Photo Show 2
Software Review by Gerhard R. FischerIf you are looking for slide show-making software that is easy to learn and simple to use, yet capable of creating pleasing slide shows, Photo Show 2 is what you want. And all that for a very appealing price.
The program has quite a few built-in capabilities that serve to liven up your slide shows, for instance providing about 100 soundtracks of various genres, many different frames, a large number of transitions and transition speeds, effects and animated clip art of various kinds. It also offers a minimum photo enhancement capability, including brightness adjustment, rotation, cropping, and the addition of text to the pictures, although I would have appreciated a bit more control over the text size.
The software installed without problems on my computer (Windows ME), and it took me not long at all to produce my first little slide show. While the program does not employ windows with the conventional menu bars and/or tool bars, it generally offers the user a choice of push bars, whose function is intuitively clear.
Upon start up the push bars offer a choice between New, Edit, Watch, and Share & Publish, which let the user either generate a new slide show, edit or watch an existing show, or prepare an existing show for sharing with others. The latter option includes among others the generation of an executable file, an HTML version for uploading to an Internet web site, and the burning of a CD.
The slide shows are easily edited, including the addition of new pictures and the re-sequencing of the pictures within the show. The shows can be enhanced without difficulty through the use of one or more soundtracks, i.e., those that come with the software or the user’s own MP3 files, and by means of explanatory text added to the pictures. However, MP3 files can be uploaded to the Internet only if the user owns all applicable rights. Other features helping to improve one’s shows include the use of frames, which come in many categories, the use of effects like Blur, Flicker, Old Movie, and the addition of clip art, which can be zoomed to the desired size.
In conclusion: The present software provides a great means for the generation of slide shows with a minimum of effort and cost. I would certainly recommend it for amateur and family use and am convinced that even a "digital photography novice" will soon be able to make enjoyable slide shows.
Photo Show 2.1
Simple Star, Inc.
2325 3rd Street Suite 424
San Francisco, CA 94107
http://www.simplestar.com
US $29.99