GENUINE MICROSOFT PICTURE IT PHOTO STUDIO BRITISH VERSION  2001

These days, it's difficult to find a graphics program that stands out in a crowd of identical software offering the same features. Microsoft, with PictureIt! Photo Studio 2001, present a software package which distinguishes itself from its copycat brethren through innovation and ease-of-use.

Gone are the pop-up windows with dozens of arcane developer-written options. They've been replaced with an instructional panel which offers hints and clear, concise instructions on how to get the desired performance out of every tool. Every task can be performed using PictureIt!'s user-friendly wizard-style interface. Because the wizards don't pop up in dialog boxes, they don't detract from the functionality of the program in any way.

Some software programs may offer a hundred options that can enhance the way you work, provided you can first navigate your way through five levels of vaguely labelled menus and then decipher the programmer-speak describing what that option does. In PictureIt!, all available options are no more than two clicks away and are clearly described and documented.

The help system has also been given a big facelift, making it much easier to use. Not only does it instruct, it inspires, with dozens of creative ideas on how to use the program. The help system has also taken a technological leap; if you perform certain tasks for the first time, the program will even ask if you would like to watch an easy-to-follow tutorial video on that subject.

In addition to its revolutionary interface advancements, PictureIt certainly packs a wallop of features. Start with a blank project, or choose from over 500 project templates including calendars, greeting cards, invitations, flyers, and Web photo albums. Choose from over 20,000 photos and frames provided by PictureIt!, or use your own photos from the web, a scanner, a digital camera, or disk.

Altogether, PictureIt Photo Studio 2001 offers a tremendous bargain and a first-class product that will allow even a novice to create both print projects and Web presentations, as well as well as perform advanced photo-editing tasks previously only available in complicated and expensive software packages. A great deal no matter which way you look at it. --Victor Andersen, Amazon.com