Review of Photodex ProShow Gold
Friday, June 13, 2008 @ 10:44
If you ever need to make slideshows in the course of your work, Photodex ProShow Gold is a program that can do the job quite nicely. However, it is probably not the best choice for someone who does a lot of slideshow work on a regular basis, as certain features are a bit clumsy.
Be aware that Proshow Gold is not considered the "professional" version of the software and it is priced at about $69.95, which is certainly not expensive. If you do numerous slideshows in your regular work, perhaps the professional version would be the one to purchase
I found the Gold package to be relatively easy to work with. It contained extensive options for the creation of slideshows from the ground up and it worked in a similar way to video editing platforms. Therefore, if you have any experience with them, going through this program will be almost intuitive. There are, however some downsides, for example, the documentation is very poor with regard to certain features of the program. In short, they are not explained very well, leaving the user with no choice but to waste time experimenting to get the required effects. Also, the Gold version does not feature a music generator.
The program has an excellent user interface, with both a timeline and audio waveform display. Also this new version (v.3.2) has several improvements over the last one, including an increased menu listing the devices that a slideshow can be recorded to. These include CD, DVD, SVCD, Apple iPhones and even iPods. There is also a handy little interface that allows you to upload directly to YouTube, by just entering your YouTube username and password and then letting the software do the rest.
For its price, Photodex ProShow Gold is a good investment if you are doing the occasional slideshow work. If you're involved in anything more extensive, however, you may wish to look into purchasing the Professional version of the software, which contains more of the features you will probably require.
