Review: Dashlane is a robust password manager with a gorgeous interface

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Dashlane With its simple interface and myriad of features, Dashlane is a powerful password manager anyone should consider.

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A password manager is a must. Unless you're using the same password for everything (not recommended) or have a truly phenomenal memory, your productivity can benefit from a place to store all your passwords and easily use them whenever necessary. There are several strong players in this field, such as LastPass and KeePass. Dashlane (free for basic version, $20/year for Premium) aims to take on both.

Dashlane is a robust password manager with additional room for your various IDs, credit cards and other payment methods, receipts, and notes. It comes with an auto-fill feature for online forms to which you can add different addresses, phone numbers, and other personal information you're tired of typing repeatedly. There are two features that make Dashlane stand out when compared to both LastPass and KeePass: Its beautiful and easy-to-use interface, and its optional cloud syncing.

The Security Dashboard analyzes your database, alerting you of weak, recurring, or breached passwords

Setting up Dashlane is exceptionally easy. LastPass and KeePass are both fairly easy to use, but they have nothing on Dashlane. The installation process takes you step by step through setting up the program, with clear instructions and smooth guidance. After choosing your master password for Dashlane--unlike LastPass, there's no "password reminder" here, so you must remember it or lose access to your database--Dashlane will install itself on your browsers (Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer are supported), and will lead you through trying out its different features and interface elements.

If you're already using a different password manager, you can import your database into Dashlane pretty easily. The import tool supports databases from Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, LastPass, 1Password, RoboForm, PasswordWallet, KeePess, and custom CSV files, but the tool is a little finicky. For example, my KeePass CSV did not contain a filled-in URL field, as this is not mandatory in KeePass. Dashlane ignored every password that did not come with a URL, leaving me with no way to import my large password database into Dashlane. Fortunately, Dashlane can automatically add new credentials upon logging in to websites, so after using it for several days, most of my oft-used passwords were transferred to Dashlane without much effort on my part.

On every new login, Dashlane will offer to automatically save your credentials

Dashlane's strong yet subtle browser integration makes logging in to websites a seamless operation, but doesn't add unnecessary clutter to your browsing experience. Once a password is stored in Dashlane, it can log you in automatically every time the website is loaded, or auto-fill the credentials without logging you in. If you're opening an account on a new website, Dashlane can generate a strong password for you right from your browser, and store it in your database in one fell swoop.

You can categorize passwords and other information for easy access, and a small blue impala icon in a browser text field will alert you to the fact that Dashlane can auto-fill this for you. If you have more than one account with a website, more than one email address you like to use, etc., clicking the blue impala will open a dropdown menu where you can choose the desired information.

One of the most important aspects of a password manager is security, and with Dashlane, you can select your level of paranoia. Your database is encrypted with AES-256 encryption, only you know the master password to decrypt it, and you can enable Google Authenticator for extra security. Unlike LastPass, where everything is in the cloud, automatic cloud syncing and backup is a Premium feature in Dashlane, so free users don't have to worry about it.

Even if you're a paid customer, however, you can easily opt out of cloud syncs, meaning your password database is only stored locally, just like with KeePass. Unlike KeePass, though, Dashlane's free mobile apps can be managed as separate databases, so you can access your passwords on the go without worrying about constant cloud syncs. When enabled, Dashlane syncs happen every 5 minutes, and there's no way to control or reduce this frequency.

The Premium version also includes Web access to your data from any browser, anywhere

Dashlane is an impressive password manager with some excellent features and a beautiful interface. It does require a certain amount of trust in the company, especially when using its syncing options, and for $20/year, its Premium version is expensive when compared to the alternatives. Nevertheless, it is the perfect password manager for the less tech-savvy, and even the experienced are sure to enjoy it, if only for the merits of its interface. It's available in Android, iOS, and Mac editions, in addition to the PC edition I reviewed.

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Review: Easily edit images and create collages using Fotor in Windows 8's Modern interface

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Fotor Fotor is no Photoshop, but it's simple, fun, and works well for basic image editing.

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If Picasa has taught us anything, it's that not every image editor has to be Photoshop. Sometimes you just want a quick, fun way to enhance your photos, add some neat effects, and maybe create a collage or two. If that sounds like fun and you happen to be rocking a Windows 8 device, you should check out Fotor, a free photo editor that uses the Modern interface. It's fast, visual, and has virtually no learning curve.

Fotor makes it easy to add text overlays to images, but you can control the font size independently.

When you launch Fotor, it lets you open an existing photo to edit, or start working on a collage. It also comes with six sample photos arranged in an attractive grid, to get you started. The simplest way to get a feel for what Fotor is like is to click a sample photo. Do that, and you'll find yourself in the editing interface.

In editing mode, the image dominates most of the screen, and an editing toolbar lines the right side of the screen—opposite where you'd normally expect it, but in keeping with the Modern interface convention. The toolbar is subdivided into eight sections, six of which contain editing tools: Basic editing (color corrections), cropping, effects, borders, focus effects, and text tools. The other two sections let you open new files for editing, and save your work.

Fotor offers numerous effects, including crowd-pleasing Lomo looks

The color correction interface uses sliders, with live image updates: Just move the slider and see the change instantly. Cropping is similarly intuitive, with 11 preset aspect ratios, and a free-crop mode (to set your own aspect ratio). Just drag a frame across the image to set out your crop area, and click Confirm when you're happy with the composition.

Fotor's selective focus tool is the most nuanced one in the app, allowing for fine adjustments.

Image effects are divided into five categories, ranging from Classic to "Dark Corners" (i.e., vignette effects). While each category contains many different effects, individual effects cannot be adjusted in any way. Many of the image modifications are heavy-handed, and Fotor offers no way to tone down the amount of influence a given effect has. Also, you can't layer effects one on top of the other. You need to pick one effect for your image and stick with it. The Borders category is similar: There's a rich selection of borders, but you can't tweak anything, like the size of the margin or the color of a given border.

Fotor's collage mode makes it easy to pick a number of images for your collage.

One category that does offer fine-grained adjustments is the Tilt-Shift Mode, whereby you can apply selective focus effects to your image. Tilt-shift (a "miniature look") isn't the only option: You can also apply a center focus effect, where the subject appears sharp and surrounding detail is blurred out. Both center focus and tilt-shift effects offer many adjustments: You can change the tilt shift's angle, and change either mode's blur radius and virtual aperture size. Of all the tools Fotor offers, selective focus is the most nuanced.

Finally, you can also overlay your image with some text. The text tool offers a limited number of fonts (you can't pick from any font installed on your computer), and lets you pick one of several overlay templates, such as speech or thought bubbles. There is no way to control the font size independently of the template: You can only resize the text along with the speech bubble it's in.

In collage mode, it's easy to move images around, resize the different parts of the collage, or pick one several premade layouts.

All in all, Fotor does what it does quite well. It excels in being quick, and quick to master. Few features are cryptic, and none appear to rely on hidden toolbars you need to slide into view. If you want to edit images in the Modern user interface, Fotor is a great option.

Note: The Download button takes you to the Windows Store, where you can download the software to your system.

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Online - Photoshop learn basic Photoshop tutorials for Photoshop interface

If you are trying to learn Photoshop, online the best place to with the graphical user interface (GUI). Photoshop GUI is divided into five sections that are represented in this Photoshop tutorial.

The first section is probably the most familiar. It is called the menu bar at the top of which interface is like most programs. The menu bar you can run on different menus all Photoshop access different functions such as saving, resizing, levels, filter, and much more. Although you will find everything you need in the menu bar, there are many links, which you can access or even time save you create.

After the second section, below is the settings panel. This bar changes when you select you various tools, but in fact is in what you most need it, which you can customize the tools with different options (hence the name). This is for example, where you would make your brush larger or smaller.

Below is the tool options. As the name implies, is this where you can find all the tools you need to create your digital masterpieces. The tool bar has many fun to be explored elements such as the Magic Lasso tool or all your different brushes. There are keyboard shortcuts which used or created, have access to most of these tools.

Far right is the range partition where it different fields to give you information to help. To do this, you include the Info palette, the History palette, as well as other palettes that you control composition. You find one of the important pallets here the layer comps palette you basically, says what is on each level of the composition.

Finally, usually in the Middle, or sometimes on a different screen (if you are using multiple monitors) is the document window or the composition. This is where you control, and work on your creations, so it's basically like your digital canvas.

To Photoshop learn you must online be familiar with the user interface. This it make easy for you, follow the different videos or courses, which you use. If you are not sure which course to use, I recommend Photoshop by example, this is a great way to quickly master the basics of Photoshop.

Also, if you find information on how to access Photoshop or on various basic Photoshop tutorials or courses are looking for, visit http://www.squidoo.com/Learn-Photoshop-Online. The information should be made, and could possibly save some money.

How to use Photoshop CS3 interface for Adobe Photoshop - tutorial

The Photoshop CS3 interface is very user friendly and has many customizable features in it. This is the user at ease while working with the product. You can customize the workspace and organize the tools very often use so that you have easy access to it and working on this tool is a wonderful experience.

If you use CS2, you can upgrade to CS3 because it has integrated many better and improved features. There are many video demonstrations on the Web, so you instructions on how to use the Photoshop CS3 interface available. If you have used the previous versions, you would not be difficult with CS3 interface then.

In CS3 you use interface floating palettes or dock it a page together when not in use. The pallets can be grouped and can work more pallets for easy. If you believe that these docks are taking much of the workspace, they reduce straight down. They expand only when you need them, so that you plenty of workspace for images or videos. And if you think that not the docks, can your current work all of you hide from them using the shift + tab keys on your keyboard. To make them again, just move you mouse over the area where the pallets were before hiding them.

The maximize mode is a useful feature in the CS3. Using this function your canvas gets re size automatically as and when you expand or reduce your customized palette. So you need not to go and manually to maximize or minimize the screen, so you can focus more time on your work.

CS3 works on Intel-Mac and Windows. The layers palette, you can reduce it up on a small box. And if the range of the tab key is hit, back on the screen. And the F-button is a more useful link in the CS3. With this key you can juggle full screen between the views.

You have some new features such as the improved vanishing point and live filters in Photoshop CS3. With Adobe Bridge can organize and manage all of your files and folders also. There are many tutorials on the Internet, as well as with the product, which gives you better idea of Photoshop CS3 interface use. This tutorial contains tips and links that can save much time and energy while you work. Tips you can view video tutorials on the Web for better understanding of the work. The links can be understood better if you use the video tutorials. Even if your tutorial selection to you of the kind of tutorial you choose. If you are a fresher on Photoshop CS3 choose the beginner tutorial. Instead, if you the advanced tutorial you not, the interface to understand, as well as many basic features in the advanced tutorial will be missed.

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