5 comments about Microsoft Digital Image Suite 10.0.

1. Easy to use, performs more edit functions than my previous. Much less expensive than most.



2. I love this software but I can't get it to load in Vista...can anyone help me please?...sheila South Australia



3. I just bought a new Vista computer and Microsoft has not allowed you to use the excellent Digital 10 with Vista.
   
   Vista has its own photo program and it is very basic compared to Digital 10.
   
   I am very disappointed.
   
   Cal Warren



4. I have several photo programs and out of all of them this is the one that I use the most. The auto functions in it are usually the only thing needed to make photos look there best. For those pictures that are too faded or in too bad of shape for the auto functions to do it the manual functions are easy to use.
   The other photo programs that I have are;
   Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI, (too complicated for easy use)
   Microsoft Digital Image Starter Edition 2006 Editor, (this one is OK, but cost too much for the Full Edition for what it does)
   Adobe Photoshop CS, (too complicated for easy use)
   Microsoft Picture It! Publishing Platinum 2001 (Cant get this one to run right, if it worked like its supposed to it would be great)
   PhotoStudio 5.5, (Simple easy program but doesn't do enough)
   HP Image Zone, (Doesn't do enough and doesn't work most the time)
   I have tried a few other programs too and out of all of them the Microsoft Digital Image Pro 10 is the one I use.



5. I'm just a person who likes to work with my own photos. I'm not an expert, but I like to produce great pictures. I haven't used it nearly enough to any way have used all its helps. But what I do use regularly in working with my pictures has been easy to learn, and totally satisfying in the end results of what I print out or put in my photo albums. I bought it on my cousin's recommendation who has used it since it 1st came out, and she can do anything with it.

No comments about Adobe Creative Suite 3.3 Design Premium [Mac] [OLD VERSION].

1 comments about LegoLand.

1. This is a great game. It is really challenging for kids, keeps my son occupied for hours. You really have to think, no guns killing or any violence. Just ink blots, that is the extent of it. I would recommend it .

5 comments about BIAS SoundSoap 2 ( Windows/Macintosh ).

1. I saw the demo of the program and thought, "That's exactly what I need!". I have been working on the post side of a movie Quest for the Golden Rod for over a year now (...) and due to the actors spreading to the four winds I'm stuck with the audio I got from my Sennheiser MKE-300. Which isn't bad, but not great eithor. I was forced to use it both in doors and outside having little "problems" like airplans, TOO LOUD of a river bank and of course the ever famous electronic hum (fridges). So I crossed my fingers and dropped $90 on this tool, plugged it into Adobe Premeir Pro 2.0 and was amazed that it was VERY simular to the results one would expect from a standard Noise Gate feature. Then I watched the online tutorials and learned the magical way of "learn sound" and that helped. I mean it was kind of remarkable it would remove very specific frequences and would behind only the voice (if you desired it). But here in lies it's flaw. DISTORTION. The more noise removal the quiter the audio gets and the more "canny" (that's how I put it) the voice becomes. Still legable and clear, but very distorted. So if you are doing a documentary then A++ if you are doing a film let's hope the background audio you are trieing to remove isn't too bad. Works best against repetitive back ground noise like humming. Very little distortion there.
   
   (...)



2. The SoundSoap 2 software (running on my older Mac) is a neat tool to go with BIAS's Peak recording software. It works quite well in dealing with my albums (33 rpm records, licorice pizza, stacks o' wax, etc.) and the pops, clicks, and scratches that sometimes came on a brand new vinyl LP. You should take a tour of the BIAS website and watch / listen to the demo they have for SoundSoap. It will do all that, but it is possible to overdo the signal processing and swamp out some of the music content. However, that can be the case with other click repair software too. The best approach I've found is not to try to create a 'master recording' with studio like audio qualities, but instead focus on cleaning up an obnoxious record or cassette.
   
   SS's 'learn noise' feature is dead handy, and the 50/60 cycle buzz remover works great. Best of all is being able to keep your master digital recording (mine done through BIAS Peak LE) and play with the settings in SoundSoap. Too little click removal? Too much removal of crackles and the music suffers? Delete the file and try again. A very easy to use, effective, and affordable tool for the music lover who's facing a stack of wax unplayed for years. I breathed new life into Moody Blues 'Days of Future Passed' and Horst Jankowski's 'Walk in the Black Forest.' Next up, the overplayed and abused vinyl of The Doors. I wonder how that will turn out...?BIAS SoundSoap 2 ( Windows/Macintosh )Bias SoundSoap 2, Hybrid CD Win/MacBIAS SoundSoap 2 ( Windows/Macintosh )



3. Expensive program with almost no features other than what it says it does. Poor instructions on usage. I have had two months and have yet been unable to successfully utilize.



4. This may be a fine product. It appears to do exactly what I need. Unfortunately, I'm not able to launch the application. After buying direct from the Bias website on a Sunday afternoon (could have saved $50 buying form Amazon, but I'm on deadline for a project) I am unable to authorize my legally purchased software. The application crashes during the authorization process. Since the software won't run without authorization, I'm out of luck.
   
   I've contacted tech support and submitted an email authorization request. I received an automatic response warning me that it may be 1 to 2 business days before I hear back from Bias. I might as well have ordered from Amazon.
   
   To be honest, if I had known that SoundSoap used this sort of software authorization scheme I probably wouldn't have purchased the product. This sort of restrictive DRM almost always harms legitimate consumers while doing nothing to stop piracy.



5. for cleaning snap, crackle and pops from your recordings. With just minimal adjustments, I was able to remove all of the above from old and battered 33s and 78s that I transfer to CD using my beloved ION TTUSB turntable. These two products are the best money I've ever spent to save my favorite music. Unbeatable!

5 comments about AutoCAD LT 2008 [OLD VERSION].

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.



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



5. I am very pleased with the product which was delivered in a timely manner (and with extra secure "signed" receipt because of the cost). As I only need 2D CAD there was no need to buy a full AutoCAD and this is doing all that I need-I'm VERY pleased -especially with the full Autodesk support that was included. It also accepted most of the "add-on" software that I had used with AutoCAD 2002.

5 comments about The Movies (Mac).

1. The game was fun to play but the company the put out the game does not pay attention to it, I have a brand new 24 inch i mac loaded and the game had weird graphical issues that there seems to be no patches or updates to fix it, It got so bad that i couldn't even play the game. Oh well, for now i will stick to windows for my pc games.



2. This game starts off great. Like most Sim-ish games, it eventually becomes tedious. The best part is the sandbox mode. If you are creative and love to micro-manage things, this game is for you.



3. I spent around 70 hours playing this game. In the end I never got a movie deal. Never got famous. And never met Penelope Cruise. My job, my home, my dog, my ego all have left me. Now I have to play WOW just to have fun wasting my time. No but really, decent game if you love Sims but it's addicting and sometimes VERY annoying especially when you can't finish you $10,000,000 blockbuster because your maintenance guys are no where to be found. Or, you haven't hired any but thats not your fault! You've been working on the next Matrix knock off set in the middle ages. It's going to be great Neo renamed David for the time period has to save the world by flying! It's awesome. You could watch it on "The Movies" user created content website if I weren't too much of a slacker to upload it. Have fun playing if you do buy, but I'd highly recommend getting Screenwriter instead and putting your brainpower to actually production work that may turn into a B movie deal someday. AH-



4. I won't comment on the game's mechanics or details. You know it by now. It's movie studio simulation game and it does what it does fairly well.
   
   My problem is with the vast difference in price between the Mac version (45) and the PC version (20). Why am I being asked to pay more than twice as much for the same game on a different operating system?
   
   Because of this, I don't recommend buying the Mac version. Buy the Windows version and run it in Boot Camp, instead. If you already have Windows installed on your Mac, this runs great in Boot Camp, and it will cost a lot less.
   
   We don't have to take this sort of blatant robbery. I may pay a little more for my computers, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to get ganked on the price of software. Offer it at the same price for all platforms if you want to be taken seriously.



5. It's all I've every wanted to do, make my own little movies, and this game provides me with a good foundation for that. It's like Sims, but a much cooler idea, at least in my opinion. I don't use the mogul bits of the game, so my review might not be suitable to help everyone who reads it. I go straight to the Sandbox mode where I can have ultimate control and make my little films. The trouble with the game is it's so very limited in terms of sets, costumes, etc, though there are forums with lots of great user created content to draw from. I'm currently on a Mac, so there are a few things that don't work as well or as smoothly as on PC. My original actors don't hold their features on my computer, sadly... so I'll be inheriting a PC laptop soon and start to create all of my films there instead. This will also open up the loads of great user content that I can't utilize on my mac either. The export feature is so easy!!! Overall, I do love this game and just wish the developers would release a nice updated version with lots more stuff and capabilities included.

5 comments about Berlitz Spanish Premier (Win/Mac).

1. I was quite disappointed with this product, and had it not been for the price after rebate, I would have certainly returned it. For a beginner, this program can easily be overwhelming, especially in the most important feature which is the "immersion environment." The speech pronunciation guide is a farce. I had a native of Puerto Rico listen to the female voice and she said unequivocally that it was terrible. The program gave my native speaker friend poor pronunciation grades--even when she tried over and over again. Much of the program is not intuitive. The details are not worked out well. An example is the bookmark feature which supposedly allows you to start back where you would like. No--you have to go through each and every bookmark you've made before getting to the last bookmark--and you can't name the bookmarks. I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. I'm still struggling with it, but it is painful.



2. You have to read a long manual before you can figure out how to use this Berlitz Spanish program on computer. I got so frustrated that I went out and bought a Spanish book.
   The only thing I like about the Berlitz program is the flash cards.



3. I decided to give this product a shot before I bought something more expensive, but I wish I'd just gone ahead and committed to something more serious. As a learning environment, this product is scattershot and poorly put together. I kept looking for the "start here" button -- while the box trumpets the several ways to learn, there's just no easy way into the language. The software is supposedly an immersion environment for beginners, but it starts with lengthy dialogues and short sentences rather than the simple phrases you need to learn when you're an absolute beginner. The software also doesn't resize at all, so the software screen just looked tiny on my large monitor. The iPod vocabulary is pretty good, but it's missing a lot of things --it includes "sister-in-law", but not "mother", and only has three seasons. The stand-alone flash card program is good for what it is, but it uses that same limited vocabulary. I belatedly found that the box comes with a copy of Spanish Guaranteed, an all-audio CD program, and while it seems like a decent course, it's the only part of the package in Castilian Spanish.
   
   This software might help someone who needs a brush-up on first year Spanish, but if you're looking for a quick course so you don't feel lost when you step off the plane, there are many options that are much better. I also found many free online resources that did a better job, including one that gave me the proper pronunciation of that missing season, el otoño.



4. Berlitz Spanish Premier (Win/Mac)
   Actually, I don't know if I like this software or not. It won't open on my MacBook. No advice on the trouble shooting page and no answer to my email request for technical help. Mac user be very wary.



5. clunky, not mac friendly, poor vocab, fake "total immersion" (basically just people having brainless conversations that are too fast for beginners and too insipid for intermediaries). Berlitz has a really bad reputation and it's easy to see why when you receive this kind of product in the mail.
   
   I work in a school where we receive dozens of products to sample every month.
   
   Berlitz (aside from the really old editions, from the 1950's) is always the worst.

5 comments about Apple Final Cut Studio 2 Upgrade from Final Cut Studio (Mac).

1. I've been an Apple user for many years. This package is the best editing package available for the money.



2. Because this is an upgrade, most users will be familiar with the product.
   My complaint is that, while it comes with 90 days of support, by the time it is delivered and installed, you only get about 60 days of support. Learning this software is like trying to get a PhD in Astro Physics and the training is outrageously expensive. The difference between 90 days support and 60 days is probably worth 6 or 7 hundred dollars. It's like the old ad for Listerine. I hate it but I use it.
   ----



3. Great product and easy to update for old version 5.5
   Very good set of books that has detailed information on very part of the program.



4. I've been using FCP since version 1, and it just keeps getting better and better. I started out doing linear editing on 3/4", 1" and then Betacam. Moving to non-linear was the best thing in the world ('cause everyone wants to make changes!). What's frustrating for me is that FCP allows me to do anything I see on TV, and I'm only limited by own creativity (which is the problem!).
   The only drawback I see is the loops and clips for motion and soundtrack take up like 40gigs of my 100gig Macbook Pro! If you can find a big flashdrive, I'd recommend storing the loops/material on something external.



5. I love this product and wish I could use it all this time. Perhaps then I'd master more. As it is, it has overshadowed Photoshop as the finest software I don't know enough about. The manuals are great though. If I devote the time, I can do anything I want. I'm still struggling with the chasm between Adobe Flash and Final Cut. I wish I could meld them together. Photoshop CS3 has helped with its movie and 3D features.

5 comments about Adobe Acrobat 5.0 [OLD VERSION].

1. I use Adobe Acrobat for many things--creating PDF files, editing them and writing documents for work. But if you visit web pages and want to save or print them, the Adobe Distiller is really essential.

   The Distiller acts like a virtual printer, and saves a web page view as a PDF file, complete with images. Unlike saving a web page, which relies on being on the internet to bring up linked photos, the PDF captures the pictures and creates a document that you can store away. Even if the webpage is taken down or altered, you have a copy of it. Web pages are rather ephemeral; they come and they go. This is a good way to document them.

   I don't find the interface particularly easy to use--it's not like the Microsoft Office package and the icons are all new to figure out. The price is somewhat steep, though it's been lowered recently.

   Despite these criticisms, I would not be without this software. It's probably one I use more than almost any other on my PC.




2. Yes indeed Adobe Acrobat is too expensive, but, when considering the alternatives of buying other brands of PDF software that have less than pleasing quality, it all boils down to choosing the product that has the highest quality. To my knowledge, Acrobat is still the best PDF software available.

   My personal needs are to create PDF files, encrypt them, require passwords to view, and restrict the user from printing and copying. After testing a couple other PDF products, I quickly discovered that their security was overly easy to bypass, no I take that back, they were *ridiculously* easy to bypass. Adobe's security has so far proven to be usefully solid.

   Since Adobe provides limited public information about their products, I recommend that you first buy a book teaching how to use an Adobe package and read it through so that you will know what the software actually does and does not do. Yes, I agree, having to purchase a book and spend the time studying is not the prefered way to learn about any product, but the few dollars invested can easily pay for itself by your knowing which software to buy (or more specifically, what not to buy!).

   What has amazed me the most with my Acrobat experience is when I had to call Adobe customer service to get a complex upgrade to version 6. Not only did the girl answering know what I was talking about, she also accomplished the entire order within that one phone call! WOW! Customer service like that is unheard of today. Apparently Adobe does care about its products enough to hire quality employees, and with that level of care, I feel more confident that I made the right decision choosing Adobe. Too, I purchased Acrobat from Amazon for the same reason of wanting quality service.

   There are other PDF products available, some are even free, but for those of us who prefer quality and usefulness over initially lower costs, Acrobat is an intelligence choice. Choosing the right product today, the one that does not crash nor take time away from our work to fiddle with settings, gives us more time to whine about the costs later. If Acrobat were less expensive, I would give it five stars.




3. By the time I was done reading the reviews for Adobe Acrobat 6.0 I was depressed. Not only do I not have Windows XP, or Windows 2000, or NT installed in my machine (The only operating systems that will work with 6) I also couldn't muster up the confidence in the product after so many people were giving it the thumbs down. I want to create an eBook, and Adobe Reader is the most popular reader out there, with some 400 million, to a half a billion users with it installed. What a dilemma. I kept coming back to read some more. Finally I found the answer. I bought a new Adobe Acrobat 5.0 here at Amazon from one of their vendors, and it works great with my Windows 98SE. I planned on buying the 6.0 upgrade after they got the bugs out, and or I got a new computer with XP. Then I found out that 5.0 was the only version before, and that was the professional version. 6.0 Standard is a geared down version of 5. Ok, so it has some additional features, but it is missing all the rest of the professional features that 5 has.
   So what's the skinny on the deal? For what I paid for a new 5 that is the full program, unregistered, and upgradeable, plus what I would have to pay here at Amazon for the 6 Professional Upgrade, I saved 80 bucks, and wound up with both versions 5 and 6 pro. Which as I mentioned are both professional versions. If I bought 5 and upgraded to 6 standard, I would only spend a little more for both versions. (About 4 percent more for standard, and about 20 percent less for professional) That way if 6 standard turned out to be as bad as many were saying it is, I would have 5 also.
   In the final analysis, I am using 5 and am super excited about the new capabilities that Adobe Acrobat gives you. I'm hoping that by the time I get a new machine with XP on it, Adobe will come out with 6.something, or a second edition of 6 etc. with the fixes built in.
   I'm not the only one to come to this conclusion. I noticed in the sales rank at the time I bought it and wrote this review, that 5 was outselling 6. Also I noticed that in the "Those who bought 5 also bought this" section, it had a special note that said, 47% of the people who bought 5 also bought the 6 upgrade. If your running XP, 2000, or NT, get them both. That way all the bases are covered.
   Check out the reviews on 5 you'll be surprised how everybody raves about it. To be perfectly honest with you, if I had an XP machine, I would have ordered the 6 upgrade at the same time. Hope this helps.



4. I was familiar with this product before I purchased it. I was leary about purchasing it without the manual or other documentation -- just the CD -- but I took a chance, based on Amazon.com's reputation for standing by their processes.
   The product arrived exactly when and as promised and was also authentic and registerable. I am delighted with it. I found this product to be easy to learn and use immediately. It will take some time to learn everything about it, but the "help" options are excellent and also easy to follow. I'm sure this will be a welcome addition to our software family for years to come.



5. I was using Acrobat Exchange 2.0 and the 5.0 version is a definite step up. As a writer (http://secretsgolden.com/)Adobe Acrobat is necessary to my work. I wouldn't be without it, and v.5.0 is a very good program!
   Thank you for reading!

2 comments about Final Cut Express 4 Upgrade from Final Cut Express 1, 2, 3, or 3.5.

1. Well this pgrade is really great if you have upgraded to FCE 3.5 already. However if you are upgrading from an older version watch out. FCE 4 comes with only 500mb of live type content. FCE 3.5 came with 10GB. If livetype isn't a priority for your video production then go for it. But if you are looking for an upgrade for your FCE from 3 or lower and your live type 1 and want all the latest live type content this upgrade is not for you. Buy the livetype 3.5 or buy both 4 & 3.5 while you can.



2. I also own Final Cut Pro 5.1, but since I had Final Cut Express 3.0, I thought I'd spring for an upgrade.
   
   I'm most pleased with this--so far it's very stable, I love its new filters, and the features it has are almost equal to Final Cut Pro in all the important features that prosumers are most likely to use. For most prosumers, it has everything we need. I am continually amazed with how much you get with Final Cut Express.
   
   Because I had Final Cut Express 3.0, I was able to load up the media from that version of LiveType and make it work with the version of LiveType that shipped with FCE 4. I never used Soundtrack that much, so I can't say I miss it, but if I needed it, I could always use the version that came with version 3.
   
   Like many other Mac users, I was a little surprised when I saw that LiveType shipped with less media, and Soundtrack was no longer included (apparently the audio capabilities are now available in Final Cut Express 4, as well as Garageband). But, in all fairness, I had to consider that the cost was $100 less than the previous version which had Soundtrack and the extra LiveType media. After thinking about it a while, I think I am glad that Apple took this route--a $200 pricetag makes Final Cut Express very tempting for many more Mac users than before, as well as making many Windows users envious! (Where is their $200 prosumer video application with equivalent features and reliability?)
   
   I've done a lot of research, and so far I'm not finding anything on the Windows side that offers as much as Final Cut Express, for a similar price. I'm not knocking the many affordable $100 programs that Windows users have, because for many people that's more than enough and there are many wonderful choices available. But from what I've seen, each one of them lack some capability that I have come to enjoy or rely on in Final Cut Express. (But of course they are less expensive, so this is to be expected.) There seems to be no "middle ground" for video enthusiasts on the Windows side (either it's an affordable $100 program with crippled features, or a pro-level app with a pricetag to match).
   
   A big thumbs up for this upgrade to Final Cut Express! I am happier than ever to have switched to Macintosh!