Why would a mainstream software company want to give away a free software when it is trying hard to promote its latest products? Isn’t it like shooting itself in the feet? Not as far as Serif is concerned. By giving away a free version it hopes to whet the appetite of the user and tempt him or her to sign up for a paid version.

Although Photoplus 6 is a little dated – 1999 version – it does well to satisfy the needs of users with minor photo editing tasks in mind. Let’s first look at what Photoplus 6 has to offer.

Versatile Features

If you’re looking for a free photo editing software that could adjust and correct the colours of your images, then Photoplus 6 is just the application for you. It also allows you to resize images, expand canvas sizes, and it even provides such filter effects as blur, motion, noise, emboss, twirl and lens flare among others. What’s more, there’s even provision for a bevel and drop shadow layer to create a dynamic 3D look for your text and images. Also thrown in is a red-eye removal tool.

Layer Facility

It’s natural not to expect layer support from a freeware photo editing tool. However, Photoplus 6 goes the extra mile in providing you support for layers and layer properties. You can blend layers with overlay and other effects to create breathtaking images.

Photoshop-Plug-ins

Photoplus 6 is compatible with Photoshop plug-ins. You can work with filter effects which are peculiar to Photoshop.

A Boon for Webmasters

If you’re a webmaster on a budget, Photoplus 6 is definitely a boon for you. It offers you the ability to optimize your image for web no matter how large the size is. This is a feature that’s seldom found in photo editing freeware. You also get the added advantage of creating animated images for your web pages. The startup Wizard will help you with that if you’re new to the area.

The Interface

For those who are new to photo editing programs, Photoplus assists by providing a Wizard. There are four modes here you can work on: opening an existing saved project, creating a new image, creating a new animation and also the ability to import images from your scanner. The startup Wizard is especially helpful when you’re working with animated images.

Once you familiarize yourself with the application, you can disable the Wizard which pops up every time you create a new image.

What You Won’t Get

As versatile as Photoplus 6 is, it has no support for levels and curves which you would like to use for color correction. Support for vector graphics is also missing. Unless you’re a power user, you will not feel the shortcoming. After all, what the hey. you’re getting a versatile software for free.

If you crave for additional features, Photoplus 8, for which you need to fork out only $9.99, offers you image extraction, background eraser, smart resize and picture brushes among others.