PRODUCT TITLE: Photo/Graphic Edges
PUBLISHER: Auto FX Software
REVIEWED BY: Rose Miller
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows Systems: Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP,
Minimum of a 400mhz processor, 128mb memory, it takes 1.2GB free hard drive
space for storage to install (make sure you have a big enough hard drive).
Macintosh Systems: Mac OC 9 or higher, G3 or higher, 192 mb Memory recommended with 128mb minimum.
REVIEW:
The campaign, “
There are so many
options with Photo Graphic Edges. I found myself playing with it for hours.
Looking at all the edges and frames included, had so many ideas running through
my head. It’s a very user friendly
program. You are able to use it as a stand alone program or as a plugin for Adobe PhotoShop. It also works with Paint Shop Pro as well as a few others. I used it as a stand alone the
majority of the time.
Some of the major
features of the program are as follows:
It lets you combine
different edges together onscreen and creatively reshape and redesign them to
create new edge looks. There is a huge onscreen catalog and edge history window
included. This allows users to have fast access for selecting edges, frames,
textures and other options to liven up your image. The History Tab lets users
select from any previous work. Just click on the History Tab to preview and
apply any past selections.
The surface control tab lets
you add surface grain and texture to photos. By using this tool you are able to
fill the edge or background with textures or colors. There are 1,000 types of
textures included such as paper, stone, marbles, hand painted, brushed metals
and a variety of seamless patterns. You can also adjust the hue, saturation,
and luminance, soften and change the position of the textures or add depth.
Using the Vignette
feature, you can apply feathered effects to your images. This option provides
onscreen blending paths. After drawing the path, it can be moved, resized,
angled and adjusted until you get just the right fade-out appearance you’re
satisfied with.
Lighting and shading
controls are very easy to use. The controls of this feature allow you to create
various light sources and shading which are rendered onto the effect. You can
manipulate the shadows to blend together and offset according to lighting
angles and intensity. The height of a shadow can be easily controlled to counterbalance
as it flows across other images onscreen. Shadows are automatically generated by the
lights but can also be separately maneuvered.
Create an impressive
looking montage for scrapbooks, presentations or just for fun. You can load
multiple edges in layers to create collages and montages quickly and easily.
Apply custom backgrounds, lighting and shading to enhance the montage even
more. Edge opacity, feathering and softness controls let you blend edged images
together with each other to produce a unique look. It’s a great alternative for
making multiple images fit on one page.
You can customize the
look of the program itself. You can
change the interface appearance by changing the color scheme using the Flavors
option. The standard interface is purple but, you can choose from a selection
of fun, “fruity” flavors such as blueberries, sparkling water, bubblegum,
groovy grape, orange cola, green apple, gray grits, peach cobbler, very
strawberry, wild berries, banana split, key lime pie, lime and cola. Some are
the textures include clear winter night, marble, blue streaks, plaster and
more. There are also several neutral colors including gray, green and rose.
Adding character to you photos and artwork has never been easier. The
tools of this program allow you to play with the effects of your creation
onscreen. You’ll have a real time view of how an effect will look if you add or
subtract various options. There are also the memory dots that let you save the
project in certain stages so you can go back if you don’t like the outcome of
some of the effects.
Whatever you project may be, I recommend using
this program. It’s easy, fun and you get very impressive results. The only drawback this program may have for
some users is the amount of space it uses to install. 1.2 GB is quite a large
amount for some.
I’ve placed a few samples of what I have created with the software
online. Go here (http://www.oocities.org/rosie26y/pgesamples.html) to view
the photos. These samples are only touching the surface of what you can create!
Combine the PGE software with other Auto FX software such as Dream Suite, Dream
Suite Gel Series and Auto Eye and you’ve got some winning images!
EASE OF INSTALLATION RATING: 10 (it does take a while depending on
your system)
EASE OF USE RATING: 10
DOCUMENTATION: 9
OVERALL RATING: 9
REVIEWER
INFORMATION: Rose Miller lives in