.co.uk Review

Serif PhotoPlus 6 is a fun little photo-editing package that sets out its palettes and tools bar in much the same manner as more expensive programmes such as Adobe's Photoshop or Corel's PhotoPaint. Tools are laid out in a bar to the left of the screen with tool tips appearing at the bottom of the screen. By default palettes or tabs appear at the right but they can be closed or moved around. Effects and filters are accessed from drop-down menus. The advantage is speed: everything is available with just a couple of clicks. It's all straightforward if you have used any other mid- to high-end photo editor, but can be a bit daunting to newcomers. There is a brief manual to help start off. Bundled on the CD are 400 free fonts and 600 animated GIFs plus a bonus CD with Kai's Power Show so you can turn your pictures into PC-based slide shows.

Serif PhotoPlus 6 is a fraction of the price of the high-end software, and is good photo-editing software for the hobbyist. Although it covers most of their functions and tools, it isn't as professional or slick in its output. There are a couple of annoying bugs; using the gradient tool inside a selection produces a fill in the wrong place and the layer blend modes mysteriously change when calling up the property menu. Still, Serif PhotoPlus 6 is very neat and cheap for the photo-editing power it offers, and in the end you get what you pay for. --John Cranmer

Manufacturer's Description

An essential image-editing tool that lets you create, manipulate and enhance photographs, bitmap graphics and Web animations.

Perfect for producing professional looking images and FX for print, multimedia and the Web. Powerful features include:

Image Capture
Capture and create almost any image. Supports industry standard import/export file formats and TWAIN input from scanner and digital devices.

Digital Darkroom
Enhance, repair and tweak your photos for the best results! Adjust brightness, hue, saturation, contrast and more - plus red-eye removal!

Export Optimiser
A simple effective tools that allows you to see how your image will look [and its size] before you save and export. Simultaneously previews 4 images according to file size and quality.

Creative Tools Powerful tools including Paintbrush, Airbrush, Clone, Smudge and Erase with adjustable brush setting including size, shape, softness and fade.

Layers and Masks
Layer manager lets you prefer and alter specific layers, use masks with graduated fills to create transparent FX.

Animation
Easy to use Animated GIF FX