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The Microsoft alternativeUntil recently, there wasn't much competition in the vast space between Paint Shop Pro and Adobe Photoshop. Now Microsoft has discovered one of its few remaining uncovered markets, and has released a beta version of a program called Image Composer. It includes the "browser-safe" 216-color palette, as well as the usual fistful of effects and some excellent text manipulation. If Microsoft addresses the program's weaknesses, such as an inability to open multiple images at once, it will become a powerful contender. Microsoft intends to ship Image Composer as part of its FrontPage program. The company will let you download trialware versions of both Frontpage and Image Composer at its own site. The download runs to 7.5 Mb, so you might want to merely use the site to find details on ordering the two programs on CD-ROM. This, incidentally, makes Microsoft one of the few companies that charges for beta software - but then, some would say they've been doing that for many a year ...
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