Akvis Software has released Akvis Magnifier 4.0 (http://Akvis.com/en/magnifier/index.php), an update of the tool for increasing image resolution for Mac OS X and Windows. Version 4.0 4.0 introduces an advanced algorithm for reducing images.

The new Sharpness parameter improves the clarity of images by increasing the color contrast of neighboring pixels. Now images can be reduced and placed in your online photo album without a loss in detail and with an improvement in quality. Also in Akvis Magnifier 4.0, the parameters for processing images are divided into two groups: those which reduce an image (a new parameter to control image clarity), and those which increase an image (all other parameters).

Featuring photo resizing algorithms, Akvis Magnifier enlarges digital pictures to "super-high resolution" for enlargements and poster-size prints. Version 2.0 also adds support of image editing in Lab mode and a Print dialog to the standalone edition that makes it possible to print large images at a high resolution. There are also new interface languages added: French, Spanish, Italian.

According to the folks at Akvis, resizing pictures with Akvis Magnifier yields a much higher quality than simple bicubic interpolation. Depending on particular needs, Akvis Magnifier can be fine-tuned to produce images that look exactly as required for a given purpose. The software allows enlarging an image to a super-high resolution of up to 30000 x 30000 pixels, making a 100x100 inch (2.5x2.5 meter) poster easily printable at typographic quality of 300 dots per inch

Registered users of Magnifier can update their standalone version for free. The owners of the Business license for Magnifier can activate both standalone and plug-in version for free.

For new users, a Akvis Magnifier Home License (plug-in or standalone) sells for US$129. Home users can enjoy the full line of Akvis plug-ins in the Akvis Alchemy bundle (Magnifier, Sketch, Chameleon, Stamp, Retoucher, Coloriage, Noise Buster, Decorator, Enhancer, LightShop, SmartMask and ArtSuite) for $325 USD, a savings of about 66 percent over purchasing each separately. For business licenses consult the Akvis web site. One license key allows activating the software on two computers -- for example, on a desktop and a laptop.