Microsoft Digital Image Suite 10 review

Version 10's new Panoramic Stitching capability isn't far behind in power either. This simple wizard walks you through selecting your image sequence and an output file size and then automatically aligns your photos to create the larger image. The underlying stitching engine is very effective and can work horizontally or vertically, or even in both directions simultaneously, and you can override the suggested alignment if necessary. The results are excellent, producing invisible seams in almost all cases.

That's it for new power in the main Image Pro and Image Library applications but there's another utility included in the box - Microsoft's Photo Story 2. This lets you turn static photos into a dynamic video slide show complete with customisable zooming and pan effects and audio narration or soundtrack. There are only two choices for output sizes and one for video format (Microsoft's own WMV), but at least projects can now be saved for future editing. You can also use your story to produce a VideoCD, although, with no control over menus, this is limited to a single slide show.

Digital Image Suite 10 offers plenty of power to keep the digital camera user happy. However, this isn't a major upgrade - unlike Adobe's recent overhaul of Photoshop Elements 3 (see A List), which now provides a better all-round package that's even more effectively focused on helping users take control of their photos.

Author: Tom Arah