1 comments about Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Master Collection Upsell from CS Design Premium.

1. After purchasing Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Design three months ago, I liked the tools enough to want more: design, web and video. Then the CS3 Master Collection became available, with all the Toys (oops, I mean Tools) I wanted for a really "suite" deal.
   
   Master Collection lets you write the book, create the illustrations, publish the book to your website, animate a cartoon from the book complete with soundtrack and outtakes, sell the book's rights to yourself, film a movie based on the book, review it in a PDF White Paper, and generate the talking heads to discuss it, all on your PC. Oh, yeah: and produce a video game based on the book.
   
   Adobe has tried to take disparate products (including Macromedia's) and do at least some standardization of their interfaces so a person can learn most of the programs easily, while still retaining familiar shortcuts and menus. I was so surprised how quickly most of these programs run on my computer. Gone are the days when it took Photoshop five minutes to load - I can have 3 apps open at the same time without meltdown. I can create graphics in one application, and paste into another rather than importing.
   
   Included free in the box is a disk from Lynda online training, providing training material for the included programs. Even though just a taste, it gave me enough of an idea on how to use the unfamiliar programs. Then, as a benefit for registration was a free month of the Lynda website training. This is awesome, since learning curves on graphics programs are typically long. The videos really help make you productive right away.
   
   Adobe Acrobat 9 is especially eye-opening, because it redefines the concept of "document", with sound and video (through Flash) now being integral parts of that document.
   
   I highly recommend this studio. Unlike many suites whose upgrades contain mostly features that the typical user will never get around to, the Adobe Master Collection CS3 is about breaking new barriers, and providing features we have always wished for. As in all products, there are plenty of omissions and glitches, but being given the power to do it all, or most of it, anyway, is still a thrill for us "mere mortals".

3 comments about Teach Yourself to Play Guitar Deluxe.

1. Slow loading, locks up frequently in windows XP, overall ok to fair product, needs software patches to resolve buggs



2. Following along with the computerized music and tablature has proven impossible. I write all down on paper then come back after I learn it and the animation just messes with my head and it all falls apart.
   Also for a deluxe edition there is a lot missing accessories and the games are lame.
   I don't recommend it.



3. Originally I received an older version in Sept 2007, but the company replaced it with the newer updated version in November when I had some technical problems. It's been great!!! It's very clear, concise, and well-paced, even for an total beginner like me. The new version is a siginificant improvement over the old one, and I totally recommend it. as for the previous reviews, everything that was supposed to be in the box was there. And, why would you even bother with software if that's not the way you like to learn? Also, it's run perfectly fine on my Windows Vista computer and my MacBook Pro.

No comments about Personal Memory Creator Gold Collection (Jewel Case) (6-Pack).

No comments about QuarkXPress 7 for Windows/Mac.

No comments about COSMI Print Perfect Label Maker DVD.

4 comments about ClickArt 50,000 (Jewel Case).

1. I just wanted to say that the image selection was great and it's excellent value at the price.



2. I bought this software recently and tried to install it on my Windows Xp Pro in Portuguese. The installation went ok, however when trying to run the ClickArt50,000 for the first time I received an error indicating the program could not create some directories inside my home directory. I contacted Broderbund's support and reported the issue. Their official answer after two emails was: "We do not support installing ClickArt® 50,000 on a Spanish release of Windows. It is supported on English Windows only." I checked my product package and their web site and could not find any references saying the program will not run on Windows versions other than English. The bottom line is that the program will not run, the shop where I bought it from will not accept a return and I lost my money. So, be aware of "hidden"/"convenient" minimum tech requirements. Their support will not stand by what they advertise.



3. I just spent hours trying to load the 2 CDs for this product. I was unable to get anything to work. I sought help from the technical support staff at the major university where I work, and they could not get anything to work either, even after uninstalling the program. We continued to get the error message "install CD", even when it could be heard whizzing in the CPU. I also found that you can choose only one font at a time from the "font CD", which you must run live everytime you want to use a font. I tried the get help from the manufacturer (Broderbund) on their website. They had a few canned troubleshooting suggestions that don't apply. I had registered the program 3 times by this point, but the website would not recognize my username and password. The bottom line - don't waste your time and money on this impossible program.



4. Getting this software installed was a bear. Reluctant to pay more for phone support than I paid for the software itself, I elected to work through the problems using Broderbund's e-mail support. Most of the suggestions I received from Broderbund's technicians didn't address my stated concerns. In fact, I'm suspicious the technicians weren't even reading my messages but were sending me "standard troubleshooting suggestion #1" followed by "standard troubleshooting suggestion #2," etc. As such, it took nearly a week to receive the suggestion that actually solved my problem. If you don't mind feeling like a chump and wasting about 3.5 hours in total, the program delivers a lot of good clickart for the money.

No comments about Acad Kaleidagraph 4.0 Win Single By Synergy Software.

5 comments about Your Trading Card Maker.

1. My son absolutely loves this product. He makes trading cards for his Hockey Team and has a blast doing so. It's very easy to use and the cards print out very nicely. I highly recommend this product to anyone who has kids in youth sports.



2. Rather than being simple to use, this software is simplistic. It is extremely limiting in what the user is able to do.

   These are the features that need to be improved:

   1. The software comes with 5 sheets of glossy paper to print the cards on. The paper itself has a nice feel to it, and the pictures look good on it. But it is difficult to align the cards up with the area alotted for it on the paper. There's a learning curve to this, and I went through all five sheets to print out one card. As far as I can tell, the software prints out two copies of each card on each sheet. You cannot just print out one card and save the other half of the sheet for another card. To get refills of this paper from the company is expensive, and still does not solve the problem of the same card printing out twice on each sheet. I would like to see how this works using glossy inkjet photopaper and then rubber cementing the front and back sides of the card.

   2. Worse yet, the software limits you creatively. It has pre-printed fields for stats. If you don't fill in the stats such as "Position," "Batting Avg." etc., those words still print out on the card, whether you want them there or not. You can choose other formats with other pre-printed categories, but if you don't want those either, you are out of luck. There is a miscellaneous category for type of card, but again, because of pre-printed fields such as "Height," "Age," and "Weight," these are extremely limiting. What if you want to make your own trading card out of pictures you have made and make a deck of your own version of "Pokemon" cards or "Magic" cards? You are extremely limited in your ability to pull off such a feat.

   3. On each card, the Brand name "Enteractive" prints out. I think it would be better if you had the ability to print out your own Brand name for your line of cards. After all, do PowerPoint presentations have the Microsoft logo on each presentation? Do Flash movies have the Macromedia logo on each movie?

   4. I think it would be better if the software gave you simple choices to make, from scratch, such as the look of the border you want, and totally empty fields to type in whatever content you wish.

   5. The ink on the card is not stable. Even after the ink has presumably dried on the card, I had smudging taking place on one of them. (This is after 15 minutes of not touching it, then handling it.)

   In conclusion, if this software were improved, it has the potential of being very useful and enjoyable, but as it exists right now, it limits your creativity to such an extent, that your satisfaction becomes limited also.




3. I was skeptical of the claim on the box that I could make a card in 5 minutes, but give or take a few seconds, that's what I did. I made a basketball card of my daughter. First I picked a front and back. Then I imported a photo for front, and I used the same photo, cropped, for the back. I filled in the stats, and the program gave me a preview of both sides. I was satisfied and hit print. The special paper works like a dream: remove the backing, fold over on the perforations, and the front and back match up and stick together. The cards (2 per sheet) pop out. Nice smooth edges, too. I've tried it on a couple of different printers, and have been particularly pleased with the results on the Canon i475D, a $100 color inkjet.



4. Recived when promissed in perfect condition. found it easy to use with step by step instructions every thing it says it is.



5. Where do I begin? The ability to create custom sports cards was something I was really looking forward to. I read previous reviews about the software. Mostly great, so I said "why not?"
   
   Pros:
   This program was easy to install. Adding photos and stats are a sinch and it does indeed take about 5 minutes to create a card.
   The quality of the pictures were neat! Now comes the fun part.
   
   Cons:
   1. It took me nearly an hour (8 test pages and 5 glossy paper pages) to callibrate the card to line up evenly when you print out your final product! You have to manually adjust the settings in order to "line up" your card. And even after that, when you hit print, the image is still off-line! I wish it had auto callibration.
   
   2. The paper is soo expensive. I ordered the 100 sheets for $80 as a classroom expense which this was. Not to mention the amount of ink spent on callibrating the darn image to print straight!
   
   3. The glitches. After creating several cards, I wanted to make some changes on cards I created say... 10 minutes earlier. 8 out of 10 times the software did not recognize its own file! "This is not a valid cst file" message appears. Very wrong and frustrating. And when it did recognize it, when I clicked "edit stats" on a saved card, all my stats were gone!
   
   I kid you not, my stats were converted to this:
   "sjkdsakldhflak adjkfhalkdfhlak adkjfhalkdf adkjfhalkdf adskjfalskdf"
   
   4. The restraints are that there is a custom link for football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and hockey. Great if you want to fill the stats out for the back of the card. I do not however, and there was no way to remove those categories from there. If you do not enter data, those categories still appear regardless.
   Now I coach youth volleyball and have 15 student cards to print out. It is no fun when you cant retrieve the files after working on them, saving them, and no longer being able to access it or retype everything.
   
   If anyone knows of any other type of custom trading card software that is realiable, easy to use, and recognizes its own files, please let me know!

5 comments about Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Web Premium Upgrade [Mac] [OLD VERSION].

1. I didn't exactly buy the product....I had to return it because I made the mistake of purchasing the wrong software. I meant to get the Design Premium not the Adobe Web Premium. Anyhow I was pleased with the service I got from J&R. They were easy to talk to and made the return simple and easy.



2. i waited almost a year for an intel-native mac build of creative suite. declined the upgrade to cs2 as rosetta is only a barely passable solution. previously complained about cs1 - feature set was good, stability wasn't. this release has a number of nice new features & its stability has been good. there are still a number of unwanted bits & pieces, fireworks being one, the adobe stock photos being the most annoying (how do you stop its incessant upgrades if you haven't installed it in the first place?) but photoshop, dreamweaver, illustrator, & flash are all brilliant. i run the first two all the time, the latter two now&then. recommended for all web developers. a good effort from adobe (too bad about the naughty phone-home problem). still find bridge, contribute, device central, & other items of dubious value, however.



3. CS 3 does not disappoint! With the special new features in all programs, the products have become even more seamless.



4. This is a great upgrade and the creative suite applications keep getting better and faster.



5. The Adobe suite is still the only option out there for serious Mac developers. However, the price and heavy handed approach to registration is overwhelming. I now can't use my version because the computer it was registered on was upgraded to Leopard and Adobe thinks all registrations are used. Requires an internet connection to even launch. It may run in demo mode for 30 days without an internet connection after registration, don't know for sure. I don't like being treated like a crook after spending thousands of dollars and being a loyal customer for a decade.
   
   Also the updater seems to run every other use since so many products are in the suite. Granted, I only need it about every two weeks. Arg.... another Microsoft!

5 comments about Epson StoryTeller Photo Book Creator -- 8in x 10in (10 pages).

1. I read the other reviews and have to say that I loved the storyteller. I use an epson printer and it wasn't hard to print. It works better when you use the user defined custom setting to print the cover instead of the panoramic. I also printed the pages borderless and it looks like I sent it out to a professional printing service. Thanks Epson



2. User friendly, but could have more options with Fonts and size of print. A wonderful idea to replace scrapbooking.



3. This is a easy way to put together a photo album or write your own story book with your own pictures. Note that the pages are heavy photo paper and printable on just one side.



4. I have a Epson C82 printer. So far I spent 5 hours trying to get the program to print correctly. Tech support slight help, but still not able to print. Good Luck if you try it. Bob



5. We find that this is a wonderful way to make a history of visits with our children and grandchildren and give to them so their memories stay fresh. We can't visit them as often as we would wish due to distances involved and this is a great way to keep relationships meaningful. Great product and easy to use.