Turbotax Premier Federal Investments Version

Only $59.99 @ Amazon

Rated 4 of 5 Stars by 41 Buyers!

Turbotax Premier Federal Investments Version

I have purchased TurboTax for years. For the 2006 tax year, the premier version is $64.95 at Amazon plus $29.90 for e-filing. (No rebates for e-filing this year.) The Taxcut 2006 is 49.95 for the same features and the e-filing is included! TurboTax with e-filing is virtually twice as much (94.85 vs 49.95) as equated to TaxCut with e-filing included. I am switching to TaxCut this year.

As promised, the Federal share of the program is almost flawless, well balanced amid ease of use and topic assistance. The State portion, however, leave much to be desired. The State percentage did successfully extract the selective selective information from the Federal side. However, State-tweaking was non-existent. I hope that this side of the program will be addressed in future versions. Electronic filing was flawless. So too was the importation of Fidelity Investment portfolio download.

This was the initial time in regarding 5 years that I utilized Turbo Tax. I was impressed with various aspects of the product:

- Very easy to use interface and consultation style questions

- Incorporates Its Deductatble to make donations easy to track

- Allows you to look at the actual tax forms as you answer the questions

- Allows you to import from Quicken

I did find this product a small disappointing though. Turbo Tax is good whether or not you have a relatively straight forward tax circumstance situation 1099s, and itemized deductions). Once you get started becoming into such a lot of more unique solutions, Turbo Tax does a lot of behind the scenes calculations that may or may not be what you are thinking. As a result, I spent a lot of time reviewing and correcting my 1040.

I in addition found that the state component of the software is not very strong. Turbo Tax provides limited assist for questions on state taxes, and I as well found that they do not help such a lot of of the forms that I am required to submit. So my state taxes are only partially completed by Turbo Tax and I have to manually fill out the remaining forms.

This software is very friendly, and very thorough. Unfortunately, it can’t calculate the basis of a common fund. Example: fund bought 6/1/06 for $10,000. Fund sold 9/1/06 for $11,025. Turbotax takes this data and determines a short term capital benefit of $11,025. The only way to override this conduct behavior a number of transactions) was to manually input the gain myself in the form fields. What a waste.

I’ve employed Turbo tax for slmost 10 years after becoming fed up with it main competitive When I swapped in the middle of doing a tax return I was without delay happier with TT in a side by side comparison with the other one. I don’t recognise whether or not I would still feel the same way, but after using it for a few years and using Quicken even longer, I have been satisfied with the duo and the way that TT sucks in the information from QUicken. This is exceptionally valuable whether or not you are beauteous systematic and consistent in regards to doing your finances in Quicken. I just finished my 2006 fed and State return – took a little over half a day. For interpreting this statement, we have two incomes, various retirment funds and plans and a brokerage account and a couple of kids. What genuinely assists here is combining of holding good paper records for the duration of the year together with keeping all inflows and outflows within Quicken and making certain that all expenses are put into suitable budget categories which Turbo tax then pulls in and puts in the suitable place. The paper trail serves as a check (eg letters from charities acknowledging contributions).

My sum totals and minuses are the highlights from the tax returns I just finished but are characteristic of the past few years:

Plus: Automatically deals with Alternative Minimum Tax – other than as supposed or expected would be a dreadful mess. TT caught the fact that I had overpaid my social security withholding which I may not have caught otherwise. Easily dealt with common fund purchases and sales. I really like the fact that you can go in and alter ANY number and immediately see the effect on your bottom line. Unfortunately, this is a rather demoralizing exercise when you are subject to the AMT and see that it in principle none of your deductions accept for charitable contributions do anything to reduce your tax liability.

Minus: there is no obvious way to look at a form as it will be submitted unless you save the file as pdf and then look at it is whether or not you go to “forms”, “my return”, you get forms with a whole buch of worksheets interspaced, etc. Perhaps I have missed something, whether or not so let me know! The whole menu sturcture could be improved and made more specfiic. There doesn’t seem to be a zoom control so that you can adjust what fits on the screen depending on your monitor size.

TurboTax has what looks like it would be a geat feature — the capacity to import data from your financial institutions so that you don’t have to enter all of your stock sales by hand.

Some of the cost basis (how much I bought the shares for) was empty, so I had to go in and enter them manually. No big deal, just took a few minutes.

However, when I went to e-file, the program had flagged these changes as “overrides” to computed values, and refused to let me e-file the return. Equally bad is that whether or not I just leave the fields empty — as they came from Charles Schwab, then it looks like I got the stocks for free, and have a vast tax bill (that is incorrect).

So, after a heap of hours of trying to see if I could change the field so that it would not be flagged as an “override”, I determined from other upset users of TurboTax in the forums on intuit.com that I was out of luck. I’d have to print it out and mail it in.

As a particular reward, TurboTax doesn’t even tell you what attachments you need to include on the return that you are now forced to mail in. The assist screen says that what it prints out will tell you what to include in the return. That’s wrong.

So, the main reason I got TurboTax was to e-file. Now, I get to print it out, find out all of the crap that I have to attach to the return, mail it in, then wait for weeks to months to get my return.

Thanks, Intuit!!!!

The saddest share is that H&R Block had sent me a free copy of TaxCut before I bought TurboTax. I ought to have utilized that before I spent $30 on a piece of crap like TurboTax. Won’t do that again.

This is my 3rd year doing my taxes with TurboTax.

I came across numerous bugs with non-material stuff, but I didn’t go and hand-check the entire return so I don’t know if there would have been any material bugs that would actually affect the dollar amounts.

The bugs that I came upon were the following:

- When asking me for changes to my address which it imported from last year’s return, it didn’t provide phone numbers. One of those phone numbers had changed. Later, when doing the state taxes, it asked which phone number I wanted to used At that time, it provided a choice of the old phone number but didn’t allow me to update it.

- It seemed to import all the information from my financial institution OK and it reported the dollar amounts of the net proceeds and cost basis correctly. However, on the worksheet, even even even though the description said it was a sale of 50 shares, the amount field said one share.

Little bugs like these make me wonder if all the math being done underneath is OK. I’m as well worried that if you run the program in a different order, the results might be different. But who recognise With a cursory check things looked OK.

One thing that I was bummed with regards to was that when entering the buys similarity to a stock sale it allowed me to enter things in reverse chronological order (and in fact didn’t prompt me otherwise) and yet at the end of the program when doing audit checks, it wanted me to reenter the data in chronological order. I didn’t bother since it only affected a worksheet.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there are no material errors! Unfortunately, it looks like other tax productions also have these kinds of weird bugs.

I have used Turbo Tax for various years and found it very acceptable . . . however, last year I decided to save money and use cheaper TAX CUT. What a mistakes I am back with Turbotax even though it is more expensive. Here again, Amazon helped me over this hurdle by giving me the best bargain, which was below the producers list highpriced I am a happy camper.

Kiffin Gilbert

The product essentially does what it’s supposed to, but it makes assumptions when it comes to things (like whether you want to make estimated payments for next year or not) and it’s very difficult to change these back. You shouldn’t have to fight with your software. Also, it imported charities from the former year that I didn’t donate to this year, and removing these was difficultness Finally, client support has apparently been moved out of the country. The response I received from email was without doubt or question from an individual who didn’t have native level English ability and utterly failed to answer the actual question (gave a stock answer that was irrelevant). The automated online support also has very limited options. If TurboTax is in fact the best tax prep software out there, I may have to go back to doing it by hand next year. In short, don’t bother with the program if your taxes are easy, and, from reading the other reviews, don’t trust it if your taxes are complex, either.

I commonly have a very basic tax form. I had so many 1099′s this year. TurboTax literally walks you through it with questions and completes the form for you. I would use this software over hiring an accountant ANY Day!!

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Sage Peachtree Pro Accounting 2012

Only $96.75 @ Amazon

Rated 3 of 5 Stars by 1 Buyers!

Sage Peachtree Pro Accounting 2012

Got my product as ordered for a good price and am very happy with my experience buying goods at amazon will proceed to shop at amazon

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Block Home Premium State Download

Only $59.99 @ Amazon

Rated 1 of 5 Stars by 1 Buyers!

Block Home Premium State Download

HORRIBLE experience with this merchandise Last year I utilized the H&R Block tax prep online, and this year I decisive to use the desktop version because it’s cheaper and having little impact to use.

THERE IS NO WAY TO IMPORT MY former YEAR’S RETURN from HR Block online to the desktop version. We have rental properties and some other complications so it’s crucial for me to import information from last year’s return. However, even although these are both H&R Block services there is no way to export information from the online version, or import from the online version to the desktop version.

To be clear, whether or not you’ve utilized the desktop version before you WILL be able to import your previous year’s data. This only affects users migrating from the online service to the desktop clients

I’ve got to say this entirely sours me on wanting to use HR Block at all. If I have to begin from scratch I’d instead get started with someone else than reward this lousy experience with my continued business.

I’ve liked the product and have used it loyally for years. If this is the way they treat their return clients I will not be a return customer this year or any other year.

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Apple Mac Tiger 10 4 6 Version

Only $139.99 @ Amazon

Rated 4 of 5 Stars by 39 Buyers!

Apple Mac Tiger 10 4 6 Version

I’m a convert from the Redmond tribe, but the conversion has been painless and in truth rather enjoyable. Like many, I use Windows machines on the job, but come home to an iMac at the end of the day.

Mac OS X Tiger goes when it comes to it is business with a quiet composure that barely hints at all the magic happening behind the Aqua user interface. The blocky Apple strategy font has been replaced with eye-pleasing Lucida Grande Sans Serif. Window control buttons use color to convey their meaning: Red for close, yellow for minimize, and green for zoom (similar to Windows maximize).

In place of the Windows Start Menu and Taskbar, OS X Tiger provides the Dock, a zoom-able home for numerous times used applications. Drag an icon from the Application folder to the Dock, and then click it to open it is A small triangle appears underneath each active applications You may right-click a Dock icon for a list of application windows or select Quit and shut down all of the windows at once, leaving the icon in the Dock for the next time you need it is And yes, I said “right-click,” one of the ways OS X Tiger makes Windows users feel right at home.

For the initial hour or so of operation, OS X may seem a bit sluggish, specially whether or not you’ve dumped a folder full of files on your Mac. It just means Spotlight is at work indexing the hard drive, all the way down to the name “Hephaestus” in that fantasy novel you originally wrote in Microsoft Word for Windows on your old PC. whether or not you can’t remember where you saved a document or its filename, just type a word that appears within it and Spotlight will display every file containing your search term. Change the dragon’s name from “Hephaestus” to “Fafnir” and Spotlight knows regarding it by the time you’ve saved it.

Other helpful technologies include the Dashboard. Click the Dashboard icon in the Dock and an assortment of mini-applications called gadgets zoom into views You may check the current temperature and see a 7-day forecast on AccuWeather’s gimmicks Add up a quick list of numbers with the calculator appliances You can even add widgets to track your investments. When you’re finished, the widgets vanish and your desktop is incisively as you left it.

If your Mac has a dedicated video card with a programmable graphics processor, Quartz Extreme and Core Image take over the graphics-intensive tasks and use gaming-grade engineering science for everyday effects like resizing, scrolling and moving windows. The result is faster, rock-solid performance. Listen to your MP3 collection in iTunes while Mail downloads messages as you coordinate and heighten pictures from your trip to Lake Tahoe in iPhoto. OS X Tiger keeps things moving along without audible or visible stutters. Based on UNIX, Tiger recovers from rare application freeze-ups without a reboot, leaving everything else intact.

If all that hard work has left your desktop a shambles of open applications, Expose’ will shrink every open application until they all fit on the screen. Mouse over each shrunken app and its name appears in big type. Click on the one you want and it zooms to screen size. You can in addition see only the windows of a single applications Expose’ will even push everything isolated to let you click on something on the desktop.

For home and small business users, Mac OS X provides greater safety from the perils of a connected life. OS X Tiger turns up its nose at ActiveX and other potentially troublesome Windows technologies. Macintosh viruses are rare, so if you don’t open suspicious files and unsolicited email attachments, you can get along without anti-virus software. It’s as well more difficult for a website to plant adware and spyware on your Mac. OS X Tiger is smart enough to know when you’re connected to the Internet through a router and shuts off both its software firewall and file sharing. You can enable only those services you need while optimizing strategy performance.

If you use your Mac every day (and who doesn’t?), Apple recommends that you put it to sleep rather of shutting down when you’re finished. Even a Tiger needs such a swell deal of sleep to keep at its best. Shut down your Mac only if you’re going to move it or if you’re going on vacation.

The upgrade went with no problems or difficulties and Tiger 10.4.6 appears to be as stable as 10.3.9

I upgraded OSX 10.3.9 without a hitch….well I did have to rework a few items (drivers for my 2496 sound card and a few apps.,etc…) to function nonetheless it wasn’t that bad. After upgrading I can now use my wireless network printer. (Yuppie!) This OS kind of looks the same as 10.3.9 but it has a lot of new features I like and utilized I highly commend its

I greatly use my computer for Music (Digital Performer 4.6) and home video projects (Finalcut Pro 4.5HD) I also use it for surfing the Internet, Design and Word documents amid numerous other things. My Mac is and has been the main item of my home recording studio. (G4 800 Quicksilver) I am very happy so far with this upgrade and commend it to all G4 users waiting.

Hope this helps,

mvh : )

Very easy to install. Watch for print drivers that will need updating. So far system has been running fine.

Do I genuinely need to review this? It is by FAR the best OS out there (until October when the new one comes out!).

LIttle to no crashes or problems. Easy for beginners on a computer. Won’t scare away the timid. Makes setting up your computer a breeze!

I installed it on my mac in minutes. It even recognized my external keyboard on a USB extender on the firstborn try. Dashboard is fun and the other updates are worth the highpriced

First off, I gave it 4 stars because for windows users- 5 star product, but for mac users- 3 stars

windows users- if you’re still using windows, you are missing out on no more troubleshooting problems, swell user interface and next gen features like spotlight, dashboard and of course the great iLife. Tiger is about two times better than vista ultimate, and combination that with the expensive price, tiger is 8 times better. Even even though vista copies many of the features in tiger, they are far from being as generative and easy-to-use as tiger’s (not to mention tons of bugs and problems). SO GET A MAC AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!

[...]

OS X is solid, stabe, and easy to applied But don’t think it’s not powerful–with the Unix core you can get as far underneath the hood as you care to learn about.

I constantly dread the updates on my computer, because it’s Murphy’s Law for me. Something always goes wrong. However, I was very pleased with Tiger. I followed the instructions and installed it without a hitch. I’m thrilled with the new “goodies”, too. I like Dashboard that allows me to check up on the weather, time, and other choices at the click of a button. I use the dictionary and calculator often, because they are so easy to access. Mac did a nice occupation on Tiger 10.4.6.

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Microsoft Windows Premium Upgrade Family

Only $154.99 @ Amazon

Rated 4 of 5 Stars by 7 Buyers!

Microsoft Windows Premium Upgrade Family

This is the most cost-effective way of purchasing Windows 7 whether or not you have more than one PC to install it on. The earlier prices was around $112 but over time the price has increased but it is still the best bargain out there if you going to get Windows 7. It comes with both 32 and 64-bit versions. Pay attention to the fact that this is an upgrade and not the “new PC” version that you may be accustomed toxicant This means that you have to have an installed version of Windows Vista or XP for this to run.

Buying software on line from any individual other than large box stores is a little scary. I bought this Win 7 disk set and hoped that it was legit. No surprises and it worked great! I put it on three boxes and all three copies authenticated as advertised. Two 32 bit and one 64 bit.

Went far more comfortable and far quicken than I had been lead to believe. I use Carbonite so backup was ready, and I froze it before starting. Started installation in the late evening, and it was finished when I woke up the next morning.

The Best Windows 7 Family Pack. I would agree this is the most cost-effective way of purchasing Windows 7 if you have more than one PC to install it on. Windows 7 Home Premium improves on the dynamic Windows experience with a host of new features and enhancements designed to simplify daily tasks and open up a earth of new possibilities. With quicker sleep and resume times and the ability to take full advantage of the power and multitasking capablenesses of 64-bit PCs; with 32-bit included.

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User) Windows 7 fits smoothly into your digital life and works the way you want. fabricate a network so that you may part photos, videos, music and more amongst multiple PCs. Find virtually any file on your PC merely by typing a word or two. You may even use Windows Media Center to watch, pause, rewind and record TV so you can get enjoyment from favored programming whenever it suits you.

All the Best!

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade Family Pack (3-User)

Great product even although I had upset installing it on a Dell computer which was the main computer I wanted to install it on.

After purchasing and using this product happily for various months, I necessitated to reinstall on one of my computers. When I attempted to reinstall it would not validate my product ID. It is inconceivable to get anyone on the phone to support you. And if you do they tell you that you violated your EULA and you need to purchase a new copy. These humans are crooks and I will never use another microsoft product again.

On the order of Widows ME and VISTA, Microsoft has yet to learn to leave something that works be. My company has been switching to newer versions of office and windows as they come out with no thought to the end user. It will take me a year to get utilized to the useless changes that Microsoft decisive to make to the OS that do not add ANY value to the program. They have changed the way that the taskbar operates so that the open windows cluster below an icon that represents the program. When you hover over the excel icon for example you get a little visual preview of all the excel files you have open, but the previews are too small to tell the difference between similar spreadsheets. They have switched to the Office2007 method of having a round windows icon replace the get started bar, which while visually encouraging the windows icon I find annoying since there was no reason to change. When you have multiple windows open at once and visually arranged on the screen, be heedful to stay away from the edges of the screen. Your windows will get the idea that you want them to open up into full screen mode unintentionally. The edges of the windows are semitransparent and show the shadow of windows beneath the active window which I also find distracting. The least windows could do was include the functionality they had in Xp which permitted the end user to revert visually to the way the prior version of windows looked and functioned.

Please Google create an open source OS for laptops…I am begging you.

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Garmin Topo North Central Windows

Only $94.59 @ Amazon

Rated 3 of 5 Stars by 97 Buyers!

Garmin Topo North Central Windows

HOW TO USE GARMIN BASECAMP WITH GPS TOPO MAPS (SOME BASICS); A REVIEW OF GARMIN TOPO U.S. 24K WEST & OTHER GARMIN BASECAMP MAPS

2/26/10

FIRST galore PROS & CONS in regards to BASECAMP: PROS: This is a genuinely cool program. You may find any area on the map, blow it up to whatsoever size you want, print out a paper copy with UTMs and/or transfer the map to a Garmin (at least) mapping GPS, which shows you incisively where you are on the map, etc. It works outstanding in common and is easy to use ONCE YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE it is splendid tech aid is available by way of email (through [...]) or phone. It apparently works well on Mac (OSx 10.4 or later) as well as PC (I have it on Vista). CONS: NO INSTRUCTIONS subsist (as of Feb. 2010)! It has many, but not all, of the trails that are on USGS or Trails Illustrated topo maps (although you may remunerate for this by adding “tracks,” possibly with assistance from a topo map that shows where the trails are). Apparently route lines have to at least partially be on a trail or road; they won’t necessarily go incisively how you want them toxicant

YOU may SKIP THE REST OF THIS REPORT UNLESS YOU ARE ACTUALLY ORDERING, OR recently ORDERED, YOUR primary GARMIN TOPO MAP THAT USES BASECAMP SOFTWARE. IN SUCH A CASE, WHAT FOLLOWS will have to BE VERY USEFUL. IT may SAVE YOU HOURS OF FRUSTRATION AND MAKE BASECAMP USEABLE FOR YOU. IT may concede YOU TO BE MORE CONFIDENT IN MAKING A GARMIN BASECAMP MAP AN AMAZON PURCHASE.

INTRODUCTION

In December 2009, after researching mapping GPSs and studying reviews on Amazon for mapping software for a Garmin GPS, I ordered a Garmin etrex Vista HCx mapping GPS, the Garmin TOPO U.S. 24K West DVD, a topo map CD of Utah from Above the Timber ([...]; works with Garmin’s MapSource software) and blank microSD Cards.

To my dismay, as of this time (Feb. 2010), Garmin maps that rely on BaseCamp software do not come with instructions. Nor are such instructions on the Garmin internetlocation yet. (Garmin’s internet site does have a user’s manual for their older software, MapSource, which I finally and inadvertently ran into could be utilized with BaseCamp maps.) I was in addition unable to find instructions for BaseCamp from a brief Google web search. I ordered two books from Amazon that discussed GPSs and mapping (the most recent with a 2008 copyright) in hopes they would talk regarding BaseCamp, but BaseCamp (c2009) was too new to be in them.

Never having utilized mapping software before, I felt at a disfavor without ANY directions. is one reason for my giving this software a four rather of a five star rating.) In my opinion, Gamin was irresponsible in not offering purchasers of it is new mapping software with at least a set of basic BaseCamp instructions until a more indepth user’s manual could be created. While I have a high regard for Garmin quality, this experience diminishes my belief in the Garmin name. Garmin’s website does grant you to email tech support and ask questions, which I did, and my experience with their tech support has been exceedingly positive. I in addition spent a good deal of hours experimenting with my Garmin DVD map and GPS in order to figure a lot of things out on my own.

To make it posing no difficulty for other purchasers of this software, I have written the basic instructions for BaseCamp that follow. (I have in addition added such a good deal of instructions for Garmin’s MapSource program that are not in that program’s user’s guide.) Others could write something better and more finish but this is the best I may offer. As I learn more, I might make revisions. I am not aware of any other instructions for BaseCamp at this time (Feb. 2010).

Thanks to Garmin Tech Support for providing such a lot of of the following information.

USING GARMIN’S BASECAMP DVD MAP

Opening the program on your computer: After the program was loaded into my PC (which has Vista) I was capable to access it by going from the lower left Start button to Programs to Garmin to then being capable to select BaseCamp (with the other option available being MapInstall).

When the program opens and map appears, to find the geographic area of interest: move the marker for the “+” and “-” scale on the left up or down to select the size of the map you want to see (zooming in or out), while using the “compass” on the left (using your cursor to work with the middle department that has a pointer for every every and/or using the cursor’s “hand image” on either of the two map images that appear, to move the map up or down, to right or left. whether or not you use the mouse/cursor to “left click” on the “N”, “E”, “S”, or “W”, or click/hold/drag on the outer ring of the compass, it will reorient the map, whether or not that is desired for viewing or printing. whether or not you have entered a waypoint on the map and that waypoint is not visible on the area of the map that you are viewing, but it is listed on the left end, you may click on the symbol or name on the left and that area of the map will appear. After you have played with these things for awhile, you will find it easy to locate the map area of interest, and you will get an idea of how in truth cool this map program is.

About creating waypoints: You may manufacture and save waypoints with your GPS and then transfer them to the map on your computer. You may in addition fabricate waypoints directly on your BaseCamp map on the computer, in the following manner: Once you find an area on the map where you want to produce a waypoint or waypoints, you may click on “File” and go from “New” to “Waypoint.” (Or where you see an effigy in the tool bar at the top, of either a waypoint, route, or track, you may use the mouse/cursor to activate the waypoint feature [or the route or track feature]. whether or not the image shown is for a waypoint [a flag], click on it is whether or not the image shown is for route or track, then click on the inverted triangle to the right of the word “New” to select waypoint.) With the waypoint feature activated, when you left click on a spot on the map, a waypoint will be produced there and a symbol and number for it will appear on the left end of the screen. You may give the waypoint a name by right clicking (with PC) on the waypoint’s number and selecting “rename”. After creating the introductory waypoint you may proceed to fabricate more in the same manner. As long as you do not take the step to delete a waypoint, it seems to be mechanically saved when you close the program, since it appears on the map when the program is started up again. To delete a waypoint, using the mouse, right click (with PC) on the waypoint name or number on the left end of the display screen and select “delete”. whether or not you right click (with PC) on a waypoint’s name or number on the left end of the screen, the “properties” field appears, which (among other things) gives you the possibleness of altering the waypoint’s symbol to a different one by clicking on the inverted triangle to the right of the flag icon that is next to the word “symbol”. You may turn off the waypoint mode by clicking on another toolbar symbol, like the “hand” for moving the map around. When you make waypoints on the computer map and transfer them to the GPS, they do not affect the allotted number of waypoints your GPS gives you, which only relates to waypoints you develop with the GPS.

Sending waypoints to the GPS: The MapInstall program will only send maps to the GPS, so other info selective selective info info is transposed through the BaseCamp program. With BaseCamp open, and the map with your chosen waypoints on the screen, connect the GPS to the computer and turn the GPS on. On the left end of the screen, amid “Library” and the list of your routes, will have to appear a “Devices” field with the name of, and an icon for, your GPS. Click/hold on a waypoint icon/name and drag it up to the GPS icon and “drop” it in. You will briefly see a little status bar showing the degree of transfer until it is finished You may have a microSD with a map of any area in the GPS, or not have a microSD in the GPS at all, when you do this.

About creating routes: You may develop and save routes with your GPS and then transfer them to the map on your computer. You may as well formulate routes directly on your BaseCamp map on the computer, in the following manner: firstborn activate the route feature in the same way as described for waypoints. This allows you to draw routes amid assorted points, with the cursor appearing as a pencil. Whenever you left click on the map screen it gives rise to a “flagged” point which is one connection in the route. The lines you draw, however, appear as straight lines while you are drawing among every pair of points. It took me rather awhile to figure out how to end the procedure of route drawing without moving the pencil/cursor off the map page and actually closing the program. When you right click on the mouse (on PC) the process of making a route ends until you left click on a point on the map at which time the process resumes. One weird thing relates to when you are not creating a route on an actual trail or road. With such a good deal of exceptions perhaps, as you manufacture the second point the line is connected to, the straight line re-forms to go up or down to the closest trail or road before going back up to the second point. You actually just wanted a route going across country, but you end up with a route that takes you all over the place in order to utilize a trail or road. In other words, the route feature only seems to consistently work well or accurately when you are doing a route that follows a trail or road that is shown on the map. perhaps there are numerous tricks to this percentage of the program of which I am not aware. formulated routes are listed on the left side of the screen and you may right click (on a PC) on any of them and select “delete” to delete the route itself, or select “rename” to rename the route.

About sending routes to the GPS: Use the same procedure described for waypoints.

About creating tracks: A mapping GPS may automatically develop “tracks” as you are hiking. A track appears on the GPS as a small dotted trail that shows exactly where you walked while the GPS was on. Tracks may be saved or deleted on the GPS. whether or not they have not been deleted, they may be transposed from the GPS onto a map on the computer. You may in addition give rise to tracks directly on the computer map in the following manner: In BaseCamp you activate the track feature in the same way as described for waypoints. This allows you to draw your own trail (or route) on the map that is more exact and liquid than were you to use the route feature. The most fluid way to draw the track (on PC) is by holding the left click for the mouse as you drag it over the map to formulate the trail. You may as well left click on discerned points and a straight line (or lines) will appear to fabricate the track amidst those points. You may leave track mode by right clicking the mouse. You may delete a track by right clicking on it is symbol/name on the left of the screen and selecting “delete” (or select “rename” to rename the track).

About sending tracks to the GPS: Use the same procedure described for waypoints.

About the search feature (the image of binoculars in the toolbar along with the “Find,” “near,” and “containing” fields): You have to play around with the search feature to figure out how it works. It does not constantly work for me. I think there are numerous tricks to it I have not yet learned. if you initiate a search and what you want is accurately listed on the right side of the screen (perhaps along with other options), you may click on the location’s name/address to disclose where it is situated on the map, and then you may click on “show on map” to have the emplacement shown in more detail. If you wish, you may as well click on “add waypoint” to mark that spot on the map. (If you may not find what you want in this way, at least galore emplacements may be found with a little goodnatured tolerance by moving the map around and increasing or decreasing it is coverage area.)

About creating and using folders: With BaseCamp open and a map on the computer screen, to the left is a “Library” department with a “My Collection” folder. The folder will incorporate ALL of the waypoints, routes and tracks that you add to the map. You may develop other folders, every of which will comprise only the features you add to the map while the specifi folder is open (with all of the features as well being added to the “My Collection” folder). To produce a new folder, click on File and go from New to Folder In Library. With a PC you may name the folder by right clicking on it with the mouse. Whenever you open one of the folders (by left clicking on it), its information is displayed on the map and at that point, if you wish, that specific selective information may then be transferred to your GPS. With BaseCamp open, you may delete or rename a library folder (except for “My Collection”) by using your mouse’s right click feature (on a PC).

About transferring chosen map areas from the computer to a microSD (which is connected directly to the computer with an adaptor): If you undertake to save map info onto the same microSD on more than one occasion, after saving the first map data, every consecutive “map save” erases whatsoever selective information had antecedently been saved on the microSD. It is easy to on purpose erase the contents of a microSD. Connect it to the computer’s USB port and open the microSD. Right click [PC] on the Garmin folder icon/name and select delete.

About printing out a paper map: (You may get water & tear resistant paper for printing maps at places like REI or through amazon.com or another website.) Once you have chosen the approximate area you want to print out, drag down from “File” to “Print Preview” to see how the map will look on paper. It in all likelihood won’t show all of the area that was on the screen, so you may need to move the map area around a little to print what you want. If you wish, you may move the map from the print preview screen with the cursor (with PC, hold down left click and move mouse), altho it have a tendancy to respond slowly. Once the Print Preview shows you what you want, you can print it out while still in the Print Preview mode.

As other Amazon reviewers have pointed out, the map does not have all the hiking trails that exist on the land or on USGS maps. However, you can add a trail to the map using waypoints and route lines or tracks, while perhaps working with a printed commercial topo map that shows you the trail you want to add. Thus you can make up for the map’s insufficiency with regards to trails.

When you have made changes to a BaseCamp map and close the program, the changes seem to be saved on the program automatically mechanically MapSource gives you the option of using “save” to save the file to the MapSource program).

USING GARMIN MAPINSTALL

Were it not for a friendly clerk at REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.), I would have had no idea how to get the Garmin DVD map onto my microSD and then into my GPS. The key is that you open MapInstall while BaseCamp is closed.

(First add any desired waypoints, routes, or tracks, to the map of interest, with the Garmin DVD map/BaseCamp program. Then close BaseCamp.)

Using an adaptor (which can be purchased through Amazon or another source), put a microSD in a USB port for your PC or Mac (or have the microSD in the GPS and connect the GPS to the computer’s USB port).

Open MapInstall (on my PC: “Start” > “Programs” > “Garmin” > “MapInstall”)

Follow the instructions from there – the process is very apparent and you are guided step-by-step, but here are a few pointers:

Zoom in and out of the map until you find the area you want to transfer.

Clicking on a map department on the screen selects it for transfer; if more than one section is on the screen, click on each one you want to transfer. Clicking on a map section a second time unselects it. With a little exercise this process will be apparent and easy to do.

MORE with regards to TRANSFERRING DATA OTHER THAN MAPS FROM THE COMPUTER (WITH BASECAMP AND MAPSOURCE)

You can transfer one or more map counties from the computer to a microSD that is connected directly to your computer. You can in addition transfer map regions from the computer to a microSD while it is loaded into the GPS and the GPS is connected to the computer. What neither my “eTrex HC series” manual nor the MapSource User’s Manual tell you (!!!) is that waypoints, routes, and/or tracks that you develop on the computer map can NOT be transferred to the microSD. They have to be transferred to the GPS itself. So if you hook the GPS up to the computer, and have a microSD card in the GPS, when you instruct the computer to transfer maps as well as waypoints, routes, and/or tracks, the map is saved on the microSD and the data besides the map is saved on the GPS. (Garmin Tech Support told me this, after I wasted a lot of time trying to transfer waypoints as well as my map selection onto microSDs connected directly to the computer.) If you have a map or map set on the microSD and the microSD is in the GPS, you can still transfer waypoints, etc., to the GPS from the computer without harming the contents of the microSD (as long as you are not as well transferring a map or map section[s], which would replace whatever map or map segmentations are already on the microSD). (When interfacing between the computer and the GPS, be certain the GPS is turned on and that the computer program recognizes the GPS. [For MapSource, see MapSource User's Manual, vJune 2008, p.7.])

If you have waypoints (or routes/tracks) displayed on a map on the computer and transfer them all to the GPS, then add more waypoints (or etc.) to the same computer map file, that you want on the GPS, you can again transfer all of the displayed waypoints to the GPS. At that point, only the new ones will be added to the GPS (at least in the case of my Garmin HCx), since the other waypoints are already on the invented formulated of course, gives you the option of selecting individual waypoints/etc. to send to the GPS. not similar to with MapSource, you don’t have to send all of the ones that have been created for a particular map file.) If – on the computer map – you alter the properties of a waypoint that is already on the GPS (changing, for example, its its and you again send that waypoint to the GPS, the renamed waypoint will transfer but the primary version will still remain on the GPS (until you delete it) since the GPS understands it as different from the changed version.

TRANSFERRING MAPS (from the GPS/microSD) AND OTHER DATA (from the GPS) TO THE MAP PROGRAM ON THE COMPUTER

Transferring maps from the microSD onto MapSource (from Garmin Tech Support): “You can transfer maps from the data card back into MapSource by checking the `Maps’ box when you connect the GPS [with the microSD in it] to the computer and select `Receive from Device.’ This will send the maps to MapSource and grant you to view which map segments are on the card. There is no way to do this in BaseCamp. And this can not be done with pre-loaded datacards.”

For information on transferring waypoints, routes, and/or tracks, as well as more information on transferring maps, to the computer, when using MapSource, see the MapSource User’s Manual, vJune 2008, p.15.

With BaseCamp is open, and you connect your GPS to the computer, waypoints, tracks and routes that are on the GPS automatically show up in the BaseCamp library. From there you can transfer them to a folder that you create, which will keep them in BaseCamp after the GPS is disconnected from the computer.

SAVING MAP FILES ON THE COMPUTER; BACKING UP; ETC.

MapSource map files that you give rise to with waypoints, etc., can be saved outside of the program (like in a folder on the desktop), using the program’s File > Save As. (Then, if you wish, you can delete the altered map or modify its name at the emplacement of its name on the computer [using the mouse's right click feature for PC].)

With BaseCamp you can do this by selecting File > Backup. Later, the first time you open BaseCamp by clicking on the name for the file that you saved on the computer, a dialogue box comes up (on a PC) with the message, “Windows Cannot Open This File.” At this point, chose “Select a program from a list of installed programs” (click on “OK”), and then select BaseCamp to open the program. It will open up with the “My Collections” folder open showing all your waypoints on the program. Subsequently, when you open the program by clicking on the file name on the computer, the program will open automatically.

Be sure to back up principal map files that would be hard to replicate. If you think a map file that was on your program has been in an unintentional manner deleted, do a “search” on the computer to see if you can find it there somewhere.

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT DELETING BASECAMP FILES

Let’s say you produce a new folder on BaseCamp, then save it on the computer as a backup file, and then at galore point later delete the folder on the BaseCamp program and close the program. If you then reopen BaseCamp by clicking on the backup file’s name, when BaseCamp opens, the folder will NOT show up on the program. If you create a new folder on BaseCamp, then save it on the computer as a backup file, and then at such a heap of point later delete the backup file, the original folder will still be found on BaseCamp (at least that has been the case in my limited experience).

(Some distinct elements affiliated to purposely or accidentally deleting map files from the BaseCamp program are still a mystery to me.)

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT RENAMING AND DELETING MAPSOURCE FILES

When you change the name of a MapSource map file where you had saved it on the computer, the new name doesn’t show up on the MapSource program until MapSource is opened by clicking on the new file name on the computer (as opposed to opening the program with Start > Programs> Garmin> MapSource [with PC]). When you delete a map file on the computer (where it had been saved) and then open MapSource via Start > Programs etc. [with PC], the name of the file still appears on MapSource (when you click on “File”), but when you click on the name in the “File” menu to select it, a message appears saying it can’t be found, and the name then disappears from the “File” menu when you close that dialogue box by selecting “OK”.

(There are distinct elements associated to how file names show up or don’t show up on MapSource that that are not discussed in the program’s user’s manual and that I don’t comprehends The manual does not do justice to the areas affiliated to renaming, deleting, and saving MapSource files.)

GPS (Garmin etrex Vista HCx) AND MAP USE

With a map on a MicroSD that is loaded into the GPS (with “Map Data” chosen in the GPS’ map menu): When you turn on the GPS it shows the percentage of the map affiliated to your emplacement as well as a emplacement marker (assuming you are located within the area of the map on the microSD). (If you are not located within the map on the microSD, and the GPS comes with a preloaded basemap that covers your location, the location marker will show where you are on the basemap.) (Note: such a heap of mapping GPSs will allow you to load a map directly into the GPS without needing a microSD.) You can use the upper 2 buttons on the left side of the GPS (Garmin HCx at least) to zoom in or out and when the GPS is turned off and back on, it comes back on displaying the last map size you antecedently selected. As you walk, with the GPS on, the locator indicating where you are on the map changes accordingly.

I have been told that if you load a big map area into your GPS, it will be a little slower to work with than if you had loaded in a littler map area.

Something that I wish my GPS manual had noted is that when using the zoom in/out feature, where you locate your pointer on the map on your screen, using the “rocker” (on a Garmin HCx at least), determines the area that will be focalized on for zooming. (I am referring here to a pointer that you can move around, not to what I call the location marker that shows where you are located on the map.) For example, if you located the pointer in the lower right corner of the map that is being displayed, then zoom in or out, that lower right corner is what will be centered and focused on. (It took me awhile to learn this. When I zoomed in and out with a map on my GPS screen it was confusing to see the map areas shift around so much. It made it nearly out of the question to focus on a specific area. Finally I realized this related to where I had the pointer.)

To find a map on the microSD that is loaded into the GPS that covers an area within which you are not located: For example, if you have a topo map of SE Utah in the GPS that you want to look at, and you are in California……when you turn on the GPS and the map page appears, it will show where you are in California (if your location is on the GPS pre-loaded basemap). With the Utah map the right way selected in your map menu options, you can zoom out more and more until you can see an outline of the states. Then you can use the rocker to move over to Utah. From there use the pointer/rocker and the zoom feature to find the map area you for which you are looking. Two other ways to do this that were suggested by Garmen Tech Support: (1) You can “turn off satellites and relocate the GPS position to an area within the elaborate map segment. To do this, go to the Satellite Page > Menu Button > Use with GPS Off > Menu Button (again) > New Location > Use Map > Use the click-stick (rocker) to pan to the area where you acknowledge there is detailed map coverage > Press Enter (the click-stick). Now the device believes you are in this area and you can zoom in and out to see the detail.” (2) An easy way to find a distant map area in the future is to place a waypoint there in the GPS, then you can locate the waypoint in the “Find” menu, bring up the data on the waypoint, and select “view on map” [or, with my GPS, just "map"] to show that map area on the screen.

MAPSOURCE VS BASECAMP; MAPSOURCE rather OF BASECAMP

Since beginning to study BaseCamp I have downloaded MapSource for use with a map CD that covers Utah, and explored MapSource some. MapSource is more user-friendly and it is posing no difficulty to figure out how to use most of its aspects without a manual than is the case for BaseCamp. Unlike MapSource, BaseCamp prints out maps with UTMs, which is actually nice. On the computer screen (and printed map), BaseCamp shows you a small map in the corner of the screen or page which gives you an idea of where the map area you have selected is at is in relation to a bigger area. A printed BaseCamp map also shows you unfeigned north and gives you the geographic area’s declination. I am sure BaseCamp has other vantages as well. (Unlike BaseCamp, MapSource comes with a user’s manual, although I still had to figure out such a great deal of things it does not discuss.) Both programs print out maps that have a distance scale. One neat thing I encountered about a Garmin BaseCamp DVD map is that if you have a current version of MapSource (which can be downloaded from [...]), you can work with the map with either MapSource or BaseCamp. (In the toolbar section of the MapSource screen, in the upper left corner, to the left of the “+”and “-” zoom features, is a little field for selecting maps that have been loaded onto the computer.) If you want to use the simplicity (and user’s manual!) of MapSource, it is nice to have the option to do so.

I’ll cut to the bottom line: As far as I can see, this is the best topographic mapping product available.

It’s better than computer maps from DeLorme, National Geographic or other vendors, and much better than Garmin’s earlier “MapSource” productions Maps displayed on one’s PC or Mac (I’ve tried it on a Mac) are visually compelling, with very high solution and near-perfect accuracy. There is also an excellent user interface — you can browse, zoom, rotate or tilt to your heart’s content. Even better, these high-resolution maps (unlike anything from other vendors) can be downloaded directly into your Garmin handheld. Most recent Garmin models are supported.

Today while out hiking I was astonished at the detail and solution on my handheld — 40 ft topo lines make a enormous difference when resolving whether the hill in front of you is a mountain or a molehill.

The only downside I have noticed is that there aren’t very galore hiking trails designated on the maps. But it’s perpetually a good idea to obtain a local trail map if one is available. Drivable roads near where I live are all there, and as far as I can see there are no errors of labeling or placement. This is a big relief, because such a lot of other merchandise I have seen are loaded with errors.

P.S. (7 Aug 2010). With so many recent software fixes (both to my Garmin 60 Csx firmware, and also updates to the “BaseCamp” and “MapInstall” software, I have been able to download almost the entire mapset (California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington), accept for a few panes in eastern Nevada, onto a single 4 Gbyte microSD HD card in my Garmin 60 Csx handheld. It works wonderfully. How did I ever live without it?

Pros:

Route-able Roads and Trails

24K Topo Detail

Cons:

Dark Colors and Poor Contrast

Missing Trails

Trails aren’t named

No BLM or State Lands

My comments are limited to Colorado and I’m comparing the Garmin maps to another 24K topo set by Above the Timber. On a recent 3-day backpack I employed the Above the Timber maps 95% of the time, Garmin 5%, readability was the key. The good news, both map sets reside inside my Garmin GPS and switching is a breeze.

In my sentiment a 24K Topo is a back country map applied for foot, horse or other slow travel. This map set combines the excellent route-able Navteq highways and also route-able trails, that’s slick. However due to an overly dark set of color choices, it’s very difficult to see the trails to make an intellectual trip and/or route choices Having the routing engine choose your route based on time or distance misses the humane dynamic of most scenic. Not seen a routing engine that knows my scenic values . . . it’ll occur someday.

The Garmin maps do not show BLM or state lands, a very big deal in Colorado. Also the trails lack either names and/or numbers, kind of like having a highway map w/o names or numbers, huh? Names and/or numbers give you invaluable clues as to where you’re going, which you verify with occasional sign posts.

To comprehend my colors and contrast comment, you’ll have to view the attached Nuvi screenshots. They’re fuzzy, the Amazon import did that and I’m not sure why.

For fun, take a paper or digitized paper topo of Panamint City (Surprise Canyon, Inyo County, CA, the Ballarat quad) and look at the level of detail on that map — all the mines, roads, springs, and so forth. Then take this product and pull up the same area. You’ll see that it’s missing most of the details, even altho both are supposed to be 1:24K maps. And what detail there is, is now and again incorrect — for example, they put Ballarat into the middle of Panamint Dry Lake!

On the plus side, the latest version works fine on MacOS Snow Leopard, and programs my Garmin 60csx and Garmin Nuvi 200 just fine. It’s even a routable map, unlike older versions of the software which required you to turn off the topo map to route. But really, Garmin’s maps are just plain pathetic compared to the real thing. Even altho Delorme’s PN-40 irritates me because of its small screen, short battery life, and lack of a belt clip (not to mention that I have to boot into Windows to run their clunky software), I’m still going to be carrying it on my upcoming trip because the digitized paper topos that you can load into the PN-40 have so much more detail than the pathetic maps that Garmin provides.

I employed this with my Garmin Vista HCx and it works well. If you are resolving between the DVD or the micro SD card that loads into the device, get the DVD. It was well worth it! The DVD lets you look at all of the maps on your computer (Mac for me). You can make routes, tracks, and waypoints and load them into the GPS. Awesome! You do need to buy a blank micro SD card for the GPS though. I got the 2 Gig card for about $7 and loaded topo maps for all of WA, OR, and such a heap of of northern CA and I left about 60 Megs open! (This took a few hours!) It is also having little impact to type in route names on the computer than on my GPS. Another cool feature is the fact that you can right-click your mouse on the map and it will grab the 3-D map and move it around like you are looking at it in your hand. From what I can tell, it does just fine including trails. I did observe one trail so far where half of it was missing. Not sure how many mistakes there are, but I think there are more things correct than there are incorrect. I am also able to use my GPS to navigate on roads and highways and it will give me turn by turn directions. I for the most part use my GPS for hiking and these maps are stellar and are at USGS quality. You can print maps, but I don’t think their quality is spectacular. Overall, great product! The only problem I have with Garmin products, in general, is that they have TERRIBLE directions. For example: they don’t tell you why you would want to make a route instead of tracks, they just tell you how to make each one. Just use it to figure it out, I guess.

I recently purchased a Garmin 60CSx GPS unit,and living in the Southwest thought it principal that I have 24k topographic maps for the areas that I travel. It’s common knowledge that the base maps that come with every manufacturer’s GPS units fundamentally are useless. I thought that becoming the Garmin maps at 24k resolution would solve some of those issues. I ordered the Garmin MapSource TOPO! US 24k Southwest Topographic, DVD version, available here on Amazon.com at Garmin MapSource TOPO! US 24k Southwest Topographic Coverage of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico (DVD).

I was somewhat disappointed that even at high zoom levels there’s a lack of detail that I thought should be present. Considering the high price that you have to recompense for the maps I would think that Garmin would research and add additional map detail themselves. On the plus side, it was easy to use the Garmin MapSource software to choose and load the maps or areas that I desired.

I would hope that someday soon Garmin would make available maps at a fair expensive

I purchased a GPSMAP 60Csx and the western US topo 24K maps to use for hikes in and around northern California. I typically bought the 24K map version because it has routable trails. The problem is that the map is missing a LOT of trails. For example, in Mt Tam, Steep Ravine is not included. Around Santa Cruz, all of the trails that make up the Skyline to the Sea trail are missing. These are major, heavily used trails and having not complete trail information actually limits the functionality of the maps and the GPS unit for hikers. I have heard that the 100K version includes all of these trails (albeit with fewer contour information). I’m really pissed at Garmin and will most likely be returning these maps.

I purchased this for my Garmin Vista HCX and the two make an unbeatable combo. I can be on a trail, in the mountains and request a route home. The route will state something like this:

Go north to forest trail 122 (4 miles).

Turn right on forest trail 122.

Go to farm road CO123 (12 miles).

Turn right on I25 (43 miles)

… Arrive at home (123 miles 6.5 hours)

The miles listed are the trail miles and not straight line distance. When I have passed a national forest sign that says Jones Park 1.7 miles and checked the distance on my GPS it matches exactly.

The find feature is good as well. Want to acknowledge if there are any hot springs in your hiking area? Do a find on “Hot Spring” and the nearest one will be listed and you can plot a route to it as shown above.

Overall, a very good product that I highly recommend.

In Arizona, around the Big Lake area in the White Mountains,I found several Forest Road numbers that are incorrect. Even in the city of Tucson the map has Alvernon Way not crossing the Rillito River, there is a very nice bridge at the river. All of these mistakes are in a small area, but I acknowledge these places. How can these maps be trusted in areas one does not recognise That is unless you don’t mind being lost in the Forest.

I contacted Garmin and their response was to carry back-up navagational maps.

So I guess they don’t trust their own maps! Buy National Geographic State topos, in my experience they have never been wrong.

Technorati Tags: Garmin Topo North Central Windows

Visual Link Spanish Level Course

Only $85.00 @ Amazon

Rated 5 of 5 Stars by 17 Buyers!

Visual Link Spanish Level Course

I wanted to learn Spanish and quickly. I found out that no language is learned without considerable dedication. I tried the cheap programs, the “hyped” programs and even Rosetta Stone which I had on a trials Shortly before making a decision to purchase Rosetta Stone, I ran into Visual Link and used their promotional test-drive. Was I pleased! The learning procedure was so logical and actually an enhancement over Rosetta Stone. They don’t have the voice recognition software but they have a comprehension program that allows you to listen to real Spanish conversations. I have their entire product line and I am impressed with the quality of their merchandise and their fantastic customer service. whether or not you just want to be competent to converse quickly on your next vacation, Level I will do you just fine. But whether or not you are serious, then attempt Level II and III verb modules.

Great for homeschool! might without apparent effort be completed in 1/2 yr or less. Fun review games and quizzes. Appreciated the scoring strategies Disappointed that I could not print scores (needed for portfolio). Any quiz may be retaken to improve scores. Works best with with spanish level 1.

Great tool to use for homeschooling. I have reviewed numerous dissimilar Spanish curriculum including Abeka and Bob Jones, but found Visual Link to be the most user friendly and most pragmati way to learn the Spanish Language. This program does not concede the scores to be printed for a student portfolio; but I plainly took a picture of the computer screen and printed it out for my records. I’m not certain why this program won’t grant score printing…maybe they will update that. I as well have the Visual Link I and Verb Module III. I am starting my 10th year homeschooling 6 children. This curriculum is my Top Pick for Spanish. I have denoted a great deal of homeschool families to this program and will proceed to do so.

I ran into Visual Link after testing several other language learning products and love it is It is easy to use and the content is much more what you would want and need in real life language learning. I don’t tend to have much time to devote to learning Spanish but I find I’ve mede more progress with Visual Link in fewer time than I’ve expended with former language learning products. The games and quizes may seem ludicrous but really work and aid you to learn to read and write in Spanish. The Visual Link product is a fantastic value for cash and a outstanding way to learn a lanuage.

Visual Link Level 2 is fantastic. The course is formatted so that your recall of verb forms becomes automatic. After every department there is a review game that you may play at different levels (super slow, slow, normal, fast, super fast). The only way you may complete the most immediate level is if you can recall the verb forms (and sentences using the verbs) AUTOMATICALLY, which is incisively what you need to become fluent: You have to be capable to speak Spanish without THINKING regarding it is Visual Link doesn’t waste time explaining perplexed grammar rules that are useless when it comes to speaking. After I finish Level 2, it’s on to level 3.

Adios! Que le vaya bien!

I tried to review this yesterday and may have hit the faulty button…anyway. This is by far the best way to learn Spanish. I started with Visual Link I; and learned basic Spanish. Then I purchased #2. By the time your finished you will be able to speak Spanish. I in addition can read and write Spanish as well. It is easy and the instructing style makes perceived Do not spend large bucks for the one that is advertised on TV. I still have a litte disturb w/my verb conjugation but it seems that it is a usual problem…but I’m getting it is I’m starting to see that English is the difficult language…Spanish makes sense! Not only do you get the CD’s for the computer but I love the ones for my car…this is where I do most of my learning (and talking to myself)…Like a child who learns a song from listening to it over and over you’ll learn Spanish the very same way. Now, I many times find myself “thinking” in Spanish. The brain is a marvelous thing when it comes to learning…I’m 63 and can speak Spanish…amazing!

I bought this program to follow up Level I. This course is evidently a little tougher than Level I as it ought to be. Yet, it is still a outstanding course and even better value for the money. The lessons, quizzes, and learning games are very good. And this makes it easy to go back and repeat the lessons as needed. When I am ready, I will purchase Level III.

Thanks again for the great program Dave. Easy to use and very interactive keeps you motivated.

Verb conjugation is never at the top of list of things to do. Yet this program certain makes it more fun.

Juditsewsalot

I have subscribed to many CD,DVD courses before but they have never held me as fascinated to learn as the Visual Link Spanish courses does

The courses are fantastic, they really work exceedingly well

The service and client relationship is the best that I have ever come across

eg. I emailed and order to Visual link on Tuesday morning and I obtained the package on Thursday afternoon – wow !! ( I am in Australia )

I highly recommend this product

And No !

I am not associated to Dave Clark

Technorati Tags: Visual Link Spanish Level Course

Fluenz Version F2 Supplemental Podcasts

Only $323.00 @ Amazon

Rated 5 of 5 Stars by 56 Buyers!

Fluenz Version F2 Supplemental Podcasts

I purchased, used and will return Rosetta Stone. And I’ve purchased, I’m using, and still haven’t returned Fluenz. altho my father is German and I’ve been around that language all my life, I decisive to learn French. When doing the initial exploration on available choices I concluded that RS and Fluenz seemed to be the only choices for any kind of comprehensible self-teaching package. Although pricey, they were far cheaper than a French private tutor in my area, and in all probability cheaper than classes when factoring in all the material included.

Rosetta Stone presents an immersion type learning strategy in which one is supposed to learn as whether or not one were a child. The theory behind this is that children learn languages fast, especially their own, and going back to this stage would be procreative for adults. After such a good deal of reading I believe this theory was produced by Maximilian Berlitz 130 years ago, or in with regards to 1888.

My original few hours with the program proved rewarding in the sense that I learned a swell deal of vocabulary, even whether or not a lot of it was infantile. This session gave me momentum to continue, as well as the expectation that I would be staged with such a heap of sort of sequence allowing me to tie all the vocabulary together in a productive manner. In reality, the program generated more complex phrases, instead of single words or simple phrases, but without sufficient logic for me to comprehend the underlying grammar. I understood small yet the complexity of the sentences being generated held growing. As advertised, there were no explanations of any kind, but the troublesome percentage is that the material was never presented for learners with a sense of clarity. Even the so called Milestone, which offered a more dynamic situation, was not designed to offer the right grammar clues necessitated to competent to see the whole instead of a heap of parts. I never tried again after my second attempt, having given up on the idea that arbitrary words and phrases would contribute to my advancement through the language.

Fluenz had an opposite effect on me. They proposed to explain everything in detail so that I would comprehend what I was learning. They further suggested that seeing French from the point of view of the English grammar would make the procedure a logical one. After not much reading this view seemed to come from advanced Linguists followers of Chomsky, as well as those versed in Cognitive Science. I was thence expecting a swell deal of fireworks. Yet, things went off to a slow start.

At primary I thought that it was too simple, progressing too slowly. I jumped through the initial three lessons. When I reached the fourth lesson of Fluenz it became clear the program was not one thing whether or not not meticulous in it is making something publicly available of the material. Even more surprising, the tutor was not plainly talking, but going through a heedful plan. The words presented in the initial speech were precisely the words explained by the tutor, and incisively the words in the exercises. These workouts, to use their gym parlance, were in truth instead effective; and sufficiently directed to grant me to retain and be capable to use all the language being taught. There is small time wasted as each word matters, and every structure might be linked to everything else being learned. Again, the pace is very deliberate for an intermediate learner, but it is rather clear that every new step comes after the prior one has been strictly reviewed.

I’m well into Level 2 and the usual continues to holds Overall the media production is well done, and the program not at all difficult to run. I’m presently looking forward to finishing the program and putting all the work to the test in Quebec. My expectation is that everything will work out.

I have tried a assortment of methods to learn alien languages, including Rosetta Stone, Berlitz tapes, and classroom instruction, and I have to say this is the most effective, powerful, and FUN learning tool I have ever used. I have a very short attention span, and this fact has made it hard for me to learn languages. I get bored easily, and whether or not I’m bored with something, I’ll drop it is I’m learning French as a casual learner, for personal enrichment, not because I need it for work or travel right now – so the only thing that might compel me to keep going is a scheme that is fun. A demanding request – and one that Fluenz delivers on. Rather than the boring, dry memorization of such a heap of schemes and the repetitious actions of others, every lesson in Fluenz French includes assorted dissimilar actions that are not only exceedingly effective in helping you learn and do not forget do not forget writing practices peculiarly support you remember), but in addition fun and entertaining. such a great deal of activities implicate observing slideshows of real persons having a conversation. such a good deal of implicate sameness phrases with their translation. such a heap of implicate translating. such a good deal of implicate writing what you hear. Some involve speaking, recording your voice, and comparing your accent with the natives. Some involve corresponding pictures with words. You don’t do any one activity long sufficient to perchance get bored with it, and learning in so some dissimilar ways genuinely assists you perceive the material in a way no other system, most of which are one dimensional, might match. I may “study” for hours on end without becoming bored! I would add that the slideshows and pictures are attractive to look at and suitable to the language you are studying. In French, you will see humans and places in France and Quebec. (Unlike other strategies where you view the accurate same dry photos of persons and things whether you are learning French, Mandarin, or Swahili…) Culture is indispensable and helps “immerse” you as you learn the language. It is an inspiration, and a critical element that is missing in other systems.

Another thing unique to this strategy is the one-on-one tutor. Rosetta Stone advertises on TV that their strategy “feels like learning from your own private tutor” but it does not feel like that at all. In Fluenz, a real individual speaks to you at the beginning, middle, and end of each session, helping you make sense of what you are learning so that you may use the cognition to frame your own sentences, making comparison with English, and helping you retain the information.

I suppose the largest competitor for Fluenz right now is Rosetta Stone, and I implore you to please attempt the demo for Fluenz link to their website is at the top of this Amazon page). You attempt the demo online, free, without submitting an email address or registering. It entirely sold me. You will be amazed at how fast you may learn, and have fun doing it to boot. Rosetta Stone’s interface is ugly, has nothing to do with the culture of the language you are learning, and does not instruct you how to form sentences or support you use your noesis of English grammer to make sense of things. Instead, it just throws words and boring pictures at you with no translation. Fine, whether or not you just want to spit random words at individuals and be bored learning how to do it is But that is not pragmati for most people, who will want to learn how to ask and answer questions, and who will want to quit whether or not the procedure is not fun and interesting.

The program runs from the DVD, much like a solace game, so you won’t need to worry with regards to taking up hard drive space with the program. outstanding news for me, because I love the program so much I intend to take all of the other Fluenz courses (one at a time!) when I finish the French.

I may not possibly commend this program enough, even for people with very short attention spans like myself who have been bored trying to learn languages in the past. I never want to waste my time trying to learn a language any other way again.

This is my basi review in Amazon, and I’m taking the time to write it because finally, I may say that I’m learning. I’ve wanted to learn French gorgeous much all my life. I tried briefly in High School, more gravely in College, and then off and on ever since, both with computer self-teaching, tutors and classes. This is to say that I never learned much, but that I’ve become an expert in ways to learn French. At least I feel like I’ve seen them all.

Fluenz intrigued me from the beginning because the product description hit all the right notes: clear explanations, a gradual approach that doesn’t throw a bunch of grammar but rather builds it slowly, along with useful, relevant vocab you may use on day one. The whole pitch got me thinking.

I had constantly assumed I was a big loser for not being capable to learn (well, a bit of an exaggeration, but you recognise what I mean). I just thought I hadn’t tried hard enough, but reading in regards to Fluenz made question a lot of my experiences. certainly the whole argument regarding usual sense explanations in English, just enough grammar well learned, and only utile words. Those three elements, put in that way, I had never seen.

Classes at the Alliance Francais in my area were way too fast, included too a heap of exceptions, elaborated grammar, and other material that would ofttimes overwhelm. Whenever I studied I was on top of it, but the realness is that I still didn’t couldn’t have a conversation.

Then I had a tutor, not for too long, because she never wanted to talk to me in English and I didn’t feel like I was progressing in any way. It was all French from the beginning til the end. Yes, occasionally I felt I was making progress, I could understand a thing here or there, but not enough to continue paying for it is

I’ve tried a couple of software programs, along with two internet sites that offered free lessons. In every single case I was never motivated after a few hours. Again I thought I was lazy, but now I realize that these programs are never designed to get you to speak the language. At any rate, all these programs seem like they use they same script for every language they teach. To them, Pashtun is no dissimilar than French, just another language to sell.

I was skeptical regarding Fluenz, or rather, when it comes to my capacity to complete it is But because the product description made me think with regards to these other programs in a very dissimilar light I decisive to give it a try. And I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

Fluenz is effective, simple as that. For the firstborn time I feel hooked on my French classes, and no matter where I stop I acknowledge that I may already say many things. That is the most indispensable percentage for me, in reality what keeps me going since I can count on becoming a usable nugget every time I turn it on.

The tutor, Sonia, is a actually fantastic teacher. She explains, I can rewind whether or not I don’t understand and hear it again, she is pleasant to look at, and seems in truth smart. Her classes evolve in a logical way, step by step, and then the practices work. And the practices are both attractive and effective, something rare in this world. After you are into it the stuff gets in your head, and again, you can use it right away.

I haven’t finished the whole program but I can say two things. I recognise more today than I’ve ever been competent to retain. And, I’m pretty sure that I’ll finish, which is astounding given how many times I’ve tried to start.

I currently own the following French language software/audio products:

* Fluenz French I & II

* Pimsleur French I Audio CDs

* Rosetta Stone French I

The cost of each of these productions is alike and none is cheap, but only Fluenz French provides you with value to match the cost.

At the moment I’m over 2/3 through Fluenz French I and I’ve still got a full head of steam. With the other two merchandise I in the long run lost interest after I felt my progression stalled out. These other merchandise may be enough for some folks, but it wasn’t true for me. Fluenz French incorporates all the best features of both Pimsleur (Écoutez et répétez) and Rosetta Stone (image stimulation), while adding additional value, including English language explanations of some confusing French sentence constructs and pronunciations provided by Sonia, your on-screen tutor. I find the exercises included in each lesson to be extremely advantageous as they stimulate all learning modes (visual, repetition, listening, and writing). Oh, and the production quality of the software is top notch. The visual representation is absolutely stunning on our 24″ iMac. folks in multi-OS households, the Windows version of the software runs without a hitch from within a VMware Fusion 2 virtual machine on a Mac running OS X Leopard.)

Although I’ve benefited from incorporating other language material (the BBC French site is helpful), for me whether or not I could have only one product to guide me on my journey with the French language, it would unquestionably be Fluenz French. For those of us who attempt to go it alone, having Sonia Gil on a DVD in a little red box is the next best thing to having a private tutor. Buy it is Enjoy it.

I write this review only six lessons into Fluenz French, and will update periodically …

We decided on this scheme for a few key reasons, and it has proven to be worthy in these areas:

1)Can be used on multiple computers. This has been great for use on both our home computer and my laptop.

2)We liked the idea of learning structure, grammar, etc. vs. just full immersion style (ala Rosetta Stone)

The strategy overall–intro, conversation, “lesson,” and assorted exercises that include writing, speaking (into a computer-based microphone), reading, picture matching, and listening–is useful. I have been using it in the following way:

Day 1: Go through an entire Lesson 1

Day 2: Repeat exercises from Lesson 1, then go through entire Lesson 2

Day 3: Repeat exercises from Lesson 2, then go through entire Lesson 3 occupation etc.

I have done lessons every other day, and listen to the audio CD in the car daily.

Overall, so far, we are pleased.

Some things, however, to note.

1.I dislike that other than the picture matching, there is no randomness to the way words are presented in the exercises. The word or phrase you require to spell, identify, or emulate initial is constantly first. The second word or phrase is perpetually second, etc. It would make learning even more inviolable whether or not it was random.

2.I was disappointed with some inconsistencies in pronunciation. I veritably am a beginner occupation when one of the voices pronounces “est-ce que” (which, at least in the original 6 lessons is crucial) as “ess-quer” (2 syllables) and another pronounces it as “ess-se-quer” (3 syllables) I genuinely don’t have a sense of which is right. I had to ask an actual French teacher (who, for the record, said “ess-quer”). Even if multiple versions of a word are accepted, (which, like accents here in the states, I’m sure is true) for a learner’s sake, consistency is key. On a good note, “est-ce que” seems to be the only phrase so far in which this has been noticeable to me.

3.So far, the audio CD is a weak point. Lessons 1-4 are put together, with with regards to 15 minutes of instruction/practice. It appears this is the case for the entire CD job each lesson isn’t on its own, but rather tied to three other lessons and short. I would have liked a lot more help on the audio CDs occupation a perfect way to heighten the lessons during a commute.

4.If you’re an average-language learner (which I believe I am), plan on necessitating to review lessons. This doesn’t bother me at all–I expected it is But if you weren’t expecting that, it might be disappointing to realize after the fact.

5. The video teacher is dubbed in at times. Given the cost of this program, I would have liked to have seen them redo what necessitated to be redone vs. dub in her voice afterwards for a word or two.

Overall, the Fluenz system seems good, but would gain from an update that addresses some of the concerns above.

I will tell you right now what makes this piece of software one of a kind.

Most (other) language learning software is based on templates. They have a single template for your learning needs and they just fill the blanks for each different language. That’s just like having a single universal template on how to “drive” and then hoping to fill the blanks for a car, a bike, a truck and a tank, no matter how different they actually are.

Fluenz is different. Even even though they in all probability follow similar scenarios for the different languages, it’s downright evident that each lesson was produced from scratch according to the language’s specific traits and difficulties.

All the explanations you’ll find in Fluenz French are there for a reason, and that reason belongs to the specific language you are learning. What may need 10 minutes of comprehensible statement in one language, may take no time in another.

Something else Fluenz gets right is that they teach you how to say ideas in the new language, not only words and grammar, but whole ideas. That’s what you need for fluency. I’ve been learning languages for quite a while, English is not even my native language, and you can trust me when I tell you that having to create phrases in your head putting grammar rules and words together every time you speak will take you nowhere.

Finally, maybe irrelevant at first sight but unmistakably important a few hours later: it has the right ambiance. It has nice background music, i.e. it doesn’t feel mechanic or boring.

I’m not an easy guy to please with this kind of software but so far I’ve done about one third of the program and I’m extremely happy with its

I talk for a living, and have done so for more than a decade. So of course the more languages I can speak the better mouthpiece I can be. This is exactly why I turned to Fluenz. I’ve tried other programs like RosettaStone and while it helped a bit, years later I can’t do not forget a single word.

Of course, there is no replacement for complete immersion. But the Fluenz programs are pretty darn close. It’s without delay applicable, starting with what I think is the most important: verbs. Action words are what matter.

Only a week into the program and already I feel like it’s sinking in. In fact, I’m on a conference call right now in which every one is talking French and while I certainly can’t follow it all I now recognise enough to follow the speech comfortably and at least know the main gist. This is a huge improvement in such a short time!

Next time I will know more, and in a few weeks I hope to be able to join the conversation speech if whether or not When learning languages you need to practice, practice, practice and Fluenz makes that not only easy but also fun.

Highly commended for those of us who want (or need) instant gratification!

I prefer the teacher/classroom model of Fluenz to the picture-only model of Rosetta Stone. The teacher is excellent, and the workouts are very well designed. But….where are the words? est-ce que les mots sont?) The introduction of new vocabulary moves at a snail’s pace, the rate at which one would expect a middle school level French course to progress. A year ago I expended about 30 hours with a superb book (“French Step-by-Step”, by Charles Berlitz), and devised a reasonable vocabulary in about one month. The problem is that there was no audio to go with it, so as a result my pronunciation was miserable and I did not construct an ear for spoken French. Last year (before Fluenz) I tried to purchase a rail ticket to central Paris at the airport and, although my vocab and grammar were perfect, the attendant responded “Que? Would you prefer to speak English?” Thus, I needed a program like Fluenz to invent a better ear for the language. Fluenz has fixed these problems, but if you rely on Fluenz 1 and 2 alone, you can forget about keeping a conversation, as you plainly won’t know anywhere near enough vocabulary. As a result, you will need to supplement Fluenz French with some other vocabulary building tool. I believe that “French Step-by-Step” no longer is in print].

I’ve always been frightened to learn a language, but with an approaching trip to Paris, now is the time! I tried Rosetta Stone but it gave me a headache, and tried various other low-cost products but rapidly became frustrated. Fluenz has me captivated! I am working through the lessons, practicing the sentences with my husband, and even feel comfortable saying the words! I can’t say enough about Fluenz! If you wonder if this product is for you, attempt the free presentation on their websites Finally, they have fabulous client support! I had some difficulties with the Amazon shipping, and Fluenz stepped right in and took care of its These things, along with their splendid return policy, make buying this product an magnificent choice!

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Landscape Design Premium Nexgen Technology

Only $85.99 @ Amazon

Rated 4 of 5 Stars by 2 Buyers!

Landscape Design Premium Nexgen Technology

This is not the easiest design progrem that I have used. It takes a while to get to recognise how the program works. Still can’t use it the way I would like.

Good Luck!

I an impressed with the ease of used I still have not figure how to go back if a fault is made. I like GO BACK buttons but none here.

I could not load this software directly onto a computer with windows 7. I had to copy from disc to thumb drive with windowx XP then install on windows 7 computer with thumb drive. go figure.

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Corel Inc Esdpspx4en Paintshop Download

Only $48.49 @ Amazon

Rated 5 of 5 Stars by 83 Buyers!

Corel Inc Esdpspx4en Paintshop Download

I’ve been using PaintShop Pro in most of its variations since the `90s and was asked to participate in the beta development of PSPX4. There is a lot to like in this latest version, for sure!

Let’s commence with speed – PSPX4 opens fast, loads images fast, and just overall performs complex tasks much more speedily and without a lot of the lag time found in other programs. The workspace is genuinely streamlined and might effortlessly be customized to your preferences. I use a dual-monitor configured for processing images and creating art and PSPX4 completely supports dual monitor. Set it up once and save it as a preferent workspace and it’s perpetually there when you want its And whether or not you’re not using a dual monitor setup – well, undertake it – you’ll see how a dual monitor setup and PSPX4 work seamlessly to farther enhance your own specifi workflow.

Most all the tools within PSPX4 have been upgraded as well! I like to bring in RAW images (I’m using Nikon’s NEF format) and give an overall “fix” for things like luminance and contrast before bringing them into PSPX4′s Edit mode. The larger preview area in the RAW Lab certainly helps! And the ability to work on 16-bit files is HUGE given today’s cameras.

The HDR tools are in addition superb – I like to shoot a lot of “auto-bracketed” shots and using exposure merge allows me to find that perfective balance of light and contrast and sharpness – seriously, my images now seem to “pop” with color. I have complete control over the overall tone and mood of my images!

The Manage tab allows me to quickly scan for other images where I might want to use a sure component in the current project. Again – dual monitor assist makes it easy to keep my windows where I need them – easy to see and easy to manipulate.

I think PSPX4′s performance and speed has in all likelihood been the biggest betterment in this version. It assists to have a system that may take advantage of that, of course – but I will say the application is amazingly fast and the tools work without hesitation (none of that painful lag time) as I work on very big and complex images – huge file size and multi-layer projects.

From simple tasks such as brightening your P&S camera images to full blown rebuilding of large scale RAW images and everything in amid – I’m finding PSPX4 handles it all. I may be as simple or as complex as I want and I don’t have to worry regarding the software decelerating me down or curtailing my creativity. Perhaps that’s what I take delight in the most now with PSPX4 – I may focus on being originative instead of worrying with regards to software constraints!

For me, PSPX4 gives me all of this and at a fraction of the cost of other more highpriced programs.

Cheers,

Gino

I’ve been using Corel’s Paintshop programs for years and have upgraded several times as the product has evolved, most lately to Pro X4. Pro X4 is swell for fixing photos or altering them to whatever you want your photos to become. I use a pc with Windows 7, 64 bit, with an AMD quad core processor and 8G of RAM. The program works flawlessly on my schemes I decided to step up to the “big leagues”, so I very not so long ago bought Adobe Photoshop CS5 because I had heard so numerous good things regarding its I was competent to get the Student/Teacher pricing for it which was $199 from Adobe. I as well purchased Adobe Lightroom 3 as well. I may tell you after spending galore hours using Photoshop CS5, I unquestionably prefer Corel’s Paintshop. It’s so much requiring little effort for me, and from what I may tell, does everything CS5 does but much more intuitively. For example, I tried to soften skin in such a outstanding deal of portrait photos I have using both Photoshop and Paintshop to compare the result of every program. Paintshop is so much easier. Plus, whitening teeth and removing blemishes is so easy in Paintshop. So, I retuned Adobe Photoshop under Adobe’s 30 day cash back guarantee and will use Corel Pro X4.

As a side note, I did keep Adobe’s Lightroom 3. It’s magnificent and I have Lightroom 3 linked to Paintshop Pro X4 where I may go directly into Paintshop from Lightroom and do any edits I want to all the photos that are in my Adobe Lightroom 3 library with a click of a button AND Paintshop will recognize and retain any minor edits I may have done in Lightroom if I choose. I in truth do like the Lightroom 3 and Paintshop Pro X4 combo that I now have.

Paintshop Pro X4 is genuinely a fantastic photo program.

EDITED TO ADD:

Here’s how to link/add Pantshop Pro X4 as the external editor to Adobe’s Lightroom 3:

Firstly, I’m using Windows 7.

To chose Paintshop Pro X4 as Lightroom 3′s external editor, click on LR3′s menu item called “Edit”. When that opens, then click on “Preferences”. Then, when that opens, click on the “External Editing” tab. There you will see a heading halfway down the page called “Additional External Editor”. Click on “Choose” to open up the browser. At that point, a browse type window will open. When it opens, look for a folder called “Program Files (x86)”. You may need to double-click your “C” drive(or whatever letter that represents your main operating drive) to open it up so you can locate the folder called “Program Files(x86)”. The “Program Files(x86)” is where your Corel program and carry through files are located. It’s really easy to locate the “Program Files(x86)” in your “C” drive as all folders are alphabetized. When you find the “Program Files(x86)” folder, double-click that folder. When that “Program Files(x86)” folder opens, you will look for the “Corel” folder. When you find it, double-click that one. When that one opens, look for the “Corel Paintshop Pro X4″ folder, then double-click that folder to open it is

ALMOST DONE. When the “Corel Paintshop Pro X4″ folder opens, scroll down to a file called “Corel Paintshop Pro.exe”. This is the execute file for opening Photoshop in LR3. Double-click that file to choose it is

Now, to finish, just left-click “OK” to close the “Preferences” window. YOU’RE DONE! Paintshop Pro X4 is now your external editor. To use Photoshop in LR3, open LR3 and right click on any photo that’s there and a menu of items will open up. Choose “Edit in” and you will see Paintshop Pro as a options Just click it and it will open up a small window for you to choose from a couple self-explanatory items and then Paintshop will mechanically open up with the photo you selected It’s very quick and very easy to applied It works great.

Bought this one directly from Corel as a download. I ought to have done the free trial first.

Just a few of the bugs I’ve came across so far:

- When I switch between images, the layers panel fails to keep up. It displays layers from the former effigy while I’m attempting to work on the current one. To get it to catch up, I have to switch between images several times.

- When I modify choices selections expand, invert, so on) I get random circular selections and omissions within the selected area. Trying to remove these areas is nearly out of the question other than by backing out of the mundane completely completely still means you cannot carry out the intended process because the same error reappears.)

- The PSP window (the application -the whole thing) disappears randomly when dialogs come up (such as for layer properties). You can usually get it back (it’s minimized), but what in the world You’re in the middle of working on something and of a sudden the whole window just “poof” disappears.

This software is not ready for users. It is riddled with bugs. Quality control/assurance appears to have been shoddy to nonexistent. Added features are of questionable value and seem to be targeted at persons who don’t really need this kind of program in the introductory place.

I recommend PREVIOUS editions of Paint Shop Pro. It is far fewer highpriced than The Emperor’s New Clothes (Adobe Photoshop), but this X4 edition just STINKS.

Stay away from this until it gets fixed.

Horrible.

The latest version (X4) of Corel Paintshop Pro is a piece of garbage. I ‘up?’graded from X2 to X4. What a mistake that was! I have applied PSP for numerous years, but the latest version of the user interface is a mess. You would have a better danger of being kicked by a unicorn in your living room than finding the option you want from the quagmire they call a user interface. Even the Higg’s Boson is fewer elusive than the simplest menu option.

Save your money and purchase something else.

I have been using PaintShop Pro for a lot of years now, and I have also applied other photo editing programs, from the very simple, to the very complex, such as Photoshop. It has constantly been my persuasion that Paintshop Pro is just as powerful as Photoshop, but is much more simple to figure out and employed Photoshop seems to be a lot ‘over complicated’ in comparison to PaintShop Pro. Not to mention that PaintShop Pro is a whole lot more affordable! I would highly recommend PaintShop Pro to anybody wanting to get serious with photography. A lot of times, it can get very discouraging and hindering trying to get your pictures to look the way you want them to look, when you are just starting out. But with PaintShop Pro, it’s easy to learn. And the more you learn, the more fun you have and the better photographer you become!!

This version of Canada’s Corel x4 I’ve loaded on my Window 7 OS laptop (read min. PC specs). It seems just as good as the x2 version suite I have loaded on my Windows XP PC. I’ve been using Corel draw and paint (photo editing) since version 3, in direct resist to then overly costly and not very competent US Adobe equal productions like Illustrator and Photoshop. In the ole-’90-days, while Adobe was charging for every single font-pak, Corel came loaded with a myriad of True-Type fonts that could be loaded into MS Word, Excel, printer, etc., greatly expanding Office’s lousy 10 orig. fonts. Plus the photo-editor’s tools (brushes, pens, erasers, effects, etc.) were much more extensively with subtle control capablenesses capablenesses density, granularity, brush-width, etc.)

But I admit, over the last 10-years, poor Corel has performed one questionable product or company acquisition after another (i.e., iGraphx, Paradox, Quattro Pro, & WordPerfect–remember those?) and has lost it’s way at times. Both this PaintShop Pro x4 and current Adobe Photoshop regarding now evenly matched with regards to purely the “zillion” tools & effects. But Corel still much cheaper. If you’re looking for simplicity of use, neither apps is in all likelihood right for you.

One of the noticeable improvements in this version is the incorporation of a full-view & scalable thumbnail album, rather than not available in x2 or a free tack-on application in x3. But still takes a lot of practice & patience, sitting up the three Manage, Adjust & Edit screens the way you like it with floating, hide or dockable various pallettes. If you don’t acknowledge how to develop and custommake a toolbar, I suggest you find out via the Edit View/Customize functions, and then save it via File Workspace/Workspace/Save functions for later re-loading…and re-loading…and then re-loading.

And I’d constantly recommend spend the extra to get the boxed-DVD pak for likely re-install with included mini hard-bound color manual vs. less expensively downloading option.

Sorry Corel, your custom setups “saves” of screens and palettes are still glitchy as usual. Get it together guys! You’re wearing on my loyalty….Ah-h, looks nice though.

Tried numerous different editing applications.(Some freeware, so many remunerate to use). This one is much having little impact to utilized I found the ‘one touch fix’ button actually works and works well. This software is more user friendly and intuitive than most. If you’re not a computer guru, this software may be a good options

I bought PSPX4 recently as an addition to the excellent PSPX2. I have multiple work stations set up in two emplacements and will use PSPX4 to add PSP to my computers at both places. While browsing sellers of this product I jumped on a PSPX4 low price offer with free shipping that included a Corel rebate which matched the price (now expired). I mention this to suggest surfing the web for alike offers whenever you make your purchase.

I’ve used/tried most of the well known photo editing products out there and have always returned to PSP, that beauteous much sums up my persuasion in regards to PSP. For me the others are too feature limited and/or cumbersome while the so-called top end photo editor is just too cost prohibitive for most people persons includes me) to afford upgrading continuously and it offers little more over PSP.

PSP gives me the option of spending that ‘top end photo editor upgrade’ money on a new lens or even a DSLR camera instead, plus still being able to afford an upgrade to newer versions of PSP.

PSPX4 loaded without apparent effort and works great. If you’re intimate with previous releases you ought to have no difficulties with this one. As for specific improvements to PSPX4 over prior releases the previous client reviews paint a good picture of what you’ll get with this one. There are also online and magazine reviews available.

BTW, one use I put this product to is for editing scans of 100+ year old photos along with the more routine 50, 60, 70, blah, blah, blah…year old negatives/slides to make them look better than the originals. I’m even convinced they look better then when the originals were fresh outta the dark room once the tools in PSP are completed enriching them.

I gotta get back to editing with PSPX4. Have fun with yours.

I’ve read galore negative reviews, but I think this software is outstanding for the costly I haven’t used this series since PSP7 yet it was easy to pick up on. I have two computers with XP and one with Vista. The software works great on the XP computers, but I had trouble becoming it going on the Vista computer.

I wanted to edit my photos im a better way but I did not acknowledge which program to choose. I decided this for the highpriced Was a great choice! I am excessively affected emotionally for all the changes I can make to my photos. I recomend it for beginers that already have worked with some basic editors. I found some tutorial in the official corel page and I downloaded a tutorial guide. Unfotunately It was not enough so perhaps I am going to purchase a book or look for a profecional and person classes even so I am satisfied.

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