No comments about My Violin.

4 comments about Xingtone 5 Create Share Ringtones & More.

1. We bought this for our sixteen year old daughter and she had the program installed and her ring tones created and on her phone in no time at all! Software runs great on Windows XP and the tones sound great on her Pantech C300 phone running on the Cingular network. Not only does it save us in download fees, she has a greater variety of music to pick from by using her own CD's.



2. Xingtone 5 is advertised as being compatible with a Nokia 6030 phone. After buying the product I discovered it is not compatible with the phone. Roxio admits there is a problem but continues to advertise it as compatible. Don't assume that your phone will work with the software even if it is listed on the Xingtone website.
   Not good



3. This program is a simple Wav Editor. No way to save your final results. Only available option is to send to their website and then download to your phone. I wonder how many other people share your ringtones. I did not find it to be compatible with my Motorola RAZR nor with T-Mobile as advertised. Agent469.



4. Roxio pretends that the created ringtones can be used with an LG VX8100, but Verizon offers no way to use sounds as ringtones, and Roxio's directions to the phone don't correspond to the software options on the phone. After wasting a couple of hours in futility with this software (which often crashes on a Mac), I found myself mumbling "iPhone... iPhone... iPhone".

5 comments about Video Explosion Deluxe.

1. This video editing software is easy to use, feature rich, and doesn't have the annoying "skin" look that so many others have. It is incredibly good at applying filters on the fly and has a wide range of output formats. It is also very economical with your disk space. It uses the clips in-place without copying them into the project. The only blemish I have found so far is that it leaves files on your disk next to the imported media files. I am a programmer and my educated guess is that these are index files used to access the movies and audio files quickly during previews. Given the benefit they provide, I was unwilling to knock off even one star for this small annoyance. The files can safely be deleted and will be recreated the next time you open the project.



2. I am somewhat of a pro when it comes to digital video productions and have used several different software applications. I thought this one looked interesting due to the music files and included clips.
   I wish I would have tried a trial version first, because I wouldn't have wasted my money.
   First of all when you build a story line or save a project the imported files (if coming from the included CD's)do not stay with the project. You need to reload them each time. They don't load to the media pool upon import, so if you remove them from the story line, you have to load them over and over again. At least this is the trouble I have been having. The transition time is hard to adjust, and there is no option that I found to repeat the same transition, they have to be added one at a time. When transitions are added a screen pops each time up with some settings that are difficult to understand. All of the adjustments are tricky--and certainly would be even more difficult for the novice user. I have an older version of MGI video wave, which I would rate better than this program. However the one I like the best and seems to have a great interface is Arc-Soft, Show Biz- For the money, I would say that program is a much better value and a lot more fun than Video Explosion. I am giving this 3 stars because it is simple to clip the videos on the storyboard timeline, and you can accomplish a good production with work. I don't see an option to save the final recording in a DVD format however.



3. I typically use Adobe for this type of editing, but this program works well on the fly. You can add effects, graphics, and transistions in a small window then the software rewrites the file to burn onto disc, and it handles that also after you email them for the key. Anyway I really can't express how well the VE renders and outputs. Try it, and save big bucks not to mention excellent results. Totally worth the hundred bucks I spent, you might find it for less.



4. I purchased my copy of Video Explosion from Atomic Park in August. The product comes bundled with Sonic MyDVD 4.5. Unfortunately, on September 15, about one month after I purchased Video Explosion, Sonic stopped supporting MyDVD 4.5, and the version I bought does not work with my DVD burner (a Sony).
   
   I believe Sonic HAD a fix for my problem, but since Sonic no longer supports MyDVD 4.5, I can no longer get the update.
   
   Unfortunately, this has rendered Video Explosion 1.5 nearly useless for me.
   
   I understand it's far too late for any sort of adjustment for me. However, I think you should note on the description page for this software some sort of a disclaimer that states this limitation clearly.
   
   Had I known of this limitation, I never would have bought Video Explosion. Other than this issue, I'm happy with the software, but now I'm stuck, needing to by CyberLink MakeDVD for $50, when I could have purchased CyberLink's entire suite for $90.
   
   I also understand this situation is somewhat political in that Sonic bought Roxio, so naturally, Sonic will no longer try hard to work with Nova. So Nova won't be likely to advise me to purchase MyDVD 6.1; nor will they be likely to recommend CyberLink products. So I guess I'm just screwed.
   
   Be strongly aware of this limitation prior to ordering.



5. This program retails for less than $100. Don't expect it to be used by Steven Spielberg. I bought it several years ago in an Office Max because I was in a hurry to put together a crude edit of a home movie. However, from the day I started using it up until now, I continue to be impressed with its capabilities, ease of use, and reliability. I keep discovering new features, and am yet to outgrow it after creating about half a dozen pretty ambitious home movies.
   
   I am retired now, but when employed as a software engineer, my specialty was user interface. I am very critical of poor interfaces. Video Explosion got it right. The ability to introduce and edit transitions and special effects on the timeline is excellent. Menus are clear, and provide good clues to drilling down to extra features. The help facility is first rate. And, most importantly, the program seems to be bug free.
   
   I have not used any higher end video software, so my perspective is limited. I am not a pro, but I work very hard to make my home movies as professional looking as possible. For the price paid, this package continues to impress me, and certainly to fill my needs. In that sense, it is like my bicycle (a pro level Trek) - the tool is still much better than the user.

No comments about Omnioutliner Professional 3.0.

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop 6.0 Upgrade.

1. What a great product. When it comes to image editing, if you can imagine it, with Photoshop, you can do it. If you are new to graphics/design I recommend that this be the first software you start to master. (if you aren't new, then you already know this) Not only is it powerful, its a great deal of fun to use.

   Adobe has updated the interface. Now when you select a tool all of the options for the selected tool appear (you don't have to go to the pallettes as often). The selection tools and text handling are much better than previous versions. There are several other improvements that I haven't mentioned.

   Using Photoshop is an art in itself. I've been using this product for several years now and I'm still learning.




2. The ability to keep my Polaroid SS-4000 scans at 48 bits while I crop, sharpen, blur and otherwise massage is YET ANOTHER reason to own this upgrade. You can do a lot more at full color before squishing down to 24 bits for printing on your dye-sub printer, and you WILL be able to see the difference.

   Of course, you'll want a LOT of RAM - my 35 mm slides bulk up to about 100 MB in 48-bit mode. It's worth every bit.




3. I am a relative "newbie" to Photoshop (about a year) and I put off upgrading. I guess I figured I hadn't gotten my "money's worth" out of Photoshp 5.5 yet. But, when I finally upgraded, I was so glad I did! I love this upgrade!

   Improved Layer Styles, improved Gradients, improved cropping. I know there's much more, but I still am kind of a newbie, I can't remember them all. And the most dramatic and fabulous improvement - the TEXT function! Oh my gosh! No more annoying pop-up window to type text into! You just start typing on your image. Editing and changing fonts and sizes is so much easier now. Also, I like the taskbar thingie at the top of the screen. Very convenient, I don't know how I lived without it. ImageReady is also improved. I find myself using it more and more.

   Also, I want to warn everyone - make SURE you have your CD of Photoshop 4 or above on hand. During the installation process, Photoshop 6 will want you to put in a previous version of Photoshop in your CD drive, to confirm you are qualified for an upgrade. They seem to only accept versions 4 or above. If you don't have a CD of at least version 4 of Photoshop, you need to contact Adobe support, and they will help you "unlock" the Photoshop upgrade, so that you can install it on your computer. Obviously, you must be a registered owner of Photoshop (any previous version) to qualify for this upgrade.

   I read on Adobe's support site that sometimes it's better to drag the upgrade installation file from the PS 6 CD to your HD. Have your previous version of PS in your CD drive, ready and waiting. Then, start the PS 6 upgrade installation from the install file on your your HD. When you come to the part where PS 6 asks for a previous version of PS, it's right in your CD drive. (This way, you avoid the annoying and tricky "CD-swapping" right in the middle of the upgrade. Trust me on this one!) Anyway, MAKE SURE you have a CD of a previous version of Photoshop on hand. Just having the program installed on your HD isn't enough. Contact Adobe about getting a replacement if you lost your original CD to the previous version of PS.

   Even though I am still a beginner/intermediate Photoshop user, I am finding MUCH to be excited about with this upgrade. I can imagine that most serious pro Photoshop users are elated. There's certainly a lot to be excited about. I cannot recommend this upgrade enough.




4. Most of you reading this have heard of, or are using a version of Photoshop. That alone attests to its popularity. And you know the basics. The single most powerful raster graphics program around, made more powerful and flexible by the number of plug-ins available.

   What's new:
   "Vector shapes" - a little misleading in its meaning. Indeed they are vector shapes, but when saved, they are rasterized. Maybe future versions will integrate the fundamentals of Illustrator (or Freehand - both the best vector graphics programs available) a little better. But the shapes feature is quite useful for logos, and small icons.

   Editable text effects - Not quite "text on a path," but a very welcome feature. After skewing the text with this feature, you are still able to alter font styles/sizes/colors with no problem.

   Dockable Palettes - a great feature, if you have a large enough monitor (17" w/high-resolution setting, 19" w/mid-res setting), in order to see the dock. Allows you to place heavily used palettes in the upper right hand section, without having to move them around.

   It has quite a few more feature, but those I've mentioned are my favorites. Coming from 5.0 to 5.5 was fairly unimpressive, but the jump to 6.0 has made it a worthwhile upgrade.




5. I have been using Photoshop 6.0 for about a year now and I cannot imagine using any other graphics design program. If you own a digital camera, or design webpages with graphics, you need this industry standard program.

   I am not a progessional graphics designer, but using photoshop 6.0 makes me look like I am. Every graphic and photo that goes on my companies webpage was created or touched up in photoshop. The "Save for Webpage" option is great. I can see how many seconds my graphic or photo is going to take to download on someones home computer. I try to keep every graphic under 5 seconds on a 28.8 modem. Photoshop lets me do this quickly and easily!

   When I first opened up the program I didnt have a clue on how to do anything, but I got the Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book, and now I can do almost anything.

1 comments about Corel Mega Gallary 110.000 Images.

1. I WANT SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SOFTWARE. I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE IT IN STOCK. I AM VERY INTERESTED IN THIS SOFTWARE.
   PLS, LET ME KNOW VIA E-MAIL, I LIVE IN CARACAS, VENEZUELA AND I PROBABLY CAN BUY IT VIA INTERNET.
   PLS, GIVE YOUR ANSWER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop 6.0.

1. I have been using Photoshop since version 3. With each subsequent version, Adobe continues to add more and more features and functionality. These continued additions are what makes the program both wonderful and a monster all at the same moment. Photoshop is undeniably the number one tool for photographic and other image maniputlation. If you are looking to get into professional design this is the tool to learn. It is highly appropriate for both print and electronic design. There is little you can imagine that it cannot do. If however you are a beginner who simply wants to use a graphics package to make images for a personal website or edit family photographs, then buy something else. (I suggest Photoshop Elements.)

   Photoshop is overkill for the non-professional user. Some might argue that buying a toolbox that contains every imaginable tool is best. I'd argue that you may break from the weight of all that it requires you to learn. If you buy this software realize it can take months and years to master. While the effort is truly worth it, decide first if you really want to invest not just the considerable purchase price, but also the personal cost of time to learn and master it.




2. Most of you reading this have heard of, or are using a version of Photoshop. That alone attests to its popularity. And you know the basics. The single most powerful raster graphics program around, made more powerful and flexible by the number of plug-ins available.

   What's new:
   "Vector shapes" - a little misleading in its meaning. Indeed they are vector shapes, but when saved, they are rasterized. Maybe future versions will integrate the fundamentals of Illustrator (or Freehand - both the best vector graphics programs available) a little better. But the shapes feature is quite useful for logos, and small icons.

   Editable text effects - Not quite "text on a path," but a very welcome feature. After skewing the text with this feature, you are still able to alter font styles/sizes/colors with no problem.

   Dockable Palettes - a great feature, if you have a large enough monitor (17" w/high-resolution setting, 19" w/mid-res setting), in order to see the dock. Allows you to place heavily used palettes in the upper right hand section, without having to move them around.

   It has quite a few more feature, but those I've mentioned are my favorites. Coming from 5.0 to 5.5 was fairly unimpressive, but the jump to 6.0 has made it a worthwhile upgrade.




3. Photoshop 6 is it!
   After getting it from my neighbor, new worlds have opened!!



4. "Adobe Photoshop 6.0" is the way to go for photo editing. There are other options, but all are fundamentally inferior in consistency, comprehensive tools, cross-platform transfer ease.

   I'm a writer by training... I'm not a designer, but design frequently in the course of creating websites and brochures for my clients. I was concerned the learning curve would be too much. It wasn't hard to learn Photoshop at all. Sure, there are more features that I've utilized, but I've come through unscathed.

   Things I've been able to do:

   * Lots of layers. Very handy for multi-element images, especially ones with different effects or text per layer. And I can hide these layers at will, revealling them with any opacity I want.

   * Color adjustment. Got a buddy who looks a little green, or has that New Year's ruddy face? No problem. Tweak a few variables and your friend will look as sober as could be.

   * Contrast. Useful for those pics you took that somehow seem a bit dark. You know it is all in the picture, and a little contrasting can reveal all.

   * Great typographical tools. You can fine tune leading, letterspacing, and a multitude of other details which make an image shine.

   If you design, you already know that knowing Photoshop well is the key to your success. Sure, you need Quark and Illustrator as well, but without Photoshop, you'll live among the unemployed.

   If you don't design, and feel a bit intimidated by Photoshop professional-level reputation, realize that you might not need the power in this application. If getting the red out of your snapshots is your goal, or you simply want the ability to crop photos for some fun newsletters, this might be overkill. However, if you've already been down that route, using the software which came with your scanner or digital camera, but want to step up... step all the way up to "Adobe Photoshop 6.0."

   I fully recommend "Adobe Photoshop 6.0."

   Anthony Trendl




5. I've been living with 4.0 for quite a while. The 3.0-to-4.0 upgrade wasn't that big of a deal so I waited through the 4.0-5.0 upgrade for 6.0 to come out. I do run Windows Vista on this PC so this upgrade was mainly to fix some problems that 4.0 had on Vista. After the upgrade to 6.0 and letting the upgrade chew through all photos overnight, I have to say it isn't a ton different than 4.0. Some tools are better, and maybe the smart image selection and panoramic tools are much better (haven't gone that deep into it yet), but the organizer is pretty much the same and runs at approximately the same speed. My photo scrolling is still stalled for 3 seconds every time it comes across a full resolution RAW photo as it was in 4.0. Running a full photo backup still changes the names of all my photos and puts them in a flat directory so I'm 100% locked to Adobe Photoshop Elements if I ever need to restore a backup. I really hate that! I won't use Adobe's internal backup again. It takes 10 seconds to delete a photo just like it did in 4.0. 4.0 would occasionally go to lunch if I scrolled with the wheel on the mouse. 6.0 doesn't seem to have any stability issues.
   
   Overall, I feel suckered by Adobe into paying them to fix their own bugs with version 4.0 running on Vista. I've now paid over $300 for the initial purchase and subsequent upgrades for this package. My next upgrade may be to Google's Picasa where I can depend on it working though I may miss some features.
   
   I'm a former Silicon Valley software nerd who has traded the fast life for a simple life raising a family in Colorado. Money doesn't go as far out here as it did in Silicon Vally. $75 for an upgrade is quite steep! I only do that for software that I love and depend upon. Photoshop Elements has been very important in communicating with the grandparents. Adobe needs to keep this product stable or I'll try something else the next time.

No comments about Print House 2000 (Jewel Case).

1 comments about Wheel of Fortune (Mac).

1. The only people that could enjoy this game are the kids.
   But most of the questions are adult level. This can be a problem.
   If you see it somewhere at a garage sale for five bucks then maybe you should get it. It looks funner than it really is. You have to be bored as hell to even consider playing this game.
   I have no idea why I'm even writing a review for this game.
   But hey, there are worse.

No comments about CorelDraw 8.