Application Install Guide

Serif Webplus X2

Web design falls into one of two camps: the first type designs the entire site, including content and design, in one place, the other designs a select few templates and relies on content management software to put articles in place. Webplus falls firmly in the former camp, but this does not mean that it passes up on the latest design possibilities. You will be happy that layout uses CSS, not tables. This helps keep the layout of the pages as simple as possible, making them more access...

Sage Instant Accounts

There are no radical enhancements in the latest version of Sage Instant Accounts, just considered improvements focused around making the package easier to learn and use. Those include a new welcome page giving access to sources of help and support, and a practice mode that lets you experiment without affecting your own live data. Some of the interfaces have also been tidied and tools moved around. All of which is good, although we did still find it a little difficult in places. The Sa...

Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5

Paint Shop Photo Album blends the functions of a folder browser and an image database. Keywords can be assigned using a hierarchical tree that can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. There are some basic but effective image-enhancing tools, plus various projects like e-cards, books and calendars. You can also create slide-shows, web albums and video CDs. There's only one Photo Album database, though, so you don't have the flexibility of multiple catalogs. It's also PC-on...

ACDSee 7.0

ACDSee 7.0 is a PC-only cataloging and image-editing tool that's supplied in a bundled form with some digital cameras. You can use it as a folder browser with a standard directory tree, in a date-based calendar mode; add categories and ratings to images; and quickly display matching items. ACDSee is a powerful and versatile program. It's also complex and, with such a wealth of options, you may never have the patience or the concentration to absorb them properly. For example, you can org...

Ulead Photo Explorer 8.5

Photo Explorer is the cheapest of all these image cataloging programs. Indeed, if you buy Photo Impact 10, you get it free. It works, essentially, as a folder browser, in the same way as ACDSee and Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album. You don't get a system of hierarchical keywords, but you can enter image descriptions and search for text. This is also a PC-only program. Photo Explorer is cheap, but it's likely to leave you frustrated in the long run as your photo collection grows. The main ...

iView Media 2.6

iView Media 2.6 offers the efficiency of Portfolio, but with the simple, user-friendly interface of Elements. You can create catalogs, importing selected images or folders into each. At the same time, it can import any metadata stored in image files. You can organize images using catalog sets with a hierarchical system of tags, and there's a pretty good built-in image editor. The main advantages of Media Pro 2.6 are its speed, clarity and ease of use. You can display Media Info, or an O...

Photoshop Album 2.0

Disappointingly, Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 is a PC-only product. It makes up for it, though, with a simple, direct and friendly interface. The principle is simple: you add files and folders to your catalog, and then assign tags to images. To find images, just click the tag in the panel to the side. There are built-in editing tools, together with a selection of projects including greetings cards, calendars, web albums and multimedia sideshows. Finding images is a doodle with the tags you...