FotoNation (www.fotonation.com), a leading provider of embedded imaging solutions for the imaging industry, announced today the availability of licensing for "SmileCheck™," a new technology to detect smiles in portrait photos taken by digital cameras and camera phones. The new technology is being debuted at the 2008 Photo Marketing Association (PMA) Convention, held this week from January 31-February 2, 2008 in Las Vegas.

SmileCheck is an extension module of FotoNation's currently shipping FaceTracker product line. By monitoring the video preview stream in the cameras during framing, SmileCheck first looks for faces in the scene of the photo. Once faces are detected, the software looks for facial features associated with smiles.

SmileCheck enables a new type of picture taking mode called "Smile Shutter" in digital cameras. Once the camera's trigger button is depressed, the shutter is not engaged until smiles are detected on all faces within the frame, ensuring photos with all smiles. Markets for this new technology include high volume portrait studios, school and event photographers, and identity photography, such as passports and badge ID cards for simplifying workflow.

"SmileCheck is part of FotoNation's growing embedded facial analysis solutions. By offering the industry better tools for understanding of the content of images, such as information about the people in photographs, we can enhance the overall picture taking experience," said Eran Steinberg, CEO of FotoNation, Inc.

A demonstration is available at PMA. For more information, see www.fotonation.com.

About FotoNation
FotoNation (www.fotonation.com) is a world-leading independent provider of embedded imaging solutions for the digital camera and mobile phone industry providing products and technology to improve image quality and user's experience in digital photography. The company's extensive portfolio of patented innovations include in-camera corrections for red-eye, dust spot removal, chromatic aberration correction, face tracking, smile detection and other face based technologies. Clients include Canon, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, Microsoft, Minton, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Samsung, Sanyo, and Sony, among others.

At least two of every three digital cameras sold today contain FotoNation's embedded Technology.