Graphics Workshop -- Graphics Workshop is a do-it-all graphics utility program from the makers of the GIF Construction Set, Alchemy Mindworks. Graphics Workshop goes above and beyond its sibling by sporting more powerful features as well as offering support for over 30 different graphic formats. Cool features in Graphics Workshop include tools for graphics conversion (quickly and easily convert nearly any type of graphic to another format), quick image viewing and/or printing, special effects (sharpen, dither, reverse, soften, crop, color balance and reduction, etc.), screen capturing, thumbnails and image catalogs, graphics scaling, and slideshow prensentations. Graphics Workshop's extensive array of graphic filetypes includes Windows Bitmap (BMP), MacPaint, self displaying pictures (EXE), Kodak Photo CD (PCD), Sun raster (RAS), icon (ICO), JPEG (JPG - with support for progressive JPEGs), Targa True Vision (TGA), Tagged Image Format (TIF), GIF (GIF - with support for transparent, interlaced, and animated GIFs), Corel Draw (CDP), and PiNG (PNG) images. Similar to Thumbs Plus, multimedia formats like Microsoft Video for Windows (AVI), Quick Time for Windows (MOV), and audio (WAV), and UUEncoded files (UUE) are covered as well. This super deluxe graphics manipulation client is not without its shortcomings, though. Suprisingly, Graphics Workshop lacks support for the Photoshop (PSD) graphics format. Additionally, while Graphics Workshop does offer more features and graphics formats than GIF Construction Set, it costs twice as much ($40) and lacks the special GIF features like animation wizards, image transitions, and graphics merging. Graphics Workshop also comes up short in terms of image decoding speed when compared to apps like ACDSee and VuePrint. Whereas GIF Construction Set and WebImage are designed primarily for the power web designer, Graphics Workshop is targeted more towards the serious graphics user. Against its competition in this area, Graphics Workshop lacks the features and raw power of an app like Photoshop, but it does measure up well to clients closer to its price range like LView Pro and Paint Shop Pro. Its file conversion capabilities are second to none and its special effects tools are above average, but it does lack Paint Shop Pro's extensive feature-set of image manipulation tools, especially its advance image filtering and color replacing tools. Despite these few limitations, you simply can't beat a deluxe do-it-all graphics program that costs less than $50. Pros: Tons of graphics formats supported, image conversion and other great features Cons: Lacks advanced image manipulation tools and support for Photoshop graphics New: This is the initial review for Graphics Workshop Version Reviewed: 1.1w Date of Review: 7/14/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud