RATINGS
Ease of use
This is one of the most important features that we at Photo Editing Software Review look for. Is the product user-friendly? In other words, is it easy to use for beginners and experienced computer users alike? Are the features and instructions easily understood? Are the features difficult to find?
Importing
This refers to how you retrieve the image files from various sources. (e.g. digital cameras, CD, removable devices).
Editing
This encompasses all of the features that allow you to improve or add to your photo. (e.g. lighting adjustment, effects, text, etc.)
Sharing
Are there built-in features to make your photo sharing easy? How many different methods of sharing your photos are there? (i.e. web galleries, email, CD slideshows, etc.)
Output Capabilities
Images are stored several different ways depending on how they will be used. This section refers to how versatile and effective the product is at saving images for different environments. (e.g. printing, emailing, web, etc.)
Organizing
Does the product come with photo organizing capabilities? Are you able to quickly view thumbnails? Can you search for images by keywords or rating? Can you view EXIF (digital camera data)? Can you store your images in permanent albums? Are there image archiving capabilities?
Help/Support/Documentation
Are there easily accesible support options? Is the documentation useful and explanatory? Are there tutorials to explain difficult concepts or options? Is the technical support available and knowledgable?
IMPORTING
Digital Cameras
Does the software detect digital cameras and allow you to import the images to your hard drive?
Removable Media
Removable Media refers to external devices that store information that you can transfer to your hard drive. (e.g. CD, SmartCard, Zip drive, etc.) Does the software transfer or open images from your removable media for editing?
Scanner
Does the software allow you to import (open) images that are being scanned?
Sample Images Included
Some products ship with CDs or downloadable images to add to your creative resource pool. It's not limited to images only. It could include fonts, templates, illustrations or video.
Online Processing Services
There are many online photo printing services available. Some software can export your photos directly to these companies.
Screen Capture
Some software has a built-in screen capture feature so you can take a picture of your computer screen or specific windows.
Still Images from Video
Some software can capture specific frames from digital video.
EDITING
Red Eye Removal
Sometimes when a flash is used, the light reflects off of the iris of the subject's eyes and turns the eye red. This can be corrected in software by changing the color or taking the color out altogether.
Rotate, Resize, Flip
Rotating is when you turn the picture from a horizontal position to a vertical one or vice-versa. Some software allows you to rotate an image by virtually any degree. Others will only let you rotate it 90 degrees. Resize means that you can change the dimensions and/or resolution of an image. Flip is when you reverse an image so it has a mirror effect.
Photo Fix Wizards
Some software provides "wizards" that step you through fixing common photo mistakes (e.g. lighting, color, straightening, red-eye, etc.). Some applications can even do this for you automatically.
Cropping
This is when you cut the edges off any or all of the sides of an image. In the software, just draw a box around what you want to keep and the program will cut off everything else.
Auto Image Straightening
This refers to the ability to straighten a photo that's slightly crooked. With most applications you just draw a line along an area that should be straight, (a horizon for example) and the program will automatically rotate the image the right amount.
Cloning Tool
With a cloning tool, you can copy parts of another image or different sections of the same image just by painting. In other words, you click where you want to clone from and then just start painting with your mouse. This is often used to cover up scratches or blemishes.
Touch-up Scratches and Blemishes
With this tool you can cover up facial blemishes or scratches in an image. Sometimes it is the same feature as the cloning tool. In other applications, there are "wizards" or even automatic functions to help you do this.
Highlights / Shadow adjustments
This will correct specific lighting problems in your photo where the background may be too dark and the subject too light or vice-versa. Sometimes this feature is called "Fill-flash" in applications.
Lighting Adjustment
This refers to controls to adjust your brightness or contrast (light vs. dark). It could also encompass "levels" adjustment which is basically the same thing as brightness and contrast but much more complex.
Color Management
The ability to change the hue (color) of an image or just certain colors within an image. For example, if you took a picture indoors under poor lighting, it could appear orange. You could correct this by adding a blue tint to make it look more natural.
Adjustment Layers
Adjustment Layers give you the ability to manipulate your photo with effects such as lighting or color adjustments without actually changing your original photo. It keeps each of the effects on a separate layer for you to edit or delete at any time. With some applications you can even adjust the transparency of an adjustment layer to lessen the overall effect.
Lens Distortion Correction
This corrects problems where the image could appear warped or stretched due to wide-angle lenses.
Multiple Undos
Are you able to undo more than once to go back several steps? Some applicatios limit how many consecutive times you can undo. Other applications keep all the changes to an image in a "history". You can then click on a specific part of the history to go to that point in your progression.
Layers
In short, layers are the basic building block to arrange and edit content in an image. Think of layers as individual sheets of glass that you can stack one on top of the other. Where there is no image on a layer, you can see through to the layers below. The power of layers is that they enable you to work on one element of your image without disturbing the others, and without making tedious selections. Until you combine, or merge, the layers, each layer remains independent. This means you can experiment freely with different compositions without making permanent changes to your overall image. Different programs have different options for layers. With most, you can adjust the opacity of each layer. With some, you could even apply specific effects to each layer.
Layer Transparency
With some photo editing applications you can adjust the opacity of each layer. Opacity is how much you can see-through an object or image.
On Screen Text Entry
This refers to the capability to type right on the image you are working on and see the text in real-time. With other applications, you have to click on the text tool and it opens up a separate text format box. Then you have to add your text, color and formatting before you can see it applied to your image.
Editable Text
The ability to go back and change any part of text (e.g. font, size, color, formatting, position) that has already been applied to an image.
Type Effects
Effect that can be applied to text in an image. Some examples would be dropshadows, 3D, perspective, warped text, text that follows a path, curved text, etc.
Advanced Selection Tools
A basic selection tool would be like a circle or square shape that you draw around the part of the image you want to select. Advanced tools are much more complex. A magic wand for instance lets you select all the areas of an image with similar color. If you wanted to erase or change the color of a blue sky in an image, you could use the magic wand to select the whole sky at once. Another example is a lasso tool. The lasso tool lets you simply draw around what you want to select.
Number of Effects
Effects (often called "filters") are applied to an image to change the appearance. For example, you could make the whole image look like it was painted instead of photographed.
Drawing Tools and Shapes
Many applications offer many non-geometrical pre-set shapes to create objects with. Stars, balloons, arrows, etc. Some applications even provide built-in clip art objects that you can "spay" or "stamp" on.
Convert to Grayscale
The ability to convert a color image to black and white.
Automated Batches
Batches are processes that you do over and over, simplified by the click of a button. It is basically like recording a number of steps and then hitting "play" which will automatically repeat all the same steps. One of the most common batches is to convert the file format. The power or capability of an automated batch depends on the application. Some applications even offer pre-made batches. With others, you have to record them all yourself.
Templates
Some applications include templates such as calendars, greeting cards, picture frames, etc. You just plug in your photo to the template.
Border Designs (Picture Frames)
Designs that you can apply to your picture that puts a border around the image.
Layer Masks
A Mask is a separate object that you can apply to a layer to make parts of your image on the layer transparent. The black areas of a Mask will make the "masked layer" appear at 100% opacity. Anything that is white will appear completely transparent. Shades of gray will change the layer's opacity depending on how dark or light the mask is. A gradient Mask can be applied to a layer that will make the image fade from 100% opaque to fully transparent. This is also useful because instead of permanently erasing parts of an image, you can just paint in a mask to achieve the same effect.
Panoramas
You can create a panorama by merging two or more photos together at the seams. It will automatically blend the area around the seams so it looks like one photo.
Supports Additional Plugins
With some applications you can add separate plugins from 3rd party companies to give you more effects and options.
SHARING
Email Sharing
The program automatically attaches the image to your email client or just sends the image to an email address.
Printing Templates
Templates that allow you to print multiple pictures with varying sizes on one sheet of paper. For example, you could print 4 3x5's or 2 5x7s or 16 wallet size. With some applications you could mix and match different photos as well.
Web Photo Galleries
The program automatically makes an HTML gallery of selected images to share from the web. It includes thumbnails of the images, background templates and the ability to click on a thumbnail for the full size.
Slideshows
A slideshow of photos presented with transitions. With some programs, you can add audio and control the timing and scaling.
Export to Online Services
The ability to export an image or images directly to an online printing or sharing service like shutterfly.com.
PDAs, Cell Phones
The ability to optimize and send an image directly to a PDA or cell phone.
Screensavers
The ability to turn your images into a PC screensaver for your computer.
ORGANIZING
File Browser
A file browser lets you see thumbnails of images and in most cases image data before you open them.
View EXIF Information
EXIF information is detailed data that is stored with an image from taken by a digital camera. It includes information such as: the time and date the photo was taken, the resolution, shutter speed, etc.
Advanced Image Search
This is the ability to search for an photo based on unique criteria. Some photo editor applications let you add keywords to an image to search for. With some, you can give photos a rank and then search by rank. Or you could search by date taken, file name, etc.
Archive Images to CD
Some applications let you archive (burn) your images directly to a blank CD.
Create Albums
An album is a simpy a folder on your hard drive or removable media that stores photos so you can find them easily with your photo editing software. There are many organizational options associated with albums.
OUTPUT CAPABILITIES
Number of File Formats
There are several file formats for images depending on their use. Some of the most common are: .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .eps, .tif.
PDF
An adobe file format this is common on the web. A user will need the free Adobe Reader or compatible graphic viewer to view a pdf.
Image Optimizing for Web
The capability of resizing and compressing an image for web use. On the web, the smaller the file size is, the faster it will load.
Animated GIFs
An animated gifs is a file format that allows multiple images to display in a sequence. A user can mimic a true animation by using several frames displaying quickly enough that the viewer cannot see separate images. Much like an animated movie. The more frames or separate images used, the smoother the animation will appear. However, the more frames, the larger the file size will be. Animated gifs could also be completely different images that display to present a message like you see in banner ads.
Web Tools (links, slicing, etc.)
The capability to add html functions to images. Slicing an image means to divide a page into sections of graphics that can be organized into html tables and cells. Then you can optimize the "slices" for the best results on the web.
SUPPORT/DOCUMENTATION
Phone Support
Technical support offered by phone. In other words, live support.
User's Manual
A written manual included with the software. It could be printed or online in electronic format.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions and the answers to the questions.
Knowledge Base
Usually a searchable database of known issues or extra help topics regarding the software.
Tutorials
Step-by-step guides to show you exactly how to accomplish a specific task. Many of them are visual with screenshots or graphics showing you as well as telling you. Others are simply written steps.
User Forum
A place online for users to post questions , answer others' questions, or discuss specific topics.
Online Form
A place on the manufacturer's website where you can list your problem or question. A support representative will then email an answer within a short time period.
Email Address
Receiving technical support through email.
