Vikki Olds

November 2005

Paint Shop Pro, which has always been a favorite of mine is now owned by Corel. There have been many improvements since Corel took over Paint Shop Pro; the most visible of which is the user interface. Below is a screenshot of the user interface in default mode. One of the great changes is the Learning Center which you see on the left side of the interface. It's not just a menu of choices for what you want to do.

If you are a long time Paint Shop Pro user you will also notice the image browser at the bottom of the interface which makes finding the images you want to work on very easy.

When you choose a tool with the Learning Center panel open, the panel loads with instructions on how to use the tool. Now that's what I call helpful!

If you don't like those panels you can close them. Paint Shop Pro will remember that when you next open it to work.

Some other new features of the user interface include the layers palette which now displays the contents of the layer as a resizable thumbnail.

There are new photo editing features as well. There is a new tool called the Makeover tool that has three options for photo retouching. You can remove blemishes, whiten teeth and apply a suntan. There is a new Red Eye tool and a Smart Photo Fix tool. There is a new One Step Purple Fringe Fix tool that removes the purple glow that appears under some lighting conditions. Along with those is a new Color balance command and a new High Pass Sharpen command. You can also add your own copyright and IPTC data with the improved metadata feature. Paint Shop Pro also supports 16 bit images.

Performance in Paint Shop Pro has been enhanced and there are enhanced color management features.

Raw camera data images open a much higher quality that before and there are many new picture tubes, frames, edges and patterns.

The text tool is different than the old one but it won't take much getting used to. It is much less complicated than the old one.

The new tool bar is more intuitive than in previous versions also.

Features (from Corel.com)

• With the NEW Learning Center, Paint Shop Pro will actually teach you how to edit your photos, remove objects from your photos, create collages, make the most of the Text Tool and so much more!
• Smart Photo Fix is the best way to correct color, exposure, and lighting problems. For the first time ever, all these powerful photo correction tools are together in one place. With a click Paint Shop Pro analyzes your photo and makes suggested corrections. Then, you can change the corrections to suit your tastes.
• None of us are perfect, but with Paint Shop Pro X's Makeover Tools everyone can look like they are! With this amazing set of tools you can remove blemishes, whiten teeth, brush on a suntan, and remove wrinkles.
• Paint Shop Pro X has a 30% faster startup time, the ability to work faster on large photos, and near-instant undo and redo.
• Not only have we added 16-bit editing, the ability to work with raw files, save out to CMYK, and color management and screen calibrations options, but you'll still find all the tools you've loved for years.
• One-click Red-eye removal
• Includes NEW Photo Album 6 - Standard Edition FREE
• Two hours of video tutorials included FREE
• For those who take pictures in raw format, you get Pixmantec RawShooter Essentials, a fully functional RAW converter that allows any level of user to get excellent results with the minimum of effort and knowledge.
• Over 500 different Special Effects & NEW Picture Tubes™
• The Object Remover makes it easy to remove unwanted or difficult to clone portions of images and fills in the removed detail with portions of the remaining photo.
• With one click, the One-Step Purple Fringe Fix removes the purple glow surrounding the edges of people and objects that can appear in many digital photos.
• Paint Shop Pro X now offers the High Pass Filter, one of the industry's most popular ways to sharpen digital photos.
• With Black & White Conversion and Black & White Infrared Conversion filters, you can control the contrast strength and adjust the grain level of your photos to simulate real black and white, and infrared film.
• The One-Step Noise Fix removes digital camera noise or excess graininess with one click.
• Paint Shop Pro X supports 16-bit functionality, which allows you to work with thousands of shades per color rather than the 8-bit limit of 256 shades.
• The Color Management engine lets you read and save color profile data and ensures screen to-print color matching. Paint Shop Pro X also supports CMYK output for commercial printers.
• Improvements to File Metadata lets you add copyright data and enter IPTC information. Paint Shop Pro X metadata also obeys the EXIF rotation flag from cameras so images arrive in the application window already rotated.
• The Browser has been enhanced to offer more options, such as a Zoom slider for adjusting thumbnail previews, EXIF editing, the option to download photos from a digital camera, and more.
• The redesigned Layers Palette provides thumbnail views of each image layer, making it easier to use and understand.
• With the new Pick Tool you can select, move, resize, and rotate raster and vector objects.
• Use File Open Pre-Processing, an automatic script to save time when opening batches or single images.

All in all the improvements to Paint Shop Pro X are many and wonderful. A great product has just gotten better! Download the free trial and see for yourself how great a product Paint Shop Pro X really is!

Pricing: $99.00

Company Website or URL: (www.corel.com )

Requirements:
Windows Minimum

• 500 MHz processor
• Microsoft ® Windows ® 2000 (SP4) or XP
• 256 MB of RAM
• 500 MB of free hard disk space
• 1024 x 768 resolution display, 16-bit color display
 

Copyright (c) 2005, Vikki Olds, All Rights Reserved