A simplified iPhoto menu bar that stretches across the bottom of the screen keeps clutter to a minimum. It has been tweaked so that users get the most out of the expanded space. This view is more than just a larger version of the usual iPhoto interface. A neat feature: IPhoto alerts you if you try to print an image larger than its resolution allows, which keeps you from wasting ink and paper on pixelated prints.In Full Screen mode, your Mac’s menu bar, Dock, and entire desktop disappear to make room for iPhoto. It also offers a variety of printing options, from one image to multiple images per page, and preset options such as greeting card, sampler and contact sheet. IPhoto 2 added much-needed but rudimentary photo tweaking tools, so you don't need Photoshop to do minor retouching, contrast and brightness adjustments and color correction. Version 2 fixes that, letting you organize, add keywords, color correct, print and backup digital photos. IPhoto 2 (Apple, Macintosh, free download): The initial release of Apple's iPhoto showed promise as a management tool for digital photos but never seemed to have all of the functionality needed. It's not intuitive and requires more of an effort to learn than the others in this group. It does have a free trial period from its Web site (ACDSee 5.0 (ACD, Windows, $49.95): ACDSee has a cluttered look and a confusing array of icons. But it doesn't match up with the others on editing tools or flexibility on functions such as the slideshow. Picasa (Lifescape Solutions, Windows, $29.99): Picasa excels as a photo organizer, finding images on the hard drive and displaying them in folders. It may be too basic for anyone with even a little digital photo editing experience, and it was sluggish in our tests. It has a good tutorial and features the Photo Doctor, a one-click basic fix for photos. Moving the mouse over any of the icons gives additional choices. It has a simple, clean look, with four main icons down the left (Transfer, Edit & Create, Print & Share, and View, Organize and Archive). PhotoSuite 5 (Roxio, Windows, $49.99): Roxio tries hard to make PhotoSuite easy to use. For more than basic editing, though, use Elements. It includes a timeline across the top of the screen that helps you look up photos by date. It emphasizes organizing your digital photos, which it does well with a relatively easy system of placing category tags on the photos. In fact, Adobe says Album is complementary to Photoshop and Elements, not simply a lower-end version. A free 30-day trial can be downloaded from its Web site (Photoshop Album (Adobe, Windows, $49.99): Photoshop in the name doesn't mean it has all the features of its well-known higher-end cousins. In addition to a Quick Fix button for basic cleanup, Photo Album also has an Adjust Wizard to fiddle with color, exposure, vividness and sharpness. It's easy to use, includes a range of editing tools and makes it simple to share digital photos. Paint Shop Photo Album (Jasc, Windows, $49): The successor to Jasc's excellent After Shot program tops this field. These programs are aimed at newcomers to digital photography and do not include all the editing features of some of the top photo-editing programs for consumers, such as Photoshop Elements, Jasc's Paint Shop Pro and Microsoft's Picture It Digital Image Pro.
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