iRemember
by
Ronda Yoder
iRemember 1.0 is a new
scrapbooking software that came out this summer. It allows you to
place pictures into scrapbooks without glue, stickers, and clutter.
The software requires System 10.3 or 10.4 and has free updates
available online after installation.
This is a very good quality scrapbook program (really the only one
of its kind), and it integrates Mac features well, allowing you to
adapt items and bring in clipart from other programs. There is a
similarity to other Mac programs, like Mail and Preview, that makes
you feel at home in the program very quickly. Unlike some desktop
publishing software written for home use to make cards and banners,
this software allows the user to adjust the settings of paper size
and placement of any item on the page.
The program installs in about 10 minutes on a G3 350 MHz tower and
in about 7 minutes on a G4 1.42GHz laptop. The large clipart
files may slow installation. The documentation reminds you to keep
the clipart application and files in same folder as the main
application to prevent conflicts.
There are standard printer paper sizes like 8.5x11, or custom sizes
6x6, 8.5x8.5, and 12x12. Of course, your printer must accept 12x12
paper to print in that size.
The program offers a great tutorial located in the help file. This
tutorial is straightforward and easy to implement. It gives you an
overview of most of the techniques for adding and adjusting clipart
and photos. The help file is very informative, and I was able to
find the answers to most of my questions quickly.
The templates that come with the program practically make the page
for you. They make most of the complicated decisions about color
and page design. Still, you can modify anything about the design
that you want to change, and you can do it very quickly. You can
import pictures or clipart in the following formats: JPG, TIFF, PDF
and text in these formats: RTF, DOC, or TXT.
You can email saved scrapbooks by saving as PDF and you can make
iPhoto books and send them to Apple to have printed.
The few negative comments that I have are related to customizing
the program:
- There is no Preference panel, but most of the items can be changed from other menus.
- The online support pages are not fully utilized at this time, but this should improve.
- You cannot store your own clipart or templates in the clipart application, but you can add clip art, etc. to the scrapbook.
- The photos cannot be resized from the keyboard in a window or palette, but must be dragged, which can be difficult for some people. It would be nice to have a way to type in the desired size of the picture, instead of dragging.
- Concerning the Bible verse quotes available in the clipart section, the Bible version used for the quote is not given, and none of the quotes appeared to be from the traditional KJV. It would be nice to offer these verses in the traditional version or at least tell what version is being quoted.
The list price for iRemember is $49.95 and includes nearly 500 clip art, quotes, templates, and backgrounds. The company offers free online support. Software can be purchased directly from the manufacturer: Intriguing Development located in Blue Springs, MO (www.MacScrapbook.com). Intriguing Development is a 8 year old software development company that was started by the original developers of FaxSTF fax software for Macintosh. Software is also available from various software suppliers like MacMall and Amazon for $44.99, as well as from CompUSA, J&R Music World, MicroCenter.
