http://www.photopos.com/
Reviewed November, 2006
What’s it do?
Photo Pos Pro is an advanced image and computer graphics editor. It
promises a wide variety of possibilities in the fields of image enhancing
and image editing.
Does It Do What It Promises?
Does it Do What It Promises?
Reviewer 1: The tool is – without a doubt - a powerful aid in
graphics editing, exactly as the Web site claims. If you're a professional
image editor, you are already using Photoshop, and you won't be switching,
since it is the standard interface. However, if you are a user who wants a
powerful tool for image editing, more so than those found in many
lower-end programs, then this is probably a pretty good bet. While some of
Photoshop's more advanced functions don't exist here, many of them
actually do. If you are a beginner in this field, I think there are better
programs for you. This application contains just so much, that a beginner
can easily be fazed by all the choices. The help system is touted as being
comprehensive, and I can’t argue with that, although the number of
tutorials and tips are way too sparse.
Reviewer 2: In my opinion, the claims for Photo Pos Pro on their
Website are overstated. For the beginner, they promise that “you can
easily begin to use the program in an intuitive fashion” I’m not a
beginner, but I did not find this program to be intuitive at all. The
program’s display of a multitude of small icons is confusing, it is
difficult to determine where to begin, and figuring out how to
appropriately use and customize the tools is a challenge. For the advanced
user they promise that “you will probably be amazed to discover the
infinite possibilities which the program has to offer in the fields of
Digital Image Enhancement and Computer Graphics” While this program does
offer a wide variety of editing tools, they pale in comparison to
Photoshop in their breadth, power, and speed of execution.
Reviewer 3: Yes. The claim on its Web site that that it “allows you
to create, edit, enhance, print, and manipulate your digital photos and
computer graphics” is, at best, an understatement as this program allows
you to do much, much more.
Reviewer 4: Yes. This is a very professional program that gives the
competent artist or professional photographer a wide variety of tools that
can be applied to photos, graphics, scanned images or any other type of
visual representation. In spite of being very amateur, I am amazed at the
things that I can do using this program. The developers claim "If you are
a beginner you can easily begin to use the program in an intuitive
fashion. .... With the Help system, you can turn from a beginner to a
professional user." I am certainly not a professional user, but with the
aid of PhotoPos Pro, I can already do a lot of things that I quite
honestly never thought that I would be able to accomplish.
Reviewer 5: Yes, and much more, with a small exception. This
application has a myriad of functions and capabilities that I, as an
intermediate user, had never used or imagined could be possible. The
single exception is the Web site promise that a beginner can work with the
program intuitively, without any worries. The learning process is not
quite as simple as this. Given the scope of the program, it takes a bit of
time to learn the nomenclature and functions.
Was It Easy To Install?
Reviewer 1: Installation went OK with no strange things in the EULA.
It is also good to point out that the application just doesn’t change file
associations without asking. But the choice was either all or none. This
should be changed in future versions.
Reviewer 2: The more major concern was the required agreement to
one of the most heavy-handed license agreements I have seen for a software
program. The company’s license agreement restricts use to one user on one
computer and requires the user to hold the company harmless and indemnify
it in the event of legal action. Installation was fast and easy, but there
were the following areas of concern. The simple one was a popup box asking
whether you want to associate all useable graphic files with this program. While I appreciate being asked before a program makes or changes
file associations, there was no list of which file types would be
associated with this program, and no indication of which programs those
file associations would be removed from.
Reviewer 3: Yes. The download is an amazingly small 24.42MB—almost
1/20th the size of Adobe Photoshop (440MB)—which installs quickly and
easily using a standard installation wizard that allows you to choose the
directory or file where you want the program installed, as well as
placement of icons and shortcuts. It is necessary to restart your computer
for the installation to fully complete.
Reviewer 4: My initial installation went very smoothly, and gave me
no trouble at all. If you are not installing to the default directory, it
would be a good idea to create the directory folder before doing the
installation. The “Browse to the directory” does not have a "Create
Folder" option. Or, if you know the complete path, you could type it in,
including the new folder name(s). It allows you to choose where to locate
the start menu shortcut, and includes a shortcut to the License Agreement.
You can print the End Users License Agreement (EULA) during the
installation – a nice touch that I like to see; I wish that it were a part
of every installation process. You are also warned to backup any files
that you are going to work on, so that you can always go back to the
original if needed. During the installation, you are asked if you want to
associate all supported graphics files with this program. I answered "No"
to this question, and it has not caused any particular problems either
with the program, or with the normal functioning of my computer. Once you
have done all that, installation takes less than a minute. When it has
finished, you need to restart your computer. That said, I did have
problems, though, when I tried to update the program to a newer version.
All went well until the registration process, when the computer hung up
and could not complete the final step. The support staff was very
responsive, and we had several email exchanges while they tried
to isolate the problem. Eventually, there were able to resolve what was
causing my particular problem, so that I was able to complete the
registration process properly. However, it seems that this process may
have some bugs that need to be worked out.
Reviewer 5: Absolutely. There was not a single hiccup and
installation did not require any special skills. Registration, too, was smoothly
performed.
Good Points.
Reviewer 1: The menu gives great image information in one window and
zooms in another and the window layout is very easy to work with. The
startup is very pedagogical with graphics-filled tips of the day and a
link to “Show me what to do”. But there are far too few examples. The
auto-update feature is also very nice. The help dialogs with graphics are
well-written and provides a lot of information (with some exceptions, see
below). There is a multitude of functions for professional editing. I was
a bit surprised to see, for the price, how many advanced functions the
program had and how well they worked. I could play with histogram curves
for advanced image corrections, I could use layers, and. in all honesty, I
could do almost everything I use Photoshop for. I tried some picture ratio
conversions, resizes to both PAL and NTSC image frame sizes, TIFF
sequences to be used in a video editing software, and the more basic
image-correcting functions such as color/contrast/black level adjust, etc
.All these worked well.
Reviewer 2: Photo Pos Pro’s tutorial program provides a
step-by-step to performing specific tasks. It is the best way to help a
new user determine the style of workflow with this program.
Once you figure out how to use and customize the tools, there are some
advanced editing tools such as the ability to modify images using
histograms or working with layers. As an advanced “Paint” program, there
are many “cartoon effects”, photo frames, and pre-formed shapes.
Reviewer 3: As we gather more and more photos and images on our
computers we often find that they need to be lightened, darkened, resized,
rotated, cropped, textured, sharpened or softened. There is a need to
remove red-eye, filter, soften and/or remove unwanted objects, scratches
and dust marks. Additionally, there are times when you want to change the
format of your picture or graphic from Bmp to Jpg or even Png and would
further like to enrich your images with graphics, mask, layers, or simply
by adding a variety of texts. Now you can do all of these things, and
more, easily with a single software program and without spending $600.00
for a program such as Adobe Photoshop, but rather $45.00 for Photo Pos Pro
Image Editor by PowerofSoftware Ltd. When first opening the application
you may be a bit overwhelmed (I was) by the number of options included in
the software; however, there is an excellent help menu as well as a
step-by-step tutorial that will have you feeling quite the professional in
a relatively short time even if you are a beginner. Then, by taking each
of the many options one by one you will quickly discover that they are what you
always wished for to give your pictures that professional quality they
always lacked. It is impossible in this short space to explain, let alone
discuss each of the many tools available so let me mention just one which
I thought justified, in and of itself, the entire price for this program.
The “Super Magic Brush” is not an animation from the latest Disney film
but does contain some of that Disney-like magic. With this tool you can
instantly and easily correct minor imperfections such as on faces. You
simply select the area on the picture which is most similar to the area on
which the imperfection is located and repair! It is really just that easy.
There is no need to try to match or manipulate color gradients or
saturation exactly as the “Super Magic Brush” does this automatically.
There is also yet another “magic brush” with which you can have great
fun—the “Clone Brush.” With this tool you can do such things as give a
picture of a friend a “third eye” or clone their face on a coconut tree or
the front of a car, or literally whatever you want. The possibilities are
only limited by your imagination. And if your “magic” gets out of hand,
there are two erase tools (Erase and Custom Erase) to literally
reconstruct anything you have altered. In addition to what has already
been mentioned, Photo Pos Pro also includes a batch operations, scripting
abilities, a picture browser, and the ability to expand the software
yourself. If you have an idea for a function that is not already included
in the program, in many cases your can add this feature yourself. You can
create new functions, additional filters, and so on. You can even share
the new features you have designed with anyone you wish to by simply
sending them the relevant files. At requirements of 256MB RAM and 300MB of
free disc space, its requirements are approximately one-half those of
similar programs such as Adobe Photoshop and, unlike the Adobe program,
Photo Pos Pro can be used with Windows 98/ME/XP and does not require a
high powered Pentium III or IV and can be used with 800X600 screen
resolution. The one-time price includes all future updates. Technical and
customer support was excellent: friendly, fast, and knowledgeable. There
is an uncrippled full version offered for a free thirty day trial that
includes technical support.
Reviewer 4: On the Website, support is promised to be as soon as
possible, with a maximum of 48-72 hours turn-around. Once, it took longer
than the maximum, but in the email that I eventually received, apologies
were offered because their server had been down. With that one exception,
response was very quick; on one occasion I had an answer within the hour.
In every case, the questions were courteous and effective, and if I did
not let them know if things were satisfactory, there was a follow-up to
see how things were going. Kudos for support – a very important part of
any software program. As with many other programs, a "Tip of the Day"
comes up when you start the program. (You can, of course, turn this off).
You can click on a "Show me how" link, which will bring you to the
relevant Tutorial. Each tutorial is an excellent step-by-step explanation,
with clear illustrations, showing how the function works. This gives a new
user a good introduction to the basics of graphic manipulation. Of course,
I started with a particularly troubled photo, which needed many repairs.
To my surprise, and with help from the tutorials, I found that I was
actually able to repair it enough so that it is now quite respectable. As
I worked with PhotoPos Pro, I began to stumble onto little tricks that
made using the program a lot more fun. For example, you can use access the
zoom (in and out) using the wheel on the mouse. I found this to be very
helpful when I was working on a particular detail or other of a photo. I
found the "Axis Lines" toggle under the View Menu; this immediately
improved the accuracy of the work I was doing. Many functions come with a
"Preview" window alongside the present condition of the graphic or part of
the graphic that you are working on before accepting it. So, you can try
various combinations of the option you have, and see what result it will
give. I also noticed that there are additional bells and whistles
available for free on the Website, such as general or specialized frames
and various picture packages that you can use. They also offer a free "Lite"
version of the program, and a privacy protection program; however, be
aware that these latter two offerings are "Ad-supported" programs with the
ads being managed by WhenU. To be fair, PhotoPos Pro is up-front and clear
about that. The program is very flexible. Once you have passed the amateur
stage and start to work at more advanced levels, you can manipulate the
program to adapt it more to your needs. For example, the program provides
you with a number of brushes, each one with its particular talents. If you
have a certain effect that you are going to use frequently, you can create
a custom brush with those qualities and save it for future use. I was also
impressed with the amount of control that you can have over colors. In
other, more basic paint programs or paint modules, I have often seen a
color drop-down box; but the colors are pre-defined. In PhotoPos Pro this
is also true; but, you can select any color, and by moving sliders around,
you can change the red-green-blue combinations. You can change the hue,
saturation and luminosity. It really is like an artist's palette, where
you mix your paints to get the exact color you need. Of course, if you
wish, you can create a new, blank "canvas" (instead of opening a photo)
and simply paint whatever you like, with a nearly limitless choice of
colors and all the other tools of a regular paint program. PhotoPos Pro
encourages you to create your own adaptations of the program. Not only
can you create and save new brushes, you can do the same with curves,
filters, and scripts. You can send any creation that you particularly like
to your friends, so that others can share your improvements. You can
download a fully functioning trial version of the program and use it
freely for 30 days.
Reviewer 5: Most important to me was that this application has a
thirty-day trial, apparently without limitations. Since there are so many
branches to explore, it can take some time to get a handle on the true
capabilities of this program. Also, this program may turn out to be
more than you will need today, or in the foreseeable future. In
considering purchase, you may face the trade-off between what it can do
vs. what you really need, counterbalanced by ease and speed of use. Even
given the wide array of choices, Photo Pos Pro is not overly difficult
to travel through. Selections and further drop-down selections are very
logically laid out. Even when you get into the most esoteric functions,
between the dropdowns and the undo function, it is relatively easy to try
further choices and variations thereof without bogging down or getting
lost somewhere in space. Many programs provide voluntary tip pages – not
always helpful or desirable, therefore soon inactivated. I found the tip
pages here to be interesting and valuable in that most either gave me
fresh ideas as to what manipulation potentials the program had, with
assistance by link or elementary starting instruction in finding and using
the features. Not for a long time will I be disabling these. I am certain,
given the time, once you master the features offered, you will amaze
yourself with the things you can accomplish by using this program. At the
core, this is a valuable tool, however idle flights of fancy are available
too. All the things mentioned are great if they perform correctly and
logically and don't create mayhem with other programs on your computer.
During my testing, I experienced no inaccuracies, nor did I find program
conflicts, even though I usually had many other programs working at the
same time.
Weak Points.
Reviewer 1: The application seems to be not 100% stable all the
time. I had trouble on two computers starting up the application a number
of times and had to try 2-3 times before it started. This also occurred
with some of the tutorials: When clicking on a tutorial button the program
hangs the first two of three times. This may well have to do with some
other application or service I have running on two of my computers, and
I’m sure this kind of problem could be investigated and resolved, but it
is a sign perhaps that the application is still in need of some
development. The English wasn’t always up to par in the help files either,
for example: “Click with the mouse any ware.” There are too few examples
for “show me what to do.” The application has to close for the auto-update
to work.
Reviewer 2: Execution of editing changes was slow, with a delays
measured in seconds between the mouse click and the rendering of the
change. Customizing editing tools was initially a confusing challenge.
Many of the common tools are displayed as a series of small icons on the
left side of the screen. Hovering over the icon triggers a display of the
title of the tool. In a Windows environment, I would expect that
right-clicking on the tool would trigger either a detailed description of
what the tool does or a list of options for customizing the tool. In this
program, right-clicking does nothing. However, if you are observant, you
will eventually notice after you left-click on a tool icon that a single
line of text appears at the bottom of the screen giving you simple
instructions for using that tool. Reminiscent of the old DOS days,
pressing the F1 button will trigger help and the F2 button brings up a
screen to “view/change the tool’s properties” which are the detailed
options needed to effectively use that tool. Further exploration of this
program revealed that if you go to the toolbar and click on “View” and
then “Toolbars and Dialogs” you can check the box next to “Tools Dialog
Box” to have the detailed tools option box open automatically when a tool
is selected. Having this option selected as the default option would have
made this program easier to use and understand. While browsing thumbnail
images, I right-clicked on the thumbnail image I wanted to open and
clicked on the “Open” option but this did not open the image. I found that
opening the image required double-clicking on the thumbnail. The program
provides an undo/redo function as you would expect. You can undo multiple
steps, but there is no indication of what the function you are undoing
will be until you have undone it. The step being undone should be
specified, such as “undo sharpening”; or, a history of edited steps should
be provided. You can zoom in and out on images or display them in “full
size” . This does not expand the image but does black out the border
containing the editing controls so that just the image is displayed on the
screen. There should be a “fit on screen” function to maximally expand the
image while retaining the editing function. By default, many of the photo
editing changes are displayed only on very small thumbnail sized images.
It is possible to preview changes automatically or on demand in the full
screen image, but this is not the default mode and it introduces long
delays in the editing process. There are little disconnects which make
this program uncomfortable to use. One example is in the “Tip of the Day”
which describes three ways to correct Dark, Very Dark, or Extremely Dark
photos. A link states “Show me how”. It links to the help section dealings
with only one of the three solutions with no links to instructions for the
other two solutions. Another example is the “Tip of the Day” dealing with
how to create “flame effects”. The tutorial takes a painstaking detour,
instructing in detail how to draw a matchstick before finally getting
to the desired topic of how to create the flame effect.
Reviewer 3: There are really no serious weaknesses in this program.
It is complex and your ease of use will not come as easily as some
programs on the market, but Photo Pos Pro is as feature-rich as Adobe
Photoshop and will not require the learning curve of that program. The
License only allows use on a single computer—something that I generally
object to—but considering the price and value of this program I will even
let that pass. The GUI (graphic user interface) could be a bit more
intuitive but this is somewhat offset by the excellent help files and
tutorials. The only serious flaw is not with the program itself but with
the EULA (End User License Agreement) which states that there is no
guarantee that this software is virus free. This single “weakness” sadly
prevents me from recommending this otherwise near-perfect program
notwithstanding that the copy I downloaded contained no virus or spyware
of any kind.
Reviewer 4: Although the Help file is good, and excellent in some
parts, such as the Tutorials, a Glossary would be very helpful. For
example, mention is made of acquiring images from "Twain Source" devices.
As far as I could determine, this includes digital cameras along with
scanners. I was unable to acquire images directly from a digital camera,
so I am not sure if it is because the particular model I was using, or if
it is not a "Twain" device, or if I was doing something wrong. It would be
handy to have a glossary, available either directly by a hyperlink, or in
a separate glossary of technical terms. Many software developers these
days set up a discussion forum where users can share tips and ideas and
answer each others, questions. Some have their own support staff moderate
the forum directly; others encourage a relatively independent forum, with
a competent user or two to act as moderators. As PhotoPos Pro is certainly
a complex and rich software program, I am certain that users would benefit
greatly from such a project. Apart from sections dealing with questions,
feedback, and user tips, there could be a special forum for users to
upload their own brushes, curves, filters and scripts for use by other
PhotoPos Pro users.
Reviewer 5: This program is slow in loading, approximately 20-25
seconds. This is understandable to a degree given to the scope of features
it provides; but, nevertheless, it is a small inconvenience. This is
particularly annoying when opening a picture file from your desktop or
pictures file. A faster approach, but perhaps less familiar to some, is to
browse through the Photo Pos Pro thumbnails. But then again, unless the
program had either autostarted or had been used earlier and still on your
bar, you will have the same initial wait. Some of the dialogue was not
initially clear to me, causing me to muddle through more than I should
have. The program's strength creates a “weakness”, though that is probably
the wrong term: the relatively long learning period. This is not a program
you install and use with considerable proficiency to its full extent two
or three hours later, not unless you are familiar with Photoshop or the
like.
Other Comments.
Reviewer 1: Clearly the program is not intended to be a replacement
for professionals, but it is a very attractive alternative for anybody
wishing to have a powerful image editing tool without having to make a
living from working with it. If that is your agenda, stick with Photoshop;
otherwise, PhotoPos Pro has much to offer.
Reviewer 2: Upon my initial installation of this program, the video
display of all of the programs I used was affected with small scattered
dots appearing to be related to visual elements/objects from Photo Pos
Pro. This problem was so severe that I uninstalled this program after
doing its initial review and this resolved the problem.. While Photo Pos
Pro was uninstalled, I cleaned my registry as part of a review for another
program. When I reinstalled Photo Pos Pro, the video problem did not
reappear. Since I could not duplicate the problem, I cannot tell whether
the uninstall/reinstall process, the registry cleaning, or something else
fixed the problem.
Reviewer 3: I hope the developer will provide reasonable
justification for implying that Photo Pos Pro might contain a virus. If
this is from a concern that a virus could be attached to the program by
mirror download sites, then it is the Company’s responsibility to
determine those sites and use only reputable mirror sites that guarantee
that no programs offered for download contain viruses or spyware.. If, on
the other hand, this disclaimer is the result of some over-zealous
attorney, my advice is to find another attorney. If you are willing to
amend your EULA to remove the disclaimer, I will be more than happy to ask
my editor to amend my review, recommending this product without
qualification.
Reviewer 4: As a learning amateur photographer graphic artist, I
normally find myself intimidated by almost all the graphics programs that
I have played around with. If a program is to be helpful to serious
artists and professional photographers, it is necessarily technical, and
must include many advanced functions that make it worthwhile for the pros.
On that front, Photo Pos Pro is certainly "pro", as it needs to be. I was
delighted, therefore, to find the "How To's” and the "Tutorials" in the
Help File. I have been taking each of these tutorials one-by-one, and
experimenting with them. I am actually very impressed with myself. I have
made some very bad photos usable, and have discovered how to make all
kinds of repairs and enhancements that I have heard can be done, but had
no idea of how to get there myself.
Reviewer 5: I'm not sure this is the best program for the casual
user, but it is certainly a wonderful program for those who want more:
photo specialists or hobbyists, perhaps for scrapbooks, Web site artists,
those who have special pictures needing correction, or those wanting to
learn a new craft. This program did everything I could imagine. The pixel
manipulation was straightforward and flexible beyond that to which I am
accustomed. This is a strong program. If it fits your needs after your
trial, I think you'll find it worthy of purchase.
Will You Continue To Use It?
Reviewer 1: Yes, I will keep it on my computer and wait for further
versions to come out that address the comments above. This can be a very
good program, when the “wrinkles” get ironed out.
Reviewer 2: No.
Reviewer 3: Yes, but only because I know my copy of the program is
free of virus or spyware.
Reviewer 4: Yes. This is an excellent program, with very good
support. It is a great value for the price and is highly recommended.
Reviewer 5: Yes I shall, if for no other reason than to hone my
skills in areas I've not experienced before. I use IrfanView for my
standard needs, but this lets me put my imagination to work, creating new
stuff previously unimaginable.
OPERATING SYSTEMS USED IN THIS REVIEW
Windows XP Pro, XP Home, XP Media Center
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