Corel Paint Shop Pro X Review

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(More customer reviews)I have used Paint Shop Pro in each incarnation from 7.04 Anniversary Edition onwards as well as Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0.
I must say that while the latest version is very user friendly especially to a new user, if you've got Version 8 or 9 on your computer I don't think the upgrade is worth the money. The new browser is particularly horrible if you're used to the older versions of Paint Shop Pro. You have to resort to manual tinkering to get it to look like the earlier versions if you want to which is a fairly involved procedure. Even then it doesn't behave like the earlier version but acts like a permanently docked window. In the default it displays Windows folders as little pictures of folders in a row and I find it quite difficult to use as a navigation mechanism.
The Learning Center is a useful addition especially to begin with when you're figuring out where everything is because even if you've had PSP8 and/or 9 on your computer Corel have changed round the positions of some of the tools in the toolbar and there are quite a few tweaks in the menus and photo tools. I do like the noise removal tool which functions better than it did in PSP9 and I also like the Smart Photo Fix. Overall however I felt that the new edition wasn't really worth shelling out over £40 for when I already had older versions on my computer.
In addition, the Paint Shop Photo Album (which is included for free) has refused to function correctly on my computer and I am still waiting for Corel's programmers to come back to me after working with a technician for over three weeks and not resolving the issue. A free Album Creator program is included which is for ordering photo albums online; I found that this gave me error messages until I went online and then launched it. I don't have a RAW image function on my digital camera so have not used that software which is also included on the disk.
You will need a large amount of RAM - at least 1 GB and preferably more, as well as a big hard drive and a fast computer to run this software. I would also recommend a large monitor because of the over-crowded interface - when you have the browser up and running it refuses to allow the image to overlap it as the older versions did, and behaves like the edge of the workspace.
Corel have essentially concentrated on photo editing in this version of Paint Shop Pro although the graphics tools are still there. If you have PSP 8 or 9 and do graphics rather than photo work I would stay with that software for now but if you're a new user I think you'll find this version of Paint Shop Pro is well worth the money.

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Corel Paint Shop Pro is the all-in-one solution for photo editing, organizing, sharing, and creativity. You will get tools for making your photos look just the way you want, organizing them so they are always at your fingertips, and making photo postcards, calendars, and more--advanced enough for a pro and easiest enough for a beginner. Version X is the best Paint Shop yet, with run times 50% faster than previous versions, more teaching resources (more than two hours of tutorials) for you to easily get the most out of the program, and 500 special effects.
See the Corel Paint Shop Pro X product tour
Fix brightness, color, and photo flawsNow you can have sharp photos filled with brilliant colors. You don't have to be a photo-editing whiz to get fabulous photos. Paint Shop Pro is filled with easy one-step fixes and advanced ultra-precise controls so no matter what, everyone can have the photos they always dreamed of.
Cover All the BasicsEverything you need to complete the most common photo tasks. Quickly rotate, resize, and crop photos to get the exact composition and size you need.
Fix Any PhotoSmart Photo Fix is the best way to correct color, exposure, and lighting problems. With a single click, Paint Shop Pro analyzes your photo and makes suggested corrections. With this powerful, flexible tool, you can change the corrections to suit your tastes.
Improve Photos in One Step Most digital cameras produce some sort of noise and, in photos of high-contrast, a purple fringe can appear. We know these are common problems that plague everyone, no matter how great a photographer they are. With the One Step Noise Removal and One Step Purple Fringe Removal, Paint Shop Pro quickly gets rid of these pesky problems.
Instant MakeoverLooking great has never been so easy. None of us are perfect, but with Paint Shop Pro X's Makeover Tools everyone can look like they are. With this handy set of tools you can remove blemishes, whiten teeth, brush on a suntan, and remove wrinkles. It's so fun and easy that you'll just have to try it for yourself.
Get the Red OutRed eye is probably the most common problem facing photos. With Paint Shop Pro X you get a One-click Red-Eye Remover that even works on pets, or you can use Advanced Red-Eye Removal for the most accurate corrections.
Remove DistractionsWith the Clone Tool and the Object Remover you can get rid of distractions in your photos by just clicking and dragging.
Adjust in an Instant When the photo you have doesn't look like the photo you thought you took, you can easily Adjust Perspective and Straighten crooked photos to get the look you were after.
Restore Old PhotosTears, holes, and fading are no match for Paint Shop Pro's photo restoration tools. With Scratch Remover, Fade Correction, Hand-tinting brushes, and High-pass Sharpen you can repair and restore any old or damaged photo.
Add a Creative TouchPaint Shop Pro X includes all new Picture Frames and photo Edges for when you want to give your photos a little something extra. Plus, there are NEW Picture Tubes, this popular feature is the easiest way for you to add ready-made art elements to your photo and graphics projects.
Photo albums and moreOnce you've used Paint Shop Pro to make your photos look their best, you can jump to Corel Photo Album 6 - Standard Edition included FREE, to create fun Greeting Cards and E-Cards. With the drag & drop simplicity of Photo Album you can create and send cards for every occasion.
Turn photos into elegant projectsOnce you have fabulous photos, don't let them sit there on your hard drive doing nothing. With Paint Shop Pro you have all the tools you need to create everything from fun greeting cards to breath-taking collages.
Turn Ordinary Photos into Something SpecialCreating beautiful Scrapbook Album Pages and sophisticated multi-picture Collages is a cinch. Now you can just drag your photos into professionally designed templates and have stunning photo keepsakes in moments.
Fun Projects You Can Complete in MinutesEnjoy your photos all year long by using them to create your own Calendars. Or show the people in your life how much they mean to you by featuring them on Magazine Covers or Award Certificates. Plus you can print multiple images on a single sheet of paper using Print Layouts and create your own CD Labels.
Remove BackgroundsYou can cut people out of photos and drop them onto new backgrounds easily with the Background Eraser. This handy tool makes combining multiple photos a breeze.
The Selection is Yours With so many selections to choose from you're sure to find just the tool you need in Paint Shop Pro X. Use Freehand/Smart Edge Selection to find your edge or select it yourself, the Shape Selection to square, rectangle, circle, or elliptical shaped selections, or the Magic Wand Selection to make selections based on color, hue, or more.
See What You're Working OnLayers are the building blocks of any collage and now you can see exactly what you're using in your collage. With just a glance at the All-New Layer Palette you can see all the layers in your image and what each layer contains.
You Get to PickMove and resize elements of your image on the fly. The Pick Tool is the easiest way to make adjustments to layers without having to re-select them.
Give photos a unique, exciting look Your photos can be so much more than just ordinary pictures. Using Paint Shop Pro's graphics and effects tools you can transform photos into paintings, add words, create crazy caricatures, and so much more. With so many effects to use, you can have hours of fun just experimenting.
Say What You Mean Add Vertical or horizontal text to photos or even have text follow a path. With the Text Tool, you can choose how you want your message to appear.
Turn Your Photos into PaintingsWith real-life Art Media Tools you can turn your ordinary photos into masterpieces. With an easy Trace option you can trace your photos using Oil, Chalk, Pastel, and more. Plus, you can choose from different brushes and canvas types.
Draw with PrecisionAdding arrows, talk bubbles, stars, and other interesting shapes to your photos couldn't be easier. With the Symmetric Shape Tool, Pen Tool, and Preset Shapes you can add all kinds of fun to your photos without any work at all.
Create a Classic in an InstantNo darkroom is required to transform your digital photos into black and white masterpieces. With the B&W Infrared Filter and B&W Conversion Filter you get more options than ever before.
Transform Photos in a Few ClicksAdd special lighting effects, color pencil, or emboss your photos. With over 500 Special Effects Filters there is no end to the fun you can have with your photos.
Warp & Twist PhotosGive the people and pets in your photos big bulging eyes and huge goofy smiles with the Warp Brush. Just click and drag your mouse around your photo to create these fun and easy caricatures.
It's All a BlurAdd professional-looking blur effects to your photos. You can choose between Gaussian, Motion, Radial Blur, and more.
Find photos fast & share memories Paint Shop Pro X now includes Corel Photo Album 6 - Standard Edition. With this smart and simple software you can organize and share your photos easier than ever before. And with two applications at your disposal you'll be more productive than ever.
Your Photos Were Meant to be Shared Show off your photos using over 40 Print templates, create Slide Shows you can e-mail, send photos automatically resized for E-mail and Cell Phones, or Burn a CD of your best shots in just two clicks. No additional burning software required.
Photo Album Does the Work for YouAs soon as you plug in your camera, Photo Album's Photo Downloader gets to work downloading and rotating your photos, then asking you what you'd like to do next. If you like, you can jump right to Paint Shop Pro with a couple of keystrokes. The Photo Finder automatically finds and organizes your photo collection by the date you took the picture, and Photo Trays are a virtual photo to-do list - helping you remember to e-mail or print photos.
Find What You NeedYou can organize your photos by Collection, Folder, Favorite Photo, and Keyword to ensure that you can always find your photos fast. Plus, when you use Keywords, you can Search your entire using those keywords.
What's in the box: Photo software on CD-ROM, instruction booklet.

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Corel Photo Album 6 Deluxe Review

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(More customer reviews)Corel's Photo Album 6 (formerly known as Jasc's Paint Shop Photo Album) bundles together the most variety of features of any consumer-grade digital image manager -- a file-level manager, slideshow and screensaver module, creative projects (calendars, magazine covers, etc.), backup and archive module; and a basic image editor. Version 6 of Photo Album sports a new interface, some new project templates and backup options, and most importantly, easy-to-use IPTC and EXIF metadata support. The latter feature makes the program well worth the upgrade for prior users, and the best general choice for mainstream users, such as self-appointed family photo archivists, looking to organize and manage their growing collection of digital photographs for posterity.
What makes metadata support so important? A photograph may be worth a thousand words, but not always. Without aid, the casual viewer may not understand or remember a picture's content or context. (E.g., When and where was this picture taken? What is this a picture of? Who are these people? Why did I take this picture?) Even the photographer himself may not remember these things one or five years later. In an analog photograph, one could write a description on back of the print itself. With digital photos, this sort of information is kept as metadata. Without metadata, that interesting digital photograph (Holiday Party 2005: Roy and Ciara with Mayor Mike. Unbeknownst to Mayor Mike, Roy and Ciara rose to power by wasting hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars.) is just another anonymous picture. It is metadata that imbues digital photographs with their context and meaning, and that enables digital photograph collections to be quickly organized or synthesized in a wide variety of ways - by timeline, event, location, person, etc.
Prior versions of Photo Album kept metadata locked away inside a proprietary database, usable only inside the program. Corel Photo Album 6's support of IPTC and EXIF metadata relegates product lock-in to the past, and potentially makes your photograph descriptions (complete memory = photograph + metadata) accessible seamlessly across:
- online-photo sharing sites that support IPTC and EXIF metadata, such as Fotki and Flickr;
- friends, family, or other users who don't use Corel Photo Album 6;
- yourself, on other computers, if or when you outgrow Photo Album 6, or the product line is discontinued.
That's potentially, because Corel doesn't quite implement IPTC support the way everyone else does. Corel Photo Album 6 is able to view metadata of digital photographs created in Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, but the opposite is not necessarily true. Also, Photo Album 6 does not support Unicode, so foreign language support (for recording foreign toponyms and friends in your photographs without the need for Romanize them) is limited. However, PA6 is still better than its competitors, who either do not support IPTC or EXIF metadata (leaving you locked into their products), or make it cumbersome to use.
Corel Photo Album 6 is worthy of consideration even if you've already purchased a digital photo-editor / image library manager bundle, such as Microsoft's Digital Image Suite 2006 or Adobe's Photoshop Elements 4. Microsoft's Digital Image Library 11 (part of Microsoft's Digital Image Suite 2006) locks metadata inside its own proprietary database and the Windows XP NTFS file system, usable only on the single computer where the program is installed. DIS2006 users who want to share picture metadata with other users must manually copy and paste it for each picture they want to share. Further, the proprietary nature of DIS2006's database renders it susceptible to breakage - if you change the filename of an image outside the program, the image and its DIS2006 database entry are disassociated. Although Photoshop Elements 4 supports IPTC and EXIF metadata, the program continues to be disjointed - you fill in different pieces of metadata in the photo editor and photo organizer sections of the program.
Unfortunately, Corel's Photo Album 6 is just as disjointed. PA6 tracks picture title, description, and keyword information. Corel's photo editor, Paint Shop Pro 10 (equivalent to Microsoft's Digital Image Suite 2006's or Adobe's Photoshop Elements 4's photo editor; and a separate purchase) is needed to track picture location (city, state, country, etc.) information, among other things. However, Corel Photo Album 6's advantage over Photoshop Elements 4 is that PE4's photo organizer is very unwieldy when managing more than a few hundred photographs. It would be nice to see future versions of Corel Photo Album and Paint Shop Pro share the same metadata management features. Experienced users may look to PixVue, a free Windows Explorer extension, for a full IPTC/XMP metadata editor in the interim.
Consumers should understand that given PA6's low price, competitor programs may exceed the depth of any particular module(s) in PA6. For example, ACD System's ACDSee 8 is a better file-level manager. Simple Star's PhotoShow Deluxe 4 has the better slideshow module. With these other choices however, users may find themselves purchasing additional programs to match the breadth of Corel Photo Album 6's functionality. For example, ACDSee 8 Standard lacks a creative projects module, which ACD Systems offers for separate purchase, as FotoSlate 4.
Corel has done a very good job with Photo Album 6. It is the best general-purpose choice for both beginning and intermediate mainstream users.

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Corel Photo Album 6 offers aneasy way to organize, enhance, protect, and share your photos. Photo Album automatically downloads photos from your camera as soon as you plug it in, then rotates and organizes them for you. Then you can fix photos in a snap with one-click quick fixes. When you're done you can share photos in minutes with 1000s of creative projects including greeting cards, calendars, scrapbooks and more. Plus, you can back-up your photos on CD, protecting them in just two-clicks. Packed with everything you need, Photo Album is the complete, easy-to-use software for your digital camera.
See the product tour

Capture, View, and Organize
Quick Fix and Adjust With just one click users can auto-correct the color, contrast, and brightness of their photos. The Adjust command provides simple sliders to give you complete control over a variety of settings for correcting photos. With the Add Flash tool, users can even brighten just the shadowy areas of an image.
More quick fixes and effects You can remove red-eye with one click or use the Advanced Red-Eye tool for more precision and control. The Thinify command lets you give the subjects in your photos a thinner appearance with just a few clicks. The Panorama command lets you stitch together several photos. This is particularly useful for capturing large landscapes.
Black & White and Sepia tools Corel Photo Album 6 lets you transform your color photos into black and white, and sepia tones with just one click. These quick commands are useful for giving new photos a vintage look.
E-mail and Quick E-mail The Quick E-mail and E-mail commands make it easy to send photos to friends and family. Quick E-mail automatically attaches the selected image to a new message in your e-mail program. All you have to do is add the recipient address and fill in the subject line. With E-mail, you can adjust settings to optimize the photos for quick recipient downloading.
Photo projects Corel Photo Album 6 provides creative templates to inspire you to do more with your photos. With drag-and-drop simplicity, you can create award certificates, album pages, greeting cards, calendars, CD labels, e-cards, magazine covers, and more. You can even move, rotate, and zoom in and out of photos within a template to get the exact look that you want.
New! CollagesThe new Collage project templates let you display a collection of photos in stylish and sophisticated collages. You just select a collage layout template and drag and drop photos from your folders into the collage.
Slide Shows With Corel Photo Album 6, you can easily create musical slide shows to distribute to friends and family using e-mail, or simply to display on your computer. You can also burn slide shows to Video CDs, which can be viewed on a TV using a DVD player. Now, it's quick and easy to share photos from a recent vacation, family event, or party.
Web Sharing Web Galleries let you create your own customized Web page using Corel Photo Album, or quickly upload to your favorite photo-sharing Web site.
New! Photo Finder Corel Photo Album 6 automatically finds all the photos on your computer and organizes them by the date that they were taken. This feature saves time by continuously keeping photo collection up-to-date.
New! All Photos View To provide you with the utmost flexibility in photo management, the new All Photos View lets you browse your entire photo collection at once. When the All Photos View is selected, Corel Photo Album 6 gathers every photo from every folder on your computer.
Print LayoutWith more than 40 print layout templates, Corel Photo Album 6 helps you make the most of that expensive photo paper. You can choose to print standard photo sizes, such as 8x10, 5x7, wallet-sized, and more. Print layouts also let you combine multiple photos on one page.
Five viewing options The convenient Find panel lets you choose from five viewing options, including Favorite Folders, All Folders, Calendar, Keywords, and Collections. And you can easily adjust the size of thumbnail previews. With the handy zoom slider, users can quickly zoom out to see the entire contents of a folder, or zoom in for a closer look at just one photo.
New! Favorite Photos Corel Photo Album 6 lets you designate your favorite photos with a gold star so that personal favorites can be quickly and easily identified for use in special projects, for e-mailing, or for printing.
New! Titles and Descriptions You can add titles and descriptions so that photos stand out. Corel Photo Album now saves your captions to the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) metadata so that the captions can be viewed and searched from within any program that supports IPTC.
Batch Rename With Corel Photo Album 6, you can quickly change those cryptic, numeric filenames that digital cameras assign to photos. Using the Batch Rename feature, you can easily change the name of an individual image, several selected images, or an entire folder of images.
PhotoSafe Backup SystemThe PhotoSafe Backup System helps you backup all of their photos onto CD or DVD. Archiving prevents the loss of valuable photos from hardware memory failure, or other computer mishaps, such as viruses. And PhotoSafe makes it simple by remembering which photos have already been backed-up on CD, and which photos are new.
PhotoRecovery PhotoRecovery is a straightforward application that recovers images, movies, and sound files from all types of digital media. Whether it's Memory Sticks, SmartMedia, CompactFlash, MicroDrives, Secure Digital Cards, Multimedia Chips, or floppy disks and most other forms of digital film, you simply insert your digital film into the reader, and run PhotoRecovery. Pictures are instantly saved to your computer.
What's in the box: Software on CD, Getting Started Guide, User Guide.

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Picture It 7.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)I know people who spent a fortune on programs like Adobe Photoshop because they wanted "the best." But they end up using PictureIt! because it's just plain easier. Unless you're a professional graphic designer, you'll find that this program meets all your needs, and most importantly, it's EASY! I've used PictureIt! it since 2000 and it makes short work of scanning from digital cameras, cropping and adjusting photos, fixing red eye, compressing photos for the web, or creating fun projects like greeting cards. Can't recommend it enough.

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Like New - Factory sealed, never opened, box have some wear

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Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This product finally gets it right. From start to finish, it really works.
Connect a camera or card reader, and it automatically finds it and imports your photos. Then do a quick review using your full-screen so you can really see the image, not just thumbnails. Cull out the lame photos really fast, then tag the ones you want to keep. Even hit Ctrl-1 through 5 to put 1-5 stars on an image.
Then once you have your best shots, use the cool "smart fix" tool to do some amazing stuff to fix the exposure and colors in just one click....much smarter than the other products I've tried (and I've tried a lot over the last 3 months, including microsoft's and magix and ulead and nero....etc.)
Then use the one-click redeye remover to click near an eye and have the redeye automagically removed. It really works! Cool!
Use the Healing Brush to remove blemishes and paint out annoying details (like the cars in the background, or a blemish on someone's forehead) without having to know anything special or hold down a control-shift-alt key combination.
Wonderful organization tools, plus the world's best image editing, all packaged in a UI that starts simple and builds as you explore it.
Adobe really got this one right. Don't bother looking at the other packages (lord knows I spent enough time for us all. :)

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Adobe Elements 3.0 Image Edit Software for Windows is the third version of this amazingly popular digital image and photo editing application. It's no wonder really. Adobe's Photoshop Elements series is geared to you, the casual user, seeking access to image enhancement tools that are simple and easy. While ease-of-use is the key, PE3 adds more power. Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 software now provides powerful photo editing functionality plus intuitive organizing and sharing capabilities. Make quick fixes when you need to or use advanced editing options when you want more control. Organize the way you want and show off your creativity with new dynamic slide shows, themed photo e-mail, and more. Make compelling slide shows with transitions, captions, music, and narration Send your photos displayed within your e-mail instead of as attachments, and include decorative backgrounds and frames in a variety of themes Make the most of your valuable photo paper by printing high-quality pages in any layout you want individual or multiple photos

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Photo Impact Pro 13 Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for a replacement for the Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10 program that I had been using for years. I figured that after all this time, software technology undoubtly had made improvements that would be noticeable. Not so in this case. While it is true that there are a few powerful tools in this software, it is not as user friendly as should be expected and learning these will take some time. Not so with Microsoft's program as within minutes you will easily be erasing unwanted objects (which can also be done in Nova but with extra steps, etc), cropping, and so forth.
In all fairness, it should be noted that the auto adjust function of Nova's program does work pretty well, especially the fix levels option which will correct colors, lighting, etc. (but is this worth $70?) Beware though that although sometimes the pictures will look good on the screen, when printed, some have looked like a poor "touch up". One reviewer said that in about 2 hours he got a slideshow together - although he thought this to be a positive, that about sums it up. In Microsoft, once you learn the Photostory program, it will literally take 5 minutes to compose a beautiful slideshow complete with music.
To Nova's credit, they stood by their 90 satisfaction policy. I returned the product and they issued a complete refund less tax and shipping charges. Well done. Now create an easier, user friendly program. As for me, I'm going back to my old Microsoft standby.

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PhotoImpact Pro 13 is the ideal choice for digital photography, creative design and web graphics - all in one powerful suite. You'll get everything you need to organize, edit, manage, and share digital photos - and so much more!Whether you're new to digital photography or a seasoned professional, you'll appreciate the award-winning power and flexibility of PhotoImpact Pro. It not only delivers state-of-the-art image editing for enthusiasts, but it also caters to first-time users with SmartGuide and 2,000 photorealistic scrapbook embellishments. PhotoImpact Pro 13 also offers dozens of new and improved features including drag-and-drop text effects, Photo Projects Wizard, Cool 360 Panorama tool and more!Equip yourself with the same tools and techniques professionals use to make photos come alive!

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MGI SOFTWARE PhotoSuite 3 ( Windows ) Review

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(More customer reviews)WILL NOT WORK WITH VISTA - - I do not know if it will work with Windows 7, but the fact that it would NOT work with Vista caused me to GIVE AWAY MY NEWER VISTA COMPUTER and purchase an office refurbished computer with Windows XP Pro. The company that made this program was bought by Broderbun and DISCONTINUED! The ONLY place you can find them is second hand or online. This program has the SIMPLEST, BEST, USER-FRIENDLY AUTOMATIC ENHANCEMENT OF PHOTOS of ANY of the programs I have EVER tried.
I use this EVERY time I load pictures into my computer. I rotate, crop, erase scratches and blemishes, and enhance EVERY picture I plan to keep on my computer.
Recently I found out that I can even use it like Print Shop to do individual art, coloring, painting, etc. on a picture.
Until Broderbun - or some other - make this WONDERFUL program available for ALL computers, I'LL STICK WITH MY XP.

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Photo Explosion Deluxe 4.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)I used 3.0 all the time to open up a photo, add some quick text for a logo on top of my photo. I would then add a frame around the photo (there were several different options of cool effects), to block out some of the background stuff in the photo.
The new version, does not have a simple Insert Text feature like 3.0 did. 3.0 allowed you to insert text, and grab the selection bar windows to easily move it around, rotate it, make the text bigger, etc.
With 4.0, you first have to select the text tool, then increase your font (and change it if you wish). If you want to move the text, you have to then select the move tool (another step). If you want to rotate it, you then have to go to the menu, and go through a couple of steps before you manually have to put in what degree angle you want to rotate it. It was much simpler and easier in the old version because you could do it all from one place.
I used the magic effects and frame features all the time in 3.0, there was alot of cool black and white effects that you can make a pic look really elegant (I'm a cake decorator so I used it to block out the background so the cake would be focused better). In 4.0, you can't do it in the Image Editor.
The step in 4.O:
1. Create a new project in Project Studio
2. Add your photo.
3. Add your border (which are horrible,theres no magic effects anymore, and no elegant black and white effects to place around your pic).
4. If you find one you like, you then have to save your project.
5. Then you have to export it to a jpg.
I'm really surprised they took out some functionality of 3.0 and made everything more difficult. I'm now searching for a software that will allow me to quickly add text and some elegant photo effects around the edges.

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Photo Explosion Deluxe made history as the first software of its kind to deliver powerful editing features, spectacular special effects and professional-quality photo projects — all together in one program. Now Photo Explosion Deluxe 4.0 makes digital photography even easier. And it's packed with exciting new features, all designed to let you get the most out of your digital camera.

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Photo Explosion 4.0 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have been using Adobe Elements 4 to improve my pictures but I was forced to make a change when I recently purchased a new PC running Windows 7. Upgrading my Adobe Elements would have cost $100 so I looked for alternatives. I was a bit suspicious of Photo Explosion. After all, its price was $30 with a $10 mail-in rebate. However, it turns out to be a great package. Easy to use and far more capability that I will probably ever use. And, the software comes with a very useful manual. I haven't had a decent manual in years from anyone else. I recommend, without any reservations that you buy Photo Explosion.

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Photo Explosion 4.0 Easily transform a series of photos into 360-degree or wide-angle panoramas.View larger.

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Serif MoviePlus X3 Review

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(More customer reviews)After reading reviews here and having many problems w/ Nero 9 program I tried Serif's MoviePlus X3. It worked great out of the box and easily burned 2 DVD's for me. After that I was asked to register the program at Serif's site- it shut the program down if i did not register. Once I registered I could not operate anything in this program: I consistently got a Runtime error that shut down the program. Tech support is online only, so I sent a detailed email to them: the Serif site says usually a 2 day reply to support requests. After 5 days I got a reply, but only after I sent an email to customer service complaining about not hearing from tech support. I followed the tech's directions to the letter (the tech told me I was his top priority and he'd be available to get this program running for me) only to get the exact same Runtime error message. 4 emails to "Dom", the Serif tech, have gone unanswered still from my first reply to him 7 days ago. So, I've spent $60 over 2 weeks ago on a program that doesn't operate, I've gotten no help from tech support or customer service and I can't return the product since it's been installed and registered. I've tried calling the Serif US office several times over the last week: no answer, no voice mail message, just endless ringing of the phone.
When I did get to burn a disc the program looked good- easy to follow and nice options for menus, etc. but now it's worthless after I did the required registration and 2 weeks of non- tech support or service.
At least the Marketplace merchant has offered to refund 1/2 the purchase price.... something they didn't have any obligation to do.

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Start your movie projects by grabbing source video from your camera, from a file on your PC, from DVD - with great compatibility. Piece together your movie marvels without headaches. Edit your movies quickly and easily with powerful tools and unlimited creativity. Add polish and dazzle - fast - with a massive range of easy-to-use, customizable, professional video and audio effects. Share your video with anyone, anywhere. Get your video online with YouTube, fast. Save in all popular formats and even burn straight to DVD.MoviePlus X3 gives you:
Storyboard Mode
'How To' Guides
YouTube Upload
iPod & PSP Exports
Narration Recording
Built-in DVD Authoring
New Easier Interface
Amazing Special Effects
Title & Text Animation
Powerful Audio Effects
Improved Pan & Zoom
Accurate Scene Detection
Enhanced Media Pane
MPEG-4 Technology
New Text Styles Gallery
AVCHD Cam Support
Digital CD Ripping
Device Download Wizard
There's almost no limit to what can be achieved with MoviePlus X3 thanks to amazing flexibility and power.

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Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been negligent in reviewing the Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate image editing program because I wanted to be sure about what I suspected when I began using it a couple of months ago. "This program is better in many ways and cheaper than the top rated Adobe Photoshop Elements version 7."
I was reluctant to believe that hunch at first. I have both programs installed on a VISTA laptop. Both installed easily and without problem. Both function perfectly without any of the crashing and buggy performance described by other reviewers. I have been using the two programs interchangeably for awhile and eventually noticed that I was opening and using the Corel Paint Shop Pro program more often than the Adobe software. That was the prompt that I needed to offer this review, but my observations do not intend to say the Adobe Photoshop Elements program is necessarily inferior--I simply prefer the Corel software and find it less complicated to use. I will attempt to tell you why.

First, the Corel home screen is easier to see. I found the Adobe Photoshop Elements screen sort of dark and foreboding. The two screens are similar in how the toolbars and menu items are arranged, but not all that much alike in how they are applied. I think the Corel program is more intuitive and logical than the Adobe system.
Both programs have all of the usual features like red eye removal, cropping, brightness adjustments and cloning. These are mostly straight forward, but the Corel program strikes me as less complicated in these areas than the Adobe.

I should admit at the onset--I have yet to master the "Layers" functions in either program. Be that as it may, I am pretty familiar with the rest of the tasks offered by both programs.
Adding images to the organizer pallet at the bottom of the main Corel window is a snap. The "saving as a copy" option in the Corel program is very helpful. Image color adjustments can be made in a number of ways in both programs, but Corel Paint Shop offers better options for changing hue, saturation and texture. I was happy to find how easily edits can be reversed with undo opportunities along the way. The image straightening and adjusting perspective features are worthy of note as is the skin smoothing and tooth whitening options. There is even an option in the Corel program to make a person appear thinner. I never thought I would use that tooth whitening thing, but I have.
I found the Corel feature called "Browse effects" to be particularly useful because it brings up a familiar outline style listing of everything the program does all in one place. One doesn't need to click around on various icons and menu items in order to find the function desired. Clicking through this "Browse effects" list brings up thumbnails that illustrate the choices involved. One could almost use this feature and ignore the array of icons and menus situated around the main window.

I have used the Corel "time machine" function a few times to give vintage appearances to certain photos and find it to be fun if nothing else. The same is true for the frames and distort features along several other artistic effect functions that I doubt most people would use very often. The reason I mention these options is to point out the presence of several functions that are really just amusing to use and probably not essential to serious photo editing.

The ability to adjust the appearance of the home window in the Corel program is appreciated, but I have not messed with that at all. I like the looks of it as is.
Oh, one more thing--adjusting the "layers" in an image may have been included in both programs as a means to humble the user. Just kidding...
If you are trying to decide which program to buy and think the Adobe Photo Shop Elements program is definitely number one you should certainly consider the Corel alternative. I would recommend you buy the Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate instead of the Adobe Photoshop Elements program Version 7 not because they are so different in what they do, but because they are so similar in almost everything else except the price and ease of use. The Corel Paint Shop software is easier to figure out and it is significantly less costly than the Adobe program. Then of course there is the matter of how I found myself using the Corel program more often than the Adobe program. I think that says something.
UPDATE(December 2009):
I recently loaded the Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate software into a new Windows 7 laptop and it went in perfectly and quickly. The program seems to open up and run faster than it did on my VISTA machine. I like it even more. Just thought you would like to know.


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Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate combines ease of use with full professional power. Fix brightness, color and photo imperfections like red eye in a few clicks, or use precision photo-editing controls to create photos youll be proud to share. Includes everything in Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, plus: Enhanced! Camera raw support - Enjoy support for over 250 camera raw formats New! Background remover plug-in - Easily remove the background of a photo and change it to a new scene for more creative impact Enhanced! Creative content pack - Get creative with your photos by adding fun details. Choose from 150 brand-new, custom-made photo frames, photo edges and Picture Tubes New! Certified for Windows Vista - Certified for Windows Vista software has undergone Microsoft compatibility tests for ease of use, better performance and enhanced security Bonus! USB flash drive (2 GB) - Store and transfer your digital photos with this handy thumb drive Bonus! Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 - Transform your photos into stunning paintings in 3 easy steps Bonus! Media recovery software - Recover images, movies and sound files, even from reformatted memory cards

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