Annotated jpegs

[DavidG]

I tried posting this in the software section but couldn't log on!

Not really design but;

Does anyone know of a simple package for adding annotation to photographs for reports, surveys etc.

I am looking for something more repeatable than draw in Word, but not as cumbersome as Paint Shop, with a default arrow and text style and size.

Any ideas?

David

[Jeff]

There's probably a less expensive program designed specifically for this task, but I would use CorelDraw -

import jpeg
type text
draw line
choose arrow end

Then you can save it as a pdf or export -> jpeg.

Corel is also now developing Designer - I can't remember who they bought it from. It's supposed to be more geared for technical illustration, though I've not used it yet.

I should add that I'm heavily biased in favor of CorelDraw - it was the first graphics program I used starting with Version 3, so I'm more familiar with it than with Illustrator or Photshop and can move around a little faster in Corel still.

[Jeff]

> I tried posting this in the software section but couldn't log on!

Sorry about that. Let me know if you continue to get any errors.

[Mike D]

David
All the “professional” software such as PhotoShop, CorelDraw etc is too powerful for what you want to do – like hanging wallpaper with 6 inch nails and that is reflected in the price, a few hundred dollars US depending on the bundle.

The most used paint program is probably one that started off years ago as Shareware and worked its way up the ranks – Paint Shop Pro by JASC, you can find it at http://www.jasc.com There is currently a deal offered that is described on the site but it will still set you back US$90 or $100. It is much easier to use than the “big name” software.

Here is a Freeware program that will do everyting you want and more http://www.hotfreeware.com/2020/2020.htm but it has the company’s advertising repeatedly popping up that is supposed to be distracting (what do you expect for free :-)). However, you can download an ad-free version for US$20.

I did a quick search in Google for
annotate image freeware download -"smartdraw photo"
and this is the result http://www.google.ca/search?num=100&...e+Search&meta=

Only 3,400 hits and many are sites that link to others so you can spend a long time especially as the true freeware is not as common as you’d imagine. Happy hunting.

Michael