If all you want to do is touch up your photos and share them, you may be happy with the photo software that came with your new digital camera or your new computer. But if you want to develop your photography skills and create striking images, PhotoImpact 10 can keep pace with your wishes.
Changes to the previous version are literally in plain sight. This latest release includes what it calls Basic Mode, which is a welcoming screen that provides access to basic image editing tools and tasks. PhotoImpact has always packed an astonishing array of tools and tricks, and the sheer number of options can overwhelm digital photo novices.
This approach lets them start at a comfortable level, then learn and develop with the program. More experienced users can easily toggle to the standard mode to get their hands on the full image-editing toolbox.
In another nod to those just getting started with digital photography, Ulead has designed a digital camera wizard that makes it exceptionally easy to transfer images from the camera to the computer.
PhotoImpact can collect pictures from scanners, digital cameras, hard drives, and other media. It can even capture still photos from video sources. You can print single photos in different sizes or print contact sheets to use as proofs. You can also create slideshows for display on a television, PC, or over the Internet.
The program's previous complex menus now use a simpler scheme that collects similar tools in groups. That makes navigating the program much less frustrating for novices, and it makes the program more sensible to experienced users.
One shortcoming that remains is that the photo editing part of the program isn't well connected to the photo manager side. An application called PhotoExplorer comes with PhotoImpact, but you have to move back and forth between the two to manage your photo collection.
As you fill your computer with images, it's as essential to have a program to help you keep track of them as it is to have one to help you edit them. We hope that a future release will let editing and managing share the same space.
Inside the Ulead PhotoImpact 10 package is an entire collection of graphics tools. Designed for a broad range of users, from near-novices to near-professionals, the package includes a photo and image editor, an animation creator, a cataloging program, and tools for creating slideshows, web pages, and panoramic vistas.
Pros: A powerful image editor along with tools for graphic and web page design, animation, and more--in an affordable package with a redesigned, more usable interface.
Cons: The sophistication and the power of this suite are too much for someone who only wants to create simple projects like greeting cards and postcards, and the image catalog feature isn't integrated with the photo editor.
