PhotoImpact XL

With digital camera sales still on the increase, it's no surprise that Ulead has decided to target the latest version of PhotoImpact at owners of said digital technology. However, PhotoImpact XL is by no means alone in this market and has the likes of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Paint Shop Pro to compete with.

The application looks the same as the previous version of PhotoImpact, so old hands will have no trouble finding their way around. Newcomers, however, might find it a little more difficult to navigate through the various menus and options on offer. Despite some useful walkthroughs, including 40 minutes of video tutorials, the poor quality of the online help files can often make it hard to work out exactly how to use certain features.

Possibly the biggest selling point is the ExpressFix Digital Photo Adjustment wizard. As its name suggests, this feature takes you through the often complex process of improving the quality of your digital photos. Over the six-step enhancement process, the wizard will examine and adjust the likes of exposure levels, colour balance and focus. The end results are pretty good. Alternatively, there are also plenty of manual adjustment features to tinker with.

In terms of extra software, Ulead has done pretty well. Among others, you'll find the image organiser Photo Explorer 8, a panoramic photo creator utility called Cool 360 and 500 high-quality images from Hemera Photo Objects.

There's no doubting that PhotoImpact XL has more than its fair share of features. You'll find plenty of interesting (though sometimes not wholly useful) effects to apply to your images, while some of the more advanced tools you would associate with Adobe Photoshop are also present.

However, there's nothing that really makes it stand out from the crowd and despite the addition of some professional tools, you get the feeling it's still marketing itself as a 'quick and fun' product rather than a serious image editor.

Contact: Ulead
www.ulead.co.uk