Reviews

Review: Alien Skin Snap Art 3

Written by Jeremy Schultz on August 29, 2011
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Pros: Selections are more precise. Interface is more streamlined. Effects look like they were created by hand, not by computer.
Cons: As in previous versions, Snap Art does not work with CMYK images, only RGB.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Some of Alien Skin's most inspiring products have been its artistic filters for Photoshop. The images they produce are artistic and organic, as if they were created by a human hand rather than a computer.

Review: QuarkXPress 9

Written by Jay J. Nelson on April 28, 2011
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Pros: Publishes e-books to three formats; adds helpful new features for producing text-heavy documents regardless of their final destination.

Cons: The App Studio for creating iPad apps may not be available until late July; some e-book formatting must occur after the document content is completely finalized. [Editor's note: CreativePro.com will publish Jay Nelson's mini-review of App Studio soon after it's available to the public.]

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Silver Efex Pro 2.0

Written by Ben Long on March 28, 2011
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Pros: Fantasic new tools for global adjustments; nik's uPoint technology for selective adjustments; update provides some much-needed features like a histogram, and the ability to apply borders
Cons: I didn't find any, and I looked hard for downsides.
Rating: 10 out of 10

Review: Portrait Professional 10, Standard Edition

Written by Steve Caplin on March 9, 2011
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Pros: Easy to use, elegant program that enhances photographic portraits with skill and sensitivity. Just mark out the position of the features, and the program will do its job. However, there are enough controls there to keep compulsive fiddlers happy for hours.

Cons: It's too easy to get carried away and produce over-smoothed results. But this is ultimately down to the operator, not the program: It can be as subtle as you want it to be. While the program works perfectly for straight-on and three-quarter views, it has more difficulty with profiles.

Review: Adobe Acrobat X Pro

Written by Jeremy Schultz on November 22, 2010
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Pros: Actions and the Action Wizard, improved customization for PDF Portfolios, simplified user interface that promotes efficiency.

Cons: Unclear method for creating PDF Portfolio custom layouts, lack of Read Mode as an initial view, Acrobat X Suite is Windows only.

Rating: 90/100

Review: Extensis Suitcase Fusion 3

Written by Bob Levine on September 22, 2010
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Pros: Support for both Mac and Windows. Versatile font management for graphic designers, service bureaus, and agencies. Powerful search features including the ability to find similar looking fonts. Auto-activation for major graphics applications. Seamless integration with WebINK along with one year of free service.

Cons: Sharing of font vaults in collaborative environments could use some streamlining. Creation of nested font sets is a bit awkward. Web-based release notes not updated.

Rating: 90 out 100

Review: Adobe Photoshop CS5

Written by Ben Long on May 12, 2010
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Pros: Content-Aware Fill, new Refine Edge, and Mini Bridge are stand-out features; Puppet Warp will be great for many users; a huge number of tweaks, improvements, and additions.

Cons: Bridge still sluggish; installer won't migrate your old settings and preferences.

Rating: 90 out of 100

Review: Adobe Illustrator CS5

Written by Mordy Golding on May 10, 2010
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Pros: Useful new features that include variable-width strokes and a tool to build shapes more easily; innovative Bristle Brush feature; new antialiasing settings create pixel-perfect web graphics; numerous enhancements to artboards; seamless integration with Adobe Flash Catalyst.

Cons: Perspective drawing feature difficult to use; Bristle Brush feature can create artwork that could cause printing issues; some core drawing tools still absent.

Rating: 85 out of 100

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