iPhoto add-on corrects, blurs, frames, enlarges

PhotoShop users are familiar with plug-ins--applets that enhance the function of the main program and can be accessed from within it. That's because plug-in developers have found Adobe's photo editor a lucrative playground for their wares. Not so, however, with Apple's iPhoto software. Maybe the development community feels that devotees of what's essentially a free program won't be inclined to dish out dough for added functionality.

If that's the rationale for eschewing the iPhoto market, it isn't one shared by plug-in maker onOne Software, of Portland, Ore. It released today a version of its Essentials 2.1 program for iPhoto. The add-on, priced at $59.95, beefs up iPhoto's capabilities with tools for fine-tuning color, contrast and brightness; vignetting images; framing a photo's edges; and enlarging a photo with as minimum loss of quality. The software gives iPhoto users an opportunity to experiment with professional caliber tools without making a professional level outlay from their bank accounts.