Image Editing Software Reviews

You're faced with a decision, should you purchase the most expensive software you can find, or.... download a freebie off of the web. How does the software stack up? Will it do all that the creators say it will? Read on to discover the humble, (or not so humble) opinion of the WDVL Reviewers...

Anim-FX Lee Creek September 9, 2002	Anim-FX works a little differently than many FlashTM creation and animation programs, but Anim-FX is definitely worth a look for those wishing to create web animations, banners, or text effects.
Xara Webstyle 3 Lee Creek August 5, 2002	Software upgrades have to be exceptional to get reviewer Lee Creek's attention. Read on to find out what Lee Creek finds exceptional in Xara Webstyle 3.
3D Flash Animator Lee Creek July 8, 2002	FlashTM creation programs are becoming more and more common, but the word "common" hardly describes 3D Flash Animator from Australia's Insane Tools. The program offers a great combination of features and ease of use, unlike many such programs that seemingly require a PhD to operate.
Vue d'Esprit 4 Lee Creek June 3, 2002	For those who usually find 3D software to be a major drag on their patience, Vue 4's scenery creator software is a welcome relief. It does what it does quickly and efficiently.
Anark Studio 1.0 Lee Creek April 8, 2002	Anark Studio 1.0 is such a powerful multimedia creation program that you may want to purchase a ticket just to see the results of your own work. In fact, the only way to not be impressed with the program is to never see it at all.
Sothink SWF Decompiler MX 2002 Pro Lee Creek March 27, 2002	Having a problem with Flash well here's your cheatsheet. Sothink's Decompiler breaks down .swf files and stand alone flash movies so you can view there inner workings and that's not all.
Photoshop 7.0 Linda Cole March 26, 2002	Will Photoshop 7.0 be worth the wait? Without a doubt! The File Browser, Healing Brush, and Web Gallery make this upgrade well worth the price, but there's more. You also get the new Paint Engine, Security features, Spell Checker and customized workspaces! Adobe has outdone themselves with this latest version of Photoshop.
CeledyDraw Lee Creek March 20, 2001	Looking for a drawing program that has more to offer? CeledyDraw may be just up your ally. CeledyDraw is multi-faceted with drawing tools, internet graphics and desktop publishing capabilities. The price might surprise you too!
Flash Designer Lee Creek March 13, 2002	If you've felt overwhelmed trying to use Flash files or if you just want a way to make the whole process easier this is it. Flash Designer takes a lot of the guesswork out of using Flash and at a price that won't break you.
ImageMatics StillMotion Creator	Its name appears to be an oxymoron, but ImageMatics' StillMotion Creator is indeed a very smart tool for web designers looking to add special effects to otherwise static web pages.
Buzz.Pro 2.0	For those who wish to create art that could be worthy of the great masters — and for whom it normally would be a stretch to use a roller to paint a wall — a plugin called buZZ.Pro 2.0 just might be the tool.
Swift 3D	Swift 3D is designed to create 3D content for Flash and Adobe Illustrator, but the difference in it and many such programs is that it is highly usable even without previous experience, and it is easy and useful enough to create excellent Web content.
UltraSnap Pro 1.5	While there are a lot of good screen capture programs on the market, Web designers who need to make a lot of captures would be well advised to look closely at UltraSnap Pro.
Adesign 1.01	For those who are hesitant to spend several hundred dollars for a top-notch photo editor and a top of the line drawing program, there is an easier and cheaper way to get many of the same results.
Ulead PhotoImpact 7	It is easy to look at PI7's price tag and consider it a lightweight next to the Photoshops of the world, but for the price and the number of features it offers, it is more than a viable alternative to those wishing to save a few hundred dollars.
Magic Flare 1.0	Magic Flare offers the ability to make truly outstanding entry pages to a Web site or impressive banners for use within pages.
Zoner Draw 4	ZD4 is perfect for Web designers needing illustrations, logos, navigation art, or just about anything else. Further, because of its ability to work with bitmaps and its extensive list of import and export formats, it can save a lot of time and the use of many other programs.
The Logo Creator 2.0	There are a lot of good graphic software programs on the market, but it's always fun to locate one that catches you by surprise. The Logo Creator 2.0 is one of those that caught me off guard — it looks simple, but beneath that exterior is a solid workhorse.
Sothink Glanda	Glanda is a great little program for making Flash menus without having to be stressed-out about working with Flash itself, making it great for neophytes. It also has enough options to make it a nice time-saving device for the experienced users, too.
Amorphium Pro Edition	Amorphium Pro is probably not the best choice for someone's first- ever graphic tool, but more experienced users can take advantage of its many powers to produce some extremely fine work.
Xara Webstyle 2	Xara has consistently produced top-quality software, and the improvements in Webstyle 2 just proves the company is getting better and better. Considering the time Webstyle 2 can save, the quality of its ouput, and its price, the program is a steal.
Wildform SWfX Version 2.1	Recently released version 2.1 is one of the better Flash-type text creation programs we've seen, and it is one of the most complete. The program alone comes with 300 effects, and even more are available for free at the Wildform Web site. Further, users can make their own effects.
CoffeeCup GIF Animator 6	Having seen several GIF animators to date, CoffeeCup GIF Animator 6 is perhaps the most complete and user friendly one that we've tested.
Canvas 8	Deneba's Canvas software is like a fine wine in that it gets better with age. Unlike wine, the latest version -- Canvas 8 -- is reusable, won't leave you tipsy, and the only way you wake up looking at something ugly is if you create it that way before you go to sleep.
Flash Utilities	As Flash becomes more and more a part of routine life on the Internet, it follows that there has been given birth to utilities to help improve the experience. This review covers three of those utilities: Clipyard, Wildform Flix, and FlareWorks.
Toon Boom Studio v.1.0	The lines between Web animation and animation for film and television seemingly narrow on a daily basis, and a new software product named Toon Boom Studio is further blurring those boundaries with its immense power and creative features.
Mix-FX	If you like Flash, you will love a product called Mix-FX. You will also like the fact that you don't have to risk reaching retirement age before it begins working on your Web page.
FlaX	A comparatively small program from Goldshell Digital Media that packs a lot of punch, FlaX is inexpensive, and produces Flash that is both professional looking and easy to implement.
Swish 1.5	Not all Flash projects have to be monstrous productions befitting a Hollywood producer. Some can be used to simply add life or interest to a page or Web site, and that's where a program such as SWiSH 1.5 can be most useful.
Firestarter	Firestarter helps level the playing field for those of us who love using Flash™ on our Web sites but have too short of an attention span to learn all the intricacies of some the existing programs
ButtonFly	ButtonFly is a definite buy for Web builders, graphic artists, and others needing multimedia graphics because of its many features, capabilities, low price, and overall quality.
Real Draw Pro 2.1	Real Draw Pro is a must have for computer graphics artists, and a big advantage for Web site builders. The program is easy to use, so much so that even those who are not artistically trained can use it.
Photoshop 6	The industry standard — Adobe Photoshop — has just gotten better with what is perhaps the largest update since version 3.0 was released back in 1994.
3DWebButton	From Rudenko Software, 3DWebButtons requires no artistic talent to produce good looking buttons, banners, and headings for Web sites.
Eye Candy 4000	For first time users, EC4000 is a $169 purchase that provides an endless combination of graphics effects that can be used inside several of the major graphics programs on the market.
Mayura Draw	Mayura Draw is a graphics program that offers far fewer options than CorelDraw and other such hard drive consuming programs, but what it does provide is a quick and easy graphics editor that is much smaller in size (a mere 460 KB) and in price ($25) when compared to most others.
Trellian Button Factory	There are programs to help users build buttons for their Web site navigation, others to help them construct image maps, and still more to help them create full menus. Trellian Button Factory is a program that does all that -- and a whole lot more -- and it does so while requiring users to do little more than choose a look they like.
ViewletBuilder 2.5	Viewlet Builder is a great program for people who have a specific need to create presentations for the Internet, which site builders often do. The freeware version of the program is a bargain to behold.
Flash 5	As you surf around the Internet today you will begin to notice that numerous sites have begun to implement many aspects of one of the latest Macromedia products - Flash 5. If you have experienced Flash 3 or 4 get ready for a whole new excitement with this latest version!
Callisto	While it doesn't offer everything that Corel Draw does, Callisto runs quickly and offers more than enough features for most Web builders.
Babarosa	Babarosa allows users to build animations by importing graphics or by creating them within the program, using a combination of vector graphics, images, and text.
PhotoLine 32	PhotoLine 32 is a better program than one might expect for the money. Hard-core pros will prefer Photoshop, for example, but inexperienced users will find that it is a great program to learn their trade while not having to crack their piggy bank or sacrifice a child.
Plugin Galaxy	Be a step ahead of the competition when it comes to web graphics. Plugin Galaxy is an add-on program that provides more than 20 plugins, with more than 120 basic effects and works with more than 20 applications!
NetStudio 2000	While the stated target market for NetStudio 2000 is non-artistic business users, the fact is that it is a handy graphics tool for just about anyone building internet sites. It is inexpensive, extremely versatile, and allows difficult tasks to be performed quickly and easily.
XaraX	Xara, the English company that previously created such quality products as Webster, Webstyle, and Xara3D, has, with the release of X, perhaps come up with its best product yet.
CyScape Browser Hawk	With such a steep, slippery slope to overcome compatibility issues, it's hard to imagine how Flash developers will cope as the browser wars rage on and more platforms support Flash Players. Here is one idea: Browser Hawk
Studio Artist 1.5	Studio Artist is not your typical paint program. It is, according to creators Synthetik Software, Inc., a graphics synthesizer.
Mac/PC Review: Canvas 7 and Canvas 7SE	Even in the "old" days, Canvas was a good tool for technical drawings, but its usefulness today is as good for the internet and other forms of desktop publishing as it is for the slide-rule crowd.
Concept Draw	Users of Visio will recognize ConceptDraw immediately. It has a similar look, feel, usefulness, ease of operation, and quality. The difference today is that Visio is now Microsoft Visio 2000, and ConceptDraw sells for about $70 less.
Photo Studio 2000	Low-priced photo manipulation programs often are worth just what they cost, but PhotoStudio 2000 is a product that throws the price-to-quality ratio test into disarray.
CaptureEze Pro	It doesn't seem so long ago that a top-of-the-line screen capture program would grab the screen and only give users the option of saving it to a hard drive. Today that is no longer the case. CaptureEze Pro stands far above most other screen capture programs because of its many options, and one option in particular.
ActionBars 1.2	Immedia's ActionBars, a fast, easy to operate menu generator.
Into the Beta with PSP7	Paint Shop Pro 7 is a stoke of genius on the part of Jasc Software. Who would have thought they could find any more features to add, or have improved on the existing features... but they did! Just take a quick look at what's new...
DRAW-iT 2.2	If Photoshop or CorelDraw are out of your price range, you might want to consider a little graphics program called Draw-iT... and save yourself $679 at the same time!
Flash Forward 2000	After years of forging through the frontier - displacing the indigenous gif89a and foraging for the elusive idea - it looks like Flash is building permanent settlements. Just looking down the FF2K, it is apparent that specialized disciplines - and, more importantly, widespread recognition of them - are forming.
20/20 Review	It doesn't require perfect vision to find an image editor with lots of extra features, but one that does come into clear view is a program named 20/20 from byLight Technologies.
Paint Shop Pro 6	If you're using Paint Shop Pro 5 it's time to upgrade, if you're still stuck in PSP4 it's definitely time to get your life back on track and move forward with what may well be the best graphics program available for the money.
Web Graphics Optimizer 4.2	There is nothing more frustrating than going to a web site anticipating having your socks blown off only to find that waiting for it to load is akin to watching grass grow. It seemingly takes forever and isn't all that exciting. That's one reason why Plenio Software's Web Graphics Optimizer 4.2 should be a part of any web builder's arsenal.
Web Image Guru Review	Where at one time putting photo-graphic edges around an image took perhaps several steps, masks, layers, and tricks of the trade, Web Image Guru makes the job quick and easy.
Live Motion - Super Bad	If you are serious about Flash design you'll find uses for Adobe Live Motion. It's amazingly insightful and mature for a beta - for any app in its first 3 generations. Scripting language or not, you should have it in your toolbox. Thumbs up.
Emotion 3D Review	Emotion 3D, made by Anark Media, is extremely useful for making animations, rollovers, clip art, or reducing GIF files, and the program does it quickly and economically. Sound good? Find out more...
Ulead Cool 3D	Ulead's Cool 3D has evolved from "one of the few alternatives" into a decent titling program, and now into one that any web designer needs to in their arsenal.
Xara Products Review	Three products from Xara, Ltd., are not billed as a suite, but having them all can be pretty "sweet" for web builders. The programs Xara Webster, Xara WebStyle, and Xara3D together form a potent source for the many elements one might need while building a web site.
Director 8 Shockwave Studio Review	Director has been the authoring tool for multimedia in every genre except the Internet for years, and now Director is marching on the last frontier. With Director now more widely accessible to developers and users alike, every web professional that deals with multimedia should consider whether to invest.
CompactDraw 1.02	Building web sites often requires working with vectors and bitmaps, and that can mean constant switching between graphics programs to get the job done. One of the most viable solutions to this problem is a program called CompactDraw 1.02. In fact, it may only be a few thousand dollars away from being a great solution.