Magix Photos on CD & DVD deLuxe 2.0 review

This cumbersomely named software allows you to create slideshows from your photos, complete with transition effects and accompanying audio. You can then transfer the result to CD or DVD to show on a PC or domestic DVD player.

Another program, Magix Media Manager Gold, helps you to locate and assemble your photo and audio database. It supports all the popular photo, image, sound and video file formats, and there's a selection of background sounds and sound effects on an extra CD.

There are two additional programs. Photo Clinic has a range of image manipulation tools and special effects, while Print Studio lets you print CD and DVD labels and inserts, as well as greeting cards and calendars. You can even generate speech balloons for your photo stories.

The program allows you to assemble your audio-visual show by dragging in your photos and either your own or some of the supplied audio clips. There are a couple of demonstration files to practise with. You can choose to view the Storyboard, which shows all your photographs in order, or the Timeline, which shows all the tracks - photos, sound, text (for superimposed titles) and other audio-visual material such as a spoken commentary - simultaneously .

Once your slideshow is perfected you can burn it to Video CD, Super Video CD, DVD or MiniDVD. If your graphics card has a TV out port, you can also export to VHS tape.

Photos on CD & DVD deLuxe 2.0 provides lots of useful tools and is capable of good-looking results. It's just a shame the elements couldn't be integrated into a single application and that it isn't a little more straightforward to use.

Author: James Taylor