Expert's Rating
Pros
- Extremely detailed control
- Photorealistic effects
Cons
- No undo command
- Interface consumes entire screen
Our Verdict
If you’ve ever spent time trying to create a photorealistic effect–for example, painting a crease or wrinkle into an image–then you’ll want to take a close look at Auto FX Software’s DreamSuite, a collection of 18 effects. It can be installed as a stand-alone application (in Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X) or as a set of Photoshop plug-ins (in Mac OS 9).
DreamSuite creates “real-world” effects–borders, photographic frames, wrinkles, and folds–interactively, and it renders those effects at any resolution. It gives you an incredible level of control; for example, the Wrinkle effect lets you paint wrinkles directly on your image in real time, and the Tape effect gives you controls for everything from the tape’s “age” to what its edges look like. All the filters include powerful tools that allow you to adjust lighting, reflection, and shading.
On the downside, there’s no undo command, and DreamSuite’s interface takes over your entire screen, making it difficult to prepare an effect in relation to another part of an image.
Macworld’s Buying Advice
DreamSuite’s effects filters provide an incredible level of control. If you need to create photorealistic effects, you won’t find a better set of tools.