Since last week I reviewed Corel's Snapfire and I wasn't really pleased with it, this week I found another program that can compete with Snapfire and Digital Image Starter Edition. This product comes from Ashampoo and its name is Photo Commander.

Before delivering the technical details of the version I am testing here, I must tell you that later this month the fifth release of this program is expected, having a lot of new features, together with improvements to the old ones. Now, let's see some numbers, some features, and then the usual conclusions. Ready? Go!

Ashampoo Photo Commander's current version is numbered 4.01 and costs 49.99$, just if you wanted to know, so you can buy it. Otherwise, you can take your time and test it for a maximum period of 40 days (initial 10 days and additional 30 after receiving the free code for this period) with all its features enabled. The installation kit is 16.1MB in size, and the road from download to first run is not that long; all you have to do is pay a little attention to what you're doing...

I know, I know, I told you about the features, but hold your horses just a little longer and let's check the interface first! Well...do I have to say more than "Ashampoo"? Really, it's like trying to describe Mona Lisa or The Great Pyramids...but I'll do it anyway. The keywords are - as usual when we talk about this producer's work - shiny, clean, easy to use and having a personal touch. Even more, this program's interface is skinnable and highly customizable, also having two built-in layouts (easy and expert mode) that you can choose from. Now, what's behind all this?

Well… I guess you should know the story by now - sorting, optimizing, editing, organizing your photo collection...I am still somewhat reluctant to this kind of programs, because I always was into having a good image viewer and organizing the photos myself, using a file manager, but you know...times are changing, and we must comply, or at least try it.

There's not really much to say about this program, which is - more than anything else - an average multimedia viewer with extended capabilities. You can't create amazing work from scratch, but you can use existing photos for creating slideshows or multipage documents. The compact layout is great when you want to save space on the interface and just enjoy your pictures.

If it comes to photo processing, you have almost twenty filters available for this purpose, but there's also something more. Photo Commander can be successfully used to perform screen captures, printing and acquiring pictures, and much more than that. All you have to do is get it and give it a try. You don't have to worry about your language, there are over twenty additional languages supported, and if you are a power user, the wide range of available options will be a real delight.

The Good

Ashampoo Photo Commander is an interesting program that could be your all-in-one media viewer from now on. It has a great interface, interesting features (Did I forget to say that it also burns your collections to CD/DVD? Just see that you don't forget to check the Tools menu...) and a "just do it" approach. If you are happy with what you see here, you can pre-order the upcoming release for 50% of the price until the 24th of this month!

The Bad

Unfortunately, I found this program to be pretty slow and missing some management features that would be good to have. As a last thing, it's a real shame to have such poor quality pictures inside the Help file of this program...

The Truth

Ashampoo Photo Commander 4 is a nice prelude to the things to come, and it's a program worth trying by itself. Until the end of this month, you can take your time to try this out - it's free to try - and 50% cheaper to buy!

Here are some snapshots of the application in action: