Photo slideshow software seems to be all the rage at the moment. The latest example, GSP's Photos On TV, is the cheapest we've seen.
The program works well enough and even manages to offer one feature that we haven't seen in any of its rivals. You start work by importing your photos into the program's Selection window, along with any music files you might want to use for your slideshow's soundtrack. You can then drag and drop photos and music files quickly on to the Storyboard panel that runs along the bottom half of the workspace and is similar to the storyboard option included in many video-editing programs.
Once that's done, you can add transition effects or captions, and adjust settings such as the speed of transitions or music volume. The transitions include a fairly routine selection of fades and wipes, but there is one burst of originality in the form of a morphing option that lets you blend one photo into another. The final step is to burn your slideshow to a CD or DVD so that you can give it to family or friends. The program provides a good selection of templates for creating DVD menus.
For the most part, Photos On TV is easy to use. However, one or two features, such as the morphing tool, can be a bit confusing at first. Unfortunately, no printed manual is provided with the program, and there isn't even an electronic manual available as a PDF. Online help is available, but this lacks detail and didn't help us with the morphing tool.
Photos On TV is excellent value if you just want to create CD or DVD slideshows, but if you also want to organise your photos, Magix's Photos on CD & DVD 5 (What's New, Shopper, August 2006) is better value. If you want to edit your files too, Adobe's Photoshop Elements 4.0 is an excellent choice and also lets you create slideshows.
System Specifications
Requires Windows 98 SE or above, 600MHz processor, 128MB RAM, 100MB disk space, CD/DVD burner (optional)
Author: Cliff Joseph
Computer Shopper Online