From...

September 27, 1999
Web posted at: 10:10 a.m. EDT (1410 GMT)

by Max Green, FileWorld

(IDG) -- Many creative endeavors require top-notch visuals. To get them, you need a graphics editor -- be it for images, video, or icons. One indispensable image editor, of course, is Paint Shop Pro (see link below), which just came out with a new version in May.

Some lesser-known tools let Paint Shop Pro do even more cool tricks, and they're included in this list. They can handle everything from eliminating red-eye to adding bubble and mosaic effects to your photos. So give them a try, and let your creativity flow!

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1. Cool 3D: Produce impressive animated 3D text with eye-catching special effects. Cool 3D's drag-and-drop editing makes creating slick-looking titles, logos, and animated graphics for Web pages, digital video, and presentations fast and easy. Work from fonts and logos already on your system or import them and transform them into bouncy, animated 3D titles. The $45 program supports a variety of graphic formats, including .gif, .jpg, .bmp, .tga, and .avi.

2. CompuPIC Graphics Viewer: Not merely a viewer, the $40 CPIC also converts files, edits wallpaper, scans, and plays sound and video files. It supports more than 22 graphics formats and creates slide shows, screen savers, and thumbnail views. CPIC can now remove red-eye and other distortions from images, and there are many more new features to explore in this major update.

3. VideoMan: Create movies from captured video and clips imported from other applications with this $49 video editor. VideoMan lets you create a true multimedia product, complete with titles, sounds, and graphic effects. Program features include a multitrack SMPTE timeline, extensive previews and transitions, filters, trimming functions, titling, and motion path controls.

4. Free Pics: This free graphics utility lets you view and mark most graphic formats. You can create slide shows and organize graphic files into image directories. The utility also offers an array of visual effects and sorting features.

5. Microangelo 98: View and edit multiple image formats and quickly locate icons on your system. You can even create or edit animated cursors with this $59 program. Microangelo's components provide seamless integration to accomplish any icon or cursor editing. Works with Windows 98.

6. Animated Screen: This $29 graphical utility lets you make multimedia screen savers from your own pictures, .avi files, and sounds. You can export the animations to .gif, .avi, and .bmp files, which you can then use as screen savers, post to your Web site, or e-mail to others. Version 3.10 adds an Undo command and visual sprite control.

7. CyberView Image: This $30 JPEG image compressor lets you optimize the size and quality of Web graphics. It has a flexible user interface and a selective compression engine, making it useful for Web designers, digital photographers, and image scanners.

8. Ignite: This Web graphics optimization program allows you to produce small, high-quality GIFs and JPEGs from artwork created in other graphics programs. Ignite offers automatic GIF optimization, automatic split images for HTML tables, drag-and-drop animation functionality, and easy one-click customization.

9. RepliGator: Apply to your images dozens of imaginative effects, including Alien Insect, Bubble, Clouds, Fallen Letters, Mad Artist, Mosaic, Optical Art, Stardust, and Relief Map.

10. Bevel Devil: This program demo lets you add 3D bevels, drop shadows, overlays, and highlights to your favorite picture files without being a multimedia guru. Bevel Devil's easy-to-use interface makes enhancing pictures from digital cameras and scanners a snap. Features include a custom tutorial and multiple effect options.