Dec. 10, 2001

Taiwan's Ulead Systems Inc., which has become a world leader in consumer video editing, image editing and Web graphics software, recently released its Ulead PhotoImpact 7, which has already received international praise, as PC Photo Magazine's editorial team commended the excellent usability and granted PhotoImpact 7 and Editor's Choice Award, in the December 2001 issue as part of the Top 50 Editor's Picks issue.

The company attributes the early appreciation of this software to the close attention of user's feedback, while also keeping abreast of industry advances in imaging and graphic technology, a spokesperson for the company told the press.

In PhotoImpact 7, throughout the program, Ulead presents image-editing tasks intuitively to help new users get started quickly. But the company has not forgotten the more power- unad professional-oriented users, who seek total creative control, including a number of timesaving tools and adjustments to the user interface that will make using the software more productive and efficient.

But it is the rise of e-mail and the ability to send photos over the Internet that has helped software for photo imaging to hit mainstream consumers. Thus, Ulead claims, one of the new software's main strengths is its ability to help the average-gifted private user to achieve professional-looking results.

Besides that, photographers with more experience will appreciate higher-end tools such as the lens distortiion effect that corrects spherical and trapezoid distortions occurring in photos produced with simpler cameras that do not have expensive lens corrective filters. PhotoImpact 7 also includes a new "Zoom-Blur Effect" to simulate lens techniques used to create motion-blurring effects.

While digital photo editing is a popular function of image editiing softrware, the ability to create graphic elements in equally important. The most dramatic new design tool of PhotImpact 7 is the Z-Merge Tool that creates a "Z-axis" to provide a means for placing objects in 3-dimensional space.

Version 7 adds Web features that will allow both new and power users to create dynamic, professional quality Web graphics and pages. In example, PhotoImpact now supports JavaScript effects allowing designers to create pop-up menus, remote rollovers and other effects to enhance sophisticated Web designs.

Ulead has also included a copy of its GIF Animator 5, the company's full-featured stand-alone GIF animation software.A new True Color object model allows users to manipulate and create multiple object animations quickly and easily, while support for roundtrip auto-updating from PhotoImpact sets a new stanard for integration.

Uleas has already paired its PhotoImpact 7 with Microsofts's new Windows XP operating system, which the company said makes it easier and intuitive to acquire, manage and share pictures from a digital camera or scanner.

Prices for Photoimpct 7 start at US$ 89.95 for the downloaded product and go to US$99,95 for the boxed product. Previous PhotoImpact users will be able to upgrade for US$59.95 in boxed form or US$ 49.95 downloaded.