An Interview with AnnMarie Thomas, Marketing Manager from Microsoft's Digital Imaging Group [Archive]

Jason Dunn

10-19-2005, 11:00 PM

Shortly after Digital Image Suite 10 was released I sent an email to a contact I had on the Digital Imaging team with some interview questions. Nine months and one new version later, a helpful PR person managed to connect my with the right person and get my questions answered. Because they were written before Digital Image Suite 2006 was released, they have a past-tense tone to them. Nevertheless, it's a good read. DMT: Microsoft's approach to photo applications has been criticized for being fragmented and confusing - there have been several product name changes over the years, and more versions than I can easily count. The name "Digital Image Suite 2006" seems to bring it in line with other Microsoft products such as Office and FrontPage. Does it also bring with focus around a single name and brand? AnnMarie Thomas: We streamlined our product portfolio to make it easier for our consumers. Our product lineup used to include three versions for different levels of users, but this year we released two versions Microsoft Digital Image Standard 2006 and Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006. Standard includes all of the main organizing features and several of the editing features of its counterpart. It is an ideal program for new digital photographers. Suite includes a wealth of added programs and features: PhotoStory 3.1, intelligent panoramic stitching, easy photo sharing, archiving and burning options, as well as a three-year warranty on top of all of the features and function of Standard. DMT: Will there be multiple versions of Digital Image Suite 2006? If so, how will they differ? I've always had a hard time distinguishing between the different versions.<!> AMT: Yes, there are two versions of Microsoft Digital Image 2006 – Standard and Suite. Standard includes all of the main organizing features and several of the editing features of its counterpart. It is an ideal program for new digital photographers. Suite includes a wealth of added programs and features for the digital photo enthusiast: PhotoStory 3.1, Intelligent Panoramic Stitching, Lines and Curves, Black-and-White Effects, easy photo sharing, archiving and burning options, as well as a three-year warranty on top of all of the features and function of Standard. DMT: What are some of the new features in Digital Image Suite 2006? Are there improvements that users of version 10 would notice the most, or are there brand new features that will make version 10 owners want to upgrade? AMT: Digital Image Suite 2006 includes a wealth of improvements and new features that warrant an upgrade. A few of the most notable ones include the following: • Hierarchical Keywords and Labels provide stacked tags that allows users to organize, sort through and find their images in the way that best suits them • Hover Thumbnail enlarges thumbnail images whenever a mouse hovers above them, making it easy to view the image • RAW Support for Canon and Nikon cameras • Black & White Effects allows users to create black-and-white images from a variety of preset filters, altering color tone or manipulating each of the color channels • Intuitive Crop intelligently analyzes the composition of a photo and suggests a way to crop the photo that will properly frame the subject(s) • Photo Story 3.1 allows anyone to create a photo show with voice narration, customizable pans and zooms, and music. This year Microsoft has added the ability to make quick edits (red-eye removal, apply black-and-white filter), create an original soundtrack, and burn a CD with high-resolution VCD files, perfect for playing back on a TV • Sharing Disc allows consumers to easily burn photo CDs to share with friends and family, without disrupting detailed photo archive settings • Device Sync Support makes it easy to share photos with mobile devices such as Pocket PCs and Smartphones through syncing with Windows Media® Player DMT: Digital Image Suite 9 was announced in January of 2004, and version 10 was announced in September of 2005, some 21 months later. Digital Image Suite 2006 is being announced only nine months later. Why the radically shortened product cycle? AMT: Our product lifecycle tends to be about every 12 months. Digital Image Suite 9 was launched in June 2003, Digital Image Suite 10 in August of 2004, and Digital Image Suite 2006 in July of 2005. DMT: The price point of $99.99 puts Digital Image Suite 2006 in line with Photoshop Elements - who do you see as being your primary competitors in this market? AMT: All of Microsoft’s digital imaging products are custom-designed for consumers to give them easy and intuitive access to advanced techniques and features. We feel that Digital Image Suite is in a category all its own. Some of the software products out there started as professional suites and had features taken away to create the consumer-ready version – and some of the online services don’t offer the full features that consumers want and need. We believe we have something unique that consumers will be able to enjoy right away and as they learn and grow as digital photographers. DMT: Are there any distinctive features that would compel someone to switch from a competing product, such as Photoshop Elements or Ulead PhotoImpact? Will there be a competitive upgrade of any kind at launch? AMT: There are many distinctive features that would compel someone to make a switch. First, we built our product from the ground up for consumers. Some companies’ specialty lies with designing more expensive, high-end products for art directors, designers and graphics professionals, while we offer software that is custom designed with the consumer in mind. Second of all, consumers will hugely benefit from the Digital Image Library’s hierarchical metadata structure, which offers much more organizational flexibility than the competitors. The Digital Image Library writes metadata back to the file whenever possible, which allows users to see this metadata in other applications as well. Lastly, there is a generous $30 mail-in rebate with the purchase of Digital Image Suite 2006 plus an additional $10 if you bought a digital camera within (before or after) 30 days of the purchase of Digital Image Suite 2006. DMT: Thank you for your time and answers. Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Alberta, Canada.