Qimage Pro

Digital Domain’s Qimage isn’t meant to replace a full-featured photo editor or graphics application. However, its combination of professional quality and useful “on-the-fly” tools make it a go-to printing and editing tool. Qimage is available in several versions; we looked at Qimage Pro and the top-of-the-line Qimage Studio. They’re basically the same tool, but the Studio package offers more features, chief among them the ability to edit raw, undeveloped images.

Qimage has a stylishly skinned interface that automatically resizes its sections, though you can configure the layout manually, too. Qimage uses the basic formulation common to photo editors, with a browsing pane; thumbnail panel for files and print queues; main window and templates; icon-based toolbars; and some function-specific views such as print and job properties. The program opened with a display of the folders in our Pictures directory. Since Qimage claims to excel at printing images, we selected something hard to get right, namely high-resolution macros of colored glass. Icon-based navigation made it a cinch to build a queue of images as well as select orientation, background colors, spacing, and more; the Print Properties panel made short work of selecting the output options. Qimage even automatically identified and selected our target printer. Final print quality depends on your printer, of course, but we had no complaints with the output. Qimage has some nifty extras, too, like the Menu Cheater, a simple dialog that gives quick access to commonly used commands. It also boasts ICC color management, a “Flash Card” copy/move feature, and wide-format capability, among other features. A 10-minute tutorial, PDF-based online manual, and built-in, selectable Context Sensitive Help make for easy answers to most questions.

Qimage comes with free lifetime upgrades, something we like very much indeed and wish other software publishers would offer. Highly recommended.

Qimage is a digital imaging program that has grown from its simple roots of printing multiple images on a single page, to being one of the most frequently referred to and highly recommended digital image software in the world.

Qimage is designed to make image printing easy and painless by eliminating the need to resample images to higher resolutions, manually place images on printed pages, make touchups and apply filters in separate photo editors, etc.

For a purchase price that is a mere fraction of the cost of high end photo editors, you get an application that is capable of producing professional quality prints that exceed the quality of nearly all other photo printing applications, even high end (read incredibly expensive) photo editors.

Although not designed to be (or replace) a full featured photo editor, the majority of the time you will find that Qimage is the only tool you need to enhance and/or print your digital images. With high quality image noise filtering, blemish and redeye removal, rotation, Lanczos, Vector, and Pyramid print interpolation, and many other “on the fly” tools, Qimage may make many of your other digital imaging tools obsolete.

Most of the times printed documents and pictures don’t come out as expected. This can easily be corrected by spending a little time arranging your page in order for everything to go as planned. Qimage Professional Edition puts a large variety of options at your disposal so that every photo you are about to print is carefully arranged.

The application is wrapped in a pretty package. It’s visually appealing and besides the default skin it comes in, you are able to choose from several more, each with its own unique feel.

Additionally, size of thumbnails and workspace elements can be adjusted for a little extra comfort. You might also stumble upon a “Menu Cheater” which brings up a new window with quick access buttons to the most commonly used functions.

If you take a little time to browse through every menu, you might end up forgetting what you were doing in the first place.

You are able to arrange photos in several preset styles, or choose the “Freehand” option to manually organize elements on the page. Resize tools are at a mouse click away, but the rotate function only provides preset angles, thus limiting possibilities.

In case you feel restrained whilst editing, there is an option that lets you create a quick access point to an application that better suits you. A field must be filled with the destination of the EXE file and once this is done, hitting the “Run Photo Editor” button will launch the application for you.

To sum it up, Qimage Professional Edition is a powerful tool to prepare your photos for printing. However, the level of complexity might scare you at first, but giving it a little time makes it worthwhile in the end.

Qimage Ultimate is the most advanced photo printing software in the world. Continuing the Qimage legacy that has seen more than a decade of experience and innovation in photographic printing, it is the most frequently recommended photo printing software on the web. Used by everyone from casual shooters to professional photographers and studios, Qimage Ultimate is for people who recognize the importance of quality when it comes to photographic prints as they are the culmination of your efforts behind the lens.
Uncompromising in its quality and control, Qimage Ultimate combines incredible power and performance with a purpose built interface designed specifically for photo printing. Once you see how easy it is to fly through print jobs, sizing on the fly, refining and correcting photos (even raw photos and 3D photos) as you go, you’ll wonder why the other tools make it so difficult.
Whether you print your own photos or you are prepping photos to be printed online or in-store, you need Qimage Ultimate to ensure that the end result of your efforts is the best it can be. Qimage Ultimate offers everything you need to go from the photos on your flash card all the way to print, including powerful raw photo tools, editing tools, job logging, custom layout creation, full ICC aware color management, ability to print larger than your driver will allow, even HDR, exclusive tone targeted selective sharpening, and much more so be sure to check the menu at the top of this page to explore.

Features

• Full color management for monitor, printer, and images
• Ability to print posters and print to image files for online printing
• Easily auto-arrange multiple prints with a variety of styles
• Vector, Pyramid interpolation for pro print quality/sharpness
• Latest “Hybrid” interpolation method: incredible quality/speed
• Individual color management settings on a print-by-print basis
• Automated job logging (jobs automatically saved for later recall)
• Batch conversion of multiple images
• Ability to quickly rate images with 1-5 rating
• Edit and search IPTC data
• Soft Proofing
• Raw image support for more than 300 cameras
• “Hybrid SE” interpolation method: smoother with no artifacts
• Organize photos using user defined photo albums
• Ability to tag prints with custom copyright/signature
• Ability to specify any size mirror borders/edges for canvas wraps
• Hyper printing: dual core/HT technology for faster printing
• Rulers and “snap” feature on full page editor
• Ability to define up to 100 print sizes (Lite/Pro limited to 10)
• New streamlined user interface
• New image databasing: add & search folder/photo descriptions
• Photo mats for unlimited (even or uneven) borders, text boxes, etc.
• Grouping via placement on templates/photo mats
• Thumbnail sorting by EXIF date shot
• New print-to-file UI walks you through prepping for online printing
• Exclusive Fusion interpolation offers incredible print detail
• Exclusive DFS halo-free sharpening for incredible detail
• More accurate color engine for all ICC profiles
• New raw engine with auto-fill, HDR, highlight recovery, and more
• On Deck area to defer printing/processing to a later date
• New Instaview: hold mouse button over thumb/print for preview
• Print quality meter: hold mouse over any print to evaluate
• Darkroom skin for incredible UI clarity
• Canvas shrinkage compensation corrects canvas length errors
• Lightning Raw: view, print, and edit raw photos instantly
• View, crop, and print 3D photos (MPO files) from 3D cameras
• Built in FlashPipe image downloader
• Tone targeted sharpening: selective sharpening
• High precision sizing/positioning in metric mode (0.1mm)
• EXIF data carried through to converted images
• Ability to tally paper/ink usage from job logs
• 100% netbook and tablet compatible
• Simple “codeless” registration and update process
• Fast track updates: the “latest and greatest” new features
# Optimal print quality regardless of size (see sidebar)
# Optimal arrangement of prints on page
# Mix and match different size prints on each page
# Print cropping tool remembers all your crops
# User controllable final print “smart sharpening”
# Fully ICC aware color management
# View slide shows, send photos via e-mail
# Batch convert, create files for photo labs, etc.
# Automated job log, save and recall jobs/settings!
# 30 day trial available: see demo link on left
# Free lifetime upgrades!