Hair Pro Editor's Review

Hair Pro 2010 takes the type of dress-up fun that many young girls like playing with on paper and turns it into a 21st century tech product aimed at professionals.

The program works in a simple manner: you take a forward-facing photograph, preferably with existing hair tied back, and then see the effects of different hairstyles. The photo can come from an existing image, or you can hook up a digital or web camera, take a shot, and have it appear on-screen right away. This could be very handy in a salon set-up.

It's an effect available on a lot of websites and online applications, but Hair Pro 2010 takes it to a different level. It does a good job of recognizing the structure of an individual's face, meaning the image of the "new do" looks convincing rather than appearing like a shoddy photofit picture. The professional version has a staggering 2,500 different styles to try out, and you can even see how different make-up would enhance a look, or add your own signature hairstyles.

One potential downside is that the program, although having some hairstyles for men, is very much weighted toward female styles. This means it's not necessarily a good buy for unisex salons.

Sadly the free trial program doesn't always run very stably and you are likely to encounter a lot of freezes, delays or unexplained errors. This may make users wary about upgrading to the full editions.

Pro's: What could be a novelty may be genuinely useful in professional context

Con's: Performance issues may be a problem for some users

Conclusions: As with the haircuts in question, it's best to try before you buy