Elpical demonstrates next generation automatic image enhancement products at Drupa 2008

Claro Premedia: Better images for editorial or catalog workflows

Elpical Claro Premedia is the solution for demanding environments with a high throughput of images. It’s client/server architecture combines the advantages of server-based image optimization with the subtlety of operator interventions. Claro Premedia can easily be integrated in editorial or catalog production systems taking into account scaling and when optimizing the image quality.

On top of a completely revamped user interface version 5 of Claro Premedia introduces a host of new features that further increase the image quality and expand the automation capabilities. In order to repurpose images for different media you can now define Dynamic DeviceLink processing channels converting images from one CMYK color space to another optimizing the printability of those images for specific printing processes and paper types. Claro will also recognize bitmap logo’s inside a PDF leaving them untouched and only processing the actual photographs in the file. For automation and traceability Claro Premedia 5 introduces support for XMP metadata. In addition to routing files on IPTC information you can now also route files based on XMP data. An image process log can now also be saved in XMP, making it easy for anyone to see what has changed compared to the original image.

Claro Single: Server based image enhancement, color- and file conversion

Elpical Claro Single is based on the same reliable image enhancement technology found in Claro Premedia. Specifically built to integrate into automation products like Enfocus SWITCH, Claro Single offers true automated image processing power. Where products like Adobe Photoshop can be used for basic batch processing tasks like color conversion, Elpical’s image analyses adds dynamic quality improvement capabilities to a workflow that otherwise could only be performed by an operator. Industrial photo-studios, photo-labs, commercial digital printers or anyone else dealing with a large amount of pictures per day will quickly see the benefit of Claro Single.

The new version of Claro Single caries along many of the improvements made in Claro Premedia, such as its XMP capabilities. Its also introduces conversion to grayscale, the ability to save in different files formats, image resampling and other more basic image manipulation capabilities. Last but not least with Claro Single 5 you can route “bad” and corrupted images. Pictures are considered bad if the analysis shows that it could be impossible to reach the desired quality. The ability to route these image based on that enables you to either manually deal with that image or simply decide not to use it.

About ELPICAL

ELPICAL Software, based in Giesbeek, The Netherlands, develops and markets software solutions for the production and enhancement of digital images and the automation of the image workflow. Based on extensive image analysis, the technology enables publishing houses to automate the enhancement of produced images. ELPICAL was established in 1997 by a management buy-out of the Electronic Imaging department of Victor Hasselblad AB. ELPICAL since has grown to become a leading specialist in the field of digital image enhancement and management.

The manufacturer's key products include Claro Premedia Server, 4LeafCover, EmailManager, SlideShowEnhancer and the Claro module for Gradual SWITCH. ELPICAL's core competence in the field of digital images makes the company an ideal partner for other software suppliers who want to combine ELPICAL products with their own applications, or for system integrators who want to integrate expanded image functions in their own products. ELPICAL has concluded an OEM agreement with, among others, OCÉ© for the enhancement of embedded images from PDF documents. www.elpical.com