PhotoImpact 8

While the workspace may seem rather cluttered when you have all the toolbars, option bars, and palettes open, the Palette Manager lets you dock and hide palettes easily. You can also record a set of editing steps to reuse later. Tools like the Post-processing wizard (to fix problems like redeye) and the EasyPalette (which lets you browse fills, effects, shapes, text styles, and templates) help you get great results without being an expert.

Combining several images is easier with the Match Background and Defringe features, which prevent your additions from sticking out like sore thumbs. The selection tools let you select several areas in one image at once, and you use control points to get your selection to cover exactly the area you need. Effects range from subtle to dramatic, including animated Particle Effects like rain and fire and the eye-catching Star Filter that adds some sparkle.

PhotoImpact 8 doesn't just convert your pictures to the right format for Web pages; it builds the Web pages for you, including JavaScript effects to create an album with controls to move from picture to picture. You can also burn an album onto CD. The printing controls are excellent for printing several photos in a range of sizes and shaped, from thumbnails to CD labels.

With this many features, you'll need to take the time to find out where everything is to make the most of it, so it's good to see that PhotoImpact 8 comes with the kind of comprehensive printed manual that's becoming all too rare. You also get GIF Animator--the definitive program for creating Web animations--and PhotoImpact Album for organizing your images.

Instead of features for professional graphics designers, PhotoImpact 8 sticks to tools for photo enthusiasts, including some innovative options you won't find elsewhere. --Mary Branscombe