Lavasoft Adaware Ad Aware Pro 2007 Review

Lavasoft was one of the first companies to recognize the dangers posed by spyware and to offer a solution. For ages, its Ad-Aware was one of the very few antispyware solutions available. In recent years Ad-Aware's star has dimmed, but with the release of Ad-Aware 2007 Pro, it's back in the spotlight with a fully redesigned engine and a spiffed-up interface. The question is has the company done enough to the actual performance of the app that you can trust it to protect your computer against spyware?To install Ad-Aware, you download the same file regardless of the version you've chosen—it always starts life as the Free version. If you've purchased a subscription for Plus ($26.95) or Pro ($39.95), you simply enter the registration code to activate the additional features. And if you don't renew your subscription before it expires, you'll still have the free version's spyware-removal functionality.Free Spyware Removal, Worth the PriceAfter verifying with Lavasoft that spyware removal in the free version is exactly the same as in the Plus or Pro versions, I loaded AAW Free onto all of my malware-infested test systems. Again and again, I ran into an odd problem with the test systems. Every time I clicked the Update button to be sure of having the latest software and definitions, I got a "server busy" error. If I tried to run a scan, it said "Can't start Full Scan, scanner is busy." According to Lavasoft, what both of these messages really mean is that an automatic update is already in progress in the background; a coming release will change those messages to explain more clearly what's going on. That's a good thing; the current messages are misleading.The nasties installed on my test systems include adware, spyware, Trojan horses, rootkits, polymorphic threats, even rogue antispyware programs. AAW's scan was speedy—about 12 minutes on my standard clean test system and not a lot longer on the infested systems. The combined virus/spyware scan in Spy Sweeper and Norton Internet Security took about a half-hour; Spyware Doctor took much longer. One system's rabid malware kept AAW from installing, and it wouldn't install in Safe Mode even after I applied Registry tweaks supplied by Lavasoft. Another system installed okay but wouldn't scan; scanning in Safe Mode solved that problem. Yet another went into a blue-screen death spiral after malware removal—I never did get that one fixed, even with Lavasoft's help. Ouch!AAW reports its findings in two separate groups, Critical Objects and Privacy Objects. The latter group includes low-threat items such as tracking cookies. Every single one of my samples that AAW detected wound up on the Critical Object list, which makes sense. For each object AAW reports a "Threat Analysis Index" from 1 to 10 and an expandable listing of all the file and Registry traces associated with that threat. You check off the ones you want to remove (typically all of them) and click Quarantine or Remove. If necessary, AAW queues up removal of entrenched threats for the next reboot and warns that a reboot is needed. But unlike most antispyware products, it does not offer to perform that reboot automatically—you'll have to remember to do it yourself.My high hopes for this updated tool's success were quickly dashed. It did a good job of removing simple adware and spyware and even handled rogue antispyware programs well. But against Trojans and rootkits, it was almost completely ineffective. Lavasoft verified that AAW can't detect files that are hidden from the Windows API using rootkit techniques; rootkit protection is currently in development and planned for a future version. On a scale of 10, with 10 meaning it both detected and removed every threat, AAW scored 5.9. Tested against the same gang of nasties, Spy Sweeper scored 9.0 and Spyware Doctor nosed ahead with 9.1.I separately tested the product's ability to detect and remove commercial keyloggers; in this test, it scored a big fat goose-egg. Lavasoft verified that they do not attempt to remove such programs. "We want to respect the business model of the companies that manufacture monitoring software." I can see their point, but I'd at least like to be told that monitoring software is on the system.As mentioned, the Ad-Watch real-time protection is a feature included only with the paid Plus or Pro versions. I installed AAW Pro on a clean system and started tossing malware installers at it, to see how well it would protect me. As noted above, Lavasoft made a decision to ignore commercial keyloggers, and indeed it ignored those samples. Of course if an industrial spy or private eye is sitting at your desk installing a keylogger, you've got problems that software alone can't solve.Ad-Watch pops up an alert when it detects malware launching and asks whether to block it—I always blocked those. The app also pops up alerts when any program, malicious or legitimate, makes certain system changes such as adding itself to the startup sequence. I allowed the latter sort of change unless the program was identified as malicious. Ad-Watch does include an option to skip the popups and always allow or block, but unfortunately it doesn't distinguish between the known-malware popups and the system change popups.Just as in the removal testing, AAW's effectiveness decreased as the nastiness of the threats increased. It blocked installation of many spyware and adware samples, but missed most of the Trojans and rootkits. Overall it scored 5.0 out of 10 on this test. SUPERAntispyware and iolo's System Shield 3 didn't do well in testing, but they did better than that, with 5.9 and 5.2, respectively. At the high end, Spy Sweeper scored 8.1 and Spyware Doctor an amazing 9.8 against this same test set.AAW supports Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Opera, and its TrackSweep module automatically wipes away traces of your Web surfing in all three. There's a built-in option to set a System Restore point after cleanup. They say this will help you recover after a spyware attack, but I'd be happier if the product simply prevented that attack from ever happening.Other features are specific to the Plus and Pro versions. Besides Ad-Watch real-time protection, the Plus version offers automatic updates (AAW Free users must update manually), custom scans, and scan scheduling, as well as a HOSTS file editor (which lets über-geeks check to be sure that malware hasn't added HOSTS file lines that redirect attempts to reach valid domain sites to fraudulent copies). In addition to all those, he Pro version offers some features that are primarily aimed at the most technical users. With it you can launch scans from the command line, monitor network traffic, and get a detailed view of all running processes. Still, no amount of bonus features can make up for that Ad-Aware 2007 just doesn't stand up to modern threats. I'm pleased to see that Lavasoft has energized the product's development. The new scan engine is fast, and the interface is slick. You might consider using the free version as a "second opinion" scanner. But don't pin your system's security on Ad-Aware; it's not ready for that responsibility.

Widgets

In programming terms a widget is basically an interfacing element with which a user interacts. For example, anything from a button to a scroll bar is called as widget in programming circles. However, the term widget is now used to describe a small program that performs an auxiliary task. Web widgets were first used in the Opera browser and perform a variety of tasks from setting reminders to downloading bit torrent files. With time, each browser has come up with its own version of widgets and operating systems like Linux and Mac OS X also support desktop programs known as widgets. The latest version of Microsoft Windows (Windows Vista) also supports widgets, and users can download desktop widgets for a variety of purposes. Windows Vista widgets are designed to load in the Windows Sidebar and popular widgets include a PowerShell console widget that allows users to type PowerShell commands and an Outlook widget that displays upcoming appointments on the desktop. Contrary to popular belief, not all widgets are developed or released by Microsoft and anyone with basic programming skills can create a Windows widget. Linux (and to a certain extent MAC OS) have supported widgets for a long time and it is only with introduction of the Microsoft Vista Sidebar that Microsoft has awoken to the reality of widgets. Widgets are a great way to increase productivity as they allow users to customize and organize their desktop. For example, a user can install a Microsoft Outlook widget that will display all upcoming appointments; even if the user does not access Outlook he/she will still be aware of all upcoming appointments. Similarly, programmers can execute basic commands by installing programmer friendly widgets without launching programs and scripts. Widgets are superior to shortcuts as they are precompiled and are ‘running’ when the user logs on to his/her desktop. Instead of looking for a program and then executing it, a widget allows a user direct access to useful features and scripts. Widgets are also ideal for people that love to multi-task; a user can install multiple widgets on the desktop and then switch between widgets without cluttering the taskbar or opening too many programs. Widgets are available for a variety of purposes and increasing productivity is not the only function served by widgets. Some widgets like the Simpson’s widget did nothing more than just count down to the movie’s release. Since, widgets can be written and developed by almost anyone, the number of widgets available online is expected to increase with time. Widgets also allow users to play videos without having to launch an external program and play popular games like Tetris. If you are downloading Windows widgets, check your computer’s compatibility with the widget. Also make sure that the widget is supported by your operating system. If you are currently using Windows Vista then chances are that the widget will be supported by your operating system. However, read the ‘read me’ file to know about any additional system or software requirements. Pros and cons of widgetsAlthough widgets are a great way to increase productivity and reduce program access time, there has been criticism of the fact that widgets hamper the performance of a system. The truth is that widgets only slow down the performance of computers that are running low on resources or running Windows Vista without the recommended hardware. If you are running Windows Vista on a computer that does not meet the recommended requirements, do not install too many widgets as it might slow down your performance considerably. However, if you are using Windows Vista on a new computer or a computer that meets all requirements, then widgets are a great way to organize your desktop, increase productivity and most of all have fun!To download Windows Vista widgets visit www.gadgetsdownload.com
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com

SaleHoo Alert Software

Ebay is no longer restricted to individual users, many organizations and home businesses are selling products on eBay. Interestingly, even businesses that have their own websites prefer using eBay for its large user base. If you are planning to sell your products on eBay, here are a few tips to help you maximise your sales on eBay. Making sure the price is rightBefore you upload a product for bidding or sale, you should research similar products on eBay and the internet. Customers will only be attracted to your products if they are competitively priced, you should make sure you are not loosing out on a transaction to make it competitive. If you have to sell a few products on a ‘no profit no loss’ basis don’t worry. Understanding shipping optionsAs an eBay seller, the onus of providing shipping options and shipping charges rests with you. It is important to research various shipping options and choose shipping options that are convenient to both you and your buyers. Before offering international shipping, make sure you look into the various restrictions and limitations that apply to international shipping. Once you have found a list of shipping options that suit your requirements, you should clearly mention the various ‘terms and conditions’ of shipping before allowing users to buy products. Product descriptions are importantA product description serves a dual purpose. An attractive product description will attract users to the product, but a product description that is written with search engine optimization in mind ensures the product shows up for popular searches on Google and other search engines. If you are selling an electronics item, make sure you clearly mention the technical specifications of the product (the storage space, battery life etc.). An ideal product description should be readable and optimized for search engines. Positive feedback countsIt is important to generate a positive feedback of your services, even if it means selling the occasional product on a ‘no profit no loss’ basis. Buyers prefer shopping with sellers that have a positive rating or have received positive reviews. In a nutshell, it is essential to establish yourself as a trusted seller with lots of positive feedback. Payment optionsIdeally, you should allow shoppers to make payments using various modes. Popular payment options include Paypal and credit cards. The simplest way to enable multiple payment options is to open a Paypal merchant account. Paypal allows transfer of funds by all major credit cards and also using an existing Paypal account. Rules and RegulationsEBay has a set of regulations that sellers and buyers are expected to follow, make sure you understand all the rules and regulations. Violating eBay’s guidelines can result in suspension of your eBay account.Apart from the points mentioned above, it is essential to understand that you should treat eBay just like any other business. You should focus on providing superior customer care, also all your client interaction should be professional. Your organization should come across as professional and courteous; this will ensure customer loyalty and confidence.

Document Indexing Software

So you realize the importance and the benefits of a hassle free paperless office, but are apprehensive about it. You have your doubts like security of your data, or running the risk of losing your data, excessive costs, upgrading your computer systems, or are not too sure about the benefits you are actually told of. Converting your operations into a Paperless Document Management system is a major decision. Careful analyzing needs to be done prior to making the switch. You need to be sure of your decision and should well understand the working of the system and its requirements. The results that you expect to achieve, operational changes that will occur because of this change, the features that you expect, and the costs involved are some of the factors that need to be taken into account before taking the plunge. At Future Filing, we are not guided by the sole aim to sell our paperless document management system. Our aim remains in providing maximum customer satisfaction to our clients by understanding their situation and requirements and thereby ensuring that their needs are properly met. Our document management software is an extension of our company so the ability of our customers to achieve maximum results is very important to us. With Document Indexing Software and equipment, you will definitely be able to cut down on the time that your staff spends in locating information. For any business, organization time means money and saving on time could mean putting this time to other alternative productive purposes, which could work in favor of the organization. Future Filing’s Quick Document Searching functionality (QDS) combined with the auto batching and indexing makes Future Filing unique given its robust functionality and pricing. Our unique tool is in fact priced so low that many times people hard to believe it. The price has been deliberately kept low with an eye to level the playing field for small companies by providing them with the technology to streamline their operations without adding any financial strain. Thus if you are looking forward for document scanning services or document indexing software and equipment then future filing is the way to go. Give your operations completely a new approach with us. For details, please feel free to visit www.futurefiling.com .

Paperless Office For Easy Maintenance Of Documents

Think of an office where there is absolutely no paper work, where you don’t have to bury your head in thousands of files for looking for that one single document and you won’t have to manage those innumerous documents and worry about keeping them in place so that they are available as and when required. Just think of managing hundreds of documents in fraction of a second. Doesn’t all this sound like a dream? Yes, it does, but now you can make this dream by going in for a paperless office. Paperless office ? The idea sounds great but you are yet not convinced. A paperless office could serve you with innumerous benefits some of which you would have never even thought of. You not only get to save your time, money and resources but also your work environment which you can make more stress free and relaxed without having to worry about looking for the right documents and worrying about keeping them in place. Not only that you become an eco friendly organization by saving on paper that comes from highly valuable trees. Therefore, you end up doing well not only to your own office but also to the earth by making it greener.A paperless office offers you befits of avoiding clutter and mess that is created from i8nnumerous documents and files that pile up on each office table. Your office will be able to breathe easy with being more spacious owing all this to the highly beneficial paperless document management solution. Organizations that are still addicted to conventional working patterns do not realize the importance of a paperless . They not only lose on valuable time but also considerably reduce the efficiency of operations. A paperless office helps to bring automation in your business process and operations. A paperless office works on the holistic approach of document management. The best part about a paperless office is that it does not require you to be a hi-fi in technology and can be easily used by non-techs. Moreover, paperless documentation software is easily available.Paperless office allows you to organize and categorize your information for easy retrieval later when required. In addition, you can also convert your data into Electronic storage (DVD’s), have them forever, and be more secure. A paperless office is a centralized where any information can be accessed by anyone from the office, anywhere.So what are you waiting for? Hurry and go ahead for a paperless office by simply logging onto www.futurefiling.com .

DVD Backups Are A Must...But How?

If you are the kind of a person who loves to see a lot of movies and also a very good personal collection of DVDs one thing that you must add is the DVD copy software. This is something that can prove very useful for you as it will help you to ensure that your collection remains intact and you have the best possible movies for as long as possible.A DVD copy software as the name suggests helps you make a copy of the DVD and keep it as a back up in case anything happens to the original you have. But as a matter of fact the software is not like any other software which just copies the movie to the CD but there are other special features associated with this software that make it quite special and a must to the long time movie collector collection as well.While copying the movie from a DVD to a rewritable CD a common problem that is observed is that most of the times the storage capacity of the rewritable CD is limited and hence the entire movie cannot be captured but with the help of the DVD copy software you can reduce or shrink the size of the movie without actually affecting the length and duration of the movie so that the movie can be aptly stored in the CD.Moreover incase this option does not meet your requirements then with the help of this software you can also cut the movie into two separate parts and store both the parts of the movie in two separate CDs. Incase you might have an older version of the DVD copy software you might not be able to shrink the movies hence to have the latest upgraded version is a very big advantage.The DVD copy software is also helpful to ensure that you can make copies of the same CD and circulate and keep the original safely to avoid much of damage as incase you keep on circulating and using the CD , it gets worn out but if you circulate a copy the original will remain intact. This is really helpful in the time when you want to see a particularly old movie because most of the times when we watch the oldies we feel irritated because of the quality of the pictures.Now since that very CD has been used again and again it will obviously have its own life and will expire slowly. Hence if you just use the original to make copies and the copies are used for display the quality remains intact for a longer period of time and your investment in the CD becomes worthy.DVD copying software is a useful program to add to your program stock. If you love films and enjoy collecting them, then it will become an essential ingredient in helping you to fully enjoy your passion for film.

Document Scanning Equipment And Services

Document management is quite a tedious task and operating various documents to make them available for use as and when required. In an office, there are thousands of documents that need to be maintained for several purposes. Keeping these documents in place and making them available for future reference as and when required is no child’s play. Now you can bid adieu to all these hassles as Future Filing brings to you a paperless office system. The idea of a paperless office system sounds great and will say goodbye to all the document management woes. This highly beneficial system not only reduces the amount of workload but also offers the added advantages of cost effectiveness by reducing operational expenses.It also removes all the conventional inefficiencies related to document management and at the same time dramatically increases data security. Other than improved security and added cost effectiveness, going paperless has several other advantages. It gives you the opportunity to communicate with your personnel without being bothered about the physical distances that quite often prove as a hurdle. Data security, data disaster recovery, automatic document indexing/batching and auditing tracking are some other advantages that you can get working to your benefit with a paperless office.With the world going digital converting you paper documents into an electronic document filing for form is a sensible approach. The electronic version of your paper documents allows easy accessibility and easy storage. That you electronic documents allow you to ensure that authorized users view your documents. Securely sharing information among staff members, quickly locating files and track user actions are among other benefits. Get all this and much more at a never imagined cost with none other than Future Filing. Document management at Future Filing is several times cheaper than other document management services provided by others in the market.The swing from paper to electronic serves you with a plethora of benefits. Get you documents in an electronic form that can easily be edited and modified as per requirement. Now you can say good-bye to those expensive document scanning services with Future Filing’s auto indexing and batching services. This service is a unique document-indexing tool that allows you to categorize documents with specific keywords.There is absolutely no reason for you to not reap the benefits offered by the unique document management solution offered by Future Filing. So what are you waiting for its time to go paperless by simply logging onto www.futurefiling.com.

Adware Spyware Removal Tool

It seems like now more than ever, everyone is looking for the ultimate freebie. It's hard to not agree that everyone is looking for a "free lunch". When in reality we all have a voice in the back of our head telling us that if it sounds to good to be true, then chances are it is. So then why do so many people ignore that voice in the back their head and go with free despite their natural instincts?Nowadays there are many, many free spyware remover programs. In my experience though, most of them seem to do more harm than good. Now that is not to say that you cannot get a decent free adware spyware removal tool. But just remember the old adage "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." So why then are these free adware spyware removal tools becoming so popular? Probably due to the mass amount of freebie seekers online.Some free adware spyware removal tools have even been known to download malicious files into your computer. So how can you keep your computer safe when the very thing that should be helping you is actually hurting you? The answer lies in a paid adware spyware removal tool. Yes you might have to shell out a little bit of dough, but in the end it will be money well spent.Think about it. Would you rather invest a small amount in keeping your computer safe, or would you rather leave it unprotected until it gets so jacked up that you have to end up paying your local computer repair company $100 just to get it working again? It really is a no brainer. Spyware and adware are rapidly becoming the number one threat online. These programs can monitor your online activity, and even steal your personal info such as: Credit Card info, Personal Identity info, etc. etc. You can now see why it is absolutely critical to have the very best adware spyware removal tool.

Search For Duplicates? - Easy!

Once all things come to a limit. Your newly-installed memory disc is no exception. But before you buy yourself a new memory disc, it can be a good idea to make a bout of cleaning at your current hard disk and remove all duplicate files. Perhaps after a thorough cleaning the problem of free space will not be as vexed. You should know that after having downloaded much information from the Internet or copied it from one of folder to another, you get a huge number of duplicates left all around - duplicate files. They are of no use and only waste the space of your disk. It is vital to remove duplicates periodically.And now you have a choice: either to remove duplicate files with your own hands, or to use specially targeted software - duplicate remover. Searching for duplicate files yourself takes way too much time and effort; it is just inconvenient. The much easier way is to apply one of the specially designed utilities, which will make most of work for you. So, if you are ready for your memory disc revision, all you need is to choose the most appropriate tool. This type of utilities is called duplicate finder. It locates duplicate files, zero-size files and same filenames on your computer. In accordance with the current pre-settings, it can delete or not the search-results. Duplicate file remover is very easy to use, but at the same time it is also a very helpful tool. Using duplicate finder you may locate duplicate music files, duplicate images and even video.It should be noted here that search duplicate files searches not only for exact file duplicates, but also duplicate images and duplicate music. Besides, it allows even to search fuzzy match, if certain files have little difference. By making some very simple settings you may leave out certain folders from scanning.The search results for file duplicates are not withdrawn as the scanning progresses. You can see them only after the scanning has been finished. While the duplicate remover is in progress, you will watch the task progressing in the status line. You might also see here the amount of already scanned files.The final scan results will be represented in the form of a list. It is simple to make out which files are copies of files: they are marked in the list (often every other pair of duplicate files is marked with a bright color).Thus, applying duplicate remover will save you a lot of time and increase the amount of available space on hard disks. No matter how time-saving this or that duplicate file removeris, always remember - they are very dependable, but do not rely on them hundred percent. This one is a good advice: you better work with utilities of the kind with a clear head and take your patience. Sometimes it can place some very important files, images or music files on the list of duplicate files even in spite of the fact that you have them in one copy on your PC. But, if you use it properly and carefully - it will ease information bout of cleaning for you very much.

Daily Time Software

As the growth and development of technology, new tools to help the people to perform a certain task is presented, in such case, the progress of Daily Time Software processes the payroll reports efficiently and effective, tracks down the employee’s attendance, and reasonably implement companies’ policy. Traditional timekeeping methods with the usage of manual time card set incorrect data entry and calculation, and, also the faulty application of company policies.

With the Daily Time software, that is vital for all businesses, holds the course of action made by the employees. Daily Time Software is designed to operate in any type of business structure - from a small agency to large business organizations. Daily Time Software is a computer based time clocks and time keeping solutions that provide regular trace of employees’ sign-in/sign-out times by means of computer system.

Having a better understanding of business costs and the labor from simple job tracking situations to extremely complex requirements, Daily Time Software provides an affordable way to optimize your human resources. With Daily Time Software, task database is programmed to create and to assign multiple tasks to a job quickly, eliminating the need for repetitive data entry.Through Daily Time Software using a computer structure for the login procedure, employees just need to enter their passwords to login.

By the programmed database, it will provide job details to the human resources department as the salary period comes. With this programmed database, the accumulation of employee information will be possible and at the same time helps managers to employ simple approach to inspect the employee information for verification of truth. This programmed database will allow the supervisor to establish timetable for each employee including recess times, holidays and whether overtime is needed.

Daily Time Software is used by many organizations to assist hold course of employee hours for payroll purposes. Daily Time Software tracks employee time information in a database that helps managers to have simple entry to employee data and to analyze the data for accuracy. The Daily Time Clock packages provide scheduled administration.

Daily Time Software innovative structure features fundamental coverage and connections to payroll systems. At the conclusion of the salary time, each employee's hours are automatically reported to the human resources department, reducing paperwork and eliminating errors. Arrival and exit times using a computer time clock. To log in/log away, employees take unusual identifiers, such as cards with magnetic stripe or barcodes, biometric input devices that stop fingerprints or handprints, and iris scanners that are not widely distributed because of privacy concerns.

PictureImp is the world's first "Zero-Click" web image download software. Just Drop It!

Neltem today announces the immediate availability of PictureImp 2.0.0, the world’s first “Zero-Click” web image downloader for Windows. The concept behind the product is simple. When you browse the Web and stumble upon an interesting image you’d like to have in your collection you have to first right-click the image, select “Save Image As..” option from the popup menu, browse to the folder where you want to save the image, type in its name and finally click the “Save” button. But most people don’t want to mess around with these “click-click-click” operations. They just want the images to be saved in one click or without having to click at all! So wouldn’t it be nice if there was some background utility that would just let you drop an image into a tray basket and go about browsing again? Well, there is now!PictureImp saves an image to the preset folder using the original name of the file or re-naming the file automatically based on the naming template you specify. This process is done automatically behind the scene. You do only drag-and-drop and the rest is done by the program in the background. Another big feature in PictureImp is an opportunity to set up more than one basket. Each basket will have its own folder for saving images, its own naming template and its own custom look. This option is useful when, for example, you want to save photos into one folder and web design elements, such as logos, bullets into another folder.You will love browsing the Internet with PictureImp because you don’t have to do anything to save images. It just works. PictureImp is aimed at everyday, casual surfers, web masters and designers who just want to get images from the Web without exercising their clicking reflexes. Just drop the image into the PictureImp basket and that’s pretty much you need to do!PictureImp 2.0.0 runs on Windows 2000, XP, 2003 Server, Vista and its free evaluation version is available immediately from www.pictureimp.com. Registered customers are entitled to free updates and priority-driven technical support.

Learn Photoshop: Master the Elements of Editing your photography

Editing your digital photographs has never been as intriguing and captivating as Photoshop makes it. However, the numerous complicated procedures and endless array of features that this software boasts of, makes working a beginner's way through it a considerable challenge. The more explicit of features are often shrouded under the hoard of categories and puzzling options that dot the interface, which may dishearten the most enthusiastic of amateurs until he figures his way around the software. And if you happen to fall under this genre of fumbling novices, take heart. It is this daunting learning curve that Adobe simplifies with the toned down version of Photoshop, which is called Photoshop Elements.As the name suggests, Photoshop Elements allows you, the user, several of the most enticing features that Photoshop has to offer, without being bogged down by an overload of functions and techniques. And yet, it is still proficient and flexible enough to allow you your creative freedom, without making the process frustratingly simple. This software is a very popular choice with amateur photographers and digital imaging enthusiasts who are working their way up to the more complicated editing tools. The software has been designed bearing in mind the core elements of Adobe Photoshop and leaves out the editing tools only professionals have use for. It includes an efficient photo-editor, an integrated photo-organizer and a number of templates and themes you can use to correct and enhance your digital images.One of the most remarkable functions that Photoshop Elements attains is packing an elaborate procedure into one concise step that you can avail of by simply clicking on the appropriate option. Of these, the 'Red Eye Removal' tool is invaluable in wiping off those distracting flaws that detract from the beauty of an otherwise perfect image. You can also crop your images down to the size you need them to be of, without puzzling over numbers and check boxes with the 'Auto Crop' feature, while fixing the light and color adjustments with the 'Auto Smart Fix' and 'Auto Contrast' options. What's more, Elements also lets you take a peek at the 'before' images to let you see how effective your changes are.The Organizer and Editor are delineated into activity-based tabs, so that you don't have to wander through the entire software to find what you need. You can simply go into the 'Organize', 'Fix', 'Create' and 'Share Photos' categories, and then choose your preferred tool from the selection each category offers. The 'Selection' process is also a lot easier where all you have to do is paint over the object and the selection tool will find the edges by itself. You can even fine-tune the selection you've made by using the 'Refine Edge' dialog, which lets you smoothen, contract or expand the selection edge.If you think that your image would look a lot better in its black and white version, you can effortlessly give your photograph that vintage facelift, while also adjusting the intensity of the effect you are looking for. And for those last-minute hurried searches through the mounds of images you've stacked up on your desktop, simply go into the 'Organize' section and click on the feature which says 'Smart Albums'. This will let you scan through your images as per the date you've last worked on them, or even as per the camera you've captured them with. The Elements interface is also a lot easier to navigate as the icons it displays are larger and more prominent than most other editors. You can also source an amazing number of tutorials and add-ons off the internet, which let you make the most of your software, and progress in leaps and bounds in your application of the tools.And once you're satisfied with the magnum opus you've created, you will obviously want to showcase it in a way that's just as spectacular. And to do this, Elements lets you pack your images into slideshows, display them in web-galleries and even print them out on contact sheets. You can also click and drop a frame of your choice, or even a background, from the eclectic assortment that Elements has in store.Photoshop Elements is a very useful resource by itself, or even a valuable stepping stone for your endeavors at mastering the complete version of Photoshop. And if you aren't quite sure about which version you should opt for, you can even download the fully-functional trial versions that the website offers, for a limited amount of time, which will allow you to compare and contrast the two versions before you make up your mind. All in all, if you're looking to make your first foray into the fascinating world of image-editing as hassle-free as possible, then Photoshop Elements is undoubtedly an option you can't afford to pass by.