5 comments about eMedia GuitarPro 5.1 Win/Mac.

1. Guitar Pro is a great software, but I am giving only 1 star because of eMedia's quality control - only eMedia Product Demo was in the box.



2. My copy of eMedia GuitarPro 5 turned out to be a demo only version. I tried to resolve this with Amazon and EMedia, but could not. eMedai declined to provide any assistance, referring me back to Amazon. A replacement copy had the same problem. I recommend against purchase.



3. I also bought this in April and was sent a demo CD. I was pretty angry/disappointed, especially because I was so excited to finally get to use Guitar Pro on a Mac, but I figured that mistakes happen and sent it back to Amazon for an exchange. Then, A week later, I got the same demo CD! I sent everything back and got a full refund on my purchase.
   
   So it's been a few months and I'm still interested in buying Guitar Pro--the software is that helpful. I'm just wondering if eMedia or Amazon have resolved the obviously prevalent quality control issue.



4. This is super cool for learning guitar tabs.... there are web sites that have a lot of songs and you can see and hear the tab as well as different instruments in the tab..... really nice and fun to use.



5. this program is great and easy to use and good for either composing or for learning songs. almost any song you want is available tabbed out and free for download online. the CD i got didnt install right and threw errors, but you can download it using the product key that comes with the CD.

5 comments about Autodesk AutoSketch 9.

1. If you are the average person (like me) wanting to create a drawing be prepared to take a study to learn this program. Otherwise you will not get the drawing you want. Too hard to understand.



2. I bought this to throw together some quick drawings for clients, but it is so clunky, that I just use my full version of AutoCAD 2006. I admit that I have not spent any time trying to set it up, and I have spent years setting up AutoCAD.



3. I bought this product to do 2D mechanical drawings. I work at a research center that has a small machine shop and in which I do quite a bit of work. I've used AutoCAD in the past and thought that this would make AutoSketch easy to learn.
   
   I was wrong. I found it to be clumsy and slow and difficult to learn. Ultimately, I purchased AutoCAD LT and I still haven't found anyone at the center who wants AutoSketch for free.



4. i have Vista on my computer and im having trouble installing it.....i havnt had a chance to get online to see if theres a patch or fix for my problem



5. Re: Mr. Thompson's comment
   I made a macro to do the transform operation he is referring to. I select the object(s), press the transform macro I created, then hit the first point and second point. Viola! This program is so easy to use. I figured it out in like 2 hours... Of course there were a lot of things I learned as I went along and if you use it every day you get real fast. It is easy to make precision drawings. Adding dimensions is simple. There are a few things that you figure out as you go along that make your life easier. selecting a color and hatch fill are so easy (2 clicks - click fill solid or hatch and the select color) no problem with the border line whatsoever. I figured that I knew this program so well I could figure out Auto CAD easy enough.... not so... AutoCAD is definitely more complicated. It makes line drawings very well. It has simple 3D effects (basically orthogonal, parallel and perspective extrusions) but not any kind of 3D modeling. A great program. If that's all you need don't waste you money on something more like AutoCAD.

No comments about Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Design Standard Upgrade [Mac].

4 comments about Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Ultimate.

1. Studio Moviebox Ultimate USB2 Pro Effects & Greenscreen
   
   Bought this to replace an ATI video/encoder card.
   
   The Pinnacle hardware/software combination drops frames when encoding analog video.
   
   My computer more than meets all the minimum requirements. All extraneous processes are shutoff when I was using this (Anti virus, firewall, network etc.)
   
   Interestingly, when I use the hardware encoder in combination with Roxio's Easy Media Creator software the analog video encoding works fine with no dropped frames. So I am using that combination of Pinnacle's hardware and Roxio's software for the encoding.
   
   I have not used the Studio software (for other than encoding - which it does not do well), looks pretty capable for editing but I will have to update this review when I start doing editing.



2. The Moviebox was difficult to set up but with the help of Pinnacle Technical support it is now running very well. More detail in "Things that go wrong" could have helped me to sort out the setting up. FAQ's are extensive but searching for the solution required didn't match up with the questions I made.
   The Studio software is intuitive to use with drag and drop being an easy way to construct a movie. Sound can treated the same way. Narration and music can be added on separate tracks with pro fading available to emphasise the sounds. With so many features available it will take me a long time to explore and use them.
   I have not used the titles and fx's but as time goes on I'm sure I will.
   Overall, the analogue video capture is excellent and the software easy to use. The possibilities seem endless.



3. I bought the studio Ultimate package fro BestBuy Boston 2 weeks ago. I was hesitant to buy because of the mixed reviews on the Net. This is my experience:
   The pinnacle software installed easily. The only minor glitch is the registration of the sound soap add-on (Part of the Ultimate package) which had to be repeated 3 times.
   The software interface is intuitive, very powerful and easy to work with.
   The hardware capture module is nice. It is miles ahead of the Dazzle. Quality of capture is very good. Frame dropping is minimal (~85 frames =3 sec dropped in a bad quality 2 hrs VHS tape).
   All in all a very good product .



4. I was making movies in a few min, after the software was installed. Of course you can make them fancy with menues and music, but i have too many to do. Pretty basic thing to use.

3 comments about Adobe Flash CS3 Professional.

1. I am new to Flash and I think this version is very user-friendly. Keep in mind that I am not doing any heavy animations - just simple projects.



2. Flash CS3 has a wonderful interface including newly integrated tabs for windows like Scene, Color, Align, etc. It's more user-friendly than before and you can choose to do more things with your published flash than before as well. A very good tool for the web animator.



3. I can't find a reason why anyone would upgrade to Flash CS3 from CS2.
   
   It's the same interface, apparently most of the same features, and not significant enough to upgrade. I'm actually let down that Adobe seems to care so little about this product, given the widespread use of Flash video on the web today.
   
   One of my biggest pet peeves that I had hoped would be fixed in this version but wasn't, was the inability to trim videos by punching in times rather than using the slow and inaccurate scrubber. What a terrible, terrible way to trim video.

5 comments about 3D Home Architect Home & Landscape Deluxe Suite Version 9.

1. This is one of the worst programs I've ever used. Period. I am a programmer, and I am really annoyed by bad, poorly thought-out software. My first indication was when I went to register, and they required a company name for HOME Architect. This is just plain sloppiness, and it gave me a bad feeling. Second, when I started the software, it dumped me to a blank screen, ready to go. No tour, no starting point. I went to the help, and the help file was useless. I went to the site, and they said there was a PDF manual. The manual is abysmal. By page 17, it tells you how to view in 2D and 3D. What good is that, when pages 1-17 say nothing about how to start a drawing?!
   
   Sample/demo files? I can't find any, and I'm pretty sure there are none. I saw on the Punch! website that the homes on their box covers were purchased from stock photography, not made with the software. This is utterly dishonest!
   
   More idiocy: The scrollbars let you leave the drawing area completely. In software design, this is considered malpractice. I accidentally got off the drawing area, and in trying to find my way back, I got lost, and the window started to flash wildly. Could the program get any more awful?
   
   Really, this software crosses the line from bad into the fraud territory.



2. I bought this because of its compatibility with Mac OS - but I might as well have stuck with pen and paper. The software is poorly designed, not intuitive, has the worst selection of stock objects I've ever seen, and manages to take the fun out of home exterior/interior design! I wish I could get my money back.



3. Product was as expected. Received on time and worked properly. My kids love it.



4. purchased this. Wish I had read these reviews before purchasing it (I got it at a local office supply store). I have a really old (approx 1998) version of 3D Home Architect - it lacks a lot, but is easy to use. I was hoping for some improvements on this one. I've tried many others, including Punch! and haven't liked any of them. That should've been my first clue - it's now Punch! I purchased several programs on that trip and installed them & I can't even get this thing to install! I hope I can get a refund for defective materials, but I'm not holding my breath. Hope there's something better out there - any recommendations? Waste of $40.00......ugh!



5. Years ago, I had Broderbund's 3DHA, version 3. It worked fine. Then Broderbund had the audacity to completely revamp the software, and when version 5 came out (under the same name), it became almost useless. Now, Punch is marketing 3D Home Architect, version 9. This one is also useless. The libraries are small; e.g., only four door styles to choose from. There is no way to "cut a section" and view an elevation. The "Help" line is unresponsive; e.g., my current question has gone unanswered for 10 days. I could go on with a litany of reasons why this software is worthless, but the publisher hasn't earned my time.

No comments about Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Master Collection.

5 comments about Corel Painter X Win/Mac.

1. This product is the best graphic program ever. It works great in my operating system VISTA. The only limitations of Corel Painter X is the artists creativity.



2. I must admit I do love PS better, but once you learn the program it is really great! The different tools available are excellent.



3. I guess if you can get Painter X to work when installed it is a good product. If you can't (Vista, 8 Gig memory, 2T disk, Cintiq21), you have to pay for support by the call (for education version which is same base program w/o some of the bells and whistles). I kept trying and got it installed and working but pallettes would not move out of center of screen or dock anywhere but the center. Any attempt to change brush size/characteristics abended program. I am glad I was EDUCATED about Corel before buying the full price version.



4. This incredible software can do digitally any art media. Immense variety of brushes and tools from pastels to inks and all kinds of textured canvases make any former hands on art media methods a thing of the past.
   
   I have always liked to draw and paint, when I installed Painter X I started dabbling and tinkering, not knowing anything at all and was able -- after about 35 minutes -- to replicate a favorite Maynard Dixon western painting. You can see it in the image gallery.
   
   The huge options and abilities of Painter X are covered nicely in the product description.
   
   I am especially interested in creating animation cells using sequential photos that I have enhanced with detailed art and then putting them into iMovie of Final Cut Express on my Mac laptop.
   
   So far, the painting and airbrushing and pen & ink enhancements are dazzling using Painter X. I have barely tapped into the power and potential of this software and am looking forward to expanding this review and posting additional paintings in the image gallery.
   
   Currently I am using a Wacom tablet with about a 4x5 drawing area. I plan to get a larger tablet or a laptop monitior on which I can draw directly.
   
   I am not aware of any software for the price that comes close to what can be done with Painter X.
   
   Highest recommendation.



5. I'm a Photoshop user but had read so many great reviews and tried the trial version of PainterIX and just had to buy this. I'm very happy with it. For me it was a very quick learning curve from PS to Painter. Painter is much more "painterly" than PS and the brushes and paints really do react very much like the real deal. Coming from studio painting using acrylics for my underpainting and oils on top I found that Corels' oil pastels actually gave me a very similar look and feel once I learned how to tweak the brushes to my liking. In my opinion the most important things to learn to really get what you want from Painter are learning how to adjust the brushes to your liking, learning to use "papers" as textures instead of the brushes as textures (that's how PS works), and getting used to the color wheel. But I found the color wheel indispensable once I got used to it. I actually found myself wishing I had the color wheel in PS when working in it.
   Oh yeah, and if you don't have a tablet yet, I suggest the wacom intuos3 6x11. IN FACT, you may want to check on Corel's website. They almost always have a bundle deal where you can buy Painter and get a Wacom tablet at a discounted price instead of buying them separately (sorry Amazon...maybe Amazon has a bundle price too though...?).
   I can't even imagine trying to use this software with a mouse. Spend the extra little bit to get the cd version of the software. It comes with a great book that covers a lot of Painters features, including their new "real bristle" technology, as well as some goodies on the cd.
   
   Overall if you're looking for a more "painterly" end product I think Painter is the way to go. You may also want to look on [...] for some great dvd tutorials on using Painter. I bought Ryan Church's and Puddnheads tutorial dvd's and although their styles and workflows are very different I learned a great deal by watching and working along with the dvd's and I'm sure I saved myself a great deal of time rather than just trial and error.

3 comments about Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007.

1. The program is great once you learn to use it. It comes with no guides. The online instructions are a little hard to find and lacking in detail. All of the third party books ("For Dummies") don't come out for months. Does anyone else remember when programs used to come with a "How To" Guide????



2. The online documentation provided is pitiful. Surely a company with the resources Microsoft has can do better than this?? The product works great, has some nice features, like the workflows, but the provided documentation is a joke, more geared towards selling you microsoft-isms (and that "you don't have to write a line of code!") than telling you how to use their product. And the online help is similarly sparse.



3. I am supposed to use this product to update the web pages monthly for a non-profit organization. After exploring the menus and the manual, I still don't know how and where to start. I usually can figure out in a short time how to use new software however complicated, such as QuarkExpress, InDesign, PageMaker, FrameMaker, Illustrator, Dream Weaver, Front Page, etc., by exploring the menus and the samples with the help of its manual.

5 comments about AutoCAD LT 2008 [OLD VERSION].

1. AutoCAD LT 2008 was easy to install and is loaded with features. Too bad we most likely will never use most of them. Pros: It's interface is familiar, it's the industry standard, and works pretty much as is expected. There don't seem to be as many bugs as I experienced in older versions. Cons: Pricey, but everybody knows that, and we're stuck because AutoDesk has the industry in a strangle hold. I don't like how small the tool palettes are when my monitor is in a higher resolution. The printing interface is awkward.



2. Actually works with Vista. Several new features aid with production. We are ditching architectural desktop for production seats since it is all 2D. LT works and integrates just fine at 1/4 the price. First 'downgrade' in 14 years of autocad.



3. I have been using AutoCAD LT 2003 and like the updates in the new version. Although it takes some getting used to, some of the changes are intuitive. The older versions did not automatically go into edit commands like 2008 does. Just click on an object and the attributes highlight and can be changed without typing in the command. That is just some of the changes that make this a really nice upgrade from earlier versions.



4. I had the full blown student version of R13 for years and it served my purposed well until I upgraded my computer. AutoCAD is like many software and hardware suppliers and will not support any of their products over three or four years. So AutoCAD LT suites my purposes well for a fraction of the cost of the big package. The basics are still there, but a companion instruction manual is necessary to come up to date with all the useful changes that have been made since R13 some ten years ago. I am back in business.



5. I'm not an expert drafter but I've used AutoCAD 2005 for years and have found several of the changes make drawings harder.