Auto F/X Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+

Auto F/X Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+

"An Edge For Every Occasion"

Click on a thumbnail to enlarge it. Use your browser's "BACK" button to return to this review when done.

Type of Product

Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+: Auto F/X has taken its Photo/Graphic Edges program, along with the previous 5 volumes of edges, added additional volumes and packaged them together in Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+. The package now includes Photo/Graphic Edges 4.0, the original 5 volumes (I, II, III, IV, and Over-the Edge), plus 12 new volumes of content for a total of over 10,000 edges. Even though the program itself has not been modified (Photo/Graphic Edges 4.0), Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+ is an excellent upgrade just for the additional edges. Not only can you add edges to your image, but you can also add special effects such as: carves, bevels, sepia tones, mezzotints, grains, glows, burns, distortions, and textured and colored mattes. Users have complete control over the opacity, softness, border width, color, background, edge roughness, depth, film grain and dozens of other creative aspects that enhance the photo and effect. Some of the variety of looks and styles you can chose from are: Filmstrip; Deckled; Simulated Polaroid Transfers; Film Frames; Impressionistic; Watercolor Fadeouts; Brushed Acrylics; Rubbed Charcoal; Splattered Airbrush; Etched Scratchboard; Vignette; Hand Painted, and much more. The advantages Photo/Graphic Edges has over other edge or frame programs is that: (1) it is a combination plug-in and stand-alone application; (2) it includes the largest collection of edges and effects in one package; (3) it includes a full printed manual; (4) and it works in Photoshop as well as other programs such as CorelDraw, Corel PhotoPaint, Fractal Painter, and Paint Shop Pro.
In the past, the 5 volumes together with the program had been retailing for a total of $399.00 or $149.00 per volume of edges if sold separately. Auto F/X Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+ is $199.00, with upgrades from previous versions priced at $129.00. It works on both the Windows and Macintosh platform.

User Level

Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced computer users. Since it is easy enough to apply the basic effects in this program, a beginner computer user with some knowledge of design or photography should have no problem with it. Because it works not only as a plug-in but as a stand-alone application, it would be an excellent package for a beginner who just wanted to play with special effects and image enhancement without having to buy or learn another program such as Photoshop.

Features

Includes 17 volumes of effects, over 10,000 edges in all.
40 Special Effects including carves, bevels, sepia tones, mezzotints, grains, glows, burns, distortions, and textured and colored mattes.
1,000 full size and seamless texture backgrounds which form mattes behind the edges.
200 Lighting tiles that enhance the lighting and tonal look and feel of the image.
100 sepia and mezzotint tiles can add a colored or grainy look to images.
Create an unlimited number of edge effects for enhancing images and photos.
Effortlessly create unique artistic effects like sepia, mezzotint, and grain.
Effects History Log allows user to record, and turn effects on and off.
Supports unlimited undo, zoom, and pan features.
Onscreen controls allow users to rotate, scale, and move edges in any direction.
Supports multiple edge loading for an infinite number of edge combinations and looks.
Backward compatible with previous versions of Photo/Graphic Edges.
Users can create and load up their own customized edges.
Effects can be combined together, for example, glowing bevels and shadowed burns.
Works as both a plug-in for Photoshop, and as a stand-alone application.

Review

As we have previously fully reviewed the features in Photo/Graphic Edges 4.0, and since there has been no changes in the application, this review will just briefly redescribe the effects and apply them to numerous images, along with edges from the new volumes. (Please see our prior review for an in-depth discussion.)

Lighting Tab--There are 200 lighting tiles included in Photo/Graphic Edges. Lighting can be applied to just the image or the background or to both. These tiles can be used to blur, sharpen, lighten, darken, dampen, and smudge images. Adjustments can be made with scale, opacity, and softness controls. With Lighting effects, you can: add a subtle or dramatic tone and feel to otherwise flat or ordinary images; add light to the effect to blend backgrounds and foregrounds together; and change the colors or softness of an image where the light tile falls across it.

Shadow Tab--Shadow controls enable you to quickly add depth to the edged image by generating a soft underlying shadow. After adding a shadow, users can control the direction of the shadow, distort it, reverse it, offset the shadow distance, and adjust the scale, softness, and opacity of the shadow. Experimenting with color and grain on shadows provide for some creative shadow looks.

Distort Tab--Distort enables you to alter the edged appearance of the effect so that any edge can have a wide variety of styles applied to it. Distort roughens and weathers the edge effect. The appearance of edges can be warped to create a rag effect. Photo/Graphic Edges has a variety of tiles to use, each with a distinct look. You can distort the edges as well as the image with the vertical, horizontal and warp distort controls.

Bevel Tab--By beveling an edged image, a totally unique look is created. Inner and outer bevels can be created. You can alter the width, depth, and smoothness of the bevel as well as the scale, opacity, and softness. Bevel effects work well with textures, colors, grain, sepia, and lighting effects for one-of-a-kind results.

Carve Tab--Carve enables you to sink an edged image into a background color or texture, or into an image for a recessed type of look. You can control the illusion of depth by altering the surface qualities, lighting, and shadow of the edge and image independently. Changes can be made to the direction of the carve; you can reverse the effect and taper the edges.

Glow Tab--Adding Glow to an edged photo is one of the best ways to add a distinctive finishing touch. Glows are also ideal for separating images that are layered in complex collages. Glows are easy to add with this feature. You can control the smoothness and color, as well as use a tile to distort the glow. A grainy appearance can be applied and the double punch feature can be used to intensify the look.

Burn Tab--Burn lets you create a singed and burned effect around edged photographs. Burned edges can then be distorted, colored, scaled, and softened. The distance the burn is merged into the image can be controlled and there is a double punch button where the burn is twice as intense.

Grain Tab--Giving a photo a grainy appearance is a great way to add a creative touch to an image. You have the ability to fuse realistic film grain onto an image. Adding a Grain effect to your image is great for giving your image an old and weathered appearance. Grain also includes over 100 tiles which enable you to simulate screens and patterned effects.

Sepia Tab--Creating Sepia tones on your photographs can simulate a wide variety of artistic appearances. The program includes over 100 handcrafted, textured Sepia tiles from which colors are fused into the image for a wide variety of interesting tonal looks. You can adjust the hue and color of the sepia, dampen it, inverse the pattern, and adjust the scale, softness, opacity, and range.

Matte Tab--You can fuse textures around an edged image to form a textured photo matte. The program includes 1,000 professionally shot and scanned texture images. Combining this feature with the carve and bevel effects can give depth to an image. You have a diverse assortment of textured images to choose from, such as paper, metal, fabric, stone, and artistic surfaces.

Matte Color--Matte Colors enable you to surround your edge effect with a wide variety of colors, including simulated pantone spot colors. The colors can be adjusted with noise effects, saturation and hue.

Personal Comments

Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+ is an excellent package. There are unlimited possibilities in the program for a professional designer who really has talent and can utilize all the bells and whistles the program provides. But novices who want to spruce up their photos should also give it a try as it is easy to use and you can use the stand-alone application if you don't have any other graphic programs. It's great for all types of layouts such as brochures, newsletters, and the Web. See the Auto F/X Web site for information on other products http://www.autofx.com They have tips on using this software, designer resources, beta versions of new software, special promotions and links to other related sites.

System Requirements

Windows:
Windows 95/98/NT 3.0.1 or higher
Minimum 32 MB RAM/64 MB recommended
Storage space 100 MB or more in disk space on your startup drive (for swap disk space)
Supports Adobe Photoshop 3.0 - 5.5, CorelDraw 8.0, Corel PhotoPaint 8.0, JASC Paint Shop Pro 5.0, Fractal Design Painter 5.0, and Adobe Photo Deluxe 2.0.

Macintosh:
Power Macintosh Processor
Minimum 32 MB RAM/64 MB recommended
Storage space 10 MB or more
System Software 7.1 or higher
Supports Adobe Photoshop 3.0 5.5, Fractual Design Painter 5.0, and Adobe Photo Deluxe 2.0.

Graphics: DeMorgan WebSpice 1,000,000 Page Design Edition & Adobe Photoshop 5.5
Web Page Editor: Macromedia Dreamweaver 3.0

Auto F/X Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+ "An Edge For Every Occasion"
Click on a thumbnail to enlarge it. Use your browser's "BACK" button to return to this review when done.

Type of Product

Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+: Auto F/X has taken its Photo/Graphic Edges program, along with the previous 5 volumes of edges, added additional volumes and packaged them together in Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+. The package now includes Photo/Graphic Edges 4.0, the original 5 volumes (I, II, III, IV, and Over-the Edge), plus 12 new volumes of content for a total of over 10,000 edges. Even though the program itself has not been modified (Photo/Graphic Edges 4.0), Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+ is an excellent upgrade just for the additional edges. Not only can you add edges to your image, but you can also add special effects such as: carves, bevels, sepia tones, mezzotints, grains, glows, burns, distortions, and textured and colored mattes. Users have complete control over the opacity, softness, border width, color, background, edge roughness, depth, film grain and dozens of other creative aspects that enhance the photo and effect. Some of the variety of looks and styles you can chose from are: Filmstrip; Deckled; Simulated Polaroid Transfers; Film Frames; Impressionistic; Watercolor Fadeouts; Brushed Acrylics; Rubbed Charcoal; Splattered Airbrush; Etched Scratchboard; Vignette; Hand Painted, and much more. The advantages Photo/Graphic Edges has over other edge or frame programs is that: (1) it is a combination plug-in and stand-alone application; (2) it includes the largest collection of edges and effects in one package; (3) it includes a full printed manual; (4) and it works in Photoshop as well as other programs such as CorelDraw, Corel PhotoPaint, Fractal Painter, and Paint Shop Pro. In the past, the 5 volumes together with the program had been retailing for a total of $399.00 or $149.00 per volume of edges if sold separately. Auto F/X Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+ is $199.00, with upgrades from previous versions priced at $129.00. It works on both the Windows and Macintosh platform.

User Level

Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced computer users. Since it is easy enough to apply the basic effects in this program, a beginner computer user with some knowledge of design or photography should have no problem with it. Because it works not only as a plug-in but as a stand-alone application, it would be an excellent package for a beginner who just wanted to play with special effects and image enhancement without having to buy or learn another program such as Photoshop.

Features

Includes 17 volumes of effects, over 10,000 edges in all. 40 Special Effects including carves, bevels, sepia tones, mezzotints, grains, glows, burns, distortions, and textured and colored mattes. 1,000 full size and seamless texture backgrounds which form mattes behind the edges. 200 Lighting tiles that enhance the lighting and tonal look and feel of the image. 100 sepia and mezzotint tiles can add a colored or grainy look to images. Create an unlimited number of edge effects for enhancing images and photos. Effortlessly create unique artistic effects like sepia, mezzotint, and grain. Effects History Log allows user to record, and turn effects on and off. Supports unlimited undo, zoom, and pan features. Onscreen controls allow users to rotate, scale, and move edges in any direction. Supports multiple edge loading for an infinite number of edge combinations and looks. Backward compatible with previous versions of Photo/Graphic Edges. Users can create and load up their own customized edges. Effects can be combined together, for example, glowing bevels and shadowed burns. Works as both a plug-in for Photoshop, and as a stand-alone application.

Review

As we have previously fully reviewed the features in Photo/Graphic Edges 4.0, and since there has been no changes in the application, this review will just briefly redescribe the effects and apply them to numerous images, along with edges from the new volumes. (Please see our prior review for an in-depth discussion.) Lighting Tab--There are 200 lighting tiles included in Photo/Graphic Edges. Lighting can be applied to just the image or the background or to both. These tiles can be used to blur, sharpen, lighten, darken, dampen, and smudge images. Adjustments can be made with scale, opacity, and softness controls. With Lighting effects, you can: add a subtle or dramatic tone and feel to otherwise flat or ordinary images; add light to the effect to blend backgrounds and foregrounds together; and change the colors or softness of an image where the light tile falls across it. Shadow Tab--Shadow controls enable you to quickly add depth to the edged image by generating a soft underlying shadow. After adding a shadow, users can control the direction of the shadow, distort it, reverse it, offset the shadow distance, and adjust the scale, softness, and opacity of the shadow. Experimenting with color and grain on shadows provide for some creative shadow looks. Distort Tab--Distort enables you to alter the edged appearance of the effect so that any edge can have a wide variety of styles applied to it. Distort roughens and weathers the edge effect. The appearance of edges can be warped to create a rag effect. Photo/Graphic Edges has a variety of tiles to use, each with a distinct look. You can distort the edges as well as the image with the vertical, horizontal and warp distort controls. Bevel Tab--By beveling an edged image, a totally unique look is created. Inner and outer bevels can be created. You can alter the width, depth, and smoothness of the bevel as well as the scale, opacity, and softness. Bevel effects work well with textures, colors, grain, sepia, and lighting effects for one-of-a-kind results. Carve Tab--Carve enables you to sink an edged image into a background color or texture, or into an image for a recessed type of look. You can control the illusion of depth by altering the surface qualities, lighting, and shadow of the edge and image independently. Changes can be made to the direction of the carve; you can reverse the effect and taper the edges. Glow Tab--Adding Glow to an edged photo is one of the best ways to add a distinctive finishing touch. Glows are also ideal for separating images that are layered in complex collages. Glows are easy to add with this feature. You can control the smoothness and color, as well as use a tile to distort the glow. A grainy appearance can be applied and the double punch feature can be used to intensify the look. Burn Tab--Burn lets you create a singed and burned effect around edged photographs. Burned edges can then be distorted, colored, scaled, and softened. The distance the burn is merged into the image can be controlled and there is a double punch button where the burn is twice as intense. Grain Tab--Giving a photo a grainy appearance is a great way to add a creative touch to an image. You have the ability to fuse realistic film grain onto an image. Adding a Grain effect to your image is great for giving your image an old and weathered appearance. Grain also includes over 100 tiles which enable you to simulate screens and patterned effects. Sepia Tab--Creating Sepia tones on your photographs can simulate a wide variety of artistic appearances. The program includes over 100 handcrafted, textured Sepia tiles from which colors are fused into the image for a wide variety of interesting tonal looks. You can adjust the hue and color of the sepia, dampen it, inverse the pattern, and adjust the scale, softness, opacity, and range. Matte Tab--You can fuse textures around an edged image to form a textured photo matte. The program includes 1,000 professionally shot and scanned texture images. Combining this feature with the carve and bevel effects can give depth to an image. You have a diverse assortment of textured images to choose from, such as paper, metal, fabric, stone, and artistic surfaces. Matte Color--Matte Colors enable you to surround your edge effect with a wide variety of colors, including simulated pantone spot colors. The colors can be adjusted with noise effects, saturation and hue.

Personal Comments

Photo/Graphic Edges 10,000+ is an excellent package. There are unlimited possibilities in the program for a professional designer who really has talent and can utilize all the bells and whistles the program provides. But novices who want to spruce up their photos should also give it a try as it is easy to use and you can use the stand-alone application if you don't have any other graphic programs. It's great for all types of layouts such as brochures, newsletters, and the Web. See the Auto F/X Web site for information on other products http://www.autofx.com They have tips on using this software, designer resources, beta versions of new software, special promotions and links to other related sites.

System Requirements

Windows: Windows 95/98/NT 3.0.1 or higher Minimum 32 MB RAM/64 MB recommended Storage space 100 MB or more in disk space on your startup drive (for swap disk space) Supports Adobe Photoshop 3.0 - 5.5, CorelDraw 8.0, Corel PhotoPaint 8.0, JASC Paint Shop Pro 5.0, Fractal Design Painter 5.0, and Adobe Photo Deluxe 2.0. Macintosh: Power Macintosh Processor Minimum 32 MB RAM/64 MB recommended Storage space 10 MB or more System Software 7.1 or higher Supports Adobe Photoshop 3.0 5.5, Fractual Design Painter 5.0, and Adobe Photo Deluxe 2.0.

Graphics: DeMorgan WebSpice 1,000,000 Page Design Edition & Adobe Photoshop 5.5 Web Page Editor: Macromedia Dreamweaver 3.0