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. It operates as a plug-in for those programs, offering 23 filters, each with sliders and choices to fine tune the end result as the user wishes.

The Macintosh version requires Adobe Photoshop 4.0 or later, Adobe Image Ready 1.0 or later, Macromedia Fireworks 2.0 or later, and Deneba Canvas 6.0 or later. The Windows version works with the following or later versions of Photoshop 4.0, Image Ready 1.0, Jasc Paint Shop Pro 6.0, Corel Photo-Paint 8, Fireworks 2, and Canvas 6.

For those who already own Eye Candy 3.0, the upgrade is a $69 buy. However, all versions are sold through Digital River, and when we went to buy the downloadable upgrade that company's Web site did not function properly and did not offer clear direction.

It took three long-distance calls to DR and three from them to get to the point of downloading. Then, ineffective directions for downloading (and unannounced problems downloading with major browsers) required yet another long-distance call. Fortunately their support person was very nice and tried to help, diffusing my temper, if not my nerves.

After all that, the day got better when I installed the program. It has a new user interface that makes the filters easier to work with, using sliders to provide any number of options for each filter. For those with several sliders, they are arranged on tabs to keep the interface from being oversized.

Another new feature is a bevel profile editor, used to control bevel and carve effects. There are preset choices, but users who use fine tuning to get their own can save the result for later use.

There is also now a color gradient editor available for the Fire, Gradient Glow, Smoke, and Star filters. Users can determine the color, opacity, and other elements of the effect they choose. Another change is that Photoshop users will be offered parameter units (inches, pixels, etc.) to match their current Photoshop settings.

While EC4000 offers seamless tiling options for many of its filters and unlimited Undo/Redo options, one of the most convenient changes is that once a filter menu is opened, users can use a drop-down menu to switch to other filters while in the preview.

Users can view all layers, and gain access to direct control by clicking on an arrow in the preview mode. In Fireworks 3 and Canvas 7, filters work as "Live Effects."

Speaking of filters, many of the previous filters have been updated with new options, and there are five new filters. The new ones are:

• Wood: Create different types of wood effects with varying grains.
• Marble: It looks like, well, marble. Great for backgrounds.
• Melt: Realistic melting appearance with pooling and adjustable drip length.
• Drip: Makes paint drip look, complete with pooling.
• Corona: Creates solar flares, gaseous clouds and other astronomical effects.

• Fire: New color gradient option allows users to make flames look even more realistic.
• Fur: Make fur or hair look fuzzy, curly, dense, and control hair length.
• Weave: Make a drawn lawn chair look just like the real thing.
• Glass: Make clear or color glass, complete with lighting variations.
• Gradient Glow: Glows are more realistic with color gradient options.
• HSB Noise: Helps add detail to fractals and wrinkles.
• Antimatter: Easy way to make rollover effects for buttons.
• Bevel Boss: Great for making bevels or carves, including the ability to vary depth and size.
• Squint: Make a selection, then blur the rest with this filter to make part of the graphic stand out.
• Water Drops: Change the size of the drops, frequency, and shape.
• Shadowlab: Make drop shadows or perspective shadows with ease.
• Motion Trail: Make parts of a graphic appear to be in motion, including options for speed, opacity, and length.
• Star: Polygon creator that allows you to choose the number of sides.
• Chrome: Gold, silver, copper and other metal effects.
• Cutout: Make a selection in a graphic, then add shadows to make it look like a hole.
• Smoke: There is a fire filter, so this was necessary.
• Jiggle: Distorts graphics and text.
• Swirl: Spirals and crystalline effects.

Eye Candy 4000 is a must for those who wish to escape the limitations of Photoshop's native filters or who wish to add variety to other compatible programs. Further, its many options make it a bargain and can replace other, more expensive, programs.

What is it called again? Eye Candy 4000

Where can I get it? http://www.alienskin.com

How much does it cost? $169; $69 for an upgrade

How big is the download? 2.6 MB.

Is it worth it? Most definitely the product is worth the price.