14 DAY TRIAL // I love computer graphics! Although I believe that almost everything can be done using your skills and Photoshop or The Gimp (of course I am talking about two dimensional graphics here, even if you can create some interesting 3D effects using these programs and also other graphics editors) I can't stop trying from time to time programs that claim to be ?the easiest and best solution to create easily professional, stunning...?...you know that part, I am sure.
Today we're going to explore an area that can also be covered easily using general purpose graphics editors ? creating photo collages. The target I am aiming at now is a program that builds photo collages that can be used as desktop wallpapers, CD and DVD covers or miscellaneous Web graphics.
The program is named Photo Collage and does exactly that. Its interface looks old and dusty to me, but it's fairly easy to use and not cluttered at all.
Let's check the work flow first and then point out most important features.
First, create a new document using the File menu item or by pressing Ctrl+N on your keyboard. Now it's time to add images. Use the toolbar button for this.
Using the Open Image dialog you can add new images but also new frames to your collage. There are nine templates categories to choose from, but you can also use custom images.
After the images comes the text. If you need to add text to your work, just do it. The Text button is next to the Image one on the toolbar, so you can't miss it. Working with it is straightforward, so I got nothing else to say about this tool.
The Paper tool allows you to change paper properties such as size, orientation and margins, but there is more to it than this.
Other interesting features allow you to change the workspace background, add shadow to the objects or use gradients to fill text. Working with layers is very easy, but you don't get all the goodies like layers masks, opacity, grouping and others like these.
The masking tool has mask templates but also a very useful mask customization tool. Advanced users will love this, even if it's not perfect.
At last, there is a Process Image mode available that enables you to adjust color, gamma and other basic settings. Unfortunately its interface goes full screen and you can't resize it, and the tools are badly organized. It might make you lose some time, but in the end it gets the job done.
I wasn't really impressed by this program, but the good part is that I wasn't displeased with it either. When it's about programs based on templates I require outstanding interface, as many templates as possible and good customization opportunities. I am sure I'm not the only one asking this, and also two out of three isn?t that bad...
The Good
Photo Collage has a rich background templates gallery and also enough mask and frame templates to give you the bricks for building nice collages. The Help system is good enough to make most things clearer, even if it's not extremely detailed.
The Bad
Although it uses layers, Photo Collage doesn't let you save using the PSD format, and the only layered file that can be saved from it is TIFF.
The Truth
I wouldn't exchange Gimp or Photoshop with this in a million years, but if you're a beginner in the computer graphics field, than Photo Collage may be a worthy program for you. It's not the best out there, but it's easy to use and has a good price. Of course, you can taste it for free, as usual, so what you're waiting for?
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
