Corel Photobook

Photobook originally started life as Picture Publisher, an image-editing package developed by Micrografx. Corel has since taken over the company and given the program a new name and a bit of a facelift.

While Photobook may not cost as much as as Paint Shop Pro, it still provides a good selection of tools for correcting blemishes on digital photographs, along with a wide range of special effects and art tools.

The interface is also simple and straightforward. When you launch the package it asks whether you want to open a saved file, import pictures from a camera or create a new image from scratch. Once you've made a choice, Photobook displays your photo in its main workspace, then lists a simple series of tasks in a panel on the left-hand side of the screen.

Options include adding text to the image or applying special effects. The helpful Wizard guides you through the process and allows you to experiment so you don't need to be an editing expert to get started.

However, one or two of the program's features are a tad clumsy. One major culprit is the crop tool, which requires you to hold down both mouse buttons at the same time when you're trying to crop part of an image.

The package also comes with Photoalbum, which acts in a similar way to Adobe's Photoshop Album, helping you to organise your photo collection.

At just under £30 Corel Photobook is good value for money, and a fine choice for newcomers to digital photography.

Contact: Corel 0870 774 0202

System Requirements:

• Windows 2000 or XP
• 200MHz processor or higher
• 64MB of Ram