Image Editing Software

Microsoft's PhotoDraw 2000 is similar to PhotoDeluxe in its image editing capabilities, but it includes a larger selection of effects, the ability to add freehand drawings and a greater range image slideshow of options for manipulating the look of images and text.

By itself, PhotoDraw can handle most simple desktop publishing tasks, and can turn just about any image into a professional-looking Web graphic. PhotoDraw should hit the market early next year - just as those holiday photos get back from the developer. It will integrate well with other Microsoft software such as Word, Publisher and the FrontPage Web editor. Beginners can use its pre-configured settings, while advanced users can tinker to their heart's content.

When starting a new PhotoDraw project, you can select a number of pre-set output sizes in sizes ranging from full-screen images to mailing labels. You can insert your photos into these or open the photos up directly and resize the work area as desired. Once your picture has been through basic editing, PhotoDraw can apply a number of effects ranging from outlining images to creating 3-D pop-outs. You can even create frame effects with PhotoDraw's PhotoBrush feature, which wraps a photographic image along the outline of a shape or image.

The images in the pre-release version's PhotoBrush feature included snakes, eight-balls, rulers, chains and a host of other eccentric objects suited to frame duty. PhotoDraw's text effects are also flexible. Once you've added text to your image, you can resize it, change its color, wrap it around your picture in a circle or arch and generally do anything to it that you can do to images and drawings.

Like PhotoDeluxe, PhotoDraw includes generic templates for documents such as certificates, mailing labels, postcards and greeting cards. A wizard on the left side of the screen guides you through the use of the template, allowing you to replace the images and text used in it with your own. Both PhotoDeluxe and PhotoDraw are powerful tools with their own natural constituencies. If you're more apt to color outside the lines, Microsoft's product will give you a little more creative latitude. But either way, your photos need never collect dust in a photo album again.