Photo Explosion Deluxe 3.0 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I used to have Microsoft's Image Composer (now discontinued) that came with FrontPage '98. What a great, intuitive little program that was for cutting out parts of photos and combining them into collages or new photos! It came with no manual, yet I was able to teach myself to use it just by playing around and trying things out. It was that easy, and it was a lot of fun!
This program claims to have many of the same functions IC did: cutting out pieces of pics by tracing an outline, resizing or recoloring or otherwise manipulating these pieces, and then combining them into a new 'photo.' Unfortunately, this program is so counter-intuitive and inflexible that you can't just play with it to figure things out.
Which would be tolerable if the manual was helpful but, of course, it's useless. It spends 70 pages describing the 'workspace' and how to 'organize your photos' (as if any moron can't do that by creating directories on their PC). After all that, there are only 10 pages on how to use the selection/trace function, how to resize, etc. And it doesn't seem to explain anywhere what to do to 'select' something once you've cut it out of a photo.
The worst part of the program is that you have to create a separate file for the place you want to combine all your images. This is stupid. Why can't you just work on one base photo, add to and alter it, and then do a 'save as...'? That would be simple. This program makes you create a 'project,' which requires sifting through dozens of their templates to find one that you can twist into something like what you want. Why not just let me work without a template? Not fun and certainly not functional.
The templates are very restrictive. For example, you can't size the space of the project once you create it. So if what you create needs to be a little larger or smaller than the template size, you have to shrink everything to fit into the template.
Further, the program's logic doesn't make much sense. If I cut out a piece of a photo and then go to resize it, the program resizes the original picture only (even though the cut-out is highlighted as selected). There's no obvious way to tell the program what I want to manipulate: the original or a cut-out. This is just one example, but there are many others I could offer.
I think the program MIGHT be good if all you want is real basic photo editing (i.e. cut a square shaped piece out of a photo and plop it into some inane greeting card template provided), but otherwise this is very limited and difficult to work with.
I can't see shelling out the bucks for Adobe. And I don't understand why someone doesn't offer an inexpensive version of Adobe (like Image Composer was)? I think I'm going to hunt for an old copy of FrontPage '98 at used software stores and reload IC.

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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 3.0 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.System Requirements:Windows 98 2000 Me XP or Vista; 32 MB RAM; Pentium 166Mhz or faster; CD-ROM DriveFormat: WIN 98ME2000XPVISTA Genre:PRODUCTIVITY UPC:727298403831 Manufacturer No:PRW

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Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Standard Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Good product, but I'm getting tired of the incompatibility issues between versions. It is such a pain to hire a new employee, get them the latest copy of Adobe CS and then not be able to have other employees open their files with a version from a few months previous. It's getting ridiculous.
Also, Adobe has the worst follow-through on customer service of any company I have dealt with. I spent 6 months trying to get my money back for a license they had previously deactivated. I called each month religiously and spent 45-90 minutes trying to bring the agents up to speed with the conversations that should have been in their computer. Nightmare.

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Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Standard is tightly integrated professional software for delivering distinctive print design in marketing collateral, magazines, books, packaging, and more. Achieve exceptional quality even under the tightest deadlines with best-in-class drawing, image editing, page layout, and print production tools.

Create outstanding print design, even under the tightest deadlines
Comprehensive toolset for print design and production Express your most innovative creative visions in print, using tightly integrated software for moving fluidly and confidently from inspiration to output. Accelerate creative reviews with new Adobe CS Live online services that integrate with your Creative Suite software. CS Live online services are complimentary for a limited time--visit www.adobe.com/go/cslive for details.
Breakthrough image editing Create compelling digital images with Adobe Photoshop CS5, the industry standard in digital imaging. Use versatile brush tools to paint with realistic strokes, precise selection tools to make exacting refinements, and a wide range of workflow and performance enhancements to accelerate everyday tasks.
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Adobe PDF creation, editing, and delivery Prepare files for high-end print production with confidence using Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro. End-to-end PDF workflows share common technology to generate, preview, and print PDF files, enabling consistent high-quality output.
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Comprehensive preflight and production Use robust preflight features to check files for high-end print publishing. Catch production glitches as you lay out pages, avoid color output surprises in graphics, and apply output presets to reliably meet exacting production standards and minimize costly errors.
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Faster performance in Photoshop Perform day-to-day imaging tasks faster, and process very large images at least 10 times faster. (Requires a 64-bit-capable computer with a 64-bit version of Mac OS, Microsoft Windows 7, or Windows Vista. Actual performance increase varies depending on the installed drivers, the features that you're using, and other factors.)
Adobe Photoshop CS5Create powerful images with the professional standard Adobe Photoshop CS5 delivers breakthrough capabilities to help you create images with impact. Refine your images with reengineered photography tools for removing noise, adding grain, and creating high dynamic range (HDR) images. Get precise results when making complex selections. Remove any image element and see the space fill in almost magically. Paint with naturally textured brushstrokes and realistic color blends. Also work fast with cross-platform 64-bit support and dozens of other time-savers.

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Adobe Illustrator CS5--Explore new paths with the essential vector tool Create distinctive designs for any project. Used by creative professionals worldwide, Adobe Illustrator CS5 software provides precision and power. Paint expressively with vectors, draw in perspective, and explore designing for interactivity. Move easily between Illustrator, other Adobe products, and Adobe CS Live online services. Get the job done efficiently but beautifully, moving quickly from multiple ideas to multiple outputs with complete control and delivering exactly what you had in mind.

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Adobe InDesign CS5--Design professional layouts for print and digital publishing Adobe InDesign CS5 software provides precise control over typography and built-in creative tools for designing, preflighting, and publishing documents for print, online, or to mobile devices. Bring documents and presentations to life with interactivity, animation, sound, and video. Leading industry tools, and productivity enhancements make page layout simpler and faster. Access Adobe CS Live online services* from within InDesign to streamline critical review processes.

Streamline review processes Build powerful documents as a team. New integrated tools and the availability of efficient online services make review processes more efficient, whether your clients and colleagues are across the hall or around the world.
Do more in less time Create, edit, and publish documents faster. A wealth of new productivity features help make page layout simpler, easier, and speedier.
Create powerful, innovative digital documents Engage, inform, and attract readers with documents that include interactivity, animation, video, and sound. Develop stronger, more compelling communications with rich interactive documents.
Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro--Protect documents and accelerate information exchange with PDF Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro software builds on the foundational feature set of Acrobat 9 Standard to provide business and creative professionals with additional capabilities, including enhanced security features, high-end print production support, and easy-to-manage electronic document reviews.
Deliver polished, professional documents Quickly integrate content, insert company logos, define navigation, and add polish to your PDF Portfolio using one of many customizable templates.
Create dynamic electronic forms Use included Adobe LiveCycle Designer software--a professional form design tool--to create, customize, and automate dynamic forms.
Collaborate and share with virtually anyone, anywhere Gain the input you need--in real time--through interactive, shared document reviews that help participants see and build on each other's comments.
Adobe Creative Suite 5 With powerful new creative tools, enhanced performance and workflows, and the ability to integrate with timesaving new Adobe CS Live online services, Adobe Creative Suite 5 software provides the edge you need to create rich content for virtually any media--print, web, interactive, video, audio, and mobile. Whether you need to produce printed pages efficiently or design and distribute engaging content online, on film, on air, and on device, you'll find the right combination of Adobe tools to increase your productivity and keep pace with your creative vision.

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Microsoft Office Professional 2010 - 1 User/2 PC (Disc Version) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had an opportunity to use Office 2010 Beta edition for a couple of months now and now that I see the full, final, edition I can say that this is a very worthwhile upgrade, except or Publisher. First things first, I am not a techie. I am someone who uses Word, Excel and PowerPoint on a very regular basis, who really liked some of the changes in Office 2007 but who thought some things needed tweaking, so when given the opportunity for the beta edition I jumped on it and have not been disappointed. Office 2010 is to Office 2007 what Windows 7 was to Vista; that is, there are not many breakthrough, drastically different features, but a whole lot of polishing and cleanup to make it easier and more efficient. Overall, the program seems to run faster, incorporates many of the most commonly used options and makes them more accessible (eliminating many dialog boxes and tabs) and allows for more customization.
At first glance it looks very much like its predecessor, the ribbon is back and it is now also found on OneNote. There are plenty of sites that will give you a play-by-play on all the features available in this new version, so I'm just going to mention some of the biggest improvements that I've seen.
Improvements:
1) The biggest change is the addition of the web apps. It may not be a true direct competitor to google docs, but it allows for easier sharing of documents, as well as making your documents more accessible.
2) The ribbon is back and it now includes the "File" option and a new feature called "Backstage view." Backstage view incorporates the most commonly used actions in one place (yay! no more dialog boxes with tabs). You get the usual open, save and print, but you also get several templates for new documents, print layouts and ways to share your work, all without dialog boxes and tabs, everything is much more easily accessible.
3) Another new feature is that the ribbon is now customizable so you can organize it according to your needs.
4) There is a Paste Preview which lets you switch between paste options so you can make sure that your work will be formatted correctly.
Negatives:
1) Publisher doesn't add enough to make paying for the Professional version worthwhile. There is certainly some eye-candy, but the most useful tools are missing.
Changes in PowerPoint.
You can now edit video directly on PowerPoint. You can trim a video, add effects, fades and even triggers for animations for the presentation. Another new feature is that you can add effects and edit images without the need for third party software.
Changes in Word.
One nifty new feature in Word is called "Navigation pane," which replaces the old document map. It incorporates minor changes in design that make big changes in productivity and ease of use. It allows you to quickly rearrange the document. Take for example a document with several headings/sections. The Navigation pane provides a list of all the headings. The headings are live, so you can drag them up or down, thus rearranging the document. It also incorporates most of the functions that used to be available in the "Find" dialog box but now they are all visible so you don't have to go digging through several menus to find the option that you need.
Changes in Excel.
Most of the changes in Excel deal with very large datasets. There is a new PowerPivot add-in which works great if you are dealing with a very large dataset that does not fit in one Excel spreadsheet. PowerPivot pulls the data from multiple sources (several Excel spreadsheets for instance) to analyze it.
Changes in Outlook.
There is a ribbon, and this makes for a huge improvement. You can turn long email threads into conversations so you can find information from a specific participant without having to read entire threads. You can also filter out or ignore entire threads on a particular subject, including future emails. Be careful though, you can unknowingly eliminate important future emails because they have the same subject title as a conversation you ignored in the past.
Changes in Publisher.
The least improved program. There are some new templates and the ribbon makes you see every tool easily; however, some of the best image tools from the rest of Office are missing. There are not as many picture styles as there are in Word or PowerPoint; it doesn't have an artistic effects tool (such as color saturation or tone controls) and it doesn't have the Remove Background tool.
Summary:
Overall, except for Publisher, this is one well planned and executed upgrade that essentially takes all the promises of Office 2007 and makes them a reality. Yes, some things are different, and it will take some getting used to; but, once you realize the improvement in efficiency you'll agree that the changes are mostly for the positive. Unless you REALLY use Publisher a lot, you're probably better off with the Home and Business version.


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Organize projects, manage finances and build a better way to do business with tools from Microsoft Office Professional 2010. Exchange ideas with customers and business partners remotely with Web Apps--it's another way you can stay connected to your business wherever you are. Plus, build professional databases and marketing materials with dynamic do-it-yourself tools in Access 2010 and Publisher 2010 available ONLY with Office Professional 2010.

Traditional Disc Version This version of Microsoft Office Professional 2010 includes the software on disc, with a product key. It is licensed for one user to install on two PCs--a primary machine and a portable PC.
For customers buying a PC who need Office Professional 2010 for their new PC only, and don't need to upgrade other home PCs, a Product Key Card provides another way to purchase Office with a PC.

Included Programs Enjoy the same great features you know and love with Office and get some new ones when you upgrade to Office 2010.

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Driver Genius Review

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(More customer reviews)I'll make this hopefully short.
1. As I said, this is the trial version of Driver Genius. The full version off the internet cost me (I think it was) $39 dollars.
2. You will be given 15 days to get free updates before you are cut off from updates.
3. I have both the internet download and the Amazon.com version. When I tried to install the Amazon version over mine (it appeared to have better control board and maybe easier to use) I was asked to sign up to purchase permission to use it--again. It would not take my licenes key and serial code numbers--I think I can find a way a around that problem.
4. My version works fine.
5. My version will track down all drivers my system needs to operate.
six. Neither version will tarack down drivers for games or other user added software for business programs and such.The bottom line: The full version (like I have) is worth it--but I think you should be aware this is the 'trial' version.
BYE!

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Why Do You Need Driver Genius? The BIGGEST problem when upgrading to Vista or purchasing a Vista compatible PC is that existing hardware or peripheral devices drivers are not Vista compatible. Driver Genius eliminates this problem by automatically scanning your PC, finding the problem drivers, downloading the updated drivers and fixing your PC! Driver Genius is essential to any new PC or Vista upgrade purchase! SMART COMPUTING - Vista finds it difficult to play well with hardware, including motherboards, graphic cards, printers, scanners, and soundcards.The most common problem when upgrading to Vista involves drivers, which are pieces of software code that allow an operating system to work with hardware. - June 2007. SUPPORT.COM -Support.com, which offers technical support to consumers, said the top three reasons people called for Vista help were to solve navigation problems, device compatibility, and home networking issues. Connecting devices, such as printers, MP3 players, and digital cameras, also is a problem, due mostly to outdated drivers. -July 2007. Update Your Drivers The Smart and Safe Way! Driver Genius is a powerful driver manager for Windows that automatically backs up, restores and updates your drivers. 30,000+ Drivers Supported

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