Software Review of:
PhotoDraw 2000 
Version 2 

PhotoDraw 2000 gives you everything you need: Edit and touch up photos; Natural brushes, photo brushes, and stamps; Vector drawing; Clip-art restyling; 3_D effects; For painter; Output for the Web, print, or presentations; Batch save; Optimize Web graphics; Open, edit, and save images on HTML pages; Image maps, rollover effects, and GIF animations; Import CorelDraw 3 or later and Photoshop graphics; 20,000 pieces of high-quality content and clip art; 50 built_in Web effects and styles; 450 professionally designed templates; 400 shapes (includes 198 AutoShapes); 500 tileable textures; 300 strokes, stamps, and edges; 200 designer effects; 22 file import filters; Scanning; Direct connection for digital cameras; Built_in Tutorial and user tips; Easily share graphics across Microsoft Office applications.

You can start with photographs, scanned images, clip art, line drawings or paintings, or you can create a design from scratch. Apply effects, textures, and designer styles and colors, to create professional quality pictures in a matter of minutes.

Start fast and stay on track: Simplify complex graphics tasks. Save time with point_and_click effects; Work the way you do in Microsoft Office. Rely on the familiar Office toolbar and help files; Jump_start your projects. Speed your work with a wide variety of professional templates and content; Rely on wizards to guide you. Follow step_by_step instructions to accomplish common graphics tasks; Boost your efficiency. Automatically save or convert all your open graphics in one quick process.

Get all the tools you need in one application: Streamline graphics creation. Work on photos, clip art, drawings, shapes, and text with the same tools and at the same time; Transform digital photos. Use powerful photo-editing tools such as cloning and one_click automatic image correction;  Customize standard clip art. Make a unique statement using easy-to_apply artistic brushes and colors; Add flair with dazzling special effects. Enhance any graphic element or text with styles and effects, including emboss and glow.

Create graphics for all your needs: Take advantage of HTML. Open and edit Web graphics from within your Web browser; Create stunning Web graphics. Easily add Web button rollover effects and one-click GIF animations, and use Web_safe color palettes; Build Web pages quickly. Send graphics and pages to the Microsoft FrontPage Web site creation and management tool and automatically edit graphics from FrontPage; Share graphics with other Microsoft Office applications. Use built_in Office color schemes and theme elements for a consistent look across all your projects.

As with all Microsoft products, you must accept the enclosed License Agreement before you can use the product. If you do not accept the terms of the License Agreement, you may promptly return the product for a refund.

Perhaps the best way to help determine the products capabilities and limitations, other than using it, would be to cover what's New, Improved and, for those who may not be familiar with the program, Continued in Version 2. The material is presented in "area of interest" format.

Graphics Area:

N	Region Copy and Crop Use convenient toolbar access to quickly select an area of a picture to copy or crop.
I	Autoscan Simplify the scanning process with improved autoscan functionality that selects appropriate image sizes and resolutions.
I	Performance Improvements Get approximately 25 percent faster performance overall on computers with 64 MB of RAM or more, with many features 60-70 percent faster.
C	Smart Tools Automatically adjust your graphics, and automate photo-editing and formatting tasks such as Red Eye, Tint, Brightness and Contrast, and more.
C	Visual Menus Quickly find what you're looking for by scanning the visual menus, which include images of the most frequently performed tasks.
C	Rulers and Gridlines Easily align your graphics using rulers, grid lines, and alignment tools
C	Multiple Undo and Redo Play with your ideas_multiple Undo and Redo lets you experiment without risking your original file.
C	Visual Open Save time by previewing images before you open them.
C	Status Bar Instantly see your graphics' size and position on the status bar.

Image and Drawing Area (General):

N	Custom Formats Create a custom look and apply it to any object using the Format Painter tool. This tool makes it simple to combine effects like color, outline, or highlight, and then apply them to any other object.
I	Combinable Photos, Clip Art, Shapes, and Text Take advantage of the graphics you already have by combining photos, clip art, shapes, and text. Then apply special effects to all these kinds of graphics without having to exit, convert, or save each component.
C	Photo Editing and Image Touch-up Easily edit your digital photos with powerful photo-editing and image touch-up tools. Many tools include automatic features that accurately adjust images with a single click.
C	Color Correction Accurate color is easy to achieve with one-click automatic color correction, plus the ability to correct the color in images manually.
C	Customizable Clip Art Enliven your standard clip art with easy-to-apply artistic brushes and colors.
C	Advanced Drawing Tools Provide a broad variety of classic and vector shapes, plus the ability to draw freehand lines or access ready-made straight lines or arrows.
C	Flexible Painting Tools Create or alter your graphics with flexible painting options, including choices of brush sizes and shapes, and the ability to apply photographic images to lines and shapes.

Image and Drawing Area (Special Effects):

C	Embed Easily create a classic engraved look with the new Embed Effect
C	Starburst Draw attention to your graphics with the starburst effect, which creates the appearance of lens flare.
C	Glow Creates a backlit effect much like the sun eclipsed by the moon. You can specify the spread, shape, intensity, transparency, and inner and outer colors of the glow.
C	Styles Speed up your design work by instantly applying a pre-designed style to any object. Save and reuse the styles you create.
C	Designer Effects Quickly apply any of the 200 Designer Effects to add an artistic touch to your graphics or text.
C	Drop Shadows Add a professional look to your graphics with drop shadows available with a choice of numerous lighting effects.
C	Transparency Instantly add transparency to graphics for watermarks or backgrounds with an easy-to-use slider control.
C	Blur/Sharpen Blur or sharpen your images with simple controls to focus the eye on an object or cause another to fade into the background.
C	Distort Add a twist to your graphics with distortion effects that include Skew, Perspective, Bilinear, Bulge (fisheye), Funhouse, Kaleidoscope, Mosaic, Noise, Star, Twirl, and Wave.
C	Fancy Text Choose just the right typeface, and then enhance your text further with fills, gradients, and outlines.
C	3-D Effects Apply preset 3-D effects to any graphic, including beveling and extrusion, fills, lighting and camera effects, and size and position.
C	Natural Brush Strokes Paint with ease using natural brush strokes such as watercolor or charcoal.

Integration With Microsoft Office:

N	Save to Web Server Functionality Easily store and share your graphics by saving to a Web server just as you would in other Office 2000 applications.
N	Batch Save and Conversion Automatically save or convert all your open graphics in one quick batch process. Especially useful for saving multiple graphics to one file type.
I	Office 2000 Installation It's easy to install PhotoDraw using the standard Office 2000 installation procedures.
C	Office Toolbar PhotoDraw includes standard Microsoft Office toolbars with familiar menus, tools, and shortcuts.
C	Office Art Integration Use, customize, edit, and enhance existing Office Art.
C	Tear-off, Float, and Redock Toolbars Customize your workspace by using tear-off, floating, and redockable toolbars.

Integration of Graphics Across Office Programs:

N	Send Graphics to FrontPage Quickly build your Web pages by sending Web graphics and pages directly to Microsoft FrontPage using the one-step save and send option.
N	Edit Web Graphics from FrontPage Automatically edit graphics from FrontPage. The ability to launch PhotoDraw 2000 from within FrontPage lets users edit graphics seamlessly to create great-looking and functional Web pages.
N	Take Advantage of Common Office Color Themes Instantly create graphics coordinated with your Office documents by using built-in color schemes and designs common across all Office applications.
N	Create Custom Backgrounds for PowerPoint Presentations Customize your presentations by sending a background graphic directly to Microsoft PowerPoint using the one-step save and send option.
N	Use Office Theme Elements Quickly create a set of coordinated graphics by using built-in Office theme elements_including bullets, strokes, tiles, and backgrounds_that coordinate with common themes in other Office applications.
N	Open From and Save To Office Web Server Simplify your Web storage by opening from and saving to Microsoft Office Web servers.
C	Drag-and-Drop Graphics Simply drag graphics to and from other Office applications.

Web Graphics Area:

N	Open, Edit, and Save Images on an HTML Page Easily create, reuse, and edit Web images by opening, editing, and saving them as HTML. PhotoDraw can highlight images on a Web page and allow you to open and edit them easily.
N	Add Rollover Effects Create Web button rollover effects, such as highlighting and color changes, with one click.
N	Create Animated GIFs Quickly add animations to your graphics. One click brings you lively and attention-getting Web graphics.
N	Save as Web Page Design and save any graphic as a Web page, including backgrounds, rollovers, animations, and image maps.
N	Reduce Image Download Size When PhotoDraw 2000 saves a design as a Web page, it uses the new Image Slice feature to slice the main picture into several smaller pictures and trim the white space. This feature minimizes image size and creates space for other elements that can be added in Microsoft FrontPage.
N	Link Graphics with Image Maps Quickly link to other URLs by including Web addresses in an image map on your graphic. Any image or object in PhotoDraw can be linked to a URL to form an image map.
N	Preview in Browser See how your Web graphics are progressing by previewing them in a browser.
N	Add Web Shapes Choose from a wide variety of Web graphic shapes as the start of your Web graphic, or add your own shapes.
N	Edit Images from Internet Explorer Open and edit graphics in PhotoDraw directly from Microsoft Internet Explorer by simply clicking the Edit button.
I	Start with Professional Web Templates Jump start your Web graphics by using one of the professional Web templates for buttons, banners, backgrounds, and other Web elements
C	Use Web-safe Color Palettes Ensure safe Web colors by using the Web-safe and optimized color palettes.
C	Insert Graphics Directly into FrontPage Quickly build your Web pages by inserting graphics directly into FrontPage.

Templates, Wizards and Customizable Content Area:

N	Web Effects and Styles Enhance your Web graphics with 150 built-in Web effects and styles that make it easy to apply embossing, rollovers, and glows.
N	Tileable Textures Easily design your Web page or presentation background with 500 tileable textures.
I	Professionally Designed Templates Use any of 450 professionally designed templates as a starting point for your own graphics.
I	Wizards Easily follow step-by-step instructions to carry out common graphics tasks.
I	Images and Clip Art Access 20,000 high-quality clip art and stock photos in the Microsoft Clip Gallery.
I	Multiple Shapes Quickly combine or customize more than 400 shapes, including ovals, rectangles, diamonds, triangles, and bullets.
I	Strokes, Stamps, and Edges Apply a variety of strokes, stamps, and edges to your graphics, including photostrokes that paint a photorealistic image on your shapes.
I	Projects Create a wide range of projects, from Web buttons and banners to flyers and presentation backgrounds.
I	Built-in Design Expertise Rely on built-in design expertise when working with each template
I	Save for Use In Wizard Choose the right file format for your pictures via simple questions about where and how you want your image to appear, using the Save for Use In Wizard.
I	Point-and-Click Galleries Point-and-click galleries let you see the results before you apply effects to your graphic.
I	User Tips Count on helpful user tips to guide you through projects.
I	Tutorial Quickly learn PhotoDraw using the built-in tutorial, which includes hands-on examples.

Import and Export Filters Area:

I	Choose from a Variety of Import Filters Import more than 20 graphics file formats, including BMP, CDR, CGM, DRW, EMF, EPS, FPX, GIF, JPG, MIC, MIX 1.0, MIX 2.0, PCD, PCX, PICT, PNG, PSD, TGA, TIF, WMF, and WPG. PhotoDraw 2000 Version 2 also includes an enhanced EPS import filter.
I	Import CorelDRAW and Adobe Photoshop Graphics Support for CorelDRAW .CDR graphics (through version 8.0) and Adobe Photoshop .PSD graphics (through version 5.0) allows you to take advantage of graphics you already have.
C	Direct Import from Scanners and Digital Cameras Save time by directly importing images from scanners and digital cameras. PhotoDraw performs a preview scan to determine the type of picture and recommended resolution. During scanning, users can automatically crop the shape of the scanned object.
C	Create Graphics Once and Use Again Make the most of your graphics by creating them once and then saving in a different format so you can use them for the Web, print, or presentations.
C	Save for Optimal Output Automatically save your graphics in the most appropriate format for optimal output.

The software "package" consisted of the license agreement, a registration form (unless you choose to register online), three CDs, and a 165 page user book. The book includes a detailed tour of the PhotoDraw interface and an introduction to scanning and retouching pictures. It also covers the PhotoDraw features and graphics tools, addressed above, that create simple, yet sophisticated designs that can be used in a multitude of ways. A color gallery, illustrating other PhotoDraw features, appendices describing all file formats supported by PhotoDraw and accessibility for people with disabilities, plus an extensive glossary, are also included.

Installation was what you should expect from a Microsoft product - seamless. With a little reading, while working with the program, a comfortable proficiency level can be acquired quickly. The creative level of proficiency will depend on the user. For me, that may take a while. However, as I noted, continued use of the program can also help in that area. Copies of some finished products supplied with the article show capabilities of the product. (I didn't feel comfortable showing my less-than-creative abilities. My initial product [finished?] would probably make the "Bloopers and Other Funny Things" show. I am confident that wouldn't be the case with a little more practice.)

The ability to have features from a photo-editing program, a paint program, and a draw program in ONE program appears to be a "no brainer" in my book. For individuals who use portions of these programs to produce an end product, it will save valuable time by having the features in the same program and definitely save time in the creating process.

Suggested price
PhotoDraw 2000 - $109 ($20 rebate available); PhotoDraw 2000 and Frontpage together - $199 ($50 rebate available).  Note: The Microsoft Publisher 2000 and Microsoft PhotoDraw 2000 30-Day Trial CD Kit lets you try out all the graphic and page layout tools you need to create professional-looking business publications. Cost is $6.95 US plus applicable taxes. Only a U.S. English version of the trial is available, but international orders will be accepted.

System requirements
PC with Pentium 166 MHz or higher processor; Microsoft Windows 95 or later operating system, or Microsoft Windows NT Workstation operating system version 4.0 or later with Service pack 2 or later; For Windows 95 or Windows 98: 16 MB of RAM for the operating system, plus an additional 16 MB of RAM for PhotoDraw; for Windows NT Workstation version 4.0: 32 MB of RAM for the operating system, plus an additional 16 MB of RAM for PhotoDraw; Available hard-disk space (Numbers indicate typical installation; your hard_disk usage will vary depending on configuration. Choices made during custom installations may require more or less hard_disk space.): 

1. For systems with any Office 2000 application installed: 115 MB of available hard_disk space for optimal performance, an additional 100 MB of free hard-disk space for user graphics and temporary image caches recommended. 
2. For systems without an Office 2000 application installed 190 MB of available hard-disk space for optimal performance, an additional 100 MB of free hard-disk space for user graphics and temporary image caches recommended; 

1. 14,400 baud modem; 28,800 or higher baud modem recommended. 
2. Multimedia computer required to access sound and other multimedia effects. 
3. Some Internet functionality may require Internet access and payment of a separate fee to a service provider, and local charges may apply.

PhotoDraw 2000 is compatible with the following graphic extensions: 

1. MIX, FPX, JPEG, PCD, TIFF, WMF, BMP, CDR, GIF, PCX, PNG, TGA, EPS, PSD, and more file formats. 
2. TWAIN digital camera and scanners.

Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
Phone

425-635-2030 (assisted support)
800-568-2294 (paid assisted support)

For Internet access

Microsoft Corp. 
PhotoDraw