FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
METACREATIONS SHIPS NEW WEB-INTEGRATED
PHOTO-EDITING SOFTWARE
Kai's Photo Soap 2 Sets New Standard for Web and Print Delivery
CARPINTERIA, Calif. - December 23, 1998 - MetaCreations Corporation
(Nasdaq: MCRE) announced the release of Kai's Photo Soap 2, a new
version of Kai's creative photo-editing software that lets anyone
with a camera and a computer effortlessly bring their photos to the
Web for sharing with family and friends. Kai's Photo Soap 2 offers an
integrated, intuitive environment to correct photos and create
digital content, such as slide shows that can easily be e-mailed and
posted on an Internet home page.
Available for both the Windows and Macintosh platforms, Soap 2 is
available now on a hybrid CD. As previously announced by
MetaCreations on August 25, 1998, Apple Computer is bundling a
special edition of Soap on its consumer computer, the iMac.
Kai's Photo Soap 2 takes the concept of photo editing beyond the
desktop and straight to the Internet. Soap 2 converts digital images
to instantly viewable HTML formats, so users can save files directly
to a Web site for immediate, universal viewing. An integrated
MetaStream format lets Soap users break new ground by authoring 3D
picture "cubes" for the Web. In addition, Soap 2's PhotoMailer lets
anyone E-mail interactive photo slide shows. Enthusiasts will also
enjoy SoapTalk in Soap 2, a chat room where anyone can trade tips and
tricks for the "cleanest" chat on the Web!
"Soap 2 gives everyone, even newcomers to the Internet, a new set of
digital imaging tools that include a series of easy, great-looking
creative options for sharing family photos on the Web," said John
Dearborn, senior vice president of marketing at MetaCreations. "The
unique blend of easy access to surprisingly sophisticated photo
correction and manipulation tools, and an inviting, entertaining
interface makes Soap 2 a perfect family-fun tool for creating
interactive Web pages."
Kai's Photo Soap 2 provides consumers the power of professional
retouching with easy-to-use controls and animated tools to allow
instant cropping, touch up and color correction of photos in a sleek,
intuitive package. Users can "clean" up their photos and create slide
shows and picture albums for friends and family to enjoy. Compositing
tools give users infinite options for combining pictures, clip art
and text, and anyone can create colorful, expressive albums of their
favorite images to print or share on the Web. A large selection of
templates, cartoon and photo-realistic clip art give an amateur the
polish of a professional, all for under $50. Finished projects can be
output to color printers in a wide variety of creative formats.
Kai's Photo Soap 2 capabilities include:
Automatic Web content creation, either through HTML output straight
from the desktop, or instant slide shows exported to the Web
Instant e-mail of compact, ready-to-view slide shows
Create 3D photo cubes for Internet display via MetaStream output formats
Exciting new output options include the ability to customize size,
shape, color and format for printing business cards, mailing labels,
greeting cards, photo albums, calendars, slide shows, invitations,
Web pages and more
Effortless organization of digital photos
Correction features include the ability to lighten sunsets,
brighten underexposed photos, restore cracked and yellowed heirloom
photos and remove red-eye
Includes free Internet connectivity software to get your Website up
and running
Pricing and Availability:
Soap 2 will be available January 1, 1999, through national retail
outlets, in catalogs, and direct from MetaCreations at a SRP of US
$49.95. Until May 31, 1999, a $15 mail-in upgrade rebate to Kai's
Photo Soap and a competitive $15 mail-in rebate is available until
May 31, 1999.
System Requirements:
Windows: Pentium compatible processor, Windows 95, Windows 98 Windows
NT 4.0 with Service Pack 3or later, 32 MB RAM for Windows 95/9, 64 MB
RAM for Windows NT, 100 MB of hard-disk space, CD player, 16 or
24-bit color (24-bit preferred) Macintosh: Power PC, System 8 or
better, 32 MB RAM, 100 MB hard-disk space, CD player, 16 or 24-bit
color (24-bit preferred);
About MetaCreations
MetaCreations Corporation, the "Creative Web" company, was founded in
1987 and designs and develops award-winning desktop software tools
and enabling technologies for creating, manipulating and delivering
2D and 3D digital images and real-time, interactive 3D Web content.
MetaCreations offers a complete product line of graphics software for
both professional users and consumers, and its products are available
in more than 70 countries. The company is headquartered in Santa
Barbara County, California, and has development centers in Scotts
Valley, Calif., and Princeton, N.J., as well as an International
Operations Center in Dublin, Ireland. MetaCreations can be reached on
the World Wide Web at http://www.metacreations.com.
The release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the
safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially as a result of a
number of risks and uncertainties affecting the Company's business.
Such risks include, but are not limited to, the following: that Kai's
Photo Soap 2 will not be available in stores January 1, 1999, through
national retail outlets, in catalogs, and direct from MetaCreations
at a SRP of US $49.95. For a more detailed discussion of factors that
affect MetaCreations' operating results, interested parties should
review MetaCreations' SEC reports, including MetaCreations' Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997, and
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Contact:
Dorothy Eckel
Corporate Communications
805/566-6464
deckel@metacreations.com
Corey Olfert
Fleishman Hillard
213/489-8254
olfertc@fleishman.com
