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Adobe Photoshop CS6 only strengthens the benchmark software's existing position as the unrivaled production suite and an indispensable tool for old and new generation creative minds: graphic designers, web developers, video editors, you name it.

Let's start with the interface: dark is good. Photoshop CS6 brings a darker, more focused default work environment, with menus and toolbars painted in dark grays and blacks. Of course, if you're itching for a brighter look, CS6 gives users lighter-colored interfaces, reminiscent of previous versions. Tools are more streamlined thanks to Adobe's continuing move towards collapsible menus, while leaving the … Read more

Suryl Guardian can restore your suddenly wonky or malfunctioning Windows PC to a previously created stable "environment" with the click of a button. If that sounds a lot like the System Restore tool already built into your copy of Windows, you're right. Suryl Guardian basically does what System Restore does; namely, rolls your system back when something's messed up. So what do you get with Suryl Guardian? Two things: 1) It offers lots more than System Restore, like easy scheduling, kiosk mode, password protection, and other options; and 2) it's way easier to use. Suryl … Read more

Combining all of your smartphone's photos usually takes plenty of effort and editing know-how. Collage Maker makes it relatively seamless, but not without plenty of sacrifices. This app offers lots of layouts for you to use for collages, but it offers just as many ads and even annoying setting changes.

Before you can start making collages, the program asks you to accept its terms and conditions. These include loading your screen with ads, changing your default search engine, and slamming an ad page on your default browser. There are plenty of ways to get around these settings, but it … Read more

Editing PDF files by adding or correcting text, signatures, or images requires specialized software. PDFpen for Mac allows users to modify PDFs in a simple but efficient program.

Downloading PDFpen for Mac took much longer than expected on a high-speed connection, but installation completed quickly. The program has extensive instructions and tutorials to walk the user through its functions. This is a welcome addition to such a unique and comprehensive program, and better yet technical support does appear to be available. The program immediately brings up a menu where the user can select PDF files with which to work. A … Read more

Performance is often slowed for users with little hard drive space available. iBoost for Mac allows users to clean unused files from their system, potentially boosting performance. However, to use the full functionality of this software one needs to purchase the full version.

After a quick and easy installation and setup, iBoost for Mac welcomes the user with a simple, straightforward interface. The main menu allows the user to check their system information and performance information, as well as when prior scans were completed. The program comes as a free basic version, with additional features unlocked for a $9.99 … Read more

An alarm is the one feature sorely missing from Windows' built-in clock. Llama Alarm Clock adds a neat alarm clock to your computer that works well, but suffers from being way too simple.

For being a beefy 6MB download, this widget is certainly lacking in the features department. There's no installation needed, as the widget performs its function once clicked. It comes with only two alarm noises, though you can add your own to the mix. Llama Alarm Clock leeches off of the Windows clock, but you can't change time zones or create multiple clocks. The only thing … Read more

Users with multiple digital photo storage areas may have difficulty working with them using traditional photo programs. While limited in terms of features, iPhoto Library Manager for Mac works well as a library manager.

Available as a free trial version with limitations that are not apparent, the full version requires payment of $29.95. The program's download and installation, in part due to the native installer, completed quickly, and setup required acceptance of a user agreement. Support for updates appeared to be available and, while there were no easily located instructions, the program's menus were easy to figure … Read more

If you use your computer daily, you might have thought about how much time you spend doing the same things over and over again. Mouse Recorder is a tool designed to automate tasks you perform with your mouse by letting you record the steps and replay them easily. While it worked for some tasks, others weren't so easily reproduced.

The small interface holds only a few options, including the two main buttons, Record and Repeat. We liked that each button includes a keyboard shortcut to start the processes, as well. The rest of the interface lets you fine-tune how … Read more

Repeating the same tasks every day on your computer can eat up a lot of time. But an app that helps you automate some of those things could provide welcome relief. Automatic Mouse and Keyboard has lots of options to do just that, but the resulting recordings don't always perform as expected.

The initial interface includes multiple icons bordering the top and left. Automatic Mouse and Keyboard opens with three example recordings displayed, but the first one we tried, which was supposed to draw a triangle in MS Paint, didn't work, and we simply got an error message … Read more