Photo Explosion Deluxe

Photo Explosion Deluxe offers a stunning array of editing tools. We started with simple contrast and focus adjustments and then curled the edge of our photo as if it was lifting slightly from its backing mat. We added a few translucent soap bubbles in the top left corner, threw a softened spotlight on the subject's face, and placed some clouds and streaky raindrops throughout. We then selected an antique frame, titled it with an ornate script, and even added our signature at the bottom right. Although every parameter of the editing process is fully adjustable, the program can also perform a variety of automatic modifications.

After you've explored the central application, you'll want to investigate the extra three CDs for even more ideas and concepts. Here you'll find scores of artistic and fancy fonts, hundreds of miscellaneous stationery and greeting card templates, and oodles of professional-grade photos covering a wide range of subjects, from scenery and sunsets to scantily clad models. The fourth CD houses bonus software available only in Photo Explosion's deluxe version, including a utility for panorama stitching and two tools for configuring and exporting your photos to handheld computers. The final application, DVD PhotoPlay, allows you to build a slide show from selected images, burn it to a CD-RW, and play it on any CD or DVD player that supports Video CD 2.0.

Photo Explosion Deluxe is recommended to those who want to express themselves artistically through their digital photos. A fast Pentium 3 processor or above is suggested for advanced editing. --Gordon Goble