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| Get organized: The Media Center (top) lets you browse photos (videos and music, too) in a streamlined, dedicated environment. It's easy to organize, tag, and rate your pictures in the new Windows Photo Gallery (bottom). |
3. Media Center Fun
Now there's no need to buy a special Media Center PC to get its functionality -- as long as you buy a higher-level version, that is. Home Basic not only lacks the sleek Aero interface and 3D programswitching, it's missing the superfun Media Center. Upgraders to Home Premium or Ultimate will get all that included.
The best part of the Media Center for photographers? Connect to your TV and you've got an awesome, easy way to show your photos and make great-looking on-the-fly pan-and-scan slide shows. You can also play all your music and sort it by album cover, and use your computer as a DVR, but that's another story...
4. A Forward-Looking Approach
What's nice about this version of Windows is that built-in programming will help photographers in the future. Not only can you be relatively sure that your RAW files will be supported, you can also look forward to better color management. Microsoft has developed the Windows Color System, which will take advantage of soon-to-come higher bit-depth displays and printers and be ready for more extensive use of High Dynamic Range imaging. Okay, it's not all here yet. But already makers of color management and display calibration systems can use WCS to make their products work better.
With Vista, Microsoft has opened the door, and PC-oriented photographers will have to wait until the people who make all the software and gear we use every day walk right in. Until then, we'll just have to enjoy those cascading windows.
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