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Everyone likes pictures, right? They like taking them, they like watching them, but most of all, they like showing them off. And since it is quite common to simply place them in an artistic frame and put them on the fireplace, maybe you should consider adjusting your photos a little bit - not much, just the appropriate amount to make them utterly UNIQUE. And this is where you will need Magic Photo Editor.

This tool will allow you to enhance the way your pictures look like by adding cartoon figures, various flowers, attractive frames and text. Of course, the first thing to do is to choose the background image, i.e. the one you want to improve in its appearance. Next, you will need to choose the image(s) you want to blend in ?yes, blend, because you will have the possibility to select masks for each of the additions so that they integrate smoothly into the original picture. What抯 more, Magic Photo Editor will provide instant preview for these masks, so you can test several of them until you are satisfied with the result. Needless to say, each image you add can have a different way to blend, depending on its personality?

Moving on, we get to the flowers department. The first thing to strike you is that there is no preview available for them, clicking the thumbnails will overlay them until you either give up trying to find the perfect one, or you will stop searching, remove the plants from the picture, then resume exploring the gallery. A great advantage when it comes to these flowers is that you can settle for single ones or for wreaths, according to your needs, preferences or holiday (such as Christmas or Valentine's Day).

However, if flowers are not your thing, maybe you will enjoy the cartoons more. Considering they range from classic Walt Disney figures to modern Manga creations, you are bound to find the exact one that will make you or, more probably, your kid happy. Unfortunately, these items will overlay too, so try to take a good look at the thumbnail before clicking it, otherwise you will need to clean the image regularly; this can become, without doubt, a time-consuming task, especially since you need to remove each cartoon individually and no Undo function is available.

Another way to customize the pictures is to add text. Plain and simple. Or, if you want to toy around, you can go for one of the eight types of 'speaking Balloons? under various shapes and colors, and you just need to specify the location and adjust the size. I know, an empty balloon is not fun (nor useful, for that matter), but if you want words, you'll have to add them separately as text and balloon don't go together, you need to choose only one of them ?or you can insert the balloon, then modify the size of the text to fit in within the limits of the box. Also, you will not able to edit your text once it gets on the image, so make sure you make no typos or other types of mistakes. Nonetheless, let's look on the bright side: at least you have the freedom to use the font size, type and color you prefer.

Last, but not least, we have the frames. So far, all the functions I have mentioned referred to the additional elements, but the frames are the final touch in getting an overall reaction of awe from the beholders. Therefore, Magic Photo Editor enables you to add artistic borders to your background image. You can preview the effect quickly, thus saving you lots of time as there are many frames to go through and choose from. Following the same line of 'fun'additions, I cannot help thinking that, if you have a little girl, she will definitely be more than happy to play around with some of these frames, i.e. the ones that have a Sailor Moon-ish feel, but it is probably due to their Manga style.

At this point, I feel tempted to use one of the phrases from the application's website: 'give this photo editor to your girlfriend or wife.' But I won't do that, as I am convinced you realized by now that Magic Photo Editor is simply a tool to create amusing pictures to entertain your family and friends and to change a bit the ordinary appearance of your pictures, rather than building elaborate graphic compositions.

The Good

Magic Photo Editor comes with a very wide collection of items that you can use to customize your photos?display. Furthermore, if you only apply the masks and the frames, you can easily design professional looking pictures that you can incorporate in your office presentations. The numerous shapes, if they are chosen wisely, can truly make the difference between a boring project and a 'cathy' one. Moreover, you can employ text boxes to convey your message, instead of creating a different slide for any notes you may need to explain the pictures.

The Bad

First of all, I have to admit that I was surprised to realize that, within this photo editor, if you right-click your mouse, nothing happens. It would have been more comfortable to see a quick-access menu, with the basic commands 慤ndo/Redo/Delete?and such.

Also, don't rely too much on the Help option, since it will only supply an overview of the software's functions, thus leaving you with the task of discovering all its features.

The Truth

Whether you want to design a collage of family pictures, to create a flower presentation for a flower shop, or craft an imaginative display of cartoon figures to brighten up your child's room, you should give Magic Photo Editor a try (or more, but make sure you don抰 need more than 30 uses maximum, because that抯 all you are allowed in the trial version).

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MAGIC PHOTO EDITOR REVIES II

Photo program lets you combine images and clip art, add frames.

Have you ever wanted to create a photo montage, but don't have the software--or the skills--to do it? Then Magic Photo Editor might be your answer.

This unique tool lets you select a photo (yours or one supplied by the vendor) and insert any number of images into it, using a selection of masks to frame the inserted images. You can add clip art flowers and cartoon characters, and add a frame for a finishing touch.

The program is fairly easy to use, but a little rough around the edges. For example, many of the clip art choices are pixellated, and you can't position your images within the masks. During my testing I was unable to use many of the frames, masks, and the like--the pop-up window wasn't large enough to display them, and there was no discernable way to navigate in the window.

Those glitches aside, this easy-to-use photo tool could be fun for hobbyists--though it is a bit expensive at $40. Be sure to play with the 30-use trial version before you register; it contains all the features of the program.

Convert Red to Pink by photo editor

Photoshop Elements Plugins.