PHOTOGRAPHY/DESIGN
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CC
Not only is Photoshop CC the first version to be offered in a reasonably priced, subscription-only format, it offers exciting new imaging possibilities, with the impressive Camera Shake Reduction feature, Smart Sharpen, Intelligent Up Sampling, and Camera Raw as a filter. A lot of what's new targets professionals, with more CSS support, automated asset slicing, and conditional actions. No longer are high-end functions restricted to the Extended editon—you get every Photoshop tool with the subscriptio including 3D, video, and image analysis.
UTILITY
VMWARE FUSION 6
There comes a time when every Mac user just has to access something on Windows. The
smooth-running and least obtrusive method on the market is VMWare Fusion 6. It's compatible with hundreds of operating system “guests,” so try them all. —ERIC GRIFFITH
VIDEO EDITING
CYBERLINK POWERDIRECTOR 12
CyberLink PowerDirector is a longtime favorite among prosumer video editors. It offers speedy performance, an intuitive interface, and lots of editing goodies. The latest version now has multicam viewing (up to four angles), 3D and 4K editing and output, direct uploading to sharing sites, and can even author Blu-ray discs. —MM
OPERATING SYSTEM
APPLE OS X 10.9 MAVERICKS
Microsoft made some impressive strides this year with Windows 8.1, but OS X remains the smoothest, most reliable, most convenient, and most manageable consumer-level desktop operating system on the planet. Top-notch, unobtrusive security is a major plus; so are its tight integration with social media and the ability to run Windows applications through third-party apps. It’s also loaded with useful features and, best of all, it’s completely free. —MM
WEB APP
IFTTT
“If This, Then That,” or ifttt, is all you need to remember because this amazingly simple yet powerful service can automate just about anything else, from backing up your Facebook photos to sending you text message reminders of upcoming appointments. —JD
CLOUD STORAGE & SYNC
GOOGLE DRIVE
Part office suite and part filesyncing service, Google Drive retains all the best features and core functionality of its predecessor, Google Docs, while also upping the ante on how much it enables collaboration. It is one sweet package. —JILL DUFFY
WEB BROWSER
GOOGLE CHROME
Our speedy Editors' Choice browser made impressive strides in 2013, offering new support for WebRTC, which lets the browser act like Skype, using your PC's camera and microphone for real-time communication. The search ad giant also added a new set of “app” capabilities,
with new desktop widgets that actually run outside of the browser window. All this is added to the ever increasing lead in HTML5 support, speed, and simplicity that distinguish Chrome. —MM
