From: osuch@acadia.Kodak.COM (Bill O'Such)
Subject: Photo CD Information - Image library
Organization: Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, NY
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 92 22:21:59 GMT

This is one in a series of posting of Photo CD information that
has previously been ftp'd to two sites (moin.nmsu.edu and cdrom.com).
Any questions on this posting or Photo CD should be sent to

   johnkcac@park.kodak.com









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 
35 mm 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 35 
mm 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 pictures. 
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 image 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 
Exchange, 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-resolution 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 Image Library will be 
available next year. Those wishing more information may call the 
Kodak Information Center at 1-800-242-2424, ext. 77.
                              ###

[Kodak is a trademark.]


Bill O'Such
Eastman Kodak Company


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