Neat! New rival for photoshop!

eydryan · Sep 20, 2005

It appears that Microsoft has launched a little program boasting better file management and more filters than photoshop, batch processing and also easier operation (with the possibility of advanced too).

It's called microsoft digital image 2006 and you can get it na:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=90&p=&SrcDisplayLang=en&SrcCategoryId=&SrcFamilyId=f3ba983b-8c10-44f6-9044-2bb1464937dc&u=http%3a%2f%2fdownload.microsoft.com%2fdownload%2f7%2fc%2f1%2f7c156099-eb1e-4046-9c38-b5eef806f0bc%2fDigitalImageStarter06.exe

Meysha · Sep 20, 2005

hmmm i haven't downloaded it yet. Do you think you could post a link to the site with info on it, instead of straight to the exe? so i could read a little bit more about it.

Could be rather exciting, if microsoft do it right and don't make the program too bulky. Adobe's stuff is very bulky and you need a powerful machine to get good results anyway I guess so that doesn't really matter.

Dweller · Sep 20, 2005

here you go.

http://www.microsoft.com/products/imaging/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=003

it appears this may be a trial, but I could be misreading something.

Meysha · Sep 20, 2005

ok I still haven't downloaded it but I did watch their little flash intro on it. And it just looks like a fancy version of Google's Picasa to me. It's got more editing functions than picasa does. And yes it does look easier to use than Photoshop. But that's one of the good things about Photoshop... you can get really intricate and fiddly if you want to.

This will be a great product for novices to understand the basics of photo editing before they move on to the complex world of PS. But I don't think it's going to be a rival for PS.

I must admit, I hate the Bridge in PS. It's way tooo big and it just is too bulky to run on my machine. So I use picasa for organising my photos and cataloging them.

eydryan · Sep 21, 2005

precisely! oraganisng photos is what i want it for, and quick retouching so that a good photo looks better. And not dramatic turnabouts from bad to extremely good like you can do in photoshop but it takes years

and if it beats picasa i'm all for it!

wil · Oct 22, 2005

At first glance I would say ACDsee was a better program and alot cheaper....IMHO

'Daniel' · Oct 22, 2005

Nothing Rivals photoshop :thumbup:

It's flawless.

Meysha · Oct 22, 2005

I love constructive posts... don't you.

Care to embellish a little, daniel?

DocFrankenstein · Oct 22, 2005

Meysha - the guy's claim is ridiculous. More filters than photoshop? pfft

I'm with Daniel

Meysha · Oct 22, 2005

Yes i agree the original claim about this program being better than PS is false... in some respects. PS will always be the 'editing' choice.

But for file management, I think that Bridge does a shocking job. It's ridiculousy slow.

danalec99 · Oct 22, 2005

check out www.apple.com/aperture
I'm jumping ship!

DocFrankenstein · Oct 22, 2005

What's bridge? I use ACDSee and am a happy camper

Meysha · Oct 22, 2005

Adobe Bridge.

The new name for it's file browser.

Wow... I just checked out that Aperture program. The Lightbox feature is awesome!!
:-( Now I have to buy a mac. hehehe thanks... I was looking for an excuse!

'Daniel' · Oct 23, 2005

Care to embellish a little, daniel?

I think my post said it all

Aperture looks interesting, I dare say they'll release it on PC when they realise people aren't going to buy macs just for that.

I think if you have a brand new mac it would be really god but most people won't have a fast enough computer to see the benefits of its speed.

Unimaxium · Oct 23, 2005

Daniel said:
I think my post said it all

Aperture looks interesting, I dare say they'll release it on PC when they realise people aren't going to buy macs just for that.

I think if you have a brand new mac it would be really god but most people won't have a fast enough computer to see the benefits of its speed.

There's virtually zero chance apple's ever going to release this for PC. The mac is the de-facto industry standard for most types of professional media editing. Many professionals these days rely on macs for Photoshop work, and now they have this to pull even more pros in. Aperture is just another addition to Apple's pro application lineup, along with Final Cut Pro, Logic, Motion, Shake and DVD Studio. All of these are considered by many as the leaders in the video media industry. These are the kinds of programs that professionals buy computer systems for, not the other way around. After all, when your income depends on the kind of results you put out and how efficiently you do it, the system you use should be the best you can get. And that's what the macs offer.

Aperture is a pro program, especially at its $500 price point. This isn't the kind of thing the average guy will pick up at the local computer store if he has the right of system for it. Many pros already use really high-end macs for Photoshop, and I bet there will be a number switching or upgrading to use Aperture.