TOPCC Software Review
Program|
Price:
Microsoft Corporation |
Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10 By Pete Padilla In this day and age most of us have a digital camera and a computer. We all want to have pictures that we can enjoy and show to others without being disappointed in what we show. When we first get our digital camera we are not sure of the many features it has to offer and how to use them. Most of us use the simple settings and take pictures in auto mode. Then, we download the pictures to our computers and hope for the best. We find out that some of our pictures need to be processed for sharpness, contrast, color correction, etc. Many software companies have come out with digital imaging software, but the programs are not easy to use and are hard to understand. Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10 is a program that has many easy to use features to make pictures with a finished look we would be proud to show anyone. From start (installing software) to the finished photo, you will find it very easy and rewarding to be able to complete the picture with the extras you get when using this program. If you have Windows XP, installing the program is as easy as putting the disc into your CD drive and letting the install Wizard do the installing for you. If you do not have Windows XP, easy to understand instructions are in the 260 page manual that comes with the program. The program comes with one of the better manuals I’ve seen packaged with a software program. It has not only has chapters on how to use the program but chapters on taking great pictures, successful scanning, optimizing your monitor for photos, and a chapter on the best tips and tricks on using your camera for better pictures. The manual is also in the help menu in .pdf format, so you can read or print any page you wish. I found the videos with sound feature to be of great value to help explain and show how to accomplish a better finished photo. I was pleased to see that Microsoft included in the program two sub-features that other digital software companies do not include. These are the cloning and blending features and are very similar. To use the cloning or the blending feature, you set your cursor in an area of a photo and click with the mouse. You have now created a start area. After you have a start area, you move the cursor to another part of the photo. By holding down the cursor and moving it the start area is cloned to the other part that you have chosen. I liked the ease of using the sliding scale within the programs to create the brush size to clone or blend. However, I did not like the size of "start area" in the two different programs which is the same size as the brush used for the cloning or the blending. This made it difficult to work with when working in small areas. Two more features I found very useful were the "undo last action" and "redo" buttons. The two buttons are in the frame work area, making it easier to use. Digital Image Pro10 has over 200 filters and over 3,000 projects, and templates to create brochures, newsletters or flyers to help you with a business or club. I have had a chance to use only some of the many features this program has to offer, and have been very satisfied. Using the many tools to enhance your photos, Microsoft gives you the feeling of being a Pro. Some features that might interest you are the ease of being able to correct red eyes, reduce color noise, and restore old photos by removing scratches and dust. There are too many tools and features to mention in this review, but for the money I think this is one of the better photo imaging software programs on the market.My over all view of this program if grading on a scale of one to five, I would give it a four. The program is able to download many different types of file formats, but one I wish it had is the Raw file format that many of the newer and better digital cameras use. |
Review date: November 2004