Software Vault: The Sapphire Collection/Software Vault (Sapphire Collection) (Digital Impact).ISO/cdr16/cyberr01.zip/HALO

Text File | 1994-09-08 | 6KB | 101 lines

                        Halo Desktop Imager
                           by Nathan Kay

    A few weeks ago, when I was first told that I was going to be
reviewing the Halo Desktop Imager by Media Cybernetics, my reaction
was fairly apathetic.  To my mind, it was just another image editing
product, bug-filled and hard to use, like so many other image
editors I've used.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by what I
got.  I found the Desktop Imager to be a stable and useable product,
well worth looking into if you're in need of a high-powered graphics
imager, or are willing to shell out a little extra money for a high
quality viewer.

    Upon receiving the evaluation copy, I found the install program
to be professional and easy to use, making installing the Desktop
Imager a simple task.  When I first started the program, I found
myself at a simple screen (Shot #1).  From here, I could access the
entire program.  As I started working, calling up graphics I've
stored on my hard drive, I noticed that the imager loader worked
quickly, finding and loading the graphics easily.  From the main
screen, I could visually access the more basic features, such as
brightness and contrast controls, as well as zooming.  As these are
the functions I use the most often, having them right there in a
simple point-and-click configuration was very useful.

    The other functions could all be accessed via the menu bar.  As
with most programs, I found that sometimes the item I was looking
for wasn't on the menu I was excepting it to be on.  However, with
only a little bit of searching, I could find what I wanted and
usually remember where it was the next time I needed it.

    Unfortunately, while the program is for the most part a very
stable product, it does have its own problem with errors.  For
instance, when I choose to open a file, but accidentally selected
.GIF as the file type, if I opened any other file type, instead of
returning an error message, the program would cause a general
protection fault.  This isn't a great problem, but that same lack of
error handling ability is a common theme throughout the program.
It's stable, and mostly bug-free, but if something goes wrong, it
tends to display a standard Windows error message, then terminate
itself.  Again as the program is generally very stable, I don't rank
this as being a major problem.

    I found an interesting array of abilities packed into this
product.  Among them is a very useable screen capture utility, which
I'll talk more about later, a database system called Gallery,
support for multiple file formats (though not as many as I'd like),
a high quality printing system, an OLE server, and importantly,
retouching tools.

    The retouching tools were a source of great interest for me.  In
this regard, the Desktop Imager goes far beyond a mere imager
program, into the realms of full image editing abilities, and, if
you're good enough at 'free-hand' drawing with a mouse, provides the
tools for creating your own graphics.  Personally, I'm not very good
at drawing using a mouse, so I didn't get too much into that
function of the retouch tools.  However, the few times I tried
retouching a picture, the few failures I ran into were my fault, and
not the program's!  It's an added touch to this product that, to me,
pushes it out into the forefront of its class.

    The Gallery database system was also a source of interest.  I
was able to easily use Gallery to collect my graphics files into
sets, which could be viewed by filenames, descriptions, and even
"thumbnail" sketches, which are small representations of the full
image.  The thumbnail sketches are well done, and while not as good
as the real picture, allowed me to visually identify each image in
the Gallery.

    I mentioned earlier the screen capture utility, of which I want
to make special mention.  While the screen capture utility included
in the Desktop Imager isn't quite the quality of a dedicated screen
capture utility, it does the job very nicely.  It allows you to set
a countdown, giving you a certain amount of time between activation
and the time the screen shot is taken to make sure everything is the
way you want it.  I've found this feature quite useful.

    In working with the Desktop Imager for roughly a week, I've
developed a fair understanding of the basic software and hardware
configuration that's needed for it to run well.  First, I noticed
that a graphics card that can display 256 colors or more is
essential.  While the Desktop Imager will work with a mere 16
colors, a lot of the richness and fullness of having 256 colors is
missing.  Secondly, four megabytes of RAM will do nicely, but when
working with larger images, I often found myself wishing for extra
RAM.  As is normal for Windows, the more RAM, the happier my
programs will be.  Hard disk size isn't too much of a consideration,
as the Desktop Imager is only five megabytes at full installation.
Regarding the CPU, anything better than a 386-25 would be fine in
terms of speed.  Older 386 systems also do well, but cause longer
waits than I'd find comfortable.  Personally I would never try
running this product on a 286 computer, no matter how modified it
may be.  In short, the Halo Desktop Imager is worth the price if you
need high-quality graphics imaging and editing.

                      Media Cybernetics, Inc.
                        8484 Georgia Avenue
                   Silver Spring Maryland  20910
                       [phone]  (Voice)
                        [phone]  (Fax)