ImageForge is a powerful paint program and image editor with some excellent features.
Apart from offering the normal array of special effects filters, drawing tools, text tools, etc, it also offers an AVI animation applet and allows you to create a stand-alone slide-show of your images with optional image editing facilities built-in. The created stand-alone slide-show is fully portable and can even be created so that it is split up into floppy disk-sized chunks. ImageForge can also open multiple files. Neat!
With some handy advanced features – like a zoom facility which can go from -9x to +20x, up to 40 undo levels, and a menu of up to 30 recently opened files – ImageForge could easily become your main tool to manipulate and create JPG, TIF, BMP, PCX, ICO, etc bitmap files. The Helpfile mentioned a few other file formats but some, GIF and WMF at least, do not work with this program. We didn't try the other listed formats.
This leads us to the biggest drawback with ImageForge – it is a cutback version of a full program and there are features listed which are not accessible in this version. For example, you can apply only 13 out of the 29 filters and effects available in the Pro version ($28.95).
However, for what it offers – and that is exceptional anyway – ImageForge is a tremendously powerful program which could be very handy as your image editor (except for creating Web images!). The AVI feature and the slide-show feature are both handy add-ons to this paint program.
Easy to use, ImageForge is certainly worth a look!
| Update: |
September 22, 2000 |
ImageForge has been updated to version 2.92.
The author has said that this version has the following changes: "new album/slide show functions; new option to add audio to AVI animations; new option to save animation as BMP filmstrip (e.g., for changing IE/OE animated logos); new preference options; new tools; etc."
He also said that a few annoying bugs from the 1.x series have also been corrected.
ImageForge has been updated to version 3.32.
The author advises that this is a major upgrade from the version 2.x series.
This rewrite contains many improvements (includes ruler functions, new tools and tool options, new configuration options, new texture and gradient options, rewritten custom brush options, etc).
ImageForge has been updated to version 3.38.
The author advises that changes in this version include enhancements to various tools and print options, plus improved compatibility for XP Pro systems.
ImageForge has been updated to version 3.41.
The author advises that added to this version are new editing tool options and functions.
ImageForge has been updated to version 3.43.
The author advises that changes in this version include: added file saving options to force upper or lower case filenames, support for more TWAIN devices, new tool options, and other minor function improvements.
ImageForge has been updated to version 3.60.
The author advises that changes in this version include: adding and enhancing tools & functions. Also added was support for GIF images (static, transparent & animated).
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