RedHawk Vision Inc. today announced that it's started beta testing a new plugin for Adobe Premiere that lets users extract 35 mm quality images from digital video sources. The plugin, Video Pics, is being geared toward those who need to extract video content for use in marketing, advertising and trade show displays. It's expected to be available in October on the Macintosh platform.

Video Pics permits the generation of digital files that are compatible with image editing software and can be used to produce high-resolution images—3,200 x 2,400 DPI—for print work. RedHawk's software takes information content from multiple frames of video, reduces noise and enhances the image color, detail and resolution of a selected frame. The current version of Video Pics is Macintosh-compatible. RedHawk Vision is planning future video software products to be cross-platform and to include functions for salvaging otherwise unusable video and re-purposing existing video assets, according to the company.

Both professional and consumer versions of Video Pics are being designed to eventually facilitate e-commerce photofinishing and direct delivery of extracted photographs to users.

RedHawk is now recruiting additional Video Pics beta testers via their Web site. Beta testers must meet the following requirements: any Power Mac with a FireWire port (built-in or add-on); 256 MB physical RAM; Adobe Premiere 5.x or later; Mac OS 8.5, 8.6 or 9.x; image editing software; and an Internet connection (56 Kbps or faster recommended).

The software is expected to be priced less than $700. For more information, visit http://www.redhawkvision.com.