Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
6 Months

Visitors rate this review
4.20 of 5,
5 votes

Summary:
I work as as an research engineer in the field of Imaging & Information Technology. I have had exposure to many of the various image processing packages that have come down the pike over the past 15 years. I have even written a number of routines myself, for inclusion in proprietary products. I also am a webmaster for four websites; all of which are very graphics / image intensive. Micrograpfx Picture Publisher 8.0 is my tool of choice for almost all of my image manipulation tasks. I have used it to recover "hopeless" digitizations of extremely poor contributed photos, donated by site contributors. I have used it to denoise video capture frames. I have used it to extend the sensitivity of both video capture and digital camera photos to low light conditions. I have used it to soften and harden focus, to adjust gamma for the screen, to correct tone imballances to do gif "silloettes" and on and on. The program is easy to use, without reading the accompanying manual. Two levels of undo (^Z and revert to last saved) allow you to back away from processing goofs. The processing and artistic tools are generaly more than addequate. Heck, I am still finding different and better ways of doing things after a long period of use. The canned macros that are available in this program are a fascinating and usefull set of tools. I particularly make use of Photo/unsharp, Photo/remove-pattern, Gamma, Tone, Contrast, Color Balance, Photo/sharpen, Magic-Wand-fill. PaintBrushFilter/Impressionist and others. Tomorrow, I'll probably add more to the list. The macro recording and batch macro play capability is a god send for those occasions when you have a large number of images which you need to perform similar processing on, such as a resize to a common size for publication. There are only two small weeknesses that I have run into. 1. Would be nice to have a larger undo buffer 2. Would be nice for program to remember your last processing selection instead of always returning to default positions. 3. Some functions (Such as gif transparrency) are hard to find. But, these are relatively minor for such a reasonably priced package. I constanly recommend this package to anyone with an interest in image based computer graphics.

Strengths:
Rich Tool Set Inexpensive Reasonable Manual Ease Of Use Choice of image formats. Preview Functions

Weaknesses:
1 deep undo buffer No default setting adjustment Hidden Functions

Similar Products Used:
Photo Shop Paint Shop Pro

Customer Service:
Adequate

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 Year

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5,
2 votes

Summary:
We got this software when we bought our flatbed scanner. We have been very pleased with the software and its versatility in editing our scanned photos. It was easy to learn the program and how the tools worked. We felt like this was a good compliment to our scanner purchase and it was decently priced alternative compared to some of the expensive photo editing software packages, with all the capabilities we needed.

Strengths:
Easy to use. Good price

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Adobe Photoshop

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
2+ Years

Summary:
I used Picture Publisher 3.0 for a number of years and now I am using 8.0. As far as I am concerned, it out-performs all photo editing software in its class. It has all the features you could possibly need to work on your images. I also have PhotoShop 5.0 which only gets used if there is something Picture Publisher can't handle and that is not too often. For around $100 you simply can not beat this product.

Strengths:
None

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
None

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months

Summary:
I highly recomend Micrografx Picture Publisher 8.01 ($119.00). It out performs even the so call super standard, Adobe's Photo Shop ($614.54 with shipping). I have used many of the lower price image programs and found them (Picture IT II, Adobe Photo Deluxe, and Corel Photo 5.0)very good. For many people that is all they will ever need. I still use Picture It if I want to link over the net to Kodak for large prints. As a Photographer for about 35 years, I found myself using the darkrom less and the computer more to do my pictures. I them decided to spend the $600.00 for Adobe Photo Shop 5.0. It has many capabilities well beyond the lower cost products. Since I am a programer as well as a Physical Chemistry Scientist, the terms used in the program to describe features of light(brightness, gama, hue, and etc) were not that difficult. As a photographer I can appreciate the ability to shift colors and to use a mask on top of the photograph to modify elements of the picture. I then returned the software with the complaint- IT IS TO OVER PRICED TO JUST DO A LONG LIST OF MANIPULATIONS THAT CAN BE HAD WITH - Micrografx Picture Publisher 8.01 ($119.00). If you want a Best Buy get Picture Publisher. If you want bragging rights buy Photo Shop. You can even buy add-ins for more money for Photo Shop that may be useful for someone who has run out of reasonable photo effects. Give Micrograf's Picture Publisher ......................................[6 Thumbs-UP].

Strengths:
None

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
None

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months

Summary:
This is my prime software for managing images. I have used PP3, PP5, and PP7 and this is the best! I really like the many wizards and effects possible. It is very easy to learn and use and produce stunning image manipulations. The new effects such as lighting, camera and edging are fabulous. A great value for a great program. It has many features lacking in Photoshop.

Strengths:
None

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
None