PhotoGIF 3.5 review

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PhotoGIF has earned an impressive reputation as the top tool for Web graphics production.

License: Demo
OS: Mac OS X
File size: 1411K
Developer: BoxTop Software
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Price: $49.00
Updated: 28 Apr 2006
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PhotoGIF has earned an impressive reputation as the top tool for Web graphics production.

PhotoGIF is an Adobe Photoshop file format and filter plugin combination.

PhotoGIF was the original professional Web Graphics tool that started it all. Provides GIF animation support, advanced transparency features, comments support, more flexible color reduction, and superior compression for creating GIF images and animations with Photoshop.

PhotoGIF is available as an Adobe Photoshop file format and filter plugin combination for Macintosh, and as a single filter plugin for Windows. Both Macintosh and Windows versions are compatible with Adobe Photoshop 3.0 or better.

Here are some key features of "PhotoGIF":
Smaller file sizes - the color reduction in PhotoGIF out-performs other popular tools for producing more compressible files, which translate directly to Web pages loading faster. Interactive color reduction and live file size readouts, also, provide the mission critical information you need to make the smallest GIF files possible for your web site without tedious trial and error.
Better image quality - The proprietary color reduction technology found in PhotoGIF is tuned for both compression and image quality with over five years of technology development.
Interactive color reduction - ProJPEG introduced the concept of interactive image quality previews to the world in August, '96. Now that same capability is in PhotoGIF. You can adjust color reduction parameters and instantly see their effect on image quality and file size, eliminating trial and error.
Base palette color reduction - Any existing palette, such as the Web safe palette, can be designated as a 'base' palette for color reduction so fixed and existing palettes can be automatically combined to best effect, for more flexibility in color reduction. Color shift is a thing of the past when combining Web-safe colors with custom colors.
Live file size previews - Live image previews during color reduction allow for exact compressed file sizes to be shown in PhotoGIF, so you can see not only how changes in color reduction settings affect image quality, but how they effect the final size of your GIF file, as well. In the GIF options dialog you can even watch the bytes size increase as you type comments! Optimizing graphics for the web has never been so easy.
Comments support - PhotoGIF allows you to include text comments such as copyright notices embedded in your GIF files. Up to 32K of comments can be saved in a GIF file with PhotoGIF.
Absolute palette control - not only can you load and use any existing palette from a GIF file or Photoshop CLUT file, or any of the many built in palettes available including the Web-safe palette, as well as use a custom palette optimized for the individual image, you can easily edit the colors in palettes directly for absolute control. Load any existing palette to use for color reduction with a custom get file dialog that lets you preview the colors in palettes, too!
Advanced transparency tools - set transparency by color using an intuitive eye dropper tool on the image or with a saved selection; make transparency touch ups and corrections with a transparency brush and clean up antialiased edges with an automatic edge tool; preview transparency against background colors; and create smooth blending dithered transparencies. PhotoGIF gives you complete and easy control over GIF transparency with the most advanced transparency tools available.
GIF animation support - the file format component of PhotoGIF allows you to edit GIF animations directly in Photoshop with the ability to extract images from GIF animations as well.
Streamlined interface - PhotoGIF is the most mature Web graphics tool available with an intuitive, fully interactive interface designed for production speed and ease. It allows you to work faster and smarter, while having almost no learning curve at all before you are grinding GIF files out by the dozen. A few test saves and you are a master of Web graphics with PhotoGIF.
Powerful preferences - PhotoGIF has extensive preferences control for customization to the way you work. You can set default settings, and you can even turn GIF animation support on and off to suit your own working habits. PhotoGIF is a tool that works like you want it to work, for maximum efficiency and speed.

Requirements:
Adobe Photoshop 3.0 or better.

PhotoGIF 3.5 keywords