Organising and viewing the myriad media files on your PC is easy with
ACDSee 3.1, a handy little program with an efficient interface and an
abundance of goodies -- such as speedy photo adjustment, versatile
contact-sheet output, batch-file conversion, and plentiful input and output options.
The program's default desktop is divided into three panes: an Explorer-type file-folder list, a window of thumbnail views of files in the current folder, and a larger view of the currently selected file. A row of buttons provides access to most functions, but you can also right-click and select actions from the context menu. You can choose from a broad assortment of actions: You can acquire images, generate contact sheets, create photo albums for the Web, create slide shows, e-mail photos, and adjust image properties.
You won't mistake ACDSee for a full-blown image-editing program, but you could use it to crop, rotate, add filter effects, and adjust levels, contrast, and colour balance. These functions aren't elaborate, but they are sufficient for quick adjustments. The upside is that novices won't be confused by a profusion of toolbars.
We were disappointed with the slide-show maker, however. We couldn't save a slide show as a stand-alone presentation and send it; we could only view the sequence locally.
ACDSee's speed is impressive. Even on an old 266MHz Pentium II, thumbnails appeared almost instantly, and we rarely saw more than a 2-second delay for any function to complete.
ACDSee should not be confused with an image-collection organiser such as Canto's Cumulus; you can't assemble albums from files in different locations. However, the program does let you add descriptions and sort the thumbnails. If you're scouting around for an inexpensive way to view, print, annotate, and mail photos, ACDSee 3.1 is a fine choice.
ACDSee 3.1
Company: ACD Systems
Price: US$49 download.
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