March 2013 – RGdot

iPhotoDraw: Freeware Image Annotations

iPhotoDraw (Version: 1.6 Build 4837) is a freeware image editor. Its main feature or purpose is to make it easy to add objects to images.

Open an image and the ruler is on by default, optionally add grids and guidelines from the View menu to be able to place objects more accurately. Beside adding text iPhotoDraw features all kinds of shapes. Shapes can be arrows, dimension lines, straight lines, arcs, curves, circles, rectangles, callouts and virtually any type of polygon. Polygons can be simple like a triangle or not like an ‘explosion’ or a 32 point star. Using the Polygon tool one can create any random shape by clicking (end of) line points and double clicking to finish. There is also pixelation and blur tools that can be rectangular, oval or polygon shaped.

Any shape or image will have its own properties, accessed via right click or double click. These include adding text to them, aligning them, adding fill color, changing opacity or line thickness, among others. Drag the mouse over several objects and they can be grouped so they move together for example.

Objects or annotations added are flattened into one image when it is exported. Simple saving a file doesn’t destroy the original. Unlimited undo is available to make it even easier to play with an image. iPhotoDraw requires the .Net Framework 3.0 and runs on XP and newer.

Clover: Tabs For Windows Explorer

Clover (Version: 3.0.258.0) is a freeware Windows Explorer extension that adds tabs to the explorer window.

Those who use Windows’ own explorer to navigate through folders know that it is cumbersome and not exactly efficient. Some use alternatives to Windows Explorer itself, XYplorer for example, and others use dock menus and shortcuts managers.

Clover take a slightly different approach not as common as the aforementioned alternatives, docks and shortcuts. It adds a Google Chrome type layer to the top of the Explorer window. Much like Chrome there is the now familiar blank new tab button (one of Google’s more interesting ‘ideas’ outside of their annual Spring cleaning) and the bookmark bar.

The same Ctrl+T opens a new tab, Ctrl+Tab switches between open tabs, Ctrl+W closes a tab and Ctrl+D bookmarks a tab. It is also possible to drag a folder from Windows’ own Address bar to create a bookmark.

The program settings include themes (downloaded crx files), import/export bookmarks (html file), warn before closing a tab and a toggle to always show the bookmark bar. Clover runs on XP and newer.

pViewer: Another Minimalist Image Viewer

pViewer (Version: 1.6) is a minimalist open source image viewer. It has no menu and little distraction.

pViewer’s options are available via right click and there are keyboard shortcuts for its features. These features are Send To Dropbox Public folder, rename, slideshow, rotate, flip, resize and read exif data. It supports effects such as invert, grayscale, sharpen, blur, brightness, contrast, tint, black border, white border and red eye correction. Additionally there is support for .zip, .rar, .cbz, .cbr archives with Manga and Comic mode displaying two images side by side.

The batch operations – resize, rotate, convert, rename, grayscale, invert white or back border – work on all images in the current directory and sometimes even without any additional prompts. For example Add White Border just goes to work and creates a subfolder containing the output.

The program settings has options for drawing and text color and fonts. These are not accessible via the right and looking at the keyboard shortcuts one sees the following

Crop: Ctrl+Click to make a selection, release the mouse button while still pressing Ctrl. Writing on the image: press Shift+Click on the picture to add text, write what you want, move it wherever you want with the mouse, press Ctrl+Enter.
Drawing a rectangle: Alt+Click and drag to draw, then you can save the edited image. Filling the rectangle: After drawing a rectangle you can fill it with the same color by pressing TAB

It is less than 1MB unzipped, doesn’t require installation and should run on Windows XP and newer.
Thanks to commenter andy for pointing out that it requires the .NET framework 4.0

Giveaway: 1AVCapture Capture Audio Video

PCWinSoft brings you a unique time limited exciting offer to give away free licenses of 1AVCapture, the video and audio recorder and broadcaster software.

The price of 1AVCaptue is $59.95 the software allows you to capture images, record video with audio, record audio alone and it can record and broadcast any possible combination of audio video sources your PC has.

1AVCapture can record and broadcast from any audio video source combination including audio alone. 1AVCapture records audio to wav, wma and mp3, and it records video to avi and wmv.

If you can hear and/or see and hear something on your computer then you can record a high quality copy of it with 1AVCapture.

1AVCapture supports all Windows Media Encoder profiles including the newest Microsoft Express Encoder. So you can have full control over encoding properties and you an make tests quickly to the audio video compression choice.

Whatever 1AVCapture can capture it an also broadcast it so you an use it to broadcast your screen or your webcam and even include the embed code inside your web page on your web site.

1AVCapture is the ultimate audio video capture & broadcast solution. It will run on 2000/XP/2003/Media Center/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8 and requires at least a 1.3gHz processor and 256MB of memory.

To receive your free copy of 1AVCapture simply register here: http://www.pcwinsoft.com/promotion/RGDot1AVCapture/registration.asp

Giveaway : SuperLauncher Program Launcher And Reminder

Grab a copy of PCWinSoft’s SuperLauncher, normally $29.95. Click the link below, fill in your email and details to get the activation key.

SuperLauncher (Version: 1.9.3.00) is a program launcher and also a task scheduler and reminder. It can help make computer usage somewhat more efficient.

After installation it can be accessed via its tray icon, or if enabled, its floating icon on the desktop. By default it includes some common shortcuts. These shortcuts include calculator, command prompt, recycle bin, notepad, restart computer, shut down computer and shortcuts to yahoo, msn, google and others. Most of these already have a hot key assigned to them, shown in the program’s Shortcut Manager. These hot keys are editable using the Edit button.

New shortcuts are added by clicking the New button then typing a name, choosing one of application, file, folder, website, batch file, reminder message or insert text and then setting parameters as applicable. When adding a file, folder, batch file or application shortcut use the Get button to browse to its path. Test any shortcuts with the Execute option (either right click on the entry to access the option or use the menu in the program’s Shortcut Manager ) and then set its hot keys, delete it and schedule it the same way.

The reminder message provides a pop up at the scheduled time if the Popup button is pressed or active when it is shown (see image below) . It can be set to a recurring reminder via the Advanced key in the scheduling window. When an insert text is created use the Ctrl+Win+left mouse buttons to activate a popup menu that lists the text configured with SuperLauncher.

There is brief tutorial available at first launch or anytime via its tray icon. SuperLauncher can export and import its database for backup and restore, is available in six languages and works on Windows 2000 and newer.

Giveaway link:
http://www.pcwinsoft.com/promotion/RGdotSP/registration.asp

A Note: Open Source Sticky Notes

A Note (Version: 4.2.4) is an open source desktop sticky notes program. It is lightweight and a portable version is available via portableapps.com

By default a new sticky note can be created by a single click on the program’s tray icon or by right clicking it. Sticky notes resize automatically when text is added, they can have different background colors, text colors and fonts. By default every note has three buttons. From left to right the first is the slide or dock, this docks note(s) to either the right or left side of the screen. The second is the minimize or maximize button which in A Note’s case is like roll up and roll down. The third is delete. A-Note has a built-in recycle bin with restore so deleted sticky notes can be restored later. Right clicking inside a note one can change the note title – also possible by double clicking inside the title area – and also assign an (audio) alarm to the note.

The program options include the following. Changing the default new note title and default note color. Altering the behaviour when tray icon is single clicked or double clicked. Setting a transparency for notes in normal and minimized states. Setting a hot key to show notes and setting a maximum number for notes held in the program’s recycle bin. Adding strikeout, bold, underline, italic and bullet point to the note toolbar is also possible and finally one can set the language and character set. A Note currently supports 16 languages.

Notes can also be printed or emailed. A Note should run on all Windows versions.

Wordz: Freeware Word Processor

Wordz (Version: 1.0) is a freeware word processor that is a lightweight and quick alternative for basic writing. Documents are saved in rtf or plain txt files and an export as pdf feature is available as well.

Wordz comes with British English, American English, French, German and Spanish dictionaries and includes a live spell checker similar to Microsoft Word. The spelling options (Edit —> Spelling Options) let the user choose which dictionaries to load, disable the live spell checker or automatic corrector, ignore upper case words, ignore words containing numbers, prompt on repeated words and automatically correct dual capitals (For example HEllo is corrected to Hello). Image and object (clipart, scans, sound clips, etc.) inserts are supported. Additionally there are the usual formatting options like color, font, alignment plus insert date, line spacing, subscript, superscript, ordered list, paragraph spacing and paragraph margin.

An useful additional feature is Additional Reading where a highlighted word can be looked up on Google, Wikipedia, YouTube, Thesaurus and Dictionary. Also if a highlighted word is linked (using the Link button) it will become link to its Wikipedia page. Highlight and right click the text to add any custom, non-wikipedia, link.

Wordz comes with an installer but its folder can be copied for portable use. It should run on all Windows versions.