Every now and again you come across plug-ins for an application that you think will enhance the pictures that you have stored in your computer. Although there are many applications that will do exactly that, I have found two plug-ins that will do it faster and probably better than those applications that need a lot of maneuvering to do just that.

Briefly, Digital SHO automatically adjusts the shadows and dark areas in images. So, if you lost a lot of detail because the picture is too dark, this plug-in makes those details visible........automatically. That is a WOW!! Similarly, Digital ROC actually restores, balances and corrects the color quality of your pictures. For instance, if you took a picture and it looks too red, or if you took a picture under fluorescent lighting and the picture colors are not what you actually saw, Digital ROC will analyze the color gradient to enhance the color and/or correct the color quality of the picture. Definitely another WOW!! You also have the option of further correction and/or adjustment of colors via several slide controls, if it is necessary.

For the uninitiated, a plug-in is an addition and or a tool in an application that will do various things within the application. It is generally an "Effect" such as sharpening a picture, despeckling a picture, or taking the "noise" out of a picture. Both plug-ins work with pictures from any source, i.e. film scanners, flatbed scanners, digital cameras, CDs and the Internet. It supports Windows and soon, they will support the Macintosh platform, and although their Read Me file indicated that it is compatible with Adobe Photo Deluxe, Adobe Essentials, and Adobe Photoshop, I was also able to install it in Paint Shop Pro 7.

The site gives you a rundown of what these plug-ins can do and they have a free 30 day trial offer. During the trial period, the pictures will have a watermark across it. You can purchase the plug-ins on line, and a code will be emailed to you. At that time, of course, the watermark disappears. I downloaded both of the plug-ins from their website, www.asf.com. It gives you the choice of using their own stand-alone installer or Web Installer which is the quickest download, which I used. With one click, the installer downloaded to my computer and a window appeared listing the Adobe applications on my computer that are supported by ASF. I found that I had to install ROC and SHO individually into each application, and had no problem. Installing it in Paint ShopPro 7, required copying the plug-in files from one of the Adobe applications into a new folder labeled "Plugins" in PSP7.

The requirements are Win98, 2000, ME and XP, 128 MB ram, and minimum 800x600 resolution. The cost is $50.00 per plug-in. You would have to add $10.00 if you want the CD.

For those people that enjoy photo editing, Digital ROC and Digital SHO are tools that allow you to do the very minimum of "fixing" and "fiddling" to make the pictures the very best they can be.