DVD Copy 6 Description:

Item #: 41322F. DVD Copy 6 makes it easy to copy DVDs and create DVD video and DivX discs. Enjoy quick one-click DVD copying, or compile your video clips on to a disc to watch on your DVD player. Easy, fast and reliable, DVD Copy 6 is your hassle-free video copying tool.

Product Description
Corel DVD Copy ( v. 6 ) – complete package
Category: Utilities
Subcategory: Utilities – CD / DVD recording
Version: 6
License Type: Complete package
License Qty: 1 license
Language(s): English
Platform: Windows
OS Required: Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Microsoft Windows Vista
Customers also search for: Discount Corel DVD Copy – (V. 6) – Complete Package – 1 License – Win – English, Buy Corel DVD Copy – (V. 6) – Complete Package – 1 License – Win – English Wholesale Corel DVD Copy – (V. 6) – Complete Package – 1 License – Win – English, 0735163116472, DC6ENPC, Software Suites

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3975 in Software
• Brand: Corel
• Model: DC6ENPC
• Released on: 2007-11-20
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
• Format: CD-ROM
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 2.00″ h x 8.00″ w x 9.50″ l, .40 pounds

Features

• No-hassle video conversion tool offers 1-click DVD copying
• Quickly compile video clips onto a DVD or DivX disc with menu
• Compress dual-layer DVDs to single-layer discs
• Support for the latest standard and high-definition formats
• User-friendly animated Selector Wheel and realistic icons

Customer Reviews:

This Does what it says on the BOx.
This product does not say that it removes DRM protection. If you want something to remove the copy protection on your dvd’s, you want something like “anydvd” by slyfox. You will need a program like that to remove the protection so you can copy YOUR dvd’s that YOU OWN.

After you have that out of the way, you’re ready to convert your video (many formats, just read the description) to other formats. People who know about this stuff will figure it out pretty quick. Others may need to experiment. I’ve used previous versions of this app, and just wanted to put it in there that this program does what it says it does, and nothing more, which is a lot. But is doesn’t remove DMR.

I wish I knew…
This product works great for home videos, but it does NOT copy any copyrighted material so beware! It’s also a little more complicated to use than other programs I have used in the past so beginners may have trouble using it at first.

Can’t recommend
“Copy all of a disc or just the chapters you want.” A quote from the
product description. I couldn’t figure out how to do it, so I emailed
tech support. The reply was that my quesion could be answered only by discussing with a fee consultant. And—no copyright issues–just a straight forward ability to select only the tracks I want to copy from a DVD. That’s the only reason I bought it. Very disappointing.

From the Manufacturer
DVD Copy 6 makes it easy to quickly copy and burn DVDs and video in three simple steps. Copy all of a disc or just the chapters you want. Use the download manager to copy videos directly from the Internet, and compile your favorite videos and TV shows onto a DVD with menus. Compress dual-layer DVDs to single-layer discs. With support for the latest standard and high-definition formats, including DivX, converting video couldn’t be easier. Share your video by email, on the Web, or PC. Easy, fast, and reliable, DVD Copy 6 is your no-hassle video conversion tool.

Everything you need–in three easy steps

DVD Copy 6 offers a simple process to complete most tasks: just choose Source, Target drive and format, click Start, and you’re on your way to a perfect copy!

Features and benefits:

• New! More user-friendly: The animated Selector Wheel makes choosing tasks easy and fast. Realistic icons clearly show output options for the task at hand.
• New! Switch languages: at any time, switch the entire user interface language–great for bilingual environments.
• Uninterrupted TV shows: cut out the commercials before burning your recorded TV shows to DVD.
• Personalized discs: when copying a DVD, select just the titles or chapters you want to create your personal DVD.
• Quick Disc Copy: Need to make a quick 1:1 duplicate disc? Just select Disc Copy, video source and target, and click Burn.
• Copy to hard drive: Access and edit your content with ease. DVD Copy lets you duplicate your DVD-Videos onto your hard drive in MPEG-1, MPEG-2, or DivX format. Play it from your hard drive, edit in your favorite editor, convert to other formats, or compile new discs.
• Erase Disc: with just a click, DVD Copy 6 can erase RW-discs to recycle them like they’re new.
• Create Disc Image: Create disc images of your movies and save on your hard drive for later burning. This is the most reliable way to produce multiple copies.

More formats and devices supported:

• DivX HD support: Import and create high-definition DivX HD video files of up to 1280×720 frame size. Burn two hours of high-definition video to DVD discs with the original subtitles, audio tracks, and even interactive navigation menus, that play on DivX Hi-Def DVD players.
• H.264 HD support: encode your HD video in cutting-edge H.264 HD and save disc space while maintaining great quality.
• MPEG-2 HD support: convert video to HDTV format for playing on your home theater.
• XVid support: DVD Copy now supports this popular P2P file format, giving you access to much more material.
• Vista-certified: fully certified to work with your new Windows Vista operating system.
• HDV support: converts high-definition HDV captured from HDV camcorders from Sony, Panasonic, JVC, and Canon.
• Burn to any disc: DVD Copy supports common recordable media formats including DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD-R/RW, DVD +/- VR, and DVDRAM.
• 4.85 GB DVD-R EX support: Burn to 4.85 GB. Extended Capacity discs, for even more video content.
• Duplicate Double Layer Discs: copy larger capacity DVD+R/-R double layer discs, so you can maintain the original DVD quality without shrinking content.
• Squeeze double layer DVDs: Compress dual-layer DVD-Videos onto single-layer DVDs while maintaining visual quality. Select from six different compression rates and preview the quality before burning.
• DVD to CD: Copy DVD videos to multiple CDs, in Video CD (VCD) or Super Video CD (SVCD) format. Play back your discs on set-top DVD player or PC.
• Auto-fit DVD-Videos to CD: Copy DVD-Videos to CD in high-quality DivX & WMV formats! The Auto-fit feature adjusts the bit rate so you can even burn your entire movie onto a single DivX CD.
• Rip Audio CD and DVD Soundtracks: extract audio tracks and burn them to CD with the Copy DVD to Audio CD feature.
• Output to WMV-HD disc images: Playback high-definition video on your Windows XP PC. Includes support for 1920 x 1080, 1440×1080, and 1280×720 resolutions.

Faster performance:

• Faster opening time: DVD Copy 6 launches twice as fast as previous versions. Less waiting means quicker copying!
• H.264 optimization: enjoy super-fast encoding of your H.264 movies.
• Intel Core2 Duo and Core2 Quad Certification: DVD Copy is optimized for faster copying and conversion on the new Intel processors.

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Jewel Case Description:

Platform:  WINDOWS 98/ME/2000/XP Publisher:  LUCAS ARTS Packaging:  JEWEL CASE Rating:  TEEN Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy begins shortly after the conclusion of events in Star Wars: Jedi Outcast. Players create a Jedi apprentice character and join the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4 to learn the ways of the Force under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn.While the young apprentice embarks on various missions to hone their skills and abilities a mysterious group is discovered creating havoc throughout the galaxy. Until order is restored the fate of the Jedi Academy and the future of the Star Wars galaxy itself hangs precariously in the balance. Jedi Academy is a dynamic single and multiplayer action experience featuring an all-new epic story. Explore a multitude of complex and richly detailed Star Wars environments including twice as many unique locales as those in Star Wars: Jedi Outcast players face a variety of powerful and insidious enemies. For the first time in a Jedi Knight series game Star Wars Jedi Academy allows players to create and customize their own characters by choosing various characteristics including species gender clothing and physical attributes such as hair and facial features. In addition players can create a custom lightsaber selecting from hilt and blade color. As apprentices progress in their training different lightsabers will become available such as the double-bladed lightsaber or dual lightsabers. FeaturesInteract with famous classic Star Wars locations and characters while facing the ultimate choice.. fight for good and freedom in the light side or follow the path of power and evil to the dark side. Players can create their own characters by defining various characteristics such as species gender clothing and physical attributes allowing for a more personal experience before entering the academy to learn the powers of the Force. Construct your own lightsaber from

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3307 in Video Games
• Brand: Lucas Arts
• Model: 23272955816
• Released on: 2005-07-11
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platforms: Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP
• Format: CD-ROM
• Dimensions: .40″ h x 4.00″ w x 4.00″ l, .35 pounds

Features

• First-person Star Wars action/adventure, with a story-based singled-player campaign and a variety of multiplayer combat modes
• Learn the ways of the Force from Master Luke Skywalker
• Customize your character by choosing species, gender, clothing, and physical attributes such as hair and facial features
• Create a custom lightsaber by choosing hilt design, blade color, and style: single, double, or dual sabers
• Unique level selection system allows players to choose their own path through the game

Customer Reviews:

Use the Force… really, put down the blaster and use the Force
I bought this game when it first came out. I thought it was an okay Star Wars FPS, but that some of the bosses were kind of hard to beat. Blasters and thermal detonators were iffy so I just flailed away with the lightsaber while mainly trying to run away. One of the big problems was that a regular mouse, even a wheel mouse did not have enough buttons to smoothly use the Force powers. It was similar to what I thought after seeing Episode IV and V: “What’s the big deal with the Jedi Force powers and those light sabers? They have to be pretty close to use them so what good are they in a large scale fight?”

After watching Episode II I replayed it, but this time with a Logitech mouse with a ton of extra controls on it. Whoa! BIG difference. Now instead of stabbing blindly at F-keys I could control the Force powers and deploy them quickly and accurately. Then it was more like “Whoa, if the Jedi Knights could do *this* no wonder people/aliens thought twice before messing with them!”.

At this point the game became interesting, especially after watching Episode III. Pay attention to what the enemy Force users and Kyle can do, because they will give you hints at what you can do. Note all the combo lightsaber attacks and their counters. At that point some enemies that were problems are no longer particularly significant.

Because you can select different Force powers as your character develops, it changes how you deal with each level and type of enemy. This means if you like the game you can keep replaying it and experimenting.

As far as good and bad Force powers go, note that Kyle says that it’s not so much which powers you select but how you use them (so ignore Luke I guess). For example Kyle uses Force Lightning a lot.

As I type this I’m wondering if it might be possible to play all or most of the upper levels without using weapons at all. I may have to give it a try.

If you think you might want to replay it, be sure to save some of the higher levels where you have to make decisions about selecting specialized Force powers so you don’t have replay the whole game if you don’t want to.

Unfortunately increasing the single player difficulty decreases the rate at which your Force powers charge and your maximum shield charge instead of adding more enemies, etc. However, at one of the higher levels you get to make the big decision and if you choose the Dark Side you get to fight twice as many enemies.

Then there is a second aspect to the game. Playing single player using the Force Powers shows why the Jedi were so powerful in the movies. But if you didn’t rely too much on Force Powers you now know how to fight with a light saber. Besides the basic moves, combo attacks, the counters there are also three combat styles and three diffent types of light sabers. This means there are a LOT of combinations. If you’ve learned those, go on-line and try your new skills against other Jedi Academy players. I haven’t looked recently so I don’t know how many servers and on-line players are out there (due to the game’s age).

It’s an old game so it’s hardware requirements are not too demanding compared to 2006 titles. But in my opinion the game play and chance to play as a Jedi Knight make it a fun game even today. For ten bucks I think it’s a deal.

I like it. I like it a lot.
I’ll keep this simple. Some of my favorite things about Jedi Academy:

1. Lightsaber combat! It’s fun, fast, and intense, and you get a high degree of control over the saber. It’s a blast against both gun and saber-weilding enemies. The dramatic saber/force power duels with dark jedi are the highlight of the game.

2. I like the power of creativity the game gives you. If you want to try something, it will probably work. You can pull weapons out of the hands of your enemies or push them off cliffs. You can use the vader-style grip to pick up enemies and choke them, or throw them off cliffs, or through windows, or hold them over a fire and let them roast, or throw your saber at them while they are suspended in the air, or simply beat them senseless against the walls. Stealth is a viable option, if you want to use it. If someone fires a rocket at you, you can dodge it, or use the force to send it right back at them.

3. There is a strong modding community. There are gigabytes and gigabytes of extra maps, missions, player models, and weapons available for download. Jedi Academy helps by being very mod-compatible, and the result is a lot of extra replay value.

4. The missions are nicely done, and have a pretty good variety of objectives and environments.

Some things I didn’t like as much:

1. The storyline is pretty weak.

2. Except for the very last mission, there is no real lightside/darkside choice, and no real consequence for using the powers of the dark side.

3. Some of the vehicle code seems a bit unpolished.

4. There are other weapons besides lightsabers, but they are rarely useful except for taking out the rare enemy you can’t get to with a lightsaber. They’re generally well done, but they feel somewhat extraneous (in almost all situations). Fortunately, you generally have the option of simply ignoring them and sticking with the lightsaber.

5. The lightsaber occasionally feels a bit underpowered. Against more powerful enemies, it may take several clean cuts through their body before they actually die, which is a bit annoying. 3rd party mods are available that fix this though.

Overall, highly recommended.

A game for the Jedi in all of us
This is my first Star Wars game I’ve played as a Jedi and it was the most fun I’ve had in a pc game. The only trouble I had was in getting used to using my keyboard and mouse to move my player around (only the first few tries). There aren’t many choices of species but, the choice of sabers and colors make up for that.

The beginning is nice and easy so you can get used to using your force abilities. As you progress you get stronger and faster as well as bigger challenges. I really got into this game and came to like the characters alot. You get to travel all over the place and fight with a nice selection of weapons. The Wookie Bowcaster is my favorite!

The imagery is very good. Planets, creatures, and bad guys/gals were done very well. The cut scenes are fun to watch because they tie in with the whole story line. I especially loved the fight scenes with the Sith. The slow motion effects during these battles were awesome.

Overall, I had a great time playing this game. Some parts were easy while others were alittle bit of a challenge. Take your time and “use the force” to guide you. You will have so much fun and probably laugh at what those Stormtroopers have to say! Enjoy!

Command And Conquer: Red Alert 2 Description:

Platform:  WINDOWS 98/XP/VISTA Publisher:  SOLD-OUT SOFTWARE Packaging:  DVD STYLE BOX Rating:  TEEN The Soviets are back-this time on American soil.And their mysterious mind-control technology is turning Americans into mindlessautomatons faster than a season of back-to-back Jerry Springer. Take up arms forthe Red White and Blue-or just the Red. Whatever your allegiance Command &Conquer: Red Alert 2 pushes the frontier of RTS gaming.HistoryThe Cold War is well over. The U.S. is knee-deepin apple pie and amber waves of grain. The Red Menace is all but dead dilutedinto the World Socialist Alliance a harmless humanitarian organization withU.S.-friendly puppet leader Premier Romanov shaking hands and making speeches.Peace and prosperity reign. Then the reports come in.Reports of U.S. citizens in the southwest U.S.succumbing to fits of dizziness and nausea. Others falling into a state ofzombie-like submission turning against both family and nation. Intelligencereports soon link the disturbance to a Soviet presence in Mexico where with anod from the U.S. Romanov’s WSA troops are supposedly putting down aninsurrection. But it’s soon revealed as an elaborate ruse as Soviet troops-likenone the Allies have ever seen-storm Texas then California then New York.Planting mysterious beacons along the way the Soviet troops are led by psychicgenerals who use their minds instead of munitions to push forward with theirinvasion of the U.S. In the cities Americans take up arms against theirneighbors. In the country patriotic farmers weep as they watch theircows-strapped with explosives and saddled by mind-control-march into militaryinstallations to explode in deadly clouds of beefy succulent shrapnel.President Dugan opts for a decisive nuclear strike. The red phone rings. Thebutton is pushed. Nothing happens.By now intelligence sources confirm the worst:Romanov is behind the siege and he’s using the most mysterious-andt

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2382 in Video Games
• Brand: Command
• Model: REDALERT2JC
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: Windows
• Format: CD
• Dimensions: .45 pounds

Features

• DVD STYLE BOX
• WINDOWS 98/XP/VISTA

Customer Reviews:

best startegy game ever!!!!
This game ROCKS! I have played alot.The thing i like most about this game is that thier are 2 disks.One for the soviets and one for the allies.Thats at least 10-13 hours gameplay,considering it is your first time.So basicly I recomend this game and is a good game for 10 bucks.

One of the best all-time RTS Games! A must own!
This is a classic RTS game, and 9 years later, it’s still loads of fun to play.

classic!
I bought this for my husband and he loved it!Fast shipping too =) The game itself is awesome. But the format was kinda different, the game graphics seem smaller and was just situated right in the middle of the screen/ compressed. But You’ll never notice it once you get to enjoy the game!

SONY VAIO BZ Series VGN-BZ560P34 NoteBook Intel Core 2 Duo T94002.53GHz 15.4″ Wide XGA+ 3GB Memory DDR2 800 250GB HDD 5400rpm Dual layer DVD Burner Intel GMA 4500MHD, Windows Vista Business downgraded to XP Professional Description:

Other Features: Biometric Fingerprint Sensor, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) TCG Ver.1.2 ENERGY STAR 4.0 compliantDimensions: 14.27″ x 10.51″ x 1.18″, Weight: 5.8 lbs. Built for business, the lightweight VAIO BZ notebook boasts the productivity and compatibility features required by IT professionals and business customers. Its magnesium casing and a spill-resistant keyboard panel help protect against the accidents common to travel while next-gen Intel Centrino 2 processor technology provides the power necessary for heavy day-in day-out computing.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13952 in Personal Computers
• Brand: Sony
• Model: VGN-BZ560P34
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53 unknown-units
• Memory: 3GB DDR2 SDRAM
• Hard Disk: 250GB
• Processors: 1
• Display size: 15.4

Features

• Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 2.53G Powerfull CPU, 3GB DDR2 Memory, 250GB Hard Disk G-Sensor Shock Protection – Hard Disk Drive Protection
• Windows Vista Business downgraded to XP Professional with Vista Business recovery media included
• 15.4″ WXGA+ LED backlight & XBRITE-ECO technology Screen With 1440×900 Resolution, Webcam: Built-in 1.3 megapixel camera
• Optical Drive: Dual layer DVD Burner, Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth Technology
• LAN: 10/100/1000Mbps, Wireless Intel WiFi Link 5100AGN (802.11a/b/g/n)

Customer Reviews:

Powerful laptop for business, personal, college use
Pros: 15.4″ screen, light-weight, both Win XP Professional and Win Vista OS, its really hard to find laptops nowadays with Win XP. 250GB Hi Speed HDD with Gravity shock protection (imagine), Built-in Wireless,Bluetooth,Camera, Hi Speed FireWire/S400 port

Cons: I don’ t think there’s anything bad with this laptop. If it were up to me, I’d make the whole world buy this laptop.

Summary: I like this product because first of all you are getting a 2.53 GHz intel centrino 2, core 2 duo processor with FSB 1066MHz, and a 3GB RAM (speed of RAM is 800MHz). Then you have a perfect size 15.4″ screen, with max resolution 1440*900. Then you have a 250GB SATA 5400 rpm HDD with gravity shock protection. All power to Sony for that. For networking you have built-on Wireless, built-in bluetooth therefore good bye cables and clutter.For webcam, you have a built-in camera as well. The keyboard is a typing bliss, I wish I had a typing job. Its ergonomic and it feels so good on fingers. The laptop is very light weigh and thin. It is almost as think as it could get. Battery life is good. 5 hrs practical battery life with Wi-Fi on and bluetooth On. Then it has a finger print reader. Wow. On top of it, Win XP Professional and Win Vista, both option. Also, the casing and keyboard is spill resistant, so if you drop tea or coffee on the keyboard you do not have to worry about anything, you just turn the power off and invert the laptop. I think this is by far the best laptop I have used and one could buy. Thanks.

Windows Vista Home Basic with SP1 Product: Windows Vista Home Basic with SP1 Lowest Price! List Price: $219.99 Amazon Price: $129.88 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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Windows Vista Home Basic is the edition of Windows for basic home computing needs. If you only want to use your PC for tasks like browsing the Internet, using e-mail, or viewing photos, then Windows Vista Home Basic may be the right edition for you. While it won’t provide as many benefits as Windows Vista Home Premium, it will help you use your PC more easily and more safely than you could with Windows XP.Windows Vista SP1 is an update to Windows Vista that addresses feedback from customers. In addition to previously released updates, SP1 will contain changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards. SP1 also addresses some management, deployment, and support challenges. Product Description Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic w/SP1 – complete package Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 License Type: Complete package License Qty: 1 PC License Pricing: Standard Language(s): English Localization: North America Media: DVD-ROM Package Type: Retail

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2534 in Software
• Brand: Microsoft
• Model: 66G-02689
• Released on: 2008-03-19
• Platform: Windows Vista
• Format: DVD-ROM
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.50″ h x 5.25″ w x 7.50″ l, .40 pounds

Features

• User-friendly software features search and organize innovations as well as improved networking opportunities
• Designed for users with the most basic computer needs
• Helps people use their PCs securely and reliably, makes it simple to stay better connected, and is compatible with the widest range of software, devices, and services that people use and trust every day
• Rich new interface, innovative ways to organize and find the information stored on your PC, and a multitude of entertainment options with live and recorded TV on your PC
• Provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail

Basic or Bloated?…
Yes, this is Vista Home Basic, you get what you pay for, a very good operating system without a bunch of eye-candy using up system resources, which makes it a good choice for an older computer upgrade or building your own system. You just have to ask yourself if you really need Media Center, DVD Maker, more Windows games or the RAM devouring Aero Glass desktop look. If you look around there are free DVD makers, free games and probably free substitutes for Media Center. But if you are going from XP to Vista I do recommend a clean install of Vista instead of upgrading XP. So it’s your choice if you want Vista Basic or Vista Ultimate Bloatware.

Re-Vista
On the whole I have been happy with my new Vista Home Basic operating system. I chose Home Basic over the other versions because I felt the extra features were nothing more than eye candy and software bloat that taxes your system resources and ram. One thing I did to optimize my experience with Vista was to install it as a new operating system, instead of upgrading Windows XP to Vista Home Basic. This freed me of any bugs or bad registry data that has collected in XP over the last 5 years. I copied only 4GB of data (important photos and documents) to a usb flash drive, then I rebooted, formatted, and installed Vista. After installation, Vista found all my drivers and downloaded them for me. After the first couple of restarts due to driver and antivirus installation, Vista runs very smoothly, in fact it starts up faster than my XP operating system did. I am docking 1 star due to the fact that the Windows disk defragmentation application no longer displays a status screen and thus you will have no idea how long it will take or how bad it is fragmented. I also feel that Microsoft should have bundled Windows Live OneCare with Vista, since they love to bundle in all their other programs.

I’m Pretty Impressed, So There You Go 5 Stars
I’ve been using Vista with SP1 for a couple weeks now on two different computers, my MacBook Pro and my iMac, both running on Bootcamp partitions and I have to say I’m pretty darned impressed.

I have lots of ram, ram to spare in both my machines, as I’m a Photoshop girl and both my machines are the latest and greatest Apple has to off, so I was good to go as far as hardware was concerned. I had no problems running the Aero eye candy and though it’s no Leopard, it’s quite nice. I liked the transparent window frames and I liked the minimizing and restoring effects, but again, I’m used to the Mac, so for me they were no great shakes.

I like the search box in the start menu, but I like spotlight better. Still it’s very handy. The Widgets are a copy of Mac’s Dashboard and Flip 3D is a copy of Expose, but then again Microsoft has been copying Apple for years.

I had to go online and download the printer driver again for my Brother printer, but that was no big deal and a couple of my Photoshop plugins had to be updated, but then I hadn’t used them for awhile. I was just checking everything because of the new Vista install.

In conclusion I guess I’d say if you’ve got the hardware and are not a Mac person, this is a pretty good operating system and it seems stable. I know, I know, you’ve probably read all the same stuff I have about how Vista crashes and crashes and crashes and I’ve experienced plenty of crashes myself, but those problems seem to have been solved with the SP1 upgrade.

The Home Premium version I have on my MacBook hasn’t crashed yet and Vista Ultimate on my iMac has only brought down my machine one time. Granted, it’s early days yet, but as for now I’ll say it again, I’m pretty impressed.

However there is one thing I just cannot seem to wrap my mind around. Why oh why are there so many versions of Vista. Well that bothered me with XP as well. Do you really need:

Vista Home Basic with SP1
Vista Home Premium with SP1
Vista Business with SP1
Ultimate with SP1
Vista Home Basic Upgrade with SP1
Vista Home Premium Upgrade with SP1
Vista Business Upgrade with SP1
Ultimate Upgrade with SP1

That’s an awful lot of Vistas. Then there’s:

Vista Anytime Upgrade Pack with SP1 [Home Basic to Home Premium]
Vista Anytime Upgrade Pack with SP1 [Business to Ultimate]
Vista Anytime Upgrade Pack with SP1 [Home Premium to Ultimate]
Vista Anytime Upgrade Pack with SP1 [Home Basic to Ultimate]

Come on, Microsoft, how about a one size fits all operating system like they do over in the Mac world. And this business about your copy protection, lighten up. Maybe some people do rip off Mr. Jobs’ Leopard, you know buy it and put it on more than one machine, but how many computers can they use at a time. Yes, yes, maybe a husband and wife could be on at the same time, or one of the kiddies, but sheesh, give us a break.

I know you have to protect yourself from the hordes who want free software, but Apple’s making a pretty penny with Leopard even while they trust their users, you could too.

Still, I guess I have to give all your Vistas with SP1 five stars, grudgingly, because of the way I think you do business, but I’ve got Vista working fine on two different computers, plus my husband has it on a couple others and we’re not having major problems, so there you go, five stars.

Reviewed by Sara Hackett

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Product: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Lowest Price! List Price: $299.00 Amazon Price: $259.04 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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Item #: T03931. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software is the professional photographer’s essential toolbox, providing one easy application for managing, adjusting, and presenting large volumes of digital photographs so you can spend less time in front of the computer and more time behind the lens. Product Description: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom – ( v. 2 ) – complete package
Category: Creativity application
Subcategory: Creativity – graphics & image editing
Version: 2
License Type: Complete package
License Qty: 1 user
License Pricing: Standard
Language(s): Universal English
Platform: Windows, MacOS
Distribution Media: CD-ROM
Package Type: Retail
OS Required: Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Apple MacOS X 10.4, Microsoft Windows Vista, Apple MacOS X 10.5
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• Amazon Sales Rank: #129 in Software
• Brand: Adobe
• Model: 65007312
• Released on: 2008-08-15
• Platforms: Windows Vista, Mac OS X Intel, Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Windows XP
• Format: CD-ROM
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.80″ h x 5.90″ w x 7.80″ l, .45 pounds

Features

• Enhance specific areas of a photo, or precisely adjust overall color, exposure, and tonal range nondestructively
• Automatically import, rename, and sort your entire shoot; find your photos quickly with powerful yet flexible sorting, selecting, and organizational tools
• Present your work in dynamic slide shows, interactive web galleries, and a variety of flexible print templates; easily upload your photos to popular online photo-sharing sites
• Configure your workspace to manage image workflow and presentation more efficiently thanks to support for multiple monitors
• Every change you make to an image is automatically tracked, so you can return to any state with a single click

Full Featured Workflow
I am not a professional but I have alot of photos I need to keep organized. I used iPhoto, but between it and Photoshop, there were some steps that just slowed down the process. Basically Lightroom is a combination of an organizational application with basic photo editing capabilities. It integrates well with Photoshop for more advanced editing. For my family snapshots though I rarely have to edit outside of Lightroom.

Navigating:
==========
Basic key commands:
G – Grid view, thumbnails of your photos
E – Loupe, highlighted photo fullscreen
D – Single photo in Develop mode
C – Compare, see two photos side by side, nice when you are looking for the perfect shot.
Command+Option+5 – Web module, I use this frequently to upload behind my site, via Lightroom’s ftp upload option.
Command [ or ] – rotates image CW and CCW

Organization:
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I am an organization obsessive, especially about my family photos. I have all of my photos on an external drive and LR is pointed to them. There are basically two types of “folders” in LR Folders and Collections.

-Folders
are just that, they refer to the physical folders/subfolders on your hard-drive and reflect the same structure in LR. If you have a folder named 2008>January>01 on your hard-drive, it will be so within LR. When you import into LR you can choose to 1. add photos without moving. 2. copy them to a new location. or 3. move them to a new location.

-Collections
are “virtual folders” within LR and these actually do not move the photo physically on your hard-drive. This is nice because you may have some photos you want to print, you just drag the thumbnails into a collection folder and you don’t have to worry about it floating around somewhere on your computer. (when you actually delete a photo in LR it gives you the option of removing from Lightroom only or remove it from completely from your hard-drive) A new feature of LR 2 is the addition of smart collections. There are many options of smart collections, I use them to collect top rated photos. Here is how. You add a new smart collection which takes you into a little sub menu, where you can set how this folder collects photos. I have one called “top rated” which any photo from my folders rated 4 or 5 stars goes into this collection. So where you can drag and drop your favorite photos into collections you can also set these parameters and LR will do the organization for you. Love this feature. You can set smart folders my rating (0-5 stars) color label, dates… and a couple more options I haven’t explored yet. As you can imagine there are countless different ways of making these…

-Importing
I basically plug my memory card into my computer and LR asks if I want to import. I have it set to create a physical folder on my hard-drive and import there. So my photos are organized on import. At this time there are options of renaming the whole set of photos with a custom name for example “las vegas 2008 vacation_etc……jpg”

Editing:
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This is basically the photoshop part of Lightroom, you have basic editing tools in the Loupe (E) but you need to go to Develop Mode/Module (D) for more advanced editing. You basically have control of color in LR, for example, white balance, hue, temperature, tint, brightness, saturation, curve…etc There is also allowances for Lens correction, noise reduction, sharpening, etc. You can do cropping in develop mode as well, which is very simple.

A couple of new tools in LR 2.0, I have only started to play around with are Spot Removal and Adjustment Brush. Spot removal tool comes up like the stamp tool in photoshop, where if you have a spot of dust or a pixel you want to get rid of. This is a two step tool, where you first choose the spot you want to remove, (say a dark spot on someone’s cheek) next you choose the area of the photo you want to replace the spot with (a clean area of the person’s cheek) and voila the spot is gone. The adjustment brush is nice to have because you can overexpose, underexpose, adjust the contrast, brightness, saturation with a brush tool. This is something I didn’t expect out of LR so I will definitely be exploring this tool.

You can also edit in Photoshop pretty seamlessly out of LR. You can edit the original (100.jpg will be the one you will be editing in PS) and see the effects back in LR. Edit a copy in PS (100-edit.jpg will be created in your hard-drive and see it next to the original in LR. Also Edit in PS with LR adjustments, any edits in LR will be exported out into PS.

One thing to keep in mind is that any edit done in LR are NOT HARD EDITS. Meaning, you do not affect the original image until you export that image out of LR. The edits are stored in LR until you do an export out into PS or into a folder on your desktop. Until then all photos can be restored back to their original state.

-Presets:
This is a fun part of LR. Lightroom comes already with some basic presets, which instead of remembering all the steps you took to edit one photo, you can save these steps into “presets”. So in Develop mode you adjust the, hue, curve, temperature, detail, saturation..etc. of a photo, and you can save it as a preset, call it “preset outdoor” or something and then you can apply this preset to one or dozens of photos at once. Voila. There are lots of free presets already out there. (do a google search. the flickr lightroom group is a good source for learning) You can also cut and paste the edits of a particular photo and paste in onto a group of photos as well.

Web Module:
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This is also fun too. Basically you enter in your web ftp info into LR and tell it to point to a subfolder on your site. (www.website.com/gallery1) and this is where you upload the galleries too. LR comes with a few prepackaged galleries and flash galleries, you select your photos, choose the web template, edit the template (background color, type etc. and upload. and it’s really that simple you have uploaded a gallery behind your site. Obviously you need to learn the basics, but before I had to upload with a ftp client, create the html etc.

All in all, Lightroom really is a fantastic tool. I am still learning alot about it. And I know there are people who prefer Aperture and I will try it out to compare, but LR just felt right for me. Try out the 30 day free trial, test out as much as you can, It is not a cheap program but if you are as excited about this stuff it really is a great tool. Cheers.

Great resource
Lightroom 2 is a great resource for photographers, combining cataloging, development and print capabilities. The develop module is the knockout here. It’s similar in many respects to Photoshop’s Camera Raw, but in my opinion the Lightroom interface is superior. Though it’s easy to open images in Photoshop, Lightroom’s local adjustment brush often makes that additional step unnecessary, and the saving in file size is significant. I’m also a fan of Photoshop, but given its high price, those who don’t have it already should consider whether Lightroom alone satisfies their needs.

The lack of a printed manual is regrettable, but a pdf version is available from Adobe at http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Lightroom/2.0/lightroom_2_help.pdf.

Weird, Wild and Wonderful
This is the story of three bears. Papa Bear, AKA Photoshop, Mama Bear, AKA Lightroom, and Baby Bear, AKA Bridge. Papa Bear carries the weight and does the heavy lifting. Mama Bear organizes everything and gets lots of important work done behind the scenes. Baby Bear is smaller, but still important to the family. Together, the three bears are a powerful family, especially to the photographers who revere and adore them.

Okay, lets kick the bear metaphor to the curb and take a look at this marvelous thing we call Lightroom 2. Who needs it? You do, if you are an enthusiast amateur or professional photographer. You need it if you take hundreds of photos every week and you have thousands of photos in your archives. You need it if you shoot events–reunions, weddings, mitzvahs, company events–and you have to output hundreds of photos in a relatively short time. Lightroom is that part of your workflow.

The moment you pop the installation DVD into your computer, you’ll want to start playing with your photos. Resist the temptation. Take a few minutes to personalize the interface by customizing the Identity Plate and Module picker. You can also set up the Panel End Marks and image background. (This is especially handy if you occasionally have clients looking over your shoulder.) Don’t forget to set up the interface preferences to suit your style.

Lightroom is a collection of five specific modules: Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print and Web.

The process begins by importing photos into the Lightroom 2 Library. You’ll recognize a process similar to bridge. You’ll add keywords and import your photos. There are Grid and Loupe views. You can compare two photos or view multiple photos. In the greater scheme of things, you’ll create catalogs of large collections of your photos.

One of the features which is often underutilized but wonderfully helpful is the rating system. You have the option to sort your photos by giving them a 0-5 star rating. You can also add more specific keywords to individual photos or specific groups of photos. Taking time early on an paying attention to these mundane labeling tasks pays off big time down the road. Weeks, months and years pass, but thanks to your diligent attention to keywords and ratings, you are able to pull up just the photos you want quickly and easily.

The Develop module is where you can get in there and play with your photos. Time for processing. Go wild and change the color temperature and tint, adjust the exposure, brightness and contrast. Make changes with the Recovery, Fill Light, Blacks, Clarity Vibrance, and Saturation sliders. If you’re still not satisfied, you can call up the adjustment brush and lighten shadows by changing the exposure in a specific
area. If that’s not enough, you can open up and use the Detail tool. Next, you have the Vignette tool to separate the background from the foreground.

Wait, there’s more. You have a crop tool as well, and with a few keystrokes you can enlarge the virtual image and view it against a plain, black background.

The range of possibilities in the Develop module is stunning. You have to pinch yourself every-once-in-a-while and chant, “Lightroom is not a stand-alone product. It doesn’t replace Photoshop.” The line where Lightroom ends and Photoshop begins can get a little blurry.

Now that your image is the picture of perfection, you can head to the Print module. Here you’ll find a nice selection of Lightroom templates for various printing options like 2-up Greeting Card, Contact Sheets, Triptych or Fine Art Mat to name a few.

So, what’s new in this version of Lightroom? I mentioned the Adjustment Brush and the Post-Crop Vignette. Lightroom 2 also has improved speed, better and stronger integration with Photoshop, better printing, the keywording feature has more muscle, you can use multiple monitors and the Library, Slideshow, Web and Print modules are beefier and more useful. One particularly important area of improvement is in the Find, Filter and Sort features.

I don’t want to give short shrift to the Slideshow, Web and Print modules. Like other modules in Lightroom 2, they are deliciously rich and full-featured. One of my personal favorites is the Slideshow feature. I use it frequently and enthusiastically. There are so many amazing ways to utilize your photos in slideshows.

Lightroom 2 is fantastically feature-rich. You’ll probably buy it for Library module, but don’t cheat yourself by not taking advantage of all the other Modules. Consider it your license to creatively liberate yourself. It can be your photo-fun place. Lightroom truly is a weird, wild and wonderful thing. Download a free, 30-day trial at www.adobe.com and give it a test drive.