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Alien Skin Software has announced the release of Exposure 2, the latest version of its film stock simulator and effects package. Exposure 2 lets digital photographers and graphic artists enhance any digital photo by simulating the rich, organic look of film.

Developed from a detailed, scientific analysis of current and discontinued color and black and white print and slide stocks, Exposure 2 features more than 300 presets that emulate the warmth, softness, and realistic grains of film -- the vivid colors of Velvia, the natural skin tones of Portra®, and the ethereal glow of infrared -- to provide new and alternative looks for fashion, wedding, magazine, event, and portrait photographers, photo hobbyists, and a wide array of creative, printing, and graphic arts professionals. Exposure 2 even simulates the retro colors of faded Polaroid.

More sophisticated than merely adding simple digital noise, Exposure 2's grain simulation models the size, shape, and color of real world grain, including the unique salt and pepper grain of TRI-X and the large, intensely colorful grain of the discontinued GAF 500. Exposure 2 grain size is automatically adjusted to image size so grain looks the same on high- and low-resolution photos. A roughness control gives Exposure 2 users subtle control over grain shape.

While other digital image products produce flat, lifeless black and white conversions, Exposure 2 also brings back the high impact of black and white film to digital photography. A simple yet flexible channel mixer interface provides subtle control over the color to black and white conversion process. Color toning, contrast, and grain add the finishing touches to turn color photographs into dramatic black and white works of art.

Beyond the ability to reproduce the look and feel of film, Exposure 2 offers a range of effects previously available only in darkrooms and photo labs, such as push and cross processing and glamour portrait softening. Exposure 2's controls enable users to easily manage color saturation, tone, sharpness, and grain, streamlining workflow for photographers and graphic artists with one comprehensive yet easy-to-use tool.

Applying Exposure 2 settings to batches of images is easily accomplished using Photoshop Actions. Any Exposure 2 preset can be the starting point for a signature look by adjusting it to suit a particular subject. This new look can be saved as a setting for future use. All Exposure 2 settings can be deployed nondestructively in a new Photoshop layer named after the setting used. Exposure 2 supports Photoshop CS3 Smart Filters.

For ease of use, Exposure 2 settings are organized into categories, and last-used settings are remembered and highlighted. Previews are automatically scaled to fit the current window size. Multithreaded to run faster on multiprocessors or multi-core processors, Exposure 2 also easily handles 16-bit images, allowing RAW images to be manipulated at their highest quality.

Exposure 2 sells for $249 USD with an upgrade price of $149 USD for registered users of Exposure 1. Online delivery is available directly on the Alien Skin website at www.alienskin.com. Exposure 2 is also available worldwide through stores, catalogs, and resellers. Free upgrades are available to purchasers of Exposure 1 who purchased on September 1, 2007 or later.

Exposure 2 is a plug-in and will require one of the following: Adobe Photoshop CS2 or later, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 or later, Adobe Fireworks CS3, or Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI. Exposure 2 is a Universal Macintosh application. Live Effects in Fireworks CS3 are not supported.

www.alienskin.com