Rating: 8/10
Better known for its CD/DVD burning software, Nero has released a photo solution product entitled PhotoShow Deluxe 4. I must admit that any previous version of the software have somehow managed to escape my attention.
Nero PhotoShow Deluxe 4 consists of three main elements that are designated as Manage, Make and Share with some basic image editing capabilities thrown in for good measure. Whether dealing with still images or video clips, PhotoShow Deluxe will organise content using a hierarchical tree structure. It can find content stored within any folder on a local or network drive, accept data from a scanner or digital camera, plus access optical media and other forms of removable storage.
Selected image categories can be displayed as thumbnails in user-definable sizes. Placing the mouse cursor over a thumbnail brings up a toolbar of options including rotating the image; rate it using a star system; add it to a favourite's group; or switch to an editing mode. In this particular mode there are tools to fix red eye; adjust brightness, contrast and saturation; apply various filters; crop the image; add an animated caption; plus set defaults that will be used by the slideshow.
Making a slideshow (referred to by the program as a photoshow) is very easy. You simple select the Make option, pick the images and choose from the list of available themes that include a storybook, various music style videos and a documentary. Different settings, with regards to style, background music, frames, transitional effects and speed of display, can be adjusted. The software then does the rest and quickly produces the slideshow.
You can use the slideshow as the basic for a screensaver. Other option available from the Make section include the ability to select a photo to act as your current wallpaper plus burn content to optical media for distributing to others or for storing as an archive.
Completing the package is PhotoShow Deluxe's ability to share content with others. While you can send specific images by e-mail, the size of any slideshows really precludes this method of transfer. Instead Nero gives you a free account to a website that allows you to post slideshow content that can be access by others. You can also export your creations as a video file, executable or HTML file.
PhotoShow Deluxe's main strength is in its ability to quickly create attractive, eye-catching slideshows that can be shared with others and require the minimum effort from the user.
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