Hugin Review - Free Digital Photo Stitching Software
Price Value (5 out of 5)
Because Hugin is a free digital photo stitching program, the financial value is excellent and far above average. Trying the program risks nothing to the digital photographer except time.
Ease of Download (5 out of 5)
Like most other free software programs, Hugin is simple to download. There are also multiple versions available as of August 2009. This makes it easier for those using older computers or not having a lot of extra hard drive space to still try their digital stitching hands with Hugin.
Ease of Installation (4 out of 5)
Most people should not have a problem installing the Hugin program to their computer. An unfortunate drawback is that there is not extensive manuals or other help offered at this time for those who do experience difficulties, which drops a potential excellent installation rating to good.
Available In-House Tutorials (4 out of 5)
Hugin provides a number of tutorials and manuals on its website as of August 2009, especially where photo stitching with the program is concerned. The website states more are being developed, which will hopefully cover other technical and artistic aspects of the software.
However, the tutorials that are listed are thorough. They can really help a newcomer learn quickly how to stitch together digital images to create unique photo art.
Some in-house tutorial guides are also offered in other languages, including Russian, German, Czech, Spanish and French.
Outside Documentation (4 out of 5)
Unlike many competing sites, Hugin does provide some useful links to solid outside tutorial guides and other helpful documentation. Most are in English and the languages mentioned in the available in-house tutorial section. However, some other languages are represented in the external documentation links, including Indonesian, German, Turkish, Italian, and Portuguese.
One drawback is that some of the links, according to Hugin, may have somewhat outdated information. However, there are still a number of other resources to help enhance a user’s Hugin experience.
E-mail Chat Lists (5 out of 5)
Hugin does offer e-mail chat lists in an effort to build a sense of community and enhance the experience digital photographers will have with their software. This is another somewhat unique feature in the digital photography open source software field, and can likely also help users get to know others professionally and even personally.
As of August 2009, the available discussion lists dealt with getting involved in Hugin’s development and also using the program. General discussions about the art of photo stitching were also available for free.
Results Showcase (5 out of 5)
Hugin website volunteers do an outstanding job of displaying the possibilities available when using the program for photo stitching. Screenshots, digital images, and slideshows are presented in several areas of the website showing what kind of art is possible when using the Hugin program. This can help inspire a photographer to try the program for himself.
