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Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006
by Rich Dolby, SCUG Member
May 2006
Product Name: Microsoft Digital mage Suite 2006, V11.0.422.0
What It Is: The suite is comprised of two elements - A digital image Editor and a Library system for naming, archiving and finding digital images.
Website: http://www.microsoft.com/products/imaging/ProductDetails.aspx?pid=003 provides an overview and a video tour of the product.
Tech Support: http://www.support.microsoft.com/ the same for all Microsoft products.
User Manual: A 276 page manual in PDF format can be downloaded for free from http://www.microsoft/products/imaging/companionguides.aspx
Chapters 12 through 15 are recommended reading for anyone interested in topics such as Taking Great Pictures, Successful Scanning, Optimizing Your Monitor, and Digital Photography Tips & Tricks.
Price: Taxes not included - $99.95 US after $30 rebate as advertised at Microsoft product website. Pricing applicable to SCUG members in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada - Staples website price is $119.99 CAN after a $40 rebate. For Digital Image 2006 Standard Edition which is the editor only, price is $49.95 CAN after $20 CAN rebate. Future Shop website pricing is $69.99 CAN after $30 instant savings plus $40 mail-in rebate for the Suite, and $19.99 CAN after $10 instant savings plus $20 mail-in rebate for the Standard Edition. This price differential was double-checked at time of writing. The winner is... http://www.futureshop.ca/search/searchresult.asp?logon=&langid=EN&search=adv
Product Box Content: Two-disc wallet plus 276 page hardcopy User Manual.
System Requirements: Win 98SE/Win ME/Win2000/ Win XP operating systems will support Microsoft Digital Image 2006 Suite.
256MB RAM minimum, 512MB recommended.
Minimum of 400MB hard-disc space.
If Windows Internet Explorer is not already installed, then an additional 60MB HDD is required. This will not replace your primary browser if other than Win IE already installed.
Installation: The review was done using an AMD 1.15Ghz with 512MB RAM, operating with Win XP Home edition Service Pack 2. An earlier version of Microsoft "Picture It" or Digital Image" was detected and remained operable after installing Microsoft Digital Image 2006 Suite. A Typical Installation requires about 380MB, but I chose Full Installation forecast at 1300MB which includes Clip Art, Templates and Sample Pictures. There were no issues about installation to contend with, just quick and easy.
What It Does: Microsoft Digital Image 2006 Editor works on all digital images to enhance appearances, soften or remove skin blemishes or wrinkles, do automatic red-eye removal, straighten horizons or water lines, remove unwanted artifacts or dust particles, extract objects from images and create new images with multiple layers in PNG format. There are Filters, Effects, Brushes, Project templates for card-making, and Panoramic Stitching together of multiple pictures. It is considered a very complete works, and a review such as this has limited space to deliver an impression. If it is photography you want this program for, then this is for you, very affordable, an easy learning curve suited to all family members. For the artists in the family, Editor takes a picture and can create many special effects beyond photography. It is highly recommended that time be taken initially to view the video Tours, since it tickles the imagination and generates confidence that you can do it too. For comment about Microsoft Digital Image 2006 Library, please fast-forward to conclusions at review end.
What it Does For Me:
1. Import digital camera uploads directly from Editor, with opportunity to prefix filenames which are then suffixed with an ascending three-digit serial number. For example "20060430Canatara -001". The files are then stored in a folder of choice. Can also import directly from a scanner by the same method. Both my camera and scanner were recognized by 2006 Editor. After files have been captured, I can get to work on editing and enhancement.
2. There are as many ways as there are people to use 2006 Editor. My way is to initialize as follows: Setup > View > select Common Tasks, Stack, & Rulers. Then go to Tools > Options > Units Of Measure, and change Inches to Pixels. There are at least two target audiences for this product - Photographers whose intent is print pictures at traditional standards of 4x6, 8x10 in inches etc. Then there are people such as the reviewer who rarely prints anything, preferring instead to view pictures on a typical 4:3 ratio monitor. As such, pixel size and ratio are catered to. For example, 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 1024x768, 640x480, and many sizes in between those. When I crop or resize a picture it is always with regard to maintaining ratio.
3. My main requirement is to edit and enhance digital camera pictures. They can be edited one at a time or by a Batch process that performs basic functions on many pictures at a time. Picture file sizes, Batch size and available RAM are factors that will affect time for batch completion. If large multi-megabyte pictures, start with a small batch size of say 5 pictures, then increase batch size if time taken to execute the batch was acceptable. When batch size is big relative to RAM, HDD space takes over, and execution time takes much longer. Batch has been found very useful for enhancing thousands of scanned pictures of various colour quality and condition. I also have an old 0.8 Megapixel camera, and the results are always improved by in turn correcting Level, Contrast and Exposure. Colour correction by batch correction can have varying results. Unless all colours are faded the same in a batch, unwelcome results can occur that can however be reversed by Edit > Undo.
4. You can make as few or as many corrections and enhancements as you see fit, and have time for. For quality digital camera editing, I generally start by running a batch of about 20 pictures each 3 megapixel size, and correcting Level, Contrast & Exposure. Any picture requiring straightening is then done. Pictures are then cropped individually to improve composition and to lower the file size. The "Rule Of Thirds" gridlines box is checked to assist cropping decisions. Colour correction is then done at this time, since working with JPEG's is not lossless compression - each Save looses something. My preference for colour correction is to Edit Curves which enables individual controls for Luminosity, Red, Green, Blue, and Saturation. I adjust each in the order given, and finish once again with Luminosity. The objective is to enhance the picture to make it real as was seen, with minimal adjustment of the "triangular handles" at each end of the Curve. The Curve itself may also be dragged by the mouse cursor, which can quickly lead away from reality. You might concievably pull the curves if a picture was wildly off base to begin with. Luminosity is also applied sparingly so that shades of white are discernable rather than being a white washout.
5. If close-ups of people are being edited, then review need for red-eye reduction and Smart Erasure of unwanted objects. Use Touchup > Other Photo Repair > and select Remove Wrinkles, or Remove Scratches or Dust, or Restore Old Photo. If close-up of a woman, consider using Blur to soften skin texture, or use Sharpen or Sharpen More if wanting to emphasize a non-person image such as plumage or flowers. Blur or sharpening should be the very last act done by editing and after final re-sizing since extra pixels are added to create sharper detail.
6. Some pictures can be made to be more dramatic by using Effects > Filters > All Filters > select All, and toggle down to Emboss Subtle, which defines object edges in a chiselled way. The effect can be repeated several times, and use Edit > Undo repeatedly to reset. It is good advice to work on a copy of your "original" when working in an artistic world where results are not predictable. Another interesting Filter is Glow: Edges, and Change Advanced Options enables adjustment to those parameters that create the effect, such as Transparency, Edge Width, Edge Brightness, and Smoothness. If you have time and inclination, there is much more to explore. For example: Special Edges. Adjusting the width of Soft Edges is a particulary nice effect for emphasizing the picture focal point, great for multi-picture collages in PNG format, which saves on ink too!
Conclusions:
1. After establishing that you are comfortable with the new 2006 Suite, I recommend that any previous version of Picture It or Digital Image Pro, be removed since they are redundant and nearly 1GB of HDD space can be reclaimed.
2. The Library management scheme is definitely not for me, even if were free. I could not coax Library to sort and show Thumbnails by filename, instead forced to view either by Folder, Date, or Label. The latter is typically Keyword, People, Places, Events, Flags, Ratings; and more Label descriptors can be created to suit user needs. In essence, the user must take time to build the library using this Labeling system. Given the many thousands of pictures already on my PC, I have no intention of doing this. My "Labels" were built into the filename at inception, and include such things as names of people, date and place. Win XP Search feature is used to find filename keywords, and copy results to a folder of choice. If Library had the ability to view Thumbnails by filename order, then I would keep the program, although then more a repeat of what I already enjoy about ACDSee and Irfanview, the latter being freeware.
3. The lifespan of 2006 Suite should be considered before choosing what to buy. Expect further refinements to be made in future, sold as stand-alone software, not as upgrades to existing software. What if the Label system in Library was discontinued in future or your own labeling scheme cannot be carried forward to a newer edition? Your time investment could become obsolete. Keeping it simple, I whole-heartedly recommend buying just Microsoft Digital Image 2006 Standard Edition, it does exactly what is needed in support of Digital Images, and beyond. Instead of having several freeware programs which if used consecutively might achieve similar results to 2006 Editor, go treat yourself to this all encompassing program.
4. A hardcopy User Manual is a rarity these days, but it is clear that cost of production was lowered by having only small black & white pictures which at times were inadequate to show before-and-after comparisons. An opportunity to address this problem was missed by not having the website User Manual in colour with larger pictures. The PDF document is about 5MB, easily increased to achieve intended purpose.
5. If Microsoft Internet Explorer is not your primary browser, it is said by product literature that it will not become so, as a result of installing Digital Image 2006 Suite. One reason for this install is so those valued Flash type SWF instructional videos can be viewed.
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