CHICAGO, April 4, 2001 -- Creative directors now have a more cost-effective and efficient solution for previewing and approving photography with a new service from R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company's Premedia Technologies group. With the company's new Photo-Flow service, creative directors can access a secure website via the Internet from virtually any location and approve or comment on photography within minutes of the image being taken. By integrating Photo-Flow with other Premedia services, imagery moves from concept to color corrected print file or website up to five times faster. "Creative directors are extremely busy and travel costs are increasing daily," said Nicole Michels, product leader - photography, R.R. Donnelley's Premedia Technologies group. "By using Photo-Flow, clients review and approve imagery as soon as it's shot wherever they are. Quick approval of the image, means quicker availability for retouching and color correction, and quicker placement into printed pieces or onto websites. The image moves from concept to published or electronic content within hours instead of days!" Photo-Flow works behind the scenes and does not interfere with the creative process. Here's how the service works: The same steps required in creating the digital image remain - the set is styled, the lighting is checked and the photo is taken. From the imaging system (camera and computer), the image is transmitted to a secure Web server. The creative director receives a prompt via cellular phone or e-mail indicating an image is ready for review. Logging onto a secure website, the creative director reviews the image and approves or sends instructions for reshooting or retouching. Since a limited introduction in May of last year, thousands of images have already flowed through the Photo-Flow system. Today, Photo-Flow integrates with other services, such as Premedia Technologies' digital asset management solution - ImageMerchant® - and the prepress capabilities of its service centers, quickly turning photography into Internet- or print-ready images. Color specialists can quickly retrieve approved images in Photo-Flow™ for retouching and color correction. The corrected imagery is then stored in ImageMerchant as a high-resolution, print ready file for replacement in Open Prepress Interface/Automatic Picture Replacement (OPI/APR) print workflows. Or, the imagery can be XML-tagged for immediate placement onto websites. Photo-Flow is available at all four R.R. Donnelley photo studios: StudioW26 in New York, Premedia Technologies in Chicago, Iridio in Seattle and Omega in Dallas. By using an application service provider approach, customers gain access to the latest equipment and software technology without incurring any capital costs.