If you are looking for an all-in-one collage maker program that's fast, easy, and dare I say..., Picture Collage Maker (PCM) could be it. Picture Collage Maker is a software which enables us to create collages from the photo collections we have stored on the computer. With a large number of templates It is a friendly application. With just a few clicks, you can create collages, scrapbooks, posters, invitations, calendars, and greeting cards. You don't need experience or computer skills to use this software. As soon as the program is launched you'll be asked how you want to start the new project so..let it flow..:) Unlike many of the other programs that were reviewed, this program did not takes days to master.
When there is no need to use the whole picture, the program can crop it and only the selected section will be part of your collage. Positioning is not restricted in any way as you can move its content anywhere within the "canvas", change their location and size and you can rotate either the photo or the entire frame.
Features & Capabilities
- Templates -There are over 125 templates for collages, greeting cards, invitations, and calendars; all of which are easily accessible by scrolling through a thumbnail menu on the program's main screen.
Once a template is chosen, I liked that you have complete control over paper (or "canvas") size and orientation. You can input text, frames, backgrounds, masks and photos by using icons or the drop-down toolbar on top. In addition, there is a decent-sized catalog of usable clip art available for use.
- Image Manipulation - This is another area where the software excels. Images can be cropped, rotated, re-sized, and freely arranged within the collage so easily that I felt I'd been using the software for months rather than minutes.
The program supports drag and drop image placements, resizing and multiple layers for images and clipart decorations (objects can be placed on top of other objects).
Your final collage can be saved as a new JPG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIF, or TGA image and/or set to be your computer's wallpaper.
- Photo Collage Wizard - If you're in a hurry, use their wizard to create a photo collage automatically. Just select your photos and click the mouse one time!
- Real-Time Editing - See the changes made to your collage immediately, without having to save and then reopen the file.
- Frames, Borders, Clipart, Photo Masks - A large number of each of these are included in the collage maker. At the risk of sounding like a broken record... the selections included in this package provide just about any combination you want to enhance your collage.
I would not have been as impressed with their selection had I not seen the "mediocre-to-poor" selections used by over a dozen other collage maker programs.
- Filters and Photo Effects - Advanced photo editing tools allow you to stylize the look of collage images through the use of various filters. A few examples include black-and-white, sharpening, contrast, saturation, hue, radial zoom, and a blur filters.
- Light & Color Managemanet - Allows you to edit an image's brightness and color. Picture Collage Maker give you nearly as much control over editing as what is usually found in your basic photo-editing software packages.
Don't get me wrong - you will not be able to perform "Photoshop-like" editing with PCMP. However, most people who use collage maker programs, don't need that level of sophistication. If you do, you probably want to consider the winner of the Professional-Level Collage Maker category.
- Printing - Print your collage directly from Picture Collage Maker Pro
- Multiple Undos - Allows you to undo several recent collage changes as a group - major time-saver!
- Email - Send your collage to others through email
- System Requirements - Microsoft® Windows 98/Me/NT4/2000/XP/2003 Server/VISTA compatible.
