Sometimes you stick with a software application out of habit; other times, you just can’t bring yourself to change because the application is so darn good. For me, it’s the latter that has kept Photodex’s ProShow Gold and ProShow Producer on my Windows desktop for so many years.

Now in version 9, both iterations of this slideshow/multimedia program have been updated with a number of new features designed to make you and your slideshows even more creative with less effort than before. And trust me, despite all of its advanced features, ProShow Gold and Producer are quite easy to use. Several years ago, a then 70-something-year-old relative of mine with only basic computer skills picked up ProShow Gold and has been churning out amazing family slideshows ever since.

Some of the new creative options include more than 45 photo filters that can be applied to both still images and video. Add one-click motion filters for exciting photo and video animation and, the “follow” filter—as the name implies—enables your images and videos to move together across the screen.

The color tool has been redesigned as well and works with new built-in color palettes (you can create your own custom palettes as well). The Vignette tool has also been improved so you can design and save custom vignettes.

The latest version enables you to output slideshows in 4K too. Better yet, you can queue up a slideshow to output to several different formats and just let the software do the rest. There’s also a new publishing history feature that can track all the output produced for each slideshow.

If you’ve never tried ProShow, be sure to download a free trial (yes, it’s Windows only). Go for Producer if you’re a heavy-duty slideshow creator. And if you’re a Mac-only person, take a look at the pared-down version at ProShow Web.

You can buy ProShow Gold 9 for $70, ProShow Producer 9 for $250, and upgrade prices are available as well.

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