Jewish World Review Sept. 27, 2002 / 21 Tishrei, 5763
By Mark Kellner
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com |
Instantly, the cats, Michael and George, looked brighter. They were still
asleep in the afternoon sun, lounging on a chair, but I could see. Anyone
could, if they'd been there.
Using a simple adjustment on a new computer program, I was able to not only
adjust the brightness and contrast of a digital photo of our two domestic
shorthairs, but once saved, the results showed up on my computer's
"desktop," where the image is the "wallpaper" I look at when using the Dell
portable.
Would that every adjustment in life were that easy.
Easy or not, improving and enhancing digital images is becoming more and
more important. Boston-based publicity consultant Marisa D'Vari, whose book
"Media Magic" (http://www.deg.com/) is a treasure-trove of PR ideas for
entrepreneurs, never goes anywhere online without making sure her digital
image is the best possible.
"As long as my 'virtual self' looks good, I'm happy," Ms. D'Vari, a former
Hollywood publicity executive, said. "In today's world, where [Adobe]
Photoshop offers a tool called 'healing,' which can wipe out a blemish and
perk up a pasty complexion, there's no excuse for not being impeccably
dressed at any time," she added.
The full Adobe Photoshop product, now in version 7.0, will set you back
around $600 - more than most day spas will charge for an afternoon's work.
And, frankly, one has a lot to learn when using any of the high-end photo
editing programs, even if such learning pays big rewards. But if you need it
- as someone else might just really need that Botox treatment - this
high-end program, for Mac and Windows, is the way to go.
Other recent programs have much to commend themselves to users as well. On
Sept. 25, Ulead Systems, Inc., will formally release its Ulead PhotoImpact
8, which offers a wide range of photography tools, including the rather
"idiot proof" method I used to brighten the tabbies. The $90 program ($80 if
you download it from http://www.ulead.com/; upgrade rebates are available on
both versions) will let you do a whole lot with your photos, including
format them for use in various designs (from greeting cards to magazine
covers), create Web sites, design logos (including 3-D) and embed a
slide-show of your pictures, using JavaScript (stet) on a Web page.
Testing the software, I found PhotoImpact 8 easy to install, fast running
and intuitive in its interface and use. There are so many features, users
may be easily sidetracked, such as converting a photo into a charcoal-style
sketch, or watercolor, with the click of a button. You can also easily
e-mail photos and slide shows, as well as record photo CDs (providing you
have a CD burner) that can be viewed on a TV set when played in most DVD
players.
In short, PhotoImpact 8 is a powerful tool for beginning, intermediate and
advanced users. It also can use "plug-in" items for Adobe Photoshop, making
the Ulead program even more versatile.
Microsoft's Picture It! Digital Image Pro (http://pitcureit.msn.com) is a
$109 program (here, a $30 upgrade rebate is available) that offers a broad
range of editing tools for digital photos. The software, product manager
Michele Richardson told me, is designed to take advantage of Windows XP's
easy transfer of images from digital cameras. Among the features that I
liked were the ability to add flash to a picture after it's been taken,
better lighting a person shot outdoors for example, or adjusting the
backlighting on a picture to minimize the "blown-out" look some sunset
photos might have.
Finally, Adobe's Photoshop Elements 2.0, $99 for Windows and Mac
(http://www.adobe.com; $30 rebate available) is another excellent choice.
While lacking the "healing" features of its big brother, Elements lets you
organize pictures, add a fill flash, save images for the Web and do many of
the editing tasks the larger program does. Plus, its one of the few image
editors for the Mac and runs superbly under Mac OS X.
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JWR contributor Mark Kellner has reported on technology for industry newspapers and magazines since 1983, and has been the computer columnist for The Washington Times since 1991.Comment by clicking here.
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