On the Windows Team Blog, Microsoft has decided to post an inside look into the new Windows Live Essentials and what users can expect. Scheduled for beta release in the coming months, the updated suite will bring a boat-load of new features. Among the touted apps is the new versions of Live Photo Gallery. According to CNet, Microsoft's very own Brian Hall went as far as saying that the new Photo Gallery is "better for photos than a Mac, hands down."
Neowin has previously posted a look into the new Windows Live Essentials Photo Gallery. However, further analysis of the new program is essential, as Hill's claim is a bold one. For a long time now, Apple's iPhoto has been the king of photo management. It allows you to organize photos, improve them, create slideshows, share them online, and much more. It even allows you to view your photos on a map using geotagging. This is, of course, assuming your camera has GPS capabilities (like on smartphones).
Microsoft highlights the following capabilities of its new Windows Live Photo Gallery:
- Auto Adjust - one click that fine-tunes exposure, color balance, angle, and sharpness
- Retouch - remove blemishes, or even entire people
- Batch Editing - do same action to a number of photos at once
- Photo Fuse - use similar photos to create a perfect picture (eyes closed example)
- Sharing - the ability to publish your photos directly to social media sites, online storage locations, and send via email or chat
- Sync - the ability to have all of your files on the go, as well as synched across all of your PCs
- Slide Shows - in a few clicks, create and share slide shows with transitions and visual effects
While Microsoft is definitely pushing many welcome and needed features, saying that it's better for photos than a Mac's iPhoto experience is hard to agree with. While Mac users are sure to jump at Hill's comment as being nothing short of asinine, Microsoft's improvements are definitely nothing to scoff at. Updates, like the ones for Photo Gallery, show a true commitment to improving the media experience of the Windows platform. Innovation is nice to see anywhere users can get it.
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