KODAK Professional Photo CD Image Library Delivers 



Cost-Effective Image Storage And Retrieval 









First, a New Way to Look at Pictures;





Now, a New Way to Store and Retrieve Them







New York, Aug. 25-The technology that made it possible to store dozens of

35mm photos on a compact disc will also enable users to archive thousands 

of pictures.  The KODAK Professional Photo CD Image Library system offers 

on-line retrieval of any single image in a matter of seconds.



The KODAK Professional Photo CD Image Library system stores images in an

automated disc library, or "jukebox," that can hold as many as 100 Photo 

CD discs.  Using special KODAK software, an operator can use key words to 

search the library; view low-resolution "thumbnails" of images that fit 

the search criteria; and select those images to be viewed, edited, or 

printed at full resolution.



The system is designed to meet the needs of stock photography agencies, 

medical and industrial photographers, government agencies, museums, 

libraries, and Fortune 500 companies.  Currently, most of these 

organizations maintain exhaustive files of pictures in hard copy form, which

makes referencing extremely difficult.



The library can accept any of the five Photo CD disc formats.  The final 

capacity of the jukebox depends on what Photo CD format discs are chosen.  

For example, the jukebox can hold 2,500 4 x 5-inch film images on KODAK Pro 

Photo CD Master discs, 10,000 35mm images on standard KODAK Photo CD Master 

discs, or hundreds of thousands on KODAK Photo CD Catalog discs.



"Managing images is far more difficult for commercial enterprises than for 

consumers," said KODAK's David P. Biehn, vice president and general manager, 

Professional Imaging.  "Instead of a shoe box in the back of the closet or 

photo albums, large organizations have file after file filled with picture.

Knowing what they have and finding what they need are monumental tasks.



"The KODAK Professional Photo CD Image Library will help them organize their

images and access them faster."









How It Works



An image library system consists of a KODAK Photo CD jukebox connected to a

desktop computer.  KODAK image search and retrieval software handles the 

image management function.



The use of images search and retrieval software means that the image library 

will share a common interface with stand-alone image databases running 

software and with the KODAK Picture Exhange, the company's new telephone 

dial-up image services network.  "We want to provide a consistent look and 

feel throughout our image management applications-from the smallest to the 

largest," Biehn noted.  



Film is scanned and images are written to a KODAK Photo CD Master or KODAK 

Pro Photo CD Master disc to begin the process of configuring an image 

library.  The disc is prepared the same way it always is; no special 

formatting is required.



At a desktop computer, an operator subsequently "characterizes" each Photo 

CD image with appropriate key words describing the picture's attributes 

(such as "photographer" and "film type") and content (such as "landscape" or

"dog").  A thumbnail from the Photo CD disc and its descriptive information

are then added to the image library database on the computer's hard drive.



To search for an image, the operator sorts through the database using 

conventional database commands, viewing "hits" in thumbnail form.  Once the 

operator selects an image for closer inspection, the software automatically

locates it on the appropriate Photo CD disc stored in the attached jukebox.



A higher reolution version of the image is read from the disc within a few 

seconds, after which it can be viewed, exported to another software program, 

or output to a peripheral, such as a printer.



"This is truly the first image database system that lets users manage 

pictures as quickly and conveniently as today's database systems manage 

text," Biehn said.



In the future, larger-format media and networked systems can make possible 

image libraries that store millions of images, he noted.



The KODAK Professional Photo CD Library will be available next year.  Those

wishing more information may call the KODAK Information Center at 

1-800-242-2424, ext. 77.