PC NEWS COMPUTER PRODUCTS REVIEWS
Ulead Photo IMPACT 8
By Stuart Feibusch -PC News Technical
Editor
The Best gets even better
!
Photo Impact 8.0 is incredible!
As wonderful as version 7.0 was, the new version is even better.
This graphics program is of professional grade, but at an affordable price.
This should be the only graphics program you need. It's very usable by the beginner, but packed with plenty of higher-end features for the expert.
Ulead's PhotoImpact 8.0 delivers an impressive image editing tool with excellent support for Internet graphics.
PhotoImpact 8 is an image editor that addresses both image editing and Web-page creation.
Edit your images and lay out professional Web graphics in real time, then optimize and output them as complete Web pages.
PhotoImpact 8 features a full array of imaging and painting tools, vector 2-D and 3-D graphics, over 60 exclusive special effects and filters, visual Web-pagelayout, and one-click HTML output.
Add text, photos, clipart, whatever - and easily convert it to HTML and to the web in a flash. Web page layout and development has never been so easy or complete in one package, with the added bonus of outstanding image editing.
Whether you want to edit photos and put them online or create original Web graphics and animations, this economically priced package offers an outstanding mix of power, with an interface that's professional but easy to use.
As a standard image editor, PhotoImpact offers an impressive range of capabilities.
PhotoImpact offers an extensive range of drawing tools and photo retouching abilities. The Photo Impact image editing tools excel in allowing you to add digital effects to scanned content.
It covers the basics such as scanning and downloading pictures from a digital camera (there are even separate buttons for the scanner and camera, no constant reselecting of the TWAIN drivers) and automatic and manual post-processing and retouching of the images.
There are great tools for creating images from scratch and some dynamite special effects that really work.
Although the tools are extensive, you should be able to handle basic photo retouching easily, as well as experiment with a wide range of graphics special effects and filters.
If you are a web page designer , you will like the support for creating text effects here, a must for Web page graphics.
(The product bundles with hooks to Digimarc's digital watermarking so you can add watermarks in your image files before distributing over the Internet.).
When it comes to the Internet, this new release of PhotoImpact really shines.
First, the product lets you create custom Web graphics (like original graphics buttons) easily. You can optimize the size of Web graphics for faster downloads, and the support here for creating GIF animations is good. When you are satisfied with your artwork, the product makes it a cinch to export it to HTML.
A wizard offers the ability to create virtual photo albums and slideshows with just a click of the mouse, a feature that will be appreciated by the more casual user. You will also appreciate the product's ability to import existing Web pages. (The product can read over 30 types of graphics files, making it a flexible performer.)
While not as powerful or complete as Adobe Photoshop, ULEAD PhotoImpact does just about everything a user could want in a graphics program.
In all, PhotoImpact 8.0 is a well-designed graphics software package that will let most anyone be productive with digital photos and original graphics on the Internet.
Generally, I found the interface here to be easy to use, with many
basic features conveniently placed for beginners, and plenty of advanced functionality to explore for expert users willing to go a little further.
If you're patient and willing to learn the concepts of this great product.
Then the sky is the limit of what you can do with it.
Ulead Photo Impact 8, the
best graphics program gets even better.
JASC PAINT SHOP PRO 7
By STUART FEIBUSCH- Technical Editor
Simple but Powerful
program
Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7 10th-anniversary edition is one of the most popular image editing packages in the world, due in large part to its magical combination of low price and powerful features.
Paint Shop Pro is a fully featured digital darkroom in the same mold as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photo-Paint.
This special 10th-anniversary edition of Paint Shop Pro is filled with more than $100
worth of free software, filters, and images, including Jasc Media Center Plus 3.1,
Flaming Pear Virtual Painter, and Alien Skin Eye Candy.
Version 7 adds alot of great
new features for retouching digital images, creating business graphics, and producing interactive Web graphics.
You don't need a separate vector application to create business graphics--Paint Shop Pro's enhanced vector-drawing tools provide everything you need.
New align, distribute, arrange, group, and resize commands, plus snap-to grids and guides, make for quick and accurate positioning of graphic elements.
There are more than 20 new artistic and lighting special effects with which to experiment with.
Webmasters will appreciate Paint Shop Pro's new Web features, which include image slicing, image maps, JavaScript rollovers, and file optimization with browser preview. As usual, Jasc's excellent Animation Shop 3 is included, with which you can create
GIF animations from layer-based Paint Shop Pro images.
Paint Shop Pro is the cost-effective graphics editing alternative that is both powerful and easy to use and offers far more flexibility than template-based applications. It allows you to easily retouch, repair, and edit photos, offers automatic photo-enhancement features, and lets you create and optimize Web graphics with drawing and text tools.
Paint Shop Pro has been and continues to be one of the premier image editing packages out there.
It's very simple to learn with an icon based or menu bar based format. All of the tools are right where you need them, neatly packaged and not too "overcomplex" like other, more expesive packages.
The budding amateur digital photographer will love the import feature for digital cameras. Just hook your camera up to your PC and download your images direct to PSP7! Or you can scan them in the same way!
I can't say enough about this program. If you're serious about your graphics programs, then you need this simple but powerful software program.
FlipAlbum Pro 5: A Scrapbook
Keepers Dream Come True
By -Stuart Feibusch - PC NEWS - Technical Editor
If you are tired of scrapbooking the traditional way, then FLIP ALBUM PRO 5 is for you. You can now enjoy creating stand alone CD or DVD 3D flip photo albums that you can share.
FlipAlbum 5.0 Pro creates entertaining 3D digital photo albums on a CD or a DVD, with pages that flip with the click of a mouse. Or if you must, you
can even print out your album.
You can lay out multiple photos and add captions, clip art, music, and more. Choose from unique borders, tiles, covers, and spines with the included FlipAlbum Design Libraries collection.
Not to be overlooked is the fact that this clever album won't crease with use or deteriorate over time.
A diverse range of full-page layout capabilities lets you design album pages with multiple photos, images, and annotations. Add a table of contents, index, or a thumbnail preview. FlipAlbum's Design Libraries software delivers more than 3,000 graphics, including unique book spines, colorful backgrounds, and fun clip art.
Retouch red eyes and add special effects with built-in image editors.
You can even import sound clips from the library or add your own.
FlipAlbum 5.0 supports standard image, music, and video file formats,
This one is a keeper, not only easy to use but fun. I was able to create albums without reading the directions and send them off to family via a CD right
away. Very user friendly! It's even a good photo editor.
Most important is that you can create self-executable CDs so that you can give away a CD of your digital photo album that will open up and run on almost any computer or DVD player.
With Photo Album you will be scanning & cataloging all old family photo albums and compiling albums for when the kids move away from home so they all can have a copy of the family photos... ie as digital images. With the PRO Version 5 you could even create saleable CDs with your digital photos. The number of photos you can add is only limited by the capacity of CD or DVD.
A range of full-page layout capabilities lets you design pages with multiple photos, images, and annotations. Add a table of contents, index, or even a thumbnail preview.
The included Design Libraries delivers more than 3,000 graphics to your FlipAlbum. Choose from unique book spines, colorful backgrounds, and fun clip art. Retouch red eye and add special effects using the built-in image-editing tools. You can even import sound clips from the library or add your own.
Flip Album is a simple, fool proof way to get your photos on the web or especially to send a CD to friends and family.
They will enjoy flipping through all of your recent photos. All they have to do is pop it in the PC or use a DVD player to view it on their TV.
Or if you want, just E-mail your album to family and friends, and link to it from your Web site.
All in all, Flip Album 5 Pro is a very professional , but fun and, easy to use program for everyone.
An Extremely Useful Tool for Digital Documents
By Stuart Feibusch -PC NEWS -Technical Editor
A terrific way to streamline your work
PaperPort Deluxe 8.0 is a terrific way to streamline your work, both personal and professional. Even if your goal is not a paperless home or office, its hard to argue that getting rid of the excess and getting organized isn't a great idea.
Installing PaperPort Deluxe 8.0 was a quick and easy process, especially since the program incorporates any scanner software that you might already use.
PaperPort Deluxe 8.0 offers teaching demos for the inexperienced user, but I found this program to be very easy to use, especially for those familiar with windows-based navigation programs.
PaperPort Deluxe 8.0 includes tons of valuable features that make paying bills, organizing your home office, or doing your taxes faster and easier.
It allows you to organize your images using folders and subfolders that can be color-coded, and then annotate them with your comments, dates, history, and contexts.
With PaperPort 8 you can manage your files visually with clear thumbnails, make use of the PaperPort search engine (which allows you to search for your documents by keywords and phrases, or drag any digital image into a Microsoft Word document or spreadsheet for instant editing.
For business users, PaperPort allows files to be shared electronically via PaperPort Online. PaperPort also does photos, so you can create albums,
and add notes, flags, and annotations to keep your photographs organized and secure.
PaperPort's editing tools ensure that scanned documents will look right while The programs annotation tools let users add notes and highlights on top of any scanned image.
When Paperport is installed, you can "print" any kind of graphic file into Paperport format. When in Paperport, you can then type information directly onto the document, save it, and print it out. This is very useful for tax and other forms downloaded from the web.
Paperport also allows you to combine several different scanned documents into a single document, which become "pages" in the digital file.
Paperport is a very useful tool for accountants, attorneys and other professionals who may want to edit and store documents in digital format. But it's also great for home use for the same purpose. Imagine being able to store and organize all of your important files on a Compact Disc rather than in a file cabinet. I highly recommend it!.