One of the purest joys I experience on my Mac is viewing images that bring back fond memories, often while listening to music. Even though the Mac is a natural platform for storing and displaying pictures, however, and comes with a lot of slideshow and screensaver options for enjoying and showcasing your memories, I often find that I am not satisfied with the built-in options that come with the Mac.
The developers at Epicreal have recently shown me a new option for enjoying my pictures with their new app called ePic for Mac ($9.99, Mac App Store Link), which presents my photos in a new way that I have found both refreshing and appealing.
Overview
ePic is a compact and minimal program for viewing your photos in a number of ways, from a basic slideshow to an interesting 3D mode that allows you to browse through your photos (which are displayed as images scattered on a virtual table) using gestures to slide back and forth in your collection, or zoom in and out on particular photos.
The app can also use your Mac’s graphical capabilities to produce elaborate and beautiful page transitions, and can function as either a straight photo viewing app, a slideshow, or even as a screen saver. ePic allows you to display your photos in a variety of ways using only a few short clicks and gestures, and its simplicity makes it as easy to use as it is easy on the eyes.
Suggestions
While I appreciated the simplicity and overall aesthetic style of ePic, I wish it had a little bit more customization. While it does provide a large number of transitions and viewing modes, the default background of the app is a bit boring, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to use my own image as a background.
Also, while ePic does provide a lot of transitions to choose from, I didn’t see any transitions that actually seemed unique to ePic, which would have been a nice touch. I was also a bit disappointed with ePic’s screen saver functionality. Instead of working with OS X’s built in screen saver functionality, ePic disables your current screen saver and keeps itself running in the menu bar to act in place of a traditional screen saver. My menu bar is cluttered enough without my screen saver taking up its own space there.
Verdict
Rating: 3/5[rating:3]
While I found ePic to be visually impressive and present my images in a unique way, I ultimately found that I wasn’t completely pleased with it. With a few simple upgrades, like integration into OS X as a traditional screen saver, I would have found it a lot more compelling.
I also felt as though the app didn’t really provide enough value to justify its $10 price in the Mac App Store. If it were more polished, came with a few more options, or perhaps some unique transitions, and were available for an everyday price of $5 or less, it would be a much more worthwhile purchase.
For more information, or to purchase ePic for Mac, visit the developer’s website, or visit the Mac App Store to purchase ePic for Mac today ($9.99, Mac App Store Link)
