Image Editing Software

The common areas that users want to fix on a picture are color imbalance and the appearance of red-eye, and erasing unwanted objects from a photo. It's usually as simple as selecting the area to fix-by dragging a box around it, then clicking on the menu for the feature wanted in a computer imaging software.

An ex-boyfriend in a picture, for example, can be cropped out in PhotoDeluxe by tracing his image and running the “Clone Tool.” The software will remove the image, and then match pieces of the background until it hides him. Color imbalance is handled in Microsoft's Picture It! when the user takes the eyedropper from the menu and clicks on a spot on an image that should be white. The software adjusts the color automatically.

Photoshop and Photo-Paint, on the other hand, require users to learn what ultimately very complicated applications are. And having good design sense is a plus, because there aren't any kindly old "wizards" to walk users through a project.

Entry-Level Editors Adobe PhotoDeluxe, LivePix and Microsoft PictureIt!, and ULead iPhoto Express are designed for novice users. These packages take sophisticated technology and automate an otherwise complicated process. They are designed for the home user.

Low-end image-editing packages:

* Usually include some form of light image-management for tracking files.

* guide users through projects, such as making a greeting card or calendar with favorite images.

* are often bundled with a scanner, digital camera or printer.

Some image editors, such as Goo from MetaTools, are designed to complete very specific tasks.Often, software publishers will take algorithms and technology from a higher-end product and boil them down for less-experienced users.

Take red-eye removal as an example. Normally, a user would have to select the area to edit and manage it by hand; with these packages, the software does the heavy lifting. The technical explanation is that the software assesses the color and light source reflected on the eye, makes adjustments to mask the red eye with colors similar to the rest of the eye, and then darkens the center to create a pupil. A good package will also include realistic light reflection (white pixels) in the eye.

Business Suites A business user generally wants to be able to fix an image for a specific purpose. These customers already know that images in business literature, whether it's a Web site, a proposal or marketing collateral, can make them look better. Still, it's always a good thing to mention.

There are several products in this category, including ULead Photo Impact and JASC Paint Shop Pro. Corel Photo-Paint is priced in this tier but is positioned as a competitor to Adobe Photoshop.

Business packages generally are:

* Task-oriented for the needs of a small office, including such items as step-by-step directions for business cards, letterheads, memos or faxes.

* priced between $ 79 and $ 149.