Expert

Lite

Magic Watermarks

Overview

Pro

Reader

Overview

BitJazz offers four different levels of licensing for PhotoJazz: PhotoJazz Reader/Evaluation, PhotoJazz Lite, PhotoJazz Pro, and PhotoJazz Expert. The software is identical for all license levels. The license levels are distinguished by different serial-number keys entered in the Personalize BitJazz Tools application. The only functional difference is that higher license levels turn magic watermarking off for more features. Thus while the PhotoJazz Reader watermarks all output images, a PhotoJazz Lite license turns off watermarking for images output in RGB Color mode with up to one alpha channel and 8 bits per channel, a PhotoJazz Pro license turns off watermarking for all image modes with 8-bit channels, and a PhotoJazz Expert license turns off watermarking for all image modes and all channel precisions.

	PhotoJazz  Reader/ Evaluation	PhotoJazz  Lite	PhotoJazz  Pro	PhotoJazz  Expert
Read RGB	•	•	•	•
Read CMYK	•	•	•	•
Read Grayscale	•	•	•	•
Read Multitone	•	•	•	•
Read L*a*b*	•	•	•	•
Read Multichannel	•	•	•	•
Read Alpha Channels	•	•	•	•
Read Spot Channels	•	•	•	•
Read 16-Bit Channels	•	•	•	•
Read Non-Image Data	•	•	•	•
Read ICC Profiles	•	•	•	•
Write RGB	w	•	•	•
Write CMYK	w	w	•	•
Write Grayscale	w	w	•	•
Write Multitone	w	w	•	•
Write L*a*b*	w	w	•	•
Write Multichannel	w	w	•	•
Write Alpha Channels	w	1	•	•
Write Spot Channels	w	w	•	•
Write 16-Bit Channels	w	w	w	•
Write Non-Image Data	•	•	•	•
Write ICC Profiles	•	•	•	•

•	Fully supported, without watermarking.
1	Support for up to 1; Additional alpha channels result in watermarking.
w	Supported, but with watermarking.

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Reader

The PhotoJazz Reader, or Evaluation License, is offered free of charge to individual users. You can download the PhotoJazz Reader from BitJazz's website for free.

With PhotoJazz Reader, you can open any PhotoJazz image files for viewing, but any PhotoJazz images you save will appear with a magic watermark when you reopen them without the appropriate license (see below).

As explained in the section on magic watermarks, BitJazz's individual licensing policy supports both the casual viewer model and the starving artist model.

Thus, if you only casually view images, without ever planning to create or edit them, then PhotoJazz Reader will let you view, unwatermarked, any PhotoJazz images created by appropriately licensed users. If you create or edit images for other casual viewers, then as long as you have purchased the appropriate license (see below), your customers and other viewers can download the PhotoJazz Reader for free to view your images without watermarks.

On the other hand, if you're a starving artist, then as long as your clients have purchased the appropriate license, they can still view the PhotoJazz images you create even if you're making do with the Evaluation version, as explained in the section on magic watermarks.

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Lite

PhotoJazz Lite is available for purchase and immediate download on the web. With PhotoJazz Lite, you can open any PhotoJazz image files for viewing, and can save any RGB and RGBA images with up to 8 bits per channel without watermarking. If you save PhotoJazz images in any other color mode, with additional channels, or with more than 8 bits per channel, those images will appear with a magic watermark when you reopen them without the appropriate higher-level license (see below).

If you only work with ordinary color images on screen, and don't intend to use high-end editing and printing features such as multiple alpha channels, CMYK, spot colors, grayscale, or duotone, then PhotoJazz Lite should meet your needs.

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Pro

PhotoJazz Pro is available for purchase and immediate download on the web. With PhotoJazz Pro, you can open any PhotoJazz image files for viewing, and can save images in any color mode and with any number of channels with up to 8 bits per channel without watermarking. If you save PhotoJazz images with more than 8 bits per channel, those images will appear with a magic watermark when you reopen them without the appropriate higher-level license.

If you work with images professionally, but don't use high-precision image-capture equipment, then PhotoJazz Pro is the best choice for you.

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Expert

PhotoJazz Expert is available for purchase and immediate download on the web. With PhotoJazz Expert, you can open any PhotoJazz image files for viewing, and can save images in any color mode and with any number of channels of any precision without watermarking.

If you work with high-end digital cameras, medical imagery, satellite imagery, or other high-precision image-capture equipment, then you will need the 16-bit channel support that only PhotoJazz Expert provides.

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Magic Watermarks

If you have no personal serial number because you are trying out PhotoJazz before deciding to purchase it or just using it as a free reader, any PhotoJazz image files you create will appear with a magic transparent watermark of the BitJazz logo when you view them again. Similarly, if you only have a Lite license, then any PhotoJazz images you create using Pro image modes will appear watermarked when you reopen them; and unless you have an Expert license, then any PhotoJazz images you create with more than 8 bits per channel will appear watermarked when you reopen them.

BitJazz's watermarking technique is unusual in that PhotoJazz images created without the appropriate license are tagged for watermarking, but the watermark isn't actually applied until the image is also input without the appropriate license. This lends BitJazz's watermarks certain seemingly magical properties. Thus if either the creator or the viewer of an image has the appropriate license, no watermark appears. This makes the free Reader/Evaluation license ideal for both the casual viewer and the starving artist.

Furthermore, BitJazz's magic watermark does not affect the size of the compressed files, so you can thoroughly test the product throughout your workflow before deciding to purchase it. As a matter of fact, as long as you never resave a watermarked PhotoJazz image, the magic watermark will disappear once you purchase the appropriate PhotoJazz license and repersonalize the product with your personal serial number.

If any of this is still confusing, just remember to never save an image with a visible watermark, or it will lose its magic and become a real, indelible watermark.

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