Microsoft Releases Picture It! 2000

REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 22, 1999 — Microsoft Corp. today introduced the latest version of its award-winning Picture It!® 2000 consumer photo-editing software. Microsoft® Picture It! 2000 is designed for consumers who want to enter their photos into their personal computer, edit and enhance them and then share them with friends and family. Featuring new tools to create Web pages, Web slide shows and Web photo albums, Picture It! 2000 combines consumers’ enthusiasm for sharing photos with their excitement for the Web.

“Digital imaging is becoming more accessible,”
said Robert Bach, vice president of the Home and Retail Division at Microsoft.
“Not only have digital cameras and scanners dropped in price, but now it’s a breeze to get your pictures put on a CD at your local film developer. Once you have your photos in digital format, Picture It! 2000 makes it fun to create family Web pages, calendars, cards and collages and even to send e-mail postcards.”

Powerful Editing Tools Make It Easy to Edit and Enhance Photos

Photos often need to be fixed before they are inserted into projects. In addition to the powerful photo-editing tools that allow users to remove red-eye, correct scratches, remove dust, and restore faded photos, Picture It! 2000 features new tools to help users edit and enhance their photos more efficiently.

The new Mini Lab makes it possible to fix multiple photos at the same time. With just a few clicks of the mouse, users can adjust a roll of film that turned out too dark or light, or crop and rotate a series of photos. Mini Lab allows users to save their photos in batches, print them all at once, and share them via e-mail.

The new toolbars in Picture It! 2000 make it easy for novice and advanced users to find the right tools and fix their photos. Other new tools include multiple undo, which allows users to try out different edits and select one without having to retrace all their steps. New rulers and alignment tools allow users to specify if they are working in an 8×10-inch or 4×6-inch photo and help line up photos for a collage. New multiselect and grouping tools make it easy to add special effects to multiple parts of a photo at the same time. Improved cataloging features allow users to preserve, organize and find their photos quickly from any application according to name, date or caption.

High-Quality Artwork, Special Effects and Templates Make It Fun to Create Projects

New special effects allow consumers to turn their photos into art. With 100 new illusions, organized in an easy-to-follow preview menu, users can make a photo look like a charcoal drawing, a black and white sketch or an Impressionist painting. New paint strokes and photo strokes that allow you to draw with strands of bamboo, rope or Christmas tree lights, make creating a border or drawing on a picture fun. In addition, new 3-D text makes it easy to create photo captions that stand out.

With two CD-ROMs packed with 950 high-quality photo backgrounds, 150 fonts and more than 400 templates, Picture It! 2000 makes it easy to put enhanced photos in a wide range of projects, such as wallpaper, cards, calendars, funny money, magazine covers, trading cards, flyers, business cards, collages and photo albums.

New Web Tools and E-Mail Projects Make Sharing Photos Over the Internet Easy

“Sending e-mail photos to friends across the country or posting them on a family Web page sounds intimidating,”
said Michelle Kline, product manager for Picture It! 2000.
“Picture It! 2000 makes it easy with improved e-mail photo projects and a new Web Posting Wizard that walks consumers through a simple step-by-step posting process.”

With Picture It! 2000, any photo or photo project can be turned into a Web slide show, personal Web page or a Web album. The new sound options in Picture It! allow consumers to personalize their projects with their own voice and music. New animation features make photos or graphics dance across the screen. In addition, Picture It! 2000 walks users through the process of sending photos via e-mail, automatically compresses the photos into one attachment, and uses compression to reduce the file size. It then sends instructions to the recipient on how to open the photos.

Picture It! 2000 includes more ways to print and share photos. A new printing option automatically lays out photos on the page, allowing users to get the most out of expensive photo paper. Consumers can also upload any project to Kodak PhotoNet online or Fujifilm.net and receive a standard photographic print in return.

Pricing and Availability

Microsoft Picture It! 2000 is scheduled to be available nationwide this month for an estimated retail price of $54.95 (U.S.). Customers can visit http://www.microsoft.com/pictureit/ for more information.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day.

Microsoft and Picture It! are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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