Like prior offers from Franzis, the registration process for Silver Projects Pro stinks. I could well understand making users work with their existing, poorly working site for a one-off offer on one of the [dare I say more minor] giveaway sites, but this is the 3rd offer that I'm aware of [maybe the 4th?] & they still haven't invested the effort for a better process, including a multi-lingual site. If they were selling a $10-$20 app I might forgive them. If they sent an upgrade offer in an English language email I might even consider it. But as it is I think of their stuff as maybe somewhat interesting tools to try along with other FX & such if/when working on a project where they might have something to offer. If they do, great, & if they don't, oh well, but I'm not inclined to play with them too much before that. If they were developing freeware or open source & didn't have the resources that would be understandable.
Silver Projects Pro comes as a protected installation file -- once you fill in registration data it unpacks another protected installation file in Windows User temp folder. That 2nd installation file doesn't require the registration data, though in XP & possibly other Windows versions it will add unwanted & unneeded 2008 versions of the Microsoft C/C++ runtimes [that will need updated] along with a very high number of registry entries -- installation in win7 was actually pretty painless. Installation in my XP Mode VM also added a registry key for "The Silicon Realms Toolworks". I believe that this is old DRM software that *may* be capable of triggering security software, though I could of course be wrong. I wanted to mention it in case, because Silicon Realms code could be included in the installer & maybe trigger a security software response. Mainly for krypteller I wanted to add that there are 32 & 64 bit versions included in the installer, to maybe help him in choosing a VM.
The software itself has an interface or GUI hinting at [maybe copying a little bit] some more pro oriented apps, but the fine controls just aren't there -- most people I think will just pick & then try out presets because they like the way the small preview looks. As a free offer it isn't bad, & some of the presets might work well for whatever image(s), & if not, it took very little of your time to find that out. Comparison wise the often free, older versions of DxO Optics Pro would likely be the better choice for jpg images, & for RAW, it's hands down better. The same goes if you catch Corel's Aftershot apps when they're giving it away, or practically giving it away. In both cases the difference is in the control the software gives you.
Black & White photography is about art. It evokes emotions & perceptions -- it doesn't improve on or increase the amount of visual data by any means. And since you're not going for an accurate representation of a photo's subject -- that would be color -- you have however many colors & shades that you can assign to different shades of black. And you work with that to better evoke the mood or emotions that you want to convey. That's where & why being able to better control that assignment, colors to shades of black, can make a world of difference.
