...from Saginaw Macintosh User Group
Review of
PhotoDeluxe
by Jerry Brasseur,
Fun, fun, fun. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that about a computer
game program, let alone a graphic photo editing program. Adobe PhotoDeluxe Version
2 is fun.
I felt a little dismayed when I saw the very thin manual that came in the package.
I'm usually a person who reads most manuals before I attempt to use a new program
so I assumed the program wouldn't do much. My assumption was wrong. The combination
of the manual and the step-by-step activities built-in, provide the user with a good
foundation to use the application. The program, clip art, samples, and a graphic
browser come on the CD.
Everything except installation of my scanner plug-in worked as expected. My Umax
scanner plug-in (a file used by applications to enable scanning right into the program)
would not show up under the scanner tab (the button PhotoDeluxe uses to activate
the plug-in). It would only appear under the "other" tab. There are insertion
tabs for CDs, video camera, disk, interrnet, etc. The manual told me to check a list
of items if this happened; if that didn't work, I was to check with the device manufacturer.
When I called Umax, they said the problem was not their plug-in. The same plug-in
works with Adobe Photoshop 4 so I have to conclude it's they way PhotoDeluxe uses
the plug-in.
After adjusting to this minor problem, I found it very easy to bring in all types
of clip art and photos. The importing of photos or clip art is the heart of the program.
Most of the photos that I had needed some adjusting before I could start using them.
PhotoDeluxe let me crop, straighten, lighten/darken, remove red eye, and change the
size (reduce/enlarge) of the photo. Once I had finished adjusting the photo, the
step-by-step activities continued with lots of choices: built in templates, add-on
graphics, text, and printing capabilities. It could even printout my creation on
special paper so I could make iron-on transfers.
Once I became familiar with the step-by-step functions, I could shut off many
of the information windows and move on to the advanced features. It has many of the
same capabilities as the high end Adobe Photoshop.
The best part of my fun was seeing my completed work on the screen and printed
out. It printed everything with ease on my HP Deskwriter and Apple Laser printer.
It even allowed for tiled printing (multiple pages on one page).
I have two suggestions for the next version of PhotoDeluxe:
1. Increase the number of "undos" when you
make a mistake, you can only "undo' once. This forces you into saving every
major change you make. That's not quite as bad as it sounds, as your saved images
are visible on screen as thumb sized images that can be reloaded quickly.
2. Keyboard nudges for placing text blocks. When placing
a textblock on your design, you have to use the mouse to click and drag it. Many
times this results in a placement that is not exactly where you want it. Many graphic
and page layout programs allow you to use the arrow keys to move the textblocks one
pixel at a time for exact placement. Overall, the program is easy to use, comes
with lots of additional goodies like graphics and photos, and does what it is intended
to do. Best of all, it's fun to use.
Adobe's user group special pricing and ordering information was printed in the February
SMUG News. It's an excellent value for it's under $40 cost.
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