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Hewie's Views and Reviews Welcome to this issue of Hewie's Views & Reviews. Be sure to visit Hewie's Favorites at http://www.hewie.net/ . ++++ Microsoft Research AutoCollage ++++ Microsoft Research AutoCollage I stumbled upon a new collage program from Microsoft Research, a group from MS that I had not heard about. I have tried many collage programs or graphic programs that included the ability to take many pictures and create a collage. Most of them simply allow you to place pictures of various sizes in various configurations. Usually the pictures are squared up with each other and seldom overlapped. I was looking for a way to make a true collage where I cut out portions of pictures and overlapped and arranged them in a pleasing way. I finally found a program from Arcsoft called Scrapbook Creator. It isn't even called a collage program, but it allows you edit photos by cropping in various shape and move them around to form a collage. You can rotate or change which photo overlaps another and generally create a nice collage. You can save the result in one of several formats including jpg or bmp. Arcsoft's Scrapbook Creator sells for $40, but I saw it on their site for $20. It has not been updated in several years and is listed in their clearance area. http://www.arcsoft.com When I saw that Microsoft Research's AutoCollage had a free trial version, I decided to try yet another program. I was glad that I did. It takes all of the pictures in a given folder. I created a work folder and copied the pictures that I wanted to use. There is only a hand full of settings. There are several sizes that can be saved in either landscape or portrait. The title word "Auto" is accurate. I click on the create button and the program goes to work. First it takes all of the pictures scrambles the order, places them in a Vista Aero type format, spins them a bit and creates the collage. AutoCollage uses 7 to 25 images to create the collage, and each blends nicely with another. Any picture that differs in size too much is rejected. There is no control once the collage is generated. However, if you don't like one collage, hit the create button and it goes through the routine again, but in a different formation. Then you can save the picture that you like. Although there are few options, AutoCollage creates a pleasing compilation of pictures and make a great addition to my graphic arsenal. The program costs only $20 and must be downloaded from http://research.microsoft.com/autocollage You can use the free download and add the registration number later. It does require Windows XP SP3 or later and .Net 3.0 or later. ++++ PC Wizard Once the program is loaded, you can save, print, or email the report or parts of it. I am amazed on how thorough that it is. I was able to view the brand of the motherboard in my HP and even see the temperatures of the motherboard and processor. I won't spend a lot of your time describing the program. You can download a zipped version to a folder, unzip it, and run the program. If you want, you can also download an exe version to a folder and run it. It will install it on your system.
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