One year after our second article on Vivid-Pix, DeeperBlue.com went back to the company’s booth at DEMA Show 2016 to check in with Rick Voight and Randy Fredlund about the next big thing.
Vivid-Pix has long established its reputation as a user-friendly photo editing program that uses a clean, intuitive toggle system. Currently, they’ve got three versions available to meet the needs of shutterbugs of all kinds.
Version one is the LAND & SEA edition, ideal for casual snorkelers and vacationers which makes it a great product to promote aboard cruise ships and at resorts.
Version two is currently known as Scuba, and is suitable for photos taken at deeper depths. It’s getting a name change and a few shiny new features to go with it.
The LAND & SEA Plus version, Windows has released – Mac out shortly, also fixes land photos and its patented image science “goes deeper” for SCUBA photos. It will have a second depth-removal toggle called the “emerald filter.” Just as their original control restores red wavelengths to photos taken in blue water, the new control will add magenta into photos that are just too green. Vivid-Pix developed this feature as a direct response to consumer demand when Marco Heesbein of Onderwaterhuis, Netherlands pointed out that the original depth-removal feature didn’t work very well for photos of his green local waters.
There will also be a fish-eye flattening feature in case you want to convert your wide-angle action shots and remove the fish-eye effect. Finally, the LAND & SEA Plus software will capitalize on the strengths of RAW format files, bringing more of the data to bear to produce final images.
The LAND & SEA software is available now as an IOS app, with an Android version coming soon. For US$5/4.72 Euros you can get the basic version, or Go Deeper for $19.99/18.88 Euros to get access to the Plus version, complete with the new emerald filter.
The final version of Vivid-Pix’s fantastic software actually has nothing to do with the diving community. Geared more towards genealogists and scrapbookers, the RESTORE version, according to Randy, has a very similar interface to LAND & SEA, but is very different under the hood. RESTORE makes global corrections to old photos and documents in much the same way the other versions do, but specially adapted to balance color, bump contrast, and sharpen your antique images. Especially exciting is the “Pixel Preservation Mode” which will allow you to manipulate your photos while leaving the original file information intact.
Since its inception, Vivid-Pix has expanded to markets in 87 countries across the globe, and paired up with NAUI’s Green Diver Initiative as a Corporate Partner. In fact, people are so excited about Vivid-Pix that our interview was interrupted when a passer-by stopped to tell Randy,
“I just want to say your software is great! I’ve been using it for three years.”
Next year, he might be using the new video version that’s rumored to be in development. Head over to their website at vivid-pix.com for a free trial.
