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October, Vol.2 Issue 10, 2004 | Gregory Anderson |
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Like aftershocks following an earthquake, cottage industries are springing up in digital photography’s wake. One category comprises digital photo albums. PicaJet’s latest photo album software serves that purpose well.
Unlike many other digital imaging programs, PicaJet focuses on doing one thing and doing it well. Its features reflect that focus—narrow but clearly defined. Primarily, PicaJet makes it easy to import and catalog pictures. You can import files from cameras, memory cards, folders, CDs, or scanners, or you can browse thumbnails to view, find, edit, and share images. The program’s image-editing options are limited (Rotate, Crop, Flip, Brightness, Contrast) but sufficient for spiffing up your snapshots. PicaJet’s sharing tools include one-click emailing and Web gallery creation.
You can easily configure PicaJet, and the program has sufficient options for power users. You can create several albums, each with its own database for managing different types of files. Other options let you define thumbnail appearance and email settings. Best of all, PicaJet’s shell integration puts a PicaJet option on the right-click context menu throughout Windows, letting you import images anytime.
PicaJet 2.0 is very well-designed. When importing files, you can automatically generate categories based on folder names, preserving your existing organizational structure. Add or search metadata for each file, including photo and import dates, ratings, categories, size, and EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) data. Browse the center thumbnail panel and double-click each image for a larger view. The program’s email sharing integrates with your existing email client. Quick Edit functions are just a right-click away. And the one-click slideshow lets you scroll through pictures, adjusting settings on the fly.
PicaJet’s focus is organizing image files, and it’s one of the best applications we’ve seen for that purpose. If integrating lots of photo-related activities is equally important, PicaJet may not have all that you’re looking for. But if you have a large photo collection and just need an efficient way to manage it, PicaJet is worth every penny.
