Rating: 
Summary: Not necessarily for the Web ...
Review: You have probably been looking for a slide show software for some time to show off your scanned pictures and slides. You probably want something easy to learn with lots of slide transitions and capabilities such as adding your voice narration, custom soundtracks and sound effects. And after you create your masterpiece, you want to share it with your friends easily.I have used PowerShow for about 3 months and I can assure you it is the best software you can buy for your money to accomplish your slide show presentation goals. The software sets up very easily with no bugs or problems. You can easily import your scanned photos, choose from over 50 high quality transitions and view your masterpiece within about an hour. What wins the cake are the transitions: they include broadcast quality "page curls" and "liquid wipes" that you might see on MTV or travel type shows. The instructions are relatively clear and they are included on MS Word format. When you play the show on your computer, the software simply accesses the picture files (so do not move the picture files after you create the show!). If you want to send someone the show, PowerShow will automatically copy all the picture files into a new folder. You simply add to this folder the included "remote" player that anyone could use to view your show. One warning: this file could get very large so emailing it might be challenging. Solution: I would suggest burning the show on a CD and just mail it to them or take it with you when you visit your friends and relatives (Thanksgiving/Christmas is coming up!) The audio capabilities is very good and easy to use. For each slide you choose one of the many included sound effects. Additionally, you can record and insert any WAV format sound effect you choose including a voice over narration. One downside is the very large file size of WAV files and I would hope SCANSOFT will include MP3 sound file support in the future (hint!hint! SCANSOFT) The big plus, however, is that if you have a favorite audio CD, simply pop it into the player and tell PowerShow what track to play and when to play it! This does not use up any computer memory but you would have to have that music CD handy each time you play that show. I had a small problem importing TIFF images but the website explains the fix for the bug. Also, you cannot output your creation out to AVI, MPEG or video which is too bad since I am sure there are many grandparents out there who don't have a computer and would love to play the show on the VCR (hint-hint #2!). This is a great software that is easy to learn and use and it gives professional results. It would be a wonderful gift for anyone who enjoys photography and slideshows. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Love Photography? You'll LOVE PowerShow
Review: You have probably been looking for a slide show software for some time to show off your scanned pictures and slides. You probably want something easy to learn with lots of slide transitions and capabilities such as adding your voice narration, custom soundtracks and sound effects. And after you create your masterpiece, you want to share it with your friends easily. I have used PowerShow for about 3 months and I can assure you it is the best software you can buy for your money to accomplish your slide show presentation goals. The software sets up very easily with no bugs or problems. You can easily import your scanned photos, choose from over 50 high quality transitions and view your masterpiece within about an hour. What wins the cake are the transitions: they include broadcast quality "page curls" and "liquid wipes" that you might see on MTV or travel type shows. The instructions are relatively clear and they are included on MS Word format. When you play the show on your computer, the software simply accesses the picture files (so do not move the picture files after you create the show!). If you want to send someone the show, PowerShow will automatically copy all the picture files into a new folder. You simply add to this folder the included "remote" player that anyone could use to view your show. One warning: this file could get very large so emailing it might be challenging. Solution: I would suggest burning the show on a CD and just mail it to them or take it with you when you visit your friends and relatives (Thanksgiving/Christmas is coming up!) The audio capabilities is very good and easy to use. For each slide you choose one of the many included sound effects. Additionally, you can record and insert any WAV format sound effect you choose including a voice over narration. One downside is the very large file size of WAV files and I would hope SCANSOFT will include MP3 sound file support in the future (hint!hint! SCANSOFT) The big plus, however, is that if you have a favorite audio CD, simply pop it into the player and tell PowerShow what track to play and when to play it! This does not use up any computer memory but you would have to have that music CD handy each time you play that show. I had a small problem importing TIFF images but the website explains the fix for the bug. Also, you cannot output your creation out to AVI, MPEG or video which is too bad since I am sure there are many grandparents out there who don't have a computer and would love to play the show on the VCR (hint-hint #2!). This is a great software that is easy to learn and use and it gives professional results. It would be a wonderful gift for anyone who enjoys photography and slideshows. Enjoy!
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