos on or for the Internet, including e-mailing to family, friends and business associates (MGI Web). Each function has its own associated tool set and series of controls which are always visible, easy to access and located along the bottom of each screen, to maximize the available workspace. PhotoSuite II also provides two modes of operation, a guided mode, and an interactive mode, which allows more advanced users the freedom to work independently. Switching between either mode, however, is never more than a single click away, so users can combine approaches to suit their level of skill.

From Pure Magic to Picture Perfect to Photo Fun

MGI PhotoSuite II continues to expand on its conventional status as a potent photo editing and enhancement tool. In addition to the vast collection of photo transformation tools and effects inherited from previous products, PhotoSuite II includes: over forty Special Effect filters; an advanced color filter capability that allows the user to apply Lens Effects in any color (up to 16 million colors supported); and a new Lighting Effect, which creates spotlights in a photo and more. A "filter effects" Guidebook splits the screen to show the user an instant preview of what their selection or combination of Special Effects, Lens Effects and filters will look like, along with a text description and possible suggestions. PhotoSuite II also provides an unlimited Undo / Redo capability at all levels, to increase the users' flexibility.

MGI PhotoSuite II includes specialized tools for enhancing or modifying specific areas of a photo. New brushes allow the user to apply any special effect, or selectively paint "undo" to a particular area of a photo. Also included are Smudge, Dodge (lighten) and Burn (Darken) tools, and unique make-up and face painting set of palettes and tools, which allow the user to change surface colors while keeping the underlying tonal detail intact. Other tools allow users to add soft and beveled edges, borders, frames or shadows instantly. Cutting out parts of a photo is even easier with the new Magic Scissors, which utilize an unique technology to determine or "recognize" objects in the photo.

A new module, takes the guesswork out of photo repair by providing a single click adjustment that "intelligently" varies the brightness, color and contrast to repair a photo. Alternatively, users can select one of nine photo enhancing variations to create a new photo-style. Additional touch up and repair tools include the ability to automatically detect and remove unwanted blemishes, dust and scratches, as well as the proverbial "red-eye" -- found in one of every 10 photos taken -- without distorting or losing the tonal qualities of the image. MGI PhotoSuite II even straightens (i.e. de-skews) photos that are unaligned due to poor scanning.

MGI PhotoSuite II's new Warp and FunHouse Mirrors special effects will provide users with countless hours of fun stretching, exaggerating, distorting and twisting photos to create the bizarre and the hilarious. But having fun with photos doesn't end there. PhotoSuite II includes over 500 templates for creating photo-based crafts, greeting cards, perpetual calendars, posters, magazine covers, sports cards, as well as cartoon props like word balloons and comic bodies so users can create humorous composites.

Unparalleled Power to Capture, Organize, Present and Print Pictures

MGI PhotoSuite II includes universal hardware and media support that enables users to seamlessly capture photos from virtually any imaging device, whether it's from a digital camera, compact flash PCMCIA card, scanner, or video. Another unique capability of PhotoSuite II is its Internet functionality. Users can now surf the Internet within PhotoSuite II, drag photos directly into an album from any Web page, as well as from online photo services like Picture Vision's PhotoNet and the Kodak Picture Network. Users can also attach an Internet link to the thumbnail of each picture in an album, creating a visual bookmark catalog. PhotoSuite II's album and cataloging features also support description fields, with a search capability that find files by name, file type, date and other criteria. With a single click, an Album can become an HTML web page(s), with a menu of thumbnails, source images and descriptions.

MGI PhotoSuite II includes enhanced presentation capabilities that enable users to create slide shows and multimedia presentations with their photos. Users can add video transitions between photos and export presentations as animated GIF or AVI files for use in other applications.

MGI PhotoSuite II's output capability provides users with complete control when printing photos. In addition to the preview and layout features, support for a background color or bitmap, and two-sided printing, users can place multiple photos on a single page to create a collage.

System Requirements, Availability & Pricing

MGI PhotoSuite II is a complete 32-bit, Intel MMX* optimized application that requires Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 (or higher). The minimum system required is a Pentium 90 computer, with a minimum 16MB RAM (32MB recommended), 640x480, 16 million colors, VGA (800x600, 16 million colors recommended), CD ROM drive, mouse, and 50MB disk space. Users with an MMX-class or Pentium* II computer will benefit from MGI PhotoSuite II's complete MMX optimization, resulting in faster and smoother operation when navigating and zooming in and out of photos, applying specialom any earlier PhotoSuite version (including aher media on PCs and the Internet. In its two-yleading brands in ret ail stores and OEM 

distribution. The company's products are available in 14 different languages through a worldwide network of distributors and res and/or registered trademarks of their respecDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMED COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS