My review of "Digital Image Pro 7.0"
pianoguy
"Microsoft Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7.0"
A review by: John Inzer
When a new version of Picture It! is released, I think we
all want to know if it’s more functional than the version/s
we already have. Hopefully the following review will help
you decide if "Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7.0" will be
useful to you.
The program comes on two CDs and within eleven minutes
it was completely installed on my aging PIII 500. A big plus
for me was that previous versions of Picture It! did not have
to be uninstalled.
The first time you open the program you will see the
"Microsoft Picture It! Tour" screen. This should prove to
be a valuable asset for beginners, and even previous
users may find it informative because several important
categories are addressed:
Touch Up Pictures
Edit Multiple Pictures
Apply Special Effects
Create Projects
Print And Share
Selecting either category leads to more information
and several tutorials. The screen can be disabled by
unchecking "Show On Startup" and you’ll never see it
again unless you choose to.
The next screen is called the "Startup Window" and has
links to:
Picture It! Tour
Instructional Videos
Help
Online Photo Tips
Register Online
In addition, there are several buttons that allow you to
access images from your Files, your Digital Camera
or your Scanner. It also links to the Mini Lab and has
a button that will open the Create A Project screen.
Also, there’s a filmstrip that displays thumbnails of the
last four images that were opened. This screen can
also be disabled by unchecking "Show On Startup".
The instructional videos include:
Basic Photo Touchup
Cutouts and Filters
Face Touchup
Advanced Photo Editing
When opening Digital Image Pro 7.0 it will default to the
Main Screen (Work Space) if the two previously discussed
screens have been disabled. The Main Screen is strictly
business with no advertising or web links. There’s no longer
a Home Page and all features of the program can now be
accessed from the Menu Bar at the top of the screen.
Actually, the main screen looks very similar to Picture It!
2000...even the *New* button has returned that allows you
to open a Blank 4"x6" Project Page with a single mouse
click (this Blank can be resized at...Format / Resize Image).
As in previous versions, the Tool Bar is below the Menu
Bar and it provides access to the most commonly used
features in the program...and a few new buttons have
been added:
Contrast Auto Fix
Levels Auto Fix
Adjust Tint
Fix Red Eye
Sharpen or Blur
Rotate Counterclockwise
If you use either of the "Auto Fix" buttons and are not
satisfied with the result you must go to...Edit / Undo...
to cancel the change before proceeding to another
option.
As always, the Stack is on the right of the screen and
can be toggled on and off at...View / Stack...and the
Tray is still at the bottom of the screen. The great Zoom
slider that was introduced in the 2002 version is still
present.
The "Task Pane" on the left side of the screen has links
to "Common Tasks" like "Crop or Rotate", "Touchup",
"Mini Lab", etc. The descriptions for the Task Buttons
can now be toggled off, this results in a viewing / work
area that is wider than previous versions by
approximately 20%.
The main thrust of this program is digital image editing
but it does include several categories of pre-formatted
projects. They can be accessed from the "Create A
Project" button on the Common Tasks list or from...
File / Create a project.
Some of the choices are:
Albums
Awards
Calendars
Cards
Photo crafts
Postcards
Many of the projects will be familiar to users of previous
versions but there are new projects also. To name a few,
there’s a nice selection of seven Patriotic greeting cards,
and under Albums is a new category called Scrapbooks
that looks interesting. For those who enjoy Head Swaps,
there are several new templates. There are no Web Pages
or E-mail Greetings, and still no Slideshows...though the
Flip Book and Web Animation options are still available if
you wish to make an animated .gif . And, if you wish...you
can send e-mail with an attachment from within the program
at...File / Send As.
Touch up is somewhat more versatile now with the addition
of some great new tools:
"Remove Spots or Blemishes" will remove small specks
from an image, (I see this often with scans if the glass is a
little dusty) just place the cross hair on the speck and one
click removes the blemish by blending the colors of the
surrounding pixels. (for me, this new tool alone makes the
program worth having)
"Dodge and Burn Brush" is another useful tool that allows
you to *spot* lighten or darken a portion of an image.
In addition to the familiar "Brightness and Contrast" tool
are two new features:
"Adjust Levels" allows you to adjust the Shadows, Highlights
and Midtones of an image. Actually, this is a histogram tool
that allows you to redistribute the number of pixels in each
brightness range.
"Adjust Lighting" allows you to enhance the detail in images
that are too light or too dark.
There are two sliders:
"Add Flash" is useful if you have a back-lit subject
that requires more light.
"Reduce Backlighting" can subdue an overly bright
image and make it more pleasing to look at.
I found that with a little experimentation, these features can
enhance a relatively boring image into one that is more
vibrant and interesting to look at.
The Mini Lab has undergone a few changes and now
you can add more images without closing the Lab. Also,
you still have several editing options, batch save and
numbering, and you can print full size images. The default
is "Select All" which is nice. In my 2002 version I always
got the "First, select at least one object" prompt. The
"Options" button is no longer available in Mini Lab so
Batch Resizing is not an option. Also gone is the option
to batch change the format of the images, I'll miss both
of those.
The Gallery is basically unchanged and can be accessed
at...Tools / Edit items in the gallery. As always, the Gallery
stores information about images that you wish to catalog
and their location on your hard drive. The Gallery can be
searched by going to...File / Get Picture From / Gallery...
or from the "Add Something" task button.
The File Browser in Digital Image Pro 7.0 is unlike any
previous version of Picture It!. The default "Save As"
folder is no longer My Documents / My Pictures, instead
it defaults to the last folder that was opened. Your
complete file tree shows in the left column much like
Windows Explorer and your images are displayed in a
large window to the right. There’s a new zoom slider
that allows your thumbnails to be more easily viewed.
Also, you have a Tasks tab that allows Batch Rename,
Batch Move and Batch Copy. You may also rotate the
images and print an index sheet. (this may only be
available if you have Windows XP...I'm not certain)
To my knowledge, this is the first version of Picture
It! that supports Adobe Photoshop plug-in filters. I
downloaded a few from the web and discovered
that some were recognized and others were not
even though they all had the required .8bf extension.
A little experimentation with this feature may prove
it to be a real asset for those who enjoy illusions,
edge effects, etc.
An often requested template that prints three 4x6 in.
images has been added. However, it’s a little tricky
to use...one of the images must be auto-rotated and
the only option that will allow this is "Print All". If you
require three copies of the "same" image, you must
physically make and open three separate copies
before printing.
Scott Baldridge and I have discovered a few irritating
bugs in the program, but so far...nothing that cannot be
tolerated.
For one....the "Save As Web Ready Picture" option
that is supposed to resize an image to a size of your
choice does not always work. All is not lost though,
because resizing can still be done on the "Save As"
screen by way of the "Options" button.
There's an odd bug in the 'Save As' option...if a
combination of several .png images are open in
portrait and landscape mode and you save them
to .jpg...sometimes the portrait images will be
"stretched" into landscape mode (effectively
destroying them). It only does this if I have .png
images of both modes open and save the
landscapes first.
Sometimes the RedEye tool leaves a dark circle
around someone's eye (seems to depend on their
skin tones).
Print template sizes are not 100% accurate. Printing
the same image in landscape and portrait does not
always yield printed images of the same exact size.
My final thought is that "Picture It! Digital Image Pro
7.0" combines many of the best features of previous
versions with some interesting and useful new ideas.
The result is an easy to learn, versatile program that
I have enjoyed evaluating and using.
© 2002 by John Inzer, aka pianoguy
All rights reserved.
Cassandra
OK now give it a percentage score.
--
Cassandra
Divide by Cucumber Error. Reinstall Universe and reboot - Hex -
Hogfather - Terry Pratchett
Brian Kvalheim - [MVP]
far with DIP 7
--
Brian Kvalheim
Microsoft Publisher MVP
For FAQ's, Templates and More:
http://www.mvps.org/publisher
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/
"pianoguy" <oo...@doobie.xyz> wrote in message
news:#nYZUy$QCHA.2780@tkmsftngp09...
pianoguy
> Great review John. I read every word and it is spot on with my
> experience so far with DIP 7
Thanks Brian, that's a very nice compliment :o)
If you discover any problems with the program please let us
know what they are.
--
John Inzer MS MVP
pianoguy
return e-mail disabled
pianoguy
> OK now give it a percentage score.
I like the program...it opens quickly and the new
touchup tools are great. I also like the new file
browser very much. Even with the few flaws we
have discovered I would happily give the program
an 8 out of 10.
David Bartosik - MS MVP
Ever think of switching to "writerguy" ? <g>
I look forward to reading Scott's article next...
--
David Bartosik - MS MVP
Visit www.davidbartosik.com
for Publisher and Web Design
Tips and Features.
"pianoguy" <oo...@doobie.xyz> wrote in message
news:#nYZUy$QCHA.2780@tkmsftngp09...
"Microsoft Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7.0"
pianoguy
> Great writing John.
> Ever think of switching to "writerguy" ? <g>
> I look forward to reading Scott's article next...
Thanks for the compliment :o)
LOL! I wish I was smart enough to be a writer. That's
the first actual article I've ever written.
Yeah! Scott....tell us your views on DIP7. This is turning
into a good learning experience.
Bill Somogyi
you like digital photography once you get a good grasp on the dodge and burn
tools along with some of the other lab stuff you'll bump it to a 9.5 :)
--
Have Fun Bill
The Microsoft® Graphics Users Group
http://microsoftgraphics.com
Microsoft® Graphics Users Group is not affiliated in any way with Microsoft®
Corporation except for the love of using our favorite Graphics Programs.
Bill Somogyi
This isn't fair! I recieved this little note as late as the 13th of this
month.
Our embargo date is 8/20. Please hold off on writing anything until that
time. Thanks.
pianoguy
> Brina:
>
> This isn't fair! I recieved this little note as late as the 13th of this
> month.
>
> Our embargo date is 8/20. Please hold off on writing anything until that
> time. Thanks.
Hi,
I was told by the Lead Program Manager for Picture It! that I could
post my review on the 13th. Reason being that the product is already
on the shelves in many retail stores and there are several Microsoft
Websites displaying it.
Comparison:
http://tinyurl.com/103k
Picture It! Digital Image Pro version 7.0
http://shop.microsoft.com/Referral/productInfo.asp?siteID=11380
http://www.microsoft.com/catalog/display.asp?subid=22&site=11380
Picture It! Photo Premium version 7.0
http://shop.microsoft.com/Referral/productInfo.asp?siteID=11378
http://www.microsoft.com/catalog/display.asp?subid=22&site=11378
How do you like the program?
pianoguy
> You touched on quite a bit in that review good job! One note
> though! If you like digital photography once you get a good
> grasp on the dodge and burn tools along with some of the
> other lab stuff you'll bump it to a 9.5 :)
Thanks for the compliment.
I've been using the program several weeks and my "8"
will remain (I think it's a pretty good score). Removing
the batch resize and batch format conversion options
was a bad move IMHO.
NIC Student
============
OK, here is my review: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... hmm, that's already
been done.
My review isn't poignant at all, I find it to have a much cleaner interface, without all the
hand-holding as you complete projects that I found annoying in previous versions. DIP7 seems to
make better use of computer resources, I can open large numbers of images from my digital camera
without the program choking.
You won't see the content from earlier PIPs, but that doesn't bother me as I never really used all
the content that came with earlier PIPs, I use it to edit images, save them as web-ready, cropping,
etc. DIP is superior in most ways for those tasks.
John & I reported some flaws to MS and I hope they correct them, but to be fair I don't have the
final release yet. Support for periferals (scanners, cameras) looks better and I hope DIP7 is less
demanding on the drivers required to run the program.
Once again, the program appears to rely on the Internet Explorer engine, but is much less obvious
than the previous two versions (2002, 2001). DIP7 doesn't have all the advertisements and such that
cheapened the look of the 2002 versions. Although limited, the instructional videos were ok, I wish
MS would come out with a few free ones. I hope that helps someone - I like it quite a bit.
--
Scott Baldridge
"NIC Student"
Microsoft MVP, MCSE
David DeLano
Does the cropping work any better? I'm still looking for a tool that either
stops at the edge of a picture or at least snaps to it when cropping. BTW,
it looks like Photoshop Elements doesn't do any better.
David
pianoguy
I enjoyed reading your views on the new program.
Thank you.
--
John Inzer MS MVP
pianoguy
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"NIC Student" <nos...@nospam.land> wrote in message
news:#7AIgYNRCHA.1948@tkmsftngp12...
pianoguy
Hi,
The crop tool seems about the same to me...no "snap to"
option. The program does have a new template that will print
three 4x6" images.
Brian Kvalheim [MVP]
--
Brian Kvalheim
Microsoft Publisher MVP
For FAQ's, Templates and More:
http://www.mvps.org/publisher
"Bill Somogyi" <bi...@phillysnet.com> wrote in message
news:epVFLCMRCHA.1756@tkmsftngp11...
David DeLano
for uploading to an online service. The thing that PI, and apparently a lot
of other packages, hasn't got right, is the capability to crop a picture to
2:3 ratio, with little effort. My wish is that the crop box would pop up in
2:3 format with the largest available crop centered in the picture. Then I
could accept this, move the crop on way or the other (without worrying about
where the edge of the picture was), or choosing a smaller crop (zoom), still
without needing to match up with an edge. This seems fundamental to me, but
the only tool that does it is the online tool I can us AFTER I upload my
pictures. This is slow, though not unbearable with the high speed
connection. If anyone knows of a tool that handles this, please let me
know. I'd even be willing to use one tool for the cropping and another tool
to do other cleanup work.
David
"pianoguy" <oo...@doobie.xyz> wrote in message
news:#cVtAIORCHA.3188@tkmsftngp12...
pianoguy
You might want to take a look at Jasc After Shot...it has a crop tool
that is almost exactly what you described. You can download a 30
day evaluation version...let me know if it works for you.
http://www.jasc.com/products/aftershot/
--
John Inzer MS MVP
pianoguy
return e-mail disabled
"David DeLano" <david.REM...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:FZa79.378524$DB.12...@news1.east.cox.net...
pianoguy
I described two problems that have been corrected
and no longer exist in the final release of the retail
version. I mistakenly thought I was evaluating the
final version but I was not.
#1) File / Save Special / Save As Web Ready
Picture...has been updated and now works
correctly...
You have the following choices:
Thumbnail
Quarter screen
Half Screen
Full Screen
Actual Size
Custom
#2) The problem I described about portrait images
being *stretched* into landscape images when
'Saving As' from .png to .jpg has been corrected.
I spent considerable time checking out the final
release today and am satisfied that the problems
are corrected.
I apologize for any confusion that my mistake may
have caused.
--
John Inzer MS MVP
pianoguy
return e-mail disabled
> "Microsoft Picture It! Digital Image Pro 7.0"
Tickled
Might this program be similar to PhotoImpact?
Thanks!
Betty
"pianoguy" <oo...@doobie.xyz> wrote in message
news:#nYZUy$QCHA.2780@tkmsftngp09...
pianoguy
> Thanks for all this information, John! Have copied for future
> evaluation. Might this program be similar to PhotoImpact?
You're welcome Betty :o)
Sorry, but I don't know anything about Photo Impact.
Whiz
title and description databases or search and sort filtering? I have
not seen this issue mentioned in any write ups/reviews of the product
so far.
Whiz
"pianoguy" <oo...@doobie.xyz> wrote in message
news:#nYZUy$QCHA.2780@tkmsftngp09...
>
pianoguy
> You did not mention any photo management features such as a keyword,
> title and description databases or search and sort filtering? I have
> not seen this issue mentioned in any write ups/reviews of the product
> so far.
Yes I did...
===
The Gallery is basically unchanged and can be accessed
at...Tools / Edit items in the gallery. As always, the Gallery
stores information about images that you wish to catalog
and their location on your hard drive. The Gallery can be
searched by going to...File / Get Picture From / Gallery...
or from the "Add Something" task button.
===