Image Editing Software

In addition to the breadth of consumables you can sell with products of image software-such as photo-quality glossy paper or card stock-there are other software applications to consider.

Products such as Broderbund's Print Shop Deluxe Premier Edition and Sierra Online's Print Artist 4.0 offer some photo-editing features but work best when used with a standalone image editor. These packages are aimed at the home user; however, so keep in mind what your customer's goals are before pitching these titles. If you have a business user, it's more likely they'll be looking for applications that extend the image use process. These customers may be interested in an HTML editor that can incorporate images into a Web page, for example.

Image-Editing Books With digital imaging so hot at retail now, don't forget one oft-overlooked area: books. Perhaps more than any other product area, image-editing software almost requires companion books. For, while image manipulation still draws the ranks of well-trained graphic artists, it is no longer the sole purview of professionals. Many home-PC users, for example, want to try their hand at manipulating photos and sending them over the Internet.

As discussed earlier, some manipulation applications, notably Kai's Power Goo, have hit the mainstream. But, without a doubt, the biggest photo-manipulation application of all time is Adobe's Photoshop. It is the standard against which all manipulation applications are measured. Knowing that this particular product area is experiencing a dramatic growth in sales, consider recommending Photoshop books that will help consumers better understand the product they're buying and that will make a healthy profit margin for you.

Inside Adobe Photoshop 4 provides an extensive, thoughtful examination of the product and its uses. For example, the book discusses not only editing images with layers, but also notes the hardware limitations your customers will be forced to deal with when they try to output those images. Similarly, it offers extensive comments on "the artistic side" of image creation, well beyond halftones and duotones.

Photoshop 4 Complete, like Inside Adobe Photoshop 4, is designed for the intermediate and expert user (though it reads a tad more dryly than Inside Adobe Photoshop 4). It's a no-nonsense guide that packs a lot of value between two covers.