Amazon.com Review

With each new release of Photoshop, Adobe manages both to satisfy theexpectations of existing users and to pull a few magic features out of its hat.Version 6 is no exception. Powerful vector editing and masking, improved layercontrols, layer styles, incredible typographic control, new Web publishingtools, and a cleaner, more accessible interface are already making version 5.5,itself a groundbreaker, look like ancient history.

Photoshop's new vector features provide even more control when compositingphotographic images. You can use the vector drawing tools simply to createpolygons and custom shapes, but they can also act as layer clippingpaths--vector masks that hide or reveal image areas in underlying layers.

Editable layer effects such as drop shadow and glow were introduced in version 5.5; in version 6, they have been renamed layer styles. New options includesatin, stroke and color, gradient, and pattern overlay. The layer stylesdialogue box provides much more control--bevel and emboss has five styleoptions, as well as adjusters for technique, depth, direction, size, soften,angle, attitude, gloss, contour, highlight mode, opacity--and that's not all ofthem. As the name suggests, layer styles can easily be saved and applied toother layers.

You can enter and edit text directly onto the layer and set style attributesfrom the new tool options bar. Photoshop 6 seems to have benefited from some ofInDesign's superb typographic tools, with character and paragraph palettesproviding precise control. Web imaging tools have been revamped, withlayer-based slicing now available from within Photoshop itself, and a major overhaulof ImageReady introducing weighted optimization, rollover styles, and tweenedanimation.

If you want the best image editing software that money can buy, look no further.--Ken McMahon ... Read more

Reviews (43)

Great Application ¿ Could Have Stood a Bit More Testing
PhotoShop is without a doubt the best digital image editing software on the market. However, Adobe seems to have placed testing of the application on the users who fork over the big bucks and stake their livelihood on its use. If you check the User to User Forum on Adobe's WebSite, you will see the large number of problems people are experiencing with this product. Foremost is speed. Take the minimum system requirements on the box and times those by 4 if you expect it to run efficiently. Also there are many features that either do not work correctly or were just not thought out well when designed. If you are a graphics professional, you will find some of the new features and design a work flow killer. The guides and slice tool are not precise, the text tool is half thought out and there are many features hidden away in right mouse click menus such as text attributes like bold and italic and layer options (you can't rename layers without going to a menu anymore). There is a complete lack of consistency between PhotoShop, ImageReady and Illustrator, which makes no sense at all. I am finding myself switching back and forth between 5.5 and 6. Hopefully, with all of the complaints, Adobe is finding out what real world users need in an application (not what programmers and product people think we need) and are working on a patch.

Excellent software, but beware the learning curve!
I have been using Photoshop since version 3. With each subsequent version, Adobe continues to add more and more features and functionality. These continued additions are what makes the program both wonderful and a monster all at the same moment.

Photoshop is undeniably the number one tool for photographic and other image maniputlation. If you are looking to get into professional design this is the tool to learn. It is highly appropriate for both print and electronic design. There is little you can imagine that it cannot do. If however you are a beginner who simply wants to use a graphics package to make images for a personal website or edit family photographs, then buy something else. (I suggest Photoshop Elements or Jasc's Paint Shop Pro.)

Photoshop is overkill for the non-professional user. Some might argue that buying a toolbox that contains every imaginable tool is best. I'd argue that you may break from the weight of all that it requires you to learn. If you buy this software realize it can take months and years to master. While the effort is truly worth it, decide first if you really want to invest not just the considerable purchase price, but also the personal cost of time to learn and master it.

uummmmm??
I thought that this was one of the greatest softwares I had Bought after Photoshop 5. THat was untill photoshop 7 came out. Personally I would skip the savings and go for the good stuff with Photoshop7. Almost the same as 6 except that there is a history function that allows you to go back as many steps as you need. There are an uncountable amount of new features that are so easy to use I was blown away.

Good product, but not the only one.
This is definitely a good product, but I still like Fireworks better! Why? It's much more user-friendly than Photoshop, and so far there's nothing that I haven't been able to do with Fireworks (Macromedia product).

The best.
If your into doing simple things for websites like me, this is the way to go. Easily create dazzling effects by simply selecting which part of the image you would like to add a filter too, then click and wallah!

This program definetly needs Eye Candy 4000 to accompany it. ... Read more

Features

• Photo-management software with 3 essential photo assistants in 1
• Organize and share pictures faster than ever with award-winning ACDSee
• Correct and edit pictures like a pro with ACD Photo Editor
• Ensure excellent image and print quality with ACD FotoSlate
• Correct grainy photos before printing with the click of a button

Features

• Comprehensive toolset for Windows-based video production
• Create stunning motion graphics and visual effects
• Produce quality audio and author-interactive, multi-language DVDs
• Deliver professional results for film, video, DVD, or the Web
• Premiere Pro; Audition; Encore DVD; After Effects Pro; Photoshop CS

Features

• Create and publish content for print and the Web
• Includes Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and GoLive
• Also includes Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Professional software
• Create reliable Adobe PDF files; streamline review cycles
• Innovative Version Cue helps you find files fast, track multiple versions of your files, and share your files for creative collaboration

Amazon.com Review

Beginning with the release of Windows 95, Microsoft has made a habit of augmenting each new operating system with an add-on package of assorted enhancements and goodies. The latest such supplement to come to market is Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP, a collection of graphic and audio utilities, rudimentary games, screen savers, and desktop themes specifically designed for users of Microsoft's latest and most robust OS. But whereas the Windows 95 and Windows 98 Plus! editions blended several genuinely useful applications such as disk management tools and virus checkers with the usual stable of multimedia tweaks, Plus! for Windows XP offers more fluff than substance. Although newbies will undoubtedly find much of the collection quite compelling, veteran users may not be so impressed.

The program is divided into four distinct categories--Digital Media, Games, Screen Savers, and Themes--each of which may be accessed through a single, convenient graphical interface. Of these, the Digital Media component is clearly the deepest and most interesting. Its handy utilities include an MP3 audio converter for transforming disk-hogging WAV and MP3 files into space-efficient WMA format, a music playlist organizer known simply as Personal DJ, an exceedingly capable CD label maker, 20-plus Media Player skins, and three animated Media Player visualizations (including one culled from the Xbox game Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee).

Music and video fans in particular will immediately gravitate to the Voice Command for Windows Media Player module, which allows users to operate most Media Player functions by issuing verbal commands into their computer microphone. Even when faced with garbled enunciation and loud background music, Voice Command faithfully recognizes commands such as "Volume Up" and "Pause." Sadly, Microsoft's seemingly innovative Speaker Enhancement tool is ultimately little more than a glorified tone control that often hinders rather than improves the sound of your speakers.

Of the three games included in the package, the most intriguing is Russian Square, a deceptively addictive puzzle affair that plays like a one-dimensional offspring of Tetris and Rubik's Cube. Far less involving are the arcade bowling knock-off HyperBowl and the three-dimensional Labyrinth, a virtual take on the real-life game that involves a tilting table, metal ball, and lots of ball-gobbling holes. Eight animated screen savers and four desktop themes complete the package, the most notable of which is the stunningly lifelike and absolutely gorgeous underwater screen saver called "Aquarium." Otherwise, the program's themes and screen savers are no better than those that can be downloaded free of charge from various Web sites.

With Plus! for Windows XP, Microsoft has assembled a multipronged mixture of useful and not-so-useful multimedia tools and lighthearted amenities into one easily accessible compilation. If you aren't the type to scout around the Internet for individual components and feel the need to spruce up your XP audio-video environment, it may be for you. --Gordon Goble ... Read more

Reviews (124)

Just not worth the money
I received Microsoft Plus! XP as a gift and I really don't have the heart to tell my friend that they wasted their money. Oh, there are a couple of good things on the disc but nothing that really merits the purchase price. It's almost like the software was an afterthought - let's see what we can put in it since we don't really have anything.

First off lets start the Digital Media collection. Nothing here really to speak of that's worth anything. A voice recognition system for the media player? It's not worth fighting with to run just a media player. The label maker, speaker enhancement and personal DJ? They don't do anything that really matters (or other software doesn't do without spending the extra cash). Media Player skins and Visualizations? You can download those for free from a number of sites - and again without paying for it. As for the MP3 audio converter, yes the new files are smaller but the only player you can use is the Microsoft one and the sound quality is not as good as an MP3.

The games - there are only three and only one is a full version. The other two require downloads and additional purchases. The Bowling game is difficult to control and well, boring. The Labyrinth game isn't too bad but it's very difficult. The winner is Russian Square which is actually fun and addictive.

As for the themes and screen savers - most aren't anything that special or noteworthy. The one exception is the aquarium screensaver which really is something to look at. But again, if you want the full version of the program you have to pay an additional cost. The rest aren't anything that really merits the cost of the program.

Overall I'm really disappointed in the entire package - the cost is far too high for what you get and I can't help shaking the feeling the entire package is just a cheesy gimmick to sell you even more software. "Look at the great things in Microsoft Plus! XP" then when you buy it you find out you have to pay even more for the rest of the programs.

Non functional without downloads, Not worth the hassle
Just bought it not worth the hassle

Its not very functional without tonnes of MS downloads so dont buy it if you have a 56kb modem like me. I dont want to have to download a tonne of updates, I want functional out of the box.

Product Activation should not be on products this cheap, its a waste of my time. I have no problem with activation on Windows and Office because theyre high value products and at least you get to try them out before activating... This though is a hassle.

The digital music converion program only converts to WMA, I expect at least one alternative format such as WAV or MP3. Bad software in a pretty box.

Great program
I don't really use most of the programs in this package...except Photo Story. Photo Story is incredible! I have done video CDs for my parents' wedding anniversary, seniors graduating from high school (we have two seniors in our private school and will use the stories at graduation), a teacher appreciation banquet, etc. Just hook your DVD player to a projector, and voila! You're ready to go. The ability to add music really makes the stories moving. My only complaint is that you are limited to one music track, so if the story is long, the song just repeats itself over and over. Hopefully, with the next upgrade, they'll add the ability to use more than one music track. That's the only improvement I see that it needs. Great for creating memories for your family and friends!

Want more themes?
If you want lots of themes you can try TGT softs Style XP.
Style XP gave me lots of themes and can be found at http://www.tgtsoft.com/

not really a must...
Although many of its stuff are pretty fun to use and creative, but after all, it is not really a "must" have item. and though its only 18 bucks, still seems a bit expensive for its actual usage. ... Read more

Features

• Professional tools for all your digital photo needs
• 80+ spectacular Hollywood-style shows
• Complete graphic and photo editor
• Advanced photo organizer
• Produce DVD and other video files

Reviews (3)

Superior to my expectation
I bought this new version because I love the photo show made by the version 2.03, hoping there is a great enhancement in the new version. The product lives up to my expectation - show styles in the new version have improved a lot! Though not all styles favor my taste, it is my choice, and there are plenty of styles to choose from. Moreover, the Picture Pro edition let me change themes easily, for example, I can paint my own book covers and design pages for the 3D flipping book, and change the room and table settings.

One new feature I like particularly is the "My Albums" list. Now, I can keep a track of my built albums (I've built a lot!) and make any change of any album whenever I want to. I don't understand why there is a need to save, as one reviewer wrote. The album I built is the copy that saved from the preview. I can make the change of the copy using the same GUI controls I use during preview. There is no need to dig into the album files. Perhaps the reviewer is commenting on the version 2.03, which cannot be applied to this version.

I am an amateur photographer, and occasionally use Jasc Paint Shop to do some preliminary photo editing works. I didn't expect that 3D-Album Picture Pro come with a great photo editor, and did not even give it a try until the last weekend when I decide to create my own book cover. Holly cow, I can't believe that an album software come with such a powerful photo editor that is even better than my dedicated editing software. Jasc's tube brush is always my favorite but making my own tube is rather difficult. In Picture Pro, I simply create an image group and then drag and drop image into the group. I am very impressed by the Picture Pro's 3D layer styles and vector illustration tools.

I clicked the book cover image in the Photo Show page, choose the edit menu, and the software brings the book cover directly into the editor where I can put my own design. I can switch back and forth between the Photo Show page and the edit page until I get a happy result.

I bought the version 2.03 about one and half years ago. I remember there was a problem with my old HP laptop (not with my desktop) with S3 video card. The software will crash after running about 5 minutes. The support told me that the crash is due to the bug in the S3 video driver and upgrading the driver will solve this problem. But S3 video card was quite old and the support from HP was discontinued. I eventually got my new Dell Inspiron with GeForce FX. Both the old and new version now run smoothly without any problem. So, before buying the software, you should have a check of your computer. A decent 3D video card such as nVidia's GeForce or ATI's Radoen is the key, no matter how fast your CPU or how much memory your have.

It could be MUCH better
Some people really love this program, but I don't get it. What bugs me the most is that it doesn't use the standard windows buttons and layouts. I must be really dumb, but I can't figure out how to save my slideshow because there is no save option! So if you want to create an album and make a few changes and save it as something else (so you can compare the two), as far as I know, you can't. After checking the help groups and reading tips, I sort of found out how to do it, but it was so complicated. I had to go into the file I originally saved and make changes there, not in 3D Album itself. How convoluted!

But I could put up with that if the albums themselves worked. I tried two different albums, both had the same problems. They would freeze after flipping through a few pages. The album would end, the book would close and yet my pictures were still flipping in mid air. The shortcut created on the desktop would open the album but noting else, it would crash everytime.

If you want a really good photo editor and a good slideshow (it won't have 3D backgrounds, maybe if you create them) try Ulead's PhotoImpact XL. For the price you get 1000 times more product and it works 100%

An amazing collection of tools and a huge upgrade
I have the old version 2.03 and upgraded to the new version about 10 days ago. The new version is a huge upgrade. I was surprised to find that the new package contains almost all tools for my photo needs. It is no longer a picture show only software. Its photo organizer, printing, and editing features are as powerful as those professional tools. But what set this software apart to other products is still its 3d picture show tool. For these who want create movie-style picture shows, this is a must-have. Lots of new 3d styles and new controls are added in the new version. More selections. The DVD movie capture is integrated in the program. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Shallow Learning Curve & Great Results
I've used Cool 360 for several years now. It's very easy to use, and, once you get the idea of a minimal overlap in each shot, it gives great results. You have to be aware of parallax, so using a tripod is very helpful. However, once the concept is mastered, you will get great wide agnle or 360 degree panoramic photos. For the price, it is the best out there for the purpose. I would like to see it updated to a full-screen mode and menus, but those are minor. Go for it!

With a Little Effort, Excellent Results
I wasn't expecting much after a bad experience with Ulead's "Face Factory", but this product works well. As a test, I "organized" my work room (a bedroom with a bunch of computers and music gear) so everything was at about the same height. Then I set my 1 megapixel digital camera on a tripod on a small table in the middle of the room. I took 12 shots, rotating the camera to roughly match the hours on a clock. Then loaded the shots into the program and said "Go" (or whatever). It came out very good, pretty seamless, so that in Quicktime, you can mouse around the screen and feel like you're turning inside the room. Plus you can zoom in and out and raise and lower the view (a little). And, of course, the view is continuous, i.e. there is no "end" - you just keep turning and see the room again. Plus you can add Photoshop type filters to any or all of the shots for some interesting effects.

You do have to be careful about the clock hours views, if you don't align the shots like that you can get a discontinuity.

It does what it says
I had this software when it was first released. It worked OK But I lost the CD. It appears that in buying and downloading this latest release, they have cleaned up the code to allow a smoother operation in making 360 degree and extreme wide view splices. Did I say I liked it so much, I bought it twice?

The blending has been very good and so easy that my 8 year old has made 360 degree photos for 2nd grade (while I was at work).

It does what it says and does it very well. What more can you ask?!?

BTW, with the download option, I had it in 10 minutes, instead of waiting for a week to get it in the mail. Good choice for me.

Todd

Great for the money
I was taking pictures of property in my area for a relative to view from a long distance. I found this software when I was investigating those virtual tours that some realtors use to showcase their listings. Ulead had a sample on thier site that was pretty good. I downloaded the free trial version and took a about 15 overlapping pictures with my digital camera to create a 360 view of my backyard. I uploaded the pictures into the program and it did everything for me. Using Ulead's viewer I was able to create a 360 virtual tour of my backyard. You can export it to a file with the viewer and email it, put it on a web page or even make a screen saver. This is a pretty cool piece of software for [the price]. ... Just a hint. Your project will turn out a lot better if you use a tripod to take the overlapping pictures. The software will merge things the best it can but if you have a couple of pictures where the camera was at a slightly different angle it will definitely make some rough spots in your project.

Too Frustrating
I bought this product wanting to scan my 12X12 scrapbook pages and then "stitch" them together. Forget it! It's hard to line up the pages, as well as the system kept locking up! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Microsoft Picture It! Photo 2002 has the tools to retrieve photos from nearly any digital image source, and features advanced editing and special effects tools that let you create great photo projects. Use it with photos from just about anywhere--from a digital camera, CD, scanner, hard drive, or MSN Photos. The step-by-step movies and wizards show how to edit images and create all kinds of photo projects. You can then catalog the photos and projects in the gallery, letting you find them quickly later using the search feature and visual preview.

Picture It! Photo helps create photo calendars, albums, greeting cards, invitations, stickers, and more. There are 20,000 photo framing possibilities and 1,000 photos and projects. Organize photos in the gallery no matter where they came from. Quick-fix tools for correcting red eye, rotation, brightness and contrast, wrinkles, and scratches are also available. Make pictures better using Picture It! special effects such as crop, head swapping, illusions, special text, and many more.

Show off photos and projects at MSN Photos for free. Access them virtually any time from anywhere in the world. Friends and family can view them online, print them out using their own printers, and order professional reprints of their favorites. You can even order great personalized gifts such as photo cubes and framed prints. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Picture It 2002 UK edition
Using win2k pro operating system. Program will load ok, but trying to use it is hopeless,when trying to access clip art it asks for alternating CD's(the ones with clipart on them)but never recognizing either.Importing photos it just crashes with runtime errors. It didnt even load with ME or 98 either except once,when it slowed the computer to 286 speed(remember those).Cant get money back from supplier so £32 in Mr Gates's pocket !!

***DON'T BUY IT****
This program has issues. As I'm not a computer programmer, but have install many applications on to my desk top. Picture it software, will not install correctly. On my initially installation, when trying to launch the program, I too receive error after error. I proceeded to uninstall and reinstall and no luck. I was really excited about this program, because of the Newsletter application. However, instead disappointed that I was not able to use the software. To those of you who research 1st, and buy 2nd, stay away from MicroSoft Picture IT.

Picture It! Too Much Of A Technical Hassle
This program is difficult to use with Windows 98. Freezes, crashes and error messages are not uncommon. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with the Microsoft Help desk, and even they couldn't get the program running. The Help Desk admitted to me other users have had problems. There is some inherent coding glitch. While the graphics are beautiful, it just wasn't worthe the money or the effort.

it was good when it worked
I had the program installed. Then all of a sudden it said the program was corrupted. I tried to reinstal the progrm and itwon't install. Maybe I got a bad cd but the rest of the works 2002 suite installed perfectly. If you use this program get ready for anything can happen.

Seems great for a photo editing novice like myself
I am not the most experienced with photo editing programs, but Picture It seems great. They have an abundance of things you can do with photos and an abundance of things you can create with photos. I use this as my scanning software as well. It has functionality for digital cameras, but I haven't tried that yet. The other reviewers that I have read have had installation problems. My software came already installed on my new Windows XP computer, so I didn't have to install it. I haven't had any problems or error messages. It may just be that it doesn't play well with older operating systems. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If you've ever wondered what you might look like as a blond or whetherthat dark red lipstick will look good with your complexion, YM DigitalMakeover Magic is a low-risk, entertaining way to experiment with differentlooks. Before you spend hundreds of dollars on unwanted makeup, or wasteprecious hours locked in the bathroom, crying over a bad haircut, check out thiscreative photo-editing package.

All you need to get started with your makeover is a photo and a PC. Import yourpicture to your computer using a scanner, digital camera, or photo CD. Whileit's more fun to experiment with your own image, you can also choose from the 30makeover models included with the software. They recommend you use a picturewith no makeup or accessories, but you can use the included editing tools toperfect your image and rub out background objects (i.e., excess hair or hats)that may interfere with your makeover. Shortcut buttons make it easy to uploadyour image or add additional images to your profile.

Digital Makeover Magic offers a variety of tools and options that let youdecide just how far to take your makeover. We started out with hairstyles,experimenting with a variety of short, long, straight, and curly dos. While someof the styles seemed a bit too far-fetched for our conservative tastes, othersoffered real insight into possible options. The only issue we had with thesehairstyles is that most were not full enough to frame an entire face, sooftentimes it looked like a few layers of hair were missing. We were excited,however, to note that Digital Makeover Magic offers hairstyles for men aswell as women because, after all, why should girls have all the fun?

As for makeup options, Digital Makeover lets you experiment with tons oflipstick, eye shadow, blush, and foundation shades to help you find your perfectpalette. One of our favorite features was the contact-lens tool, which lets youchange your eye color to blue, green, brown, and everything in between. Othernotable features include a virtual zit zapper, a blending tool, eyebrowtweezers, and a tissue to wipe away makeup mistakes. If you need help duringyour makeover, you can check out some of YM's expert opinions, or you cansave your photo and e-mail it to a friend for advice. The application even letsyou add virtual backgrounds and scenery, so you can capture your mug on thecover of YM.

While we haven't reached a point yet where changing our look is as easy asclicking a few buttons, YM Digital Makeover Magic will provide hours ofentertainment and endless opportunities to transform yourself, if only in avirtual reality. --Gisele Toueg ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I would give it 10 stars if I could!
This program rocks. Don't let other people fool you by sayingit doesn't look real when you do a makeover. It looks totally real and if you want to find out what you look like as a blond, buy this game! Also this game has many choices of hairstyles and accecories. And if you buy this game, you get free downloads and updates for it... Oh and just one thing! The picture of you you put into the ym makeover, DON'T have it be a polaroid pic, it makes it blurry. Just use a regular camera or a one-time used one. Oh and if you want to have a really big laugh, put in photos of celebs!

this is not the greatest program in the world
It is fine if you are just playing but if you really want to see what you look like and really fool them that this isn't the real you, this is not the program you are looking for. If you just want to have some fun then go ahead. It is sort of.

THIS PROGRAM ROCKS!
THIS IS THE BEST SOFTWARE EVER! MY FRIEND GOT IT AND WE DID IT ALL NIGHT IT WAS AWSOME! YOU CAN SEE WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE IN DIFFERENT STYLES AND STUFF, AND YOU CAN ALSO SEE YOURSELF ON THE FRONT OF ANY YM MAGAZINE! ... Read more

Features

• The redesigned user interface makes accessing all the cool options easier than ever, for faster creations
• Brighten your images, remove red-eye, add special effects and text -- there's no limit to your options
• Add text anywhere to a photo, and adjust the font size, style or color with just a click
• Draw from a library of clip-art to enhance your photos and add that extra touch

Amazon.com Review

Digital photo hobbyists finally have a high-quality photo retouching software alternative to Adobe Photoshop. With a user-friendly, streamlined interface, Microsoft Picture It Digital Pro 7 lets you easily apply filters for special effects, utilize sophisticated editing tools, create simple photo albums, and send e-cards of your photos through MSN.

Digital Image Pro 7 provides 3,000 photo projects, 150 filters, and 5,000 images for creating professional photo projects, such as business cards, photo albums, calendars, flyers, and postcards. Filters such as Antique, Black and White, Distort, and Watercolor add instant visual effects to photos. Easily add flash to a photo, remove red-eye, reduce backlighting, and adjust levels to control shadows, midtones, and highlights. Additionally, enhanced Adobe Photoshop plug-in filter support allows users to further enhance their digital photos.

Digital Image Pro 7 leverages existing Office-type user interface elements such as the new file browser, which makes working with your photos much easier without cluttering the screen with excessive navigation elements. The improved user interface makes it easier to capture photos from a digital camera, a picture CD, a scanner, a hard drive, or the Web. You can also precisely edit and save several photos at once using advanced tools like photo batch processing. Our favorite feature of Digital Image Pro 7 is its seamless integration with MSN Photos. You can store and share your photos and order photo reprints, frames, cards, posters, and gifts, all from within Digital Image Pro.

If you need a software package for more sophisticated photo editing, Adobe Photoshop may be the way to go, but for the non-techie photo hobbyist, Digital Image Pro 7 provides powerful base-level features through an extremely simple user interface. --Rich Ting ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Very powerful but easy to use!
I just got this title and think it's great! I really like the new UI - much more like an Office-type application than in years past. It's much quicker to find the features I'm looking for and to make edits to my photos than with other graphics software. The UI also gives me more space to work with my photo rather than cluttering up my screen with navigation. The new file browser along with the mini lab (batch editing) make working with pictures from my digital camera much faster. It also comes with some free plug-in filters from Alien Skin in addition to all of the Picture It filters. Picture It Digital Image Pro includes some new options for adusting lighting manually and automatically. You can even adjust shadows, midtones, & highlights by hand and use the "dodge and burn brush" to make adjustments. The included design templates for cards, calendars, etc are very useful.

A Decent Product, But Not As Good As Adobe Photoshop
For the amateur photographer, Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7 will be a very useful tool. You can adjust resolution, crop and rotate, and add effects to photos quickly and easily. However, for those looking for a more powerful tool for professional-level projects you would be better off picking up a copy of Adobe Photoshop.

For the money, this isn't a bad deal. Just don't expect miracles. Recommended for the casual/amateur user.

Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7
Not as good as I had expected this product to be. I am no longer using it. Did not meet my expectations in the digital camera, saving photos/albums, and printing arena for my Dell computer and HP photosmart printer.

Easy to use
I stepped up from PictureIt! 2001 wand was very pleased with the improved integration of the processes. Making cards, photo albums, business cards is muchmore intuitive. Very good compatibility with my camera, printer, and scanner. Probably not enough tools for pros, but for casual users who want to sit down and get things done it's wonderful!!

not for the dogs
this software is a waste of money if you want to edit the white spots from flash pictures of your pet(s). will not do it with red eye correction or paintbrush. i recommend paint shop pro 7 which will take care of the problem and it appears to have all the capability of picture it. plus it is shareware so you can get a 30 day evaluation period and not get stuck with a product that doesn't fill the bill -- like picture it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

If you are spending too much time categorizing, sorting, and searching for that one particular image or sound buried somewhere in that maze of directories on your hard drive, Jasc's Media Center Plus might be just the tool you need to help you see your way clear.

What's central to Media Center Plus is its ability to deal with just about anything--and lots of it. The software imports virtually all image, sound, and movie formats and presents them as thumbnail images (sound files have a generic thumbnail indicating their type). The strongest feature in the program is the ability to add comments and keywords to any thumbnail, then perform searches based on whatever text has been entered in these fields. Anyone who's had to sift through clip-art books looking for that one specific image can immediately see the value in this feature.

Other key features include the ability to convert any raster (bitmapped) image format supported into any other raster format, and to not only rename files, but also to do this and number them as batches.

Strangely, although Media Center Plus supports virtually every type of raster and most vector image formats, it doesn't support Adobe Illustrator files, nor does it handle QuickTime movies. The omission of these two formats is hard to overlook in light of their popularity among professional content creators for digital media.

Media Center Plus can still be a valuable asset to a digital artist though, especially if they are accumulating pictures with a digital camera or downloading images or sounds from the Internet. With its large thumbnails and ability to comment and search for files, it can certainly help you find your way through the labyrinth of media content on your hard drive. --Mike Caputo ... Read more

Reviews (7)

One Purpose Only...
This software is good for one thing and one thing only. It's simple and easy to use. However, its strength is never really publicized. I have 100 pictures that I need to print - How do I do it? Media Center. By default the page is setup for thumbnails but in a second I can set it up for Full Page, with comments and file name displayed and print 100 photos. Awesome! There is no other program that can do this with the same attention to detail as Media Center. All the other things it does are just icing.

If you buy the Anniversary Edition of "Paint Shop Pro" you also get Media Center and Animation workshop - this is the best buy of any Graphics package anywhere.

Most Artist needs to see visual mini-pictures of media files
Jasc Media Center is Excellent -

Media 3d-animator Artist like myself need software like media center to allow me and other artist in our studio to visually see hundreds of media pictures and textures. Without Jasc Media Center, you would have to open every individual media file just to remember what the texture or picture looks like. Just the same way an Artist uses a Paint Palette with swatches to paint. A Media artist needs to see textures, pictures in Jpeg, bump, html, tag, gif, etc.,. -- in front of them while creating graphic art. Jasc Media Center successfully searches and finds all graphic software and translates format to incorporate into Media center. I can now keep all my media files in one central server or directory and media center can visually organize them for everyone in my group see and use.

Virtually Useless Software...
If you are a user who's hard drive is busting at the seams with pictures and clip art, you might want to take a look at this software. Using Media Center Plus, you will be able to organize your multimedia into collections for easy viewing. And you will also be able to create HTML pages of your pictures... Without the HTML pages, however, nobody without this software on their PC will be able to view your pictures, and the HTML pages are HUGE, so you will not be able to fit a lot of them on a limited server anyway.

For me (I have a medium sized collection), I have found it easier and more economical to organize my collections by folders, or even ZIP files. Basically accomplishes the same thing, don't pay a dime for the added functionality!

When I bought this software, I paid $.01 for it (because I bought it with Paint Shop Pro). That is what this software is worth to me. Does the job, but is it a job you really need done? And, is it really worth the money? I have found that the answer to both questions is NO.

Unneeded
I love Jasc to no end, its a little company making software with huge uses. However, this software really has no practicle use. This software pretty much catagorizes all of your media, your pictures, movies, avis, mpgs, waves, mp3s and so on. Other FREE software does the same thing! The only thing that separates this from the free software is the fact that it has a web slideshow function. It will automaticly export all of your files into a directory and create all of the HTML for you. Allowing for easy transition to the Internet. There are slideshow functions as well and it plays all of your waves, avis, mpgs and so on.

Needs Improvement
I bought this program thinking that since it's from the makers of Paintshop Pro 7 it has to be great, I was wrong. At best it's "OK," though it is better then Animation Shop 3.

Before you click someplace to avoid this it can be useful if you're a camera enthusiast.
If you're looking to make some sort of online photo album to share you pictures with family and friends but you have little to no web design knowledge maybe it could be the choice for you.

With Media Center plus 3 you can make spectacular interactive online photo albums your viewers can use in several different ways. They can flip through your photos on at a time and read the descriptions you add. Watch as a slide show refreshes on their web browser at an interval they set.

This program will do all the necessary HTML coding needed along with making the Java Scripts so you don't have to. I was fairly impressed with the output I got from the fourth album I made.

Here's the part about why I don't really like Media Center plus 3. It's really ugly to use, the controls are simple but they could have made them a little easier to find. When you open it they should be available on the main screen in regards to making a photo album. Maybe a series of tabs for the various parts of the program, and set for the web albums and a set for storage of the photos. For archiving this program could be a real time saver as long as you update the pictures as you add them to an album. There's a way to search for one particular photo using keywords, dates, or subject matter.

In short it's ugly, it does what you think it should and it does it well. But...they need to work on the interface. As well as making different output web pages. If you know your way around HTML code you can write a template to get the web albums to look the same as the rest of your site but if you're a beginner forget about trying that.

I suggest you skip this version and see if they improve things in the next one. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Organize and edit your photos, and share them online or on CD with PhotoImpact 8. This version offers a huge range of tools for tidying up images, adding a little extra oomph, and then getting your creations where they need to go.

While the workspace may seem rather cluttered when you have all the toolbars, option bars, and palettes open, the Palette Manager lets you dock and hide palettes easily. You can also record a set of editing steps to reuse later. Tools like the Post-processing wizard (to fix problems like redeye) and the EasyPalette (which lets you browse fills, effects, shapes, text styles, and templates) help you get great results without being an expert.

Combining several images is easier with the Match Background and Defringe features, which prevent your additions from sticking out like sore thumbs. The selection tools let you select several areas in one image at once, and you use control points to get your selection to cover exactly the area you need. Effects range from subtle to dramatic, including animated Particle Effects like rain and fire and the eye-catching Star Filter that adds some sparkle.

PhotoImpact 8 doesn't just convert your pictures to the right format for Web pages; it builds the Web pages for you, including JavaScript effects to create an album with controls to move from picture to picture. You can also burn an album onto CD. The printing controls are excellent for printing several photos in a range of sizes and shaped, from thumbnails to CD labels.

With this many features, you'll need to take the time to find out where everything is to make the most of it, so it's good to see that PhotoImpact 8 comes with the kind of comprehensive printed manual that's becoming all too rare. You also get GIF Animator--the definitive program for creating Web animations--and PhotoImpact Album for organizing your images.

Instead of features for professional graphics designers, PhotoImpact 8 sticks to tools for photo enthusiasts, including some innovative options you won't find elsewhere. --Mary Branscombe ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The patch is out -- the problems remain
PhotoImpact 8 has been patched, but my issues (see my earlier review "Wait for the patch release") have not been corrected. I found no change in the performance or behavior (inability to echo keystrokes) in Unsharp Mask. And I was looking for one of two responses to the pressing Enter to activate a crop issue (the word Enter is missing in my earlier review because I naively surrounded it with angle brackets): 1) make it work, or 2) Update the manual and on-line help to stop saying it does.

I agree with the other reviewers that this is an amazing product for the money. Unfortunately, Ulead has clearly demonstrated to me that they have poor communication between Engineering, email support, phone support, documentation, and their customers. My installation, support, and functionality problems destroyed my confidence in the company and the product. The failure to include an Unsharp Mask fix (or rollback to PhotoImpact 7 functionality which was excellent) further undermined my confidence. I now consider PhotoImpact an amusing toy.

I mentioned in my earlier review that I owned other photo editors and was looking at Photoshop. My conclusions: I bought and love Photoshop (and the third-party books that support it); I'm giving away my copy of Paint Shop Pro (the file browser trashes Windows XP's ability to show you EXIF data in JPEGs); I'm hanging on to my copy of Photoshop Elements 2.0 (it was practically free and works much like it's big brother); and am keeping PhotoImpact because of all the stuff it contains -- and they just might fix Unsharp Mask. I sold the five books I had on PhotoImpact/Paint Shop Pro/Photoshop Elements. My digital editing library is now exclusively focused on Photoshop and my 3 Megabyte JPEGs and I no longer wait for PhotoImpact 8's Unsharp Mask.

Good Product that Crashes Your System
When I was deciding between Jasc and Photo Impact when selecting image editing software, I read the reviews about how Photo Impact caused system trouble for several users. I bought Photo Impact 8 anyway becuase I wanted their web page publishing features and I thought the other users might have simply had inadequate resources for a demanding application type. But I should have heeded the warnings of others. I had a brand new, bullet-proof 3 GHz Windows XP system, but after I installed Photo Impact, the system crashed once and ground to a crawl often-- even when the application wasn't open! Not a problem of resources, just a badly programmed application "back-end." Luckily, when I uninstalled it, the system recovered.

As far as features go, well, they might have been the best for the money, but it's a moot point. Definately not worth the probliems the application caused to my system and the $89 lost.

Special effects - photo images
One can open .jpg, .bmp, .tif and many more files files and begin enhancing photo images and other graphics. Design creative, colorful, unique and impressive displays; there is it is! and absolute must on the Programs list - It's an expression of "your" own artistic skills and abilities. Select the effects tab, creative, partical effect...you won't believe your eyes! That's just the beginning (hundreds more). It's easy to learn, and this software was designed by a genius who made it simple for average people like me. I have to get back to the fun and games now.

Photo Impact is worth about one and a half zillion new-colored megabucks.

It's unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Ram Hog that crashes alot is complicated...
I bought this because people on this site and CNET gave it such a good review. I installed it on my W98. (the specs say it will work)It said it needed a minimum of 64MB of RAM, but it really needs more, and if I didn't shut down just about everything I had loaded on my computer it wouldn't load, or lock on loading. I am pretty savvy when it comes to computers and I find this program very complicated. It took me several tries just to get out red-eye! I put it on my laptop which has more RAM and XP OS and it works fine, but it still is very complicated to use. I do not recommend it for the inexperienced, and those who are you might want to upgrade to a more user friendly program-it would be worth the money!

By Far the Best $$$ish Image Editor
I recently received the assignment from my boss to evaluate the various digital photography/image editing programs in the ~$$$ price range. Included were:

- Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0
- Microsoft Digital Image Pro 9.0
- Ulead PhotoImpact 8.0
- Jasc Paintshop Pro 9.0

My review centered around three criteria: image mainpulation, advanced design and photo effects, and suitability for making web graphics. I spent a total of 16 hours on the various programs performing a pretty intensive evaluation in order to determine which product to select for our business. (We needed to purchase a large site license and so there was a lot of $$$ at stake.)

I will tell you that, much to my surprise, PhotoImpact came out on top - not just overall but in each of the three areas individually, as well. I say "to my surprise" because it's definitely the underdog. It doesn't have the kind of sensationalism that the other seem to have, and you don't see it advertised all that much. But it's definitely the champ.

I found PhotoImpact and Paintshop Pro the easiest to use when it came to digital photography features. (Photoshop Elements was far too difficult for business use, and Digital Image Pro far too simplistic, in my opinion.) But PhotoImpact takes the cake in this area because its drag-and-drop orientation is very straightforward.

When it comes to the higher-end design features, PhotoImpact was the clear winner. It supports Adobe's plug-in architecture, so all of the cool filters you can get for Photoshop (and elements, for that matter) are compatible with PhotoImpact. But PhotoImpact gives you a much greater degree of control over customizability than Photoshop Elements, the no. 2 contended in this second area, in my opinion. Once again, it's very easy to create some spectacular effects: There's built-in sophisticated vector drawing (which none of the other evaluated products have), as well as 3D text with some outstanding effects.

And, lastly, in the area of web graphics, PhotoImpact came in tops with Paintshop Pro following second. PhotoImpact has a great system for compressing GIFs, plus it includes a GIF animation application that's really sweet.

Anyway, I hope this helps all you image editing shoppers. Wish I had seen this sort of review upfront; it would have made the decision much easier for me, ... Read more

Features

• Over 40 creative photo tools are collected here, to turn a typical photo into a funny, wacky picture
• Use Catastrophe Tools to add explosions, pinches and punches to your photos
• Shrink and deflate people and object, or grow & magnify them until they fill the entire photo
• Include Hook, Hammer & Drill effects, or Storm tools like tornado, wind, ripples, waves and blots -- the possibilities are endless
• You can even create a brief animation and morph your family & friends into monsters and aliens!

Features

• Everything you need to organize, edit, and share digital photos
• For those new to digital photography and for seasoned professionals
• More options for digital photography and creative design
• Produce Web graphics, Web animations, and Web pages
• 45-minute video tutorial and productivity tools for fast results

Reviews (5)

Color Me Stupid--But Impressed
After reading what other reviewers said about this product, I couldn't wait to get it. Well, it didn't take long after installation for me to realize what a total idiot I am. There's a whole lot of great effects that are fun to work with, but the basic editing tools seem unbelievably complex to me. It comes with a nice thick manual which is also as clear as mud to me. A good basic glossary would be helpful. I have been humbled, and will return to my simple Picture It and Adobe Photo Deluxe where I can crop a picture and adjust the tint without feeling helpless. I am sure this is a wonderful program, and will probably use it more when I have several free weeks to devote to clicking and dragging.

Several weeks after writing this review, I feel compelled to edit it to note that in response to my initial review, I was personally called by a Nova Development representative to offer technical assistance. I still haven't mastered the program, but am very impressed with this kind of customer service, enough to upgrade by rating by a star.

Really Great Program
I bought a Canon PowerShot and wasn't thrilled with the software I got free. Very limiting. So I got Photo Impact Pro, and it's just head and shoulders above what I had. I could spend months and still not uncover all the cool features in there ... it's just overwhelming the number of things you can do. But at the same time it's very easy to use. I'm a retired machinist with only 18 months experience even using computers, and it's a cinch for me ... so that says a lot. :-) A friend of mine turned me on to Photo Impact - a guy in our users' group - and he says it's more sophisticated than Photoshop Elements (the other program I was considering). From what I can see, he's right. I use Photo Impact to edit and print the photos I take. And I've added captions and some effects. Haven't made a CD slideshow yet, but I expect to. I hope this review is helpful to you. I don't think you can go wrong with this program.

Can't say enough good things ...
PhotoImpact Pro is simply outstanding software. It's the best thing I've found for organizing and fixing photos. Very powerful stuff. I highly recommend it.

Unexpected Heavyweight
You might call me a collector of photo editing software. I seem to buy just about everything that becomes available; this area is kind of a hobby of mine.

I bought a copy of PhotoImpact Pro, having not heard all that much about it, and I was really surprised. I didn't expect the software to be so incredibly full-featured, but it puts even full-blown Photoshop to shame in many areas.

This program is brilliant when it comes to fixing and enhancing digital photos. But it's power-packed in so many ways. It's a veritable candy jar of special effects. I've been using it for two months and find cool new features hiding below the surface just about every time I run it. And it's every bit as phenomenal when it comes to creating original works from scratch as it is for editing existing photographs.

Slender Fungus (proof that all the good names are taken :-) is absolutely correct in the preceding review: You can't go wrong with this software.

EXCELLENT PROGRAM
This is the best graphics program I have ever used, and I have used most of the programs that are available. The interface is easy to use, the effects are outstanding and included content makes this a great product. For print graphic creation, web graphic creation, web page creation and photo manipulation you can't go wrong.

Although I have other graphics programs loaded on my machine, I am now using PhotoImpact Pro every day, exclusively. The other programs are just taking up space on my drive at this point. Don't let the low price fool you, PhotoImpact Pro could easily sell for more than two-hundred dollars. ... Read more