AlbumPlus also has a handy tool for creating quick slideshows with music. Rounding out the package (and providing the "Plus" in PhotoPlus), Serif includes an image organizer called AlbumPlus SE Pro, which you can use to tag and collect photos, print files, and burn CDs or DVDs. In fact, Adobe's own Photoshop Elements can only play back such macros, not create or record them-something I found disappointing.- Next: Albums, and Panoramas The feature is handy and one you won't find in other would-be Photoshop killers. As with Photoshop, PhotoPlus lets you record macros and then apply them to individual files or even, via batch processing, to an entire collection of images. To all this, Serif has added lossless JPEG support, as well as macros. To top it off, PhotoPlus can handle Photoshop files and even export images in Photoshop formats. Furthermore, PhotoPlus is compatible with many of this rival's plug-ins, including those from Alien Skin Software, Twisting Pixels, and Kai's Power Tools (owned by Corel, oddly enough). This sort of nondestructive editing is a popular aspect of Photoshop CS3. Serif lets you change layers as much as you want, for example, but keeps the layers editable. The presence of Serif's simplifying measures doesn't mean that the program can't match the more expensive Photoshop in many respects. And Adobe's Elements still has an edge in terms of offering simple, automated tools like an easy-to-find and use tooth-whitening brush. Of course, no one has yet perfected red-eye removal, which can sometimes make people look walleyed. So for the most part, no matter how you like to approach a photo-editing program-including never cracking the manual-PhotoPlus can accommodate you.Īll the tools work well, so that you don't have to spend hours just trying to straighten a picture or scrubbing a pimple off a spouse's face. You'll also find many common tools, such as those for cropping, sharpening, and the like, as the top items in drop-down menus on the main screen. Within the QuickFix Studio, you can do most basic editing tasks, such as lens-distortion correction, red-eye and blemish removal, and cropping and straightening. This pops up in a separate work area and shows a list of standard image adjustments. Other walk-throughs in PhotoPlus include Fixing Photos (which shows how to perform jobs like resizing or sharpening photos), Being Creative (for things like removing people from backgrounds), and Back to Basics (a how-to that covers key editing concepts).- Next: Quick Fixes with QuickFix StudioĪlternately, for basic tweaks, you can jump to the built-in QuickFix Studio. In general, Serif's suite offers more help than the guide mode in Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 beta does at the moment, for example. I found the system extremely effective without being condescending or tedious. The how-tos also avoid obscure nomenclature, using the phrase "smoothing skin," for instance, rather than "dodging tool." That's quite helpful for those new to photography.īy walking users through these steps, the how-tos attempt to help users build skills they can apply to other editing tasks. And then it shows you the tool and even gives you the option of having the program carry out particular steps, such as setting a duplicate layer so that you don't have to edit the original file. A Makeover Studio, for example, teaches you how to remove a blemish. This window, on the left-hand side of the interface, offers step-by-step help with a variety of tasks, some common and some more advanced. In this version (whose odd numbering convention, I assume, is meant to match that of $99.99 rival Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 from Corel), Serif has expanded and enhanced what it calls its "How To" pane. Moreover, because beginners get a considerable amount of handholding, those looking to correct photographic imperfections or let loose artistic impulses won't feel inadequate trying to learn the ropes. Nor does the product try to create a revolutionary new interface, which can end up setting users adrift, the way competitor GIMP does. It mimics (but doesn't surpass) most of the advanced features of Adobe Photoshop CS3, so anyone who has tried that program-or any of its imitators-will feel at home in PhotoPlus. The software doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. Serif PhotoPlus X2 attempts to be the exception to that rule, and by and large it succeeds. It's axiomatic: The more features you add to a product, the more difficult it is to master. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.
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