Programs by AutoFX

DreamSuite (v. 1.1.8, Effects Series I & II)
DreamSuite Gel

AutoEye (v. 2.0.5)

PhotoGraphic Edges (v. 5.0.6)

by AutoFX Software
511 Highland Park Circle
Birmingham, Alabama 35242
Phone: 205.980.0056
Fax: 205.980.1121
www.autofx.com

DreamSuite Series One effects $199 (US) estimated Street Price
DreamSuite Series Two effects $149 (US) estimated Street Price
DreamSuite Gel effects $99 (US) estimated Street Price

AutoEye $129 (upgrade from v. 1: $79)

PhotoGraphic Edges $199 (upgrade from any version $129)

(Check the AutoFX web site for various bundles.)

Requires Mac OS 9, full support for OS X (I was running this in X.2)
128 MB RAM minimum, 256 MB or more STRONGLY recommended

Reviews by Gary Coyne (replace the "-at-" with "@")

AutoFX creates filters for Photoshop that can also be run as stand-alone programs who's intent is to either simplify various actions possible with Photoshop, or expand upon the capabilities of Photoshop.

More specifically, the DreamSuite series provides (up to 35) effects such as making your photo look like it was crumpled up and/or torn, make it appear as if the image was in a slide (positive or negative), place tape on the image, or make the image look like cracked mud. The Photographic Edges series provides edges and compositions for your images--no more square images. Lastly, the AutoEye filter both (automatically) improves the color, tones, and contrast of your images and also provides some extra filters for effecting some art effects onto your images.

About a year ago I reviewed DreamSuite Series I and was first confronted with the AutoFX interface. I didn't like it then, and I still don't care for it. There are people who like liver. I'm not going to say they are wrong, but it's not my choice.

Once any AutoFX program opens, it takes over your whole screen, from top to bottom, left to right, and if you are in OS X, it takes over your Dock as well. [Hint: if you click on the Green (resize) button, it will shrink in a "letterbox" fashion so that the top menu region and the bottom Dock region will be empty. If you then click in the region of the Dock, the dock will reappear and you can have access to your other programs.]

All the progams suffer from a lack of undo (Command-z), but all of them utilize "memory dots" to let you keep variations of your experiments. While better than nothing, I disliked using memory dots so much I ended up using nothing.

AutoFX provides many premade variations on any of their settings, called Presets. Once in a Preset, one can further tweak the settings any number of ways.

[Another hint: The default setting for AutoFX programs is that any time you alter any variation for a tweak, the program immediately starts applying that selection. If you have a large image and the variation is a complex one, you may be looking at a long wait until you can apply a 2nd tweak. There are two options, both of which require you to go into the preferences. One is to create a set delay of how many seconds after you tweak something before the re-rendering automatically begins, or to click on the "Render" button. This latter option lets you alter any of the variations as much as you want, THEN click the Render button and all your selections will then take effect.]

There were also weird quirks in the program in that too often when I Canceled and/or closed the window (via the Red "Close" button), the AutoFX program would act as if it had crashed rather than having quit. Boy, do I like OS X's protected memory.

I found much to like and much to be frustrated with these programs. They do work as advertised, but that's only half the story.

DreamSuite Series

Photographic Edges

AutoEye