Northlite Designs Book and Software Reviews

AutoFX Photographic Edges 6.0

AutoFX Software

Price: Introductory price $149, a savings of $30 off the regular price
Upgrade: $79 from any previous version
Download a demo here

Platforms: Mac and Windows Dual Platform CD
Macintosh Classic and OS 10 native software and Windows 98/2000/NT/ME/XP

An upgrade to one of AutoFX’s most popular filters, version 6 is the best so far. With over 10,000 edges (yes, really!) and the undo features of the newer lines of AutoFX filters, this one is the most fun.

Along with dozens of ways to paint on custom edges, PGE offers preset masks, frames and edges that give your images a professional, finished look...or one that is just plain fun. The frames are a fast way to get a beautiful result in very little time, and you can choose from artistic or traditional looks.

I did find loading presets a little awkward. I expected them to be loaded on the special effects menu, but many of those are empty. Instead, you must load them from the Layer Presets menu at the top of the application. Once you know where to look, though, the possibilities of this filter boggles the mind. With 3 CDs of contents, there is no way to ever try all of them, or the myriad of possible combinations.

I have long been a fan of AutoFX plugins, and they keep getting better and better. This is a specialized filter, and what it does, it does with grace and finesse...and more speed than version 5. Download a trial from AutoFX and give it a test drive!

Related sites: AutoFX software, http://www.autofx.com