Art Explosion 525,000

Rating:
Summary: Contemporary, updated collection beats out IMSI MasterClips
Review: Finally, Nova Development has got it right, delivering an excellent antidote to the cheesy and outdated Art Explosion 250,000 collection. The Art Explosion 525,000 has been updated to reflect the more sophisticated aesthetic of the 1990s, with thousands more images in contemporary styles such as brushstroke and woodblock. In addition, Nova places no restrictions on the use of these images in commercial materials, unlike their nearest competitor, IMSI. This collection wins my vote.

Rating:
Summary: Not great, just the best.
Review: Of all the collections I have sampled, this is the one I chose to purchase, and in two years I haven't regretted it. Most of the art is useful, but even with a half million images, there are topics which are not covered in useful depth. I wish there was a greater emphasis on complex vector illustration, and that it was possible to search electronically; you really have to use the bulky catalog to find something.
Don't take this review as being too negative. If you are going to rely on a single collection, this is the one to get. The larger Art Explosion collections offer little more than extra variations on the images here, and most of the other publishers' mega-offerings are just junk.