I've just spent £530 on a piece of software. Surprised? Don't be...
You see, I do a fair bit of freelance digital photography and I needed a professional photo-editing program. After trying a few cheaper alternatives, I splashed out on Abode Photoshop 7 with all the trimmings, but I now use it almost every day. For the price, I don’t recommend it for non-professionals, but pros will gain some really handy features on this new, improved version of the Adobe program.
================================= The Adobe Photoshop 7.0 Package
=================================
Here’s what you get for that ridiculously large some of money:
Adobe Photoshop 7 – The main program has the same layout as before and all the features you’d expect to find for professional photo-editing are here. There are also some new features such as “Heal” and new transparency options for web graphics,
but more about those later.
Adobe ImageReady - This is mainly for creating Web graphics. But as the two programs (Photoshop and ImageReady) both have so much in common, I don’t see why Adobe didn’t just bundle them both together. Personally, I can never figure out which one to use for a certain job.
Help Booklets - Great - if you can be bothered reading them. They're not really that much “help” anyway, and I find it easier to learn through using the program. The interface is user-friendly and experienced Adobe users will definitely not have any problems. If you do get stuck, there is an on-line help, but this only covers the major features.
=============================== Key Features of Adobe Photoshop 7.0 =====================================
What doesn’t it have? There are so many features on this thing that I’d bore you to death discussing every one; suffice to say this has all the tools you’d expect for the money plus a few new ones. Photoshop 7 doesn’t have quite as many new creative tools as I’d expected, but the designers do seem to have sped-up the process of editing your photos with simpler and more effective tools. These are the most notable improvements on the old version and advantages over similar packages:
File Browser - This gives you good access to your photos by letting you organize them according to size, resolution, name or a number of other pre-defined rankings. It also lets you preview photos in the same way that Windows does.
Multiple Prints - This is self-explanatory, really; you can print many different photos on a single page. You can now also label and add captions to your printouts (I don’t think this was possible on the older versions).
Transparency feature for Web graphics - Although you can get the same effect with a bit of fiddling about ion most photo-editors, this tool makes it far easier. You can either use the “dither” tool to make an object’s outline become transparent and superimpose it over a new background, or you can make a certain color transparent so you can see the background through it. Being more of a traditionalist, I don’t go for this kind of editing, but if you use digital enhancement and superimpose a lot, you’ll save hours with this function.
The “Heal” tool - this is by far the most useful improvement. When you get scratches on a photo or undesirable marks (like spots on someone’s face), you can select a clean area of photo and paint that over the marked area. Unlike other “clone” tools I’ve used, though, this actually blends the tone and texture to match the area you’ve copied it to. It’s also very speedy – much faster than cloning. I can’t tell you how useful this feature is!
=============================== The Verdict on Adobe Photoshop 7.0 ===================================== Adobe Photoshop 7 is impressive, but not what I’d expected. The new tools are much faster and have saved me lots of time, but I had expected more special-effects and creative tools at this price. I’ve also benefitted from a few of the less important features that I haven’t discussed, like the new tools for automatic color correction and tools for creating Web “rollover” buttons on ImageReady.
If you do a lot of photography like me and need a program to edit your pics, the extra cost is justifiable. But if you just want to touch-up a few family photos, you should consider the software suggested under "Other Programs to Try".
======================================= Detailed Information on Adobe Photoshop 7.0
=======================================
Minimum system requirements – Pentium 300MHz, Windows 98 (Windows 95 isn’t listed, so check the compatibility before you buy), 128 Mb RAM.
Cost – Around £530. You get what you pay for, though.
Where to Buy – E-Bay sometimes auctions these. Amazon will also do you a fair deal (www.amazon.co.uk).
================================== Other Programs To Try
==================================
Ulead Photo Express - basic photo editing. It costs around £35, but won't do for the professional user.
Microsoft Publisher Deluxe with Photo Editing 2002 - Predictably, this is one of the bestsellers. Publisher is mainly for businesses doing marketing, but this version has a photo-editor included. Don't quote me on this, but I heard it costs around £90.
Roxio PhotoSuite - A great package for around £35-40. Lets you remove red-eye on photos as well as having a wide range of special effects if you just want a play around. It's got a good feature for stitching together panoramic views, too. Probably the best software for home use.
For further information on Adobe Photoshop, I recommend visiting www.adobe.com - they tell you far more than a humble reviewer ever could, but admittedly they'll try to sell you the thing...
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Great op! I'm a freelance designer and work in Photoshop 6 at the moment - might buy the upgrade soon though! And you are right: it is well worth the money! Well, if you're in the business it is THE tool anyway! Still keep learning as I go along, this programme is just MASSIVE! Solveig :-)
aaron 19.09.2002 02:20
Super opinion. I don't think I could bring myself to cough up £530 for a piece of software though, to me, that equates to quite a serious nice new monitor or equivilent! :-)
hepialid 18.09.2002 23:38
I think our graphics team at work us this software. That heal tool would come in really useful I feel. Good opinion. Andy.
Sep 18th, 2002
very helpful by (90%):
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