ACD Systems gives digital camera users simple help
by Alan Zisman (c) 2001
First published in Business in
Vancouver,
Issue #628 November 6-12, 2001, The High Tech Office column
Last week's column
looked at digital
cameras, suggesting that when purchasing one, buyers should put aside
some
money for a few accessories: rechargeable batteries, an AC adapter and
a larger memory card.
Another thing to think about is software. All digital
cameras come with
software -- drivers to allow your computer to recognize the camera and
some basic applications to organize and manipulate your photos. (By the
way, check the contents of the CD that comes with your camera. Often,
there
is more software on it that shows up in the setup program that launches
when you insert the disk.)
Far too often, though, the free software bundled with
your camera is
worth what you paid for it. And that's created an opportunity that
Victoria-based ACD
Systems (www.acdsystems.com) has not been shy to
exploit.
With versions for Windows PC, the Mac and now Palm and Windows
CE
handhelds, the company's ACDSee is a quick and capable image-viewing
program
for users of digital cameras and scanners and others who work with lots
of images.
The program starts off displaying thumbnail-sized
views of a folder-full
of images, along with a somewhat enlarged view of the currently
selected
image. It's easy to get statistics on one or more pictures or to create
and view a slideshow. The latest version adds new transition and timing
effects, along with the ability to add sounds and text to your slide
shows.
A find function lets you search for pictures based on
keywords in their
description or file name. You can add your own keywords and
descriptions
to images and even work with images that are buried inside Zip or in
compressed
file formats. Many will find the ability to output contact-print pages
worthwhile, along with its ability to quickly create photo albums for
the
Web.
The latest PC version 4.0 has packed in additional
features. Now it
includes basic image-manipulation features, the better to clean up and
correct your snapshots before exposing them to the critical public.
Don't
confuse these features with those offered by a full-fledged graphics
program
such as Adobe Photoshop or JASC PaintShop Pro,
though. ACDSee's
aims are more modest. But, then again, so are its learning curve and
price.
Also new in version 4 is an almost menu-free
interface; nearly all features
can be accessed from one of a series of tabbed panes. You continue to
view
the images at all times. As well, a new activity wizard walks novices
through
most functions.
You add images directly from your scanner or digital
camera, allowing
ACDSee to pretty much replace the software that came with those
devices.
Several popular camera brands are directly supported, in fact, offering
additional power beyond the generic features.
As well as supporting a growing list of graphics file
formats, ACDSee
can also be used to view and catalogue a growing list of multimedia
formats:
sound and video clips.
Performance is quite snappy, even on somewhat older
hardware. The $60
Mac version, currently at version 1.6, offers the basic image viewing
and
slide show options, but lacks the ability to manipulate images. Still,
it's fast at what it does and even plays nice with Apple's new
OS
X operating system.
ACD Systems is offering the PC version in enough
packages to cause some
confusion. There's the $75 basic pack, the $105 suite, the $120
powerpack
and the $150 powerpack suite, each bundling ACDSee 4.0 with a different
set of the company's other graphic utilities. Or, if you just want to
view
and sort your images, the $52 classic package offers an older, more
limited
version. Thirty dollars buys the Palm version and $60 gets you the
Windows
CE version. All can be freely downloaded on a trial basis.
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