Corel KnockOut 1.5 In Stores Now!: Create digital photo composites with stunning realism in a fraction of the time

Business Wire, May 30, 2000

Business Editors

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2000

Corel Corporation (NASDAQ: CORL)(TSE: COR.) today announced Corel(r) Knockout 1.5, its powerful and innovative masking software application, is available across North America. For both Macintosh(r) and PC, this powerful and exciting upgrade will help imaging professionals reach new heights of creative power and produce professional masking quality, quickly and easily.

Corel KnockOut 1.5 masking software is a powerful yet easy-to-use application, that successfully combines the control and precision needed to create digital photo composites with a high level of accuracy and realism. Corel KnockOut 1.5 produces virtually seamless composite images that maintain fine details such as hair, transparencies, smoke, motion blur, and shadows that were once thought impossible to preserve successfully.

The unique strength of Corel KnockOut 1.5 is that it will reproduce the soft transitions of foreground edges, however wide or variable in density, while removing any trace of the visible background in that transition. When this 'knocked out foreground' is combined with a new background the transitions will have the same transparency as the original.

"Corel has been a leader in the high-end graphics market for over 10 years and we are committed to further enhancing this masking technology," said Derek J. Burney, executive vice president of engineering and chief technology officer at Corel Corporation.

"Corel KnockOut 1.5 puts Corel at the leading edge of the rapidly growing digital photo-editing market. Corel continues to provide the best value possible to our users by offering a professional masking solution on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms," added Burney.

Corel KnockOut 1.5, together with Corel PHOTO-PAINT(r) or Adobe(r) PhotoShop(r), forms an exceptional toolkit of image-editing solutions for print and Web publishing.

Features and Enhancements

Professional designers want the tools they need to achieve maximum creativity easily and quickly. Corel KnockOut 1.5 has been streamlined to provide productivity enhancements to allow designers to expand their creative boundaries without compromising high caliber images.

Enhancements include:

* A new Loupe Zoom to magnify selections as users define the object,

allowing for more precise masking lines

* The ability to verify mask accuracy by changing the underlying

color or inserting another image

* Easy removal of unnecessary or extra Syringe Points

* A new Syringe Tool cursor that amplifies the underlying color

allowing for more accurate pick up of color selections

Pricing and Availability

Corel KnockOut 1.5 is available at a suggested retail price (SRP) of $279.99 US (dealer may sell for less).(1) Additionally, in the U.S. and Canada, all registered users of CorelDRAW(r), Corel PHOTO-PAINT or Corel VENTURA(tm) are eligible for a $50 rebate when they buy Corel KnockOut 1.5 with proof of purchase.

In September 1999, Corel licensed PC and Macintosh versions of Ultimatte Corporation's KnockOut(tm) software application. Since that time Corel has released the 1.1 version as an Electronic Software Download.

(1) As previously announced, users who purchased Ultimatte KnockOut 1.0 or Corel KnockOut 1.1 are eligible for a free upgrade until December 31, 2000.

Corel Corporation

Corel Corporation is an internationally recognized developer of award-winning business productivity, graphics and operating system solutions on the Windows(r), Linux(r), UNIX(r), Macintosh(r) and Java(tm) platforms. Corel also develops market-leading, Web-based solutions including applications, contents, e-commerce and online services. For access to these services and more information go to www.corel.com or www.corelcity.com. Corel is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Corel's common stock trades on the NASDAQ Stock Market(sm) under the symbol CORL and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol COR.

This press release contains statements that are forward looking as that term is defined by the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results will differ due to factors such as shifts in customer demand, product shipment schedules, product mix, competitive products and pricing, technological shifts and other variables. Readers are referred to Corel's most recent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Corel, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, CorelDRAW, Corel VENTURA and the Go further logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Corel Corporation or Corel Corporation Limited. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computers, Inc. Adobe and PhotoShop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. KnockOut is a trademark of Ultimatte Corporation used under license. All other products, fonts, company names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.