Review of Serif PhotoPlus SE for Windows

Pros

• Layer masks for non-destructive editing
• Extensive selection of brushes

Cons

• No plug-ins system
• Some Effects tools disabled

PhotoPlus SE is, however, more than just a digital darkroom and can be used as a creative artistic tool. The Effects menu, layer tools and Brush Tip palette come into their own for creative users.

The Effects menu offers a selection of tools that will be recognizable to image editor users and the Filter Gallery tool allows them to be easily applied to an image in combination. The range of effects offered isn't very extensive and there isn't a plug-ins system, such as in GIMP, to allow these to be extended. An enhanced range of effects and artistic filers and brushes is reserved for the paid version, but there is enough in this version to get the creative juices flowing.

A notable inclusion in this free version of PhotoPlus is Layer Effects, which allow for the easy application of common special effects such as drop shadows, bevels, and embossing. GIMP users will be jealous as this is a feature which is absent from that image editor, and its presentation here is quite clearly inspired by Photoshop, which is no bad thing. Another powerful tool that more experienced creative image editor users will appreciate is Layer Masks, which allow users to edit individual layers in a non-destructive way.

Creative users will also enjoy the wide range of themed brushes included in the Brush Tips palette. Many of these are abstract or texture type effects, but there are also many symbol brushes, including sci-fi and animal sets, which will keep most users happy for some time.

Graphic Design with PhotoPlus

Pros

• Strong set of layer effects
• Can be used to produce a complete design

Cons

• No text frame option
• Control of text is limited

Graphic designers will primarily use image editors like PhotoPlus SE to produce graphic elements for inclusion in designs produced in other applications, however it is possible to use software like this to produce complete designs, such as posters or adverts where there is limited text.

Control over text in PhotoPlus SE is limited; there isn't a palette to offer control over features like leading and letter spacing, but you can quickly set the font size with the cursor before you start typing and the Deform tool allows text to be resized and distorted, perhaps to give the effect of a condensed font. There isn't an option to constrain text within a frame, so line breaks need to be manually inserted, meaning this is only suitable for projects that include little text. The Layer Effects tools, mentioned earlier, offer a range of options for adding interest to text headings.

PhotoPlus SE saves its files in a proprietary .spp format, but the application allows images to be exported to a wide range of formats. The Export Optimizer gives a good degree of control over this process, to ensure the resulting image is in the most suitable format, depending on how it is to be used. I found this tool worked very smoothly, but saving large images with many layers could be disappointingly slow, though users with more powerful computers may find this less of a problem.

Conclusion

For a free image editor application, PhotoPlus SE offers a generally compelling case. For many users, it may be a more attractive free option than GIMP because of its friendlier interface. Some of the positive aspects of the application include:

• Layer masks
• Layer effects
• Wide selection of brushes included
• Tutorials and help files explaining some popular effects

On the other side of the coin, there are some frustrating negative aspects to PhotoPlus SE, such as:

• Irritating pop-up window if you click a disabled feature
• Limited filter effects
• No plug-in system
• Lack of keyboard shortcuts

I personally like PhotoPlus SE a lot, and think that the similarities with the interface of Adobe Photoshop lends a real strength to this image editor. The application has a wide enough feature set to satisfy a broad range of users, and the help files and tutorials can help to ease new users along what could be a steep learning curve.

Ultimately, what tempers my enthusiasm is the disabling of the curves, levels and color balance adjustment tools. While there are ways to work around the inconvenience that this causes, it undermines this free image editor's usability in a fundamental way. Had these tools been included, PhotoPlus SE would arguably merit full marks, but because those features are so key to the everyday usage of an image editor, their omission seriously weakens the case for this otherwise excellent piece of software.

PhotoPlus SE can be downloaded for free from Free Serif Software.