Future of Paint Shop Pro

In this forum we're seeing a growing number of posters who are using the newer versions of Paint Shop Pro, which is now officially Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2. I'm sure many purchased the software because of the low price. But my guess is some of these folks are like me and not fully satisfied with the latest versions.

If you're considering photo editing software for the first time for something other than professional use (Photoshop required there), I would urge you to make some comparisons before putting down the cash for photo software for your digital camera, scrapbooking, scanning, etc. needs.

Longtime users of PSP who have followed the development (or lack of) of the software since its sale to Corel know PSP has fallen behind its competitors. There was no new update last fall, the usual time for software publishers to release new versions. The last couple of releases were mostly cosmetic in nature, failing to address memory-leak problems and other bugs users had identified. A few months ago, Corel conducted a survey of at least some of the owners of PSPP X2, suggesting a new version may be in the works. But there's been no official word from Corel.

So, I offer you two alternatives to consider -- unlike PSPP X2, both run on a PC or Mac -- Photoshop Elements and PhotoLine 32.

Elements is like a stripped-down version of PSPP X2. It has an Organizer that is much better behaved than the version in PSPP X2. It won't record scripts but will run actions that have been recorded in Photoshop, and there are lots of those available -- for free and for sale. Masks, Channels and Curves are available only through these third-party action. Elements has a very large support community. It's published by Adobe, so you know any bugs will be fixed in a timely manner. The latest version, Elements 7, is available for about $75.

PhotoLine 32 V.15 is a heavy-duty application published by a small German firm. At least one on-line review in the Mac world called it an alternative to Photoshop. It does not have an Organizer, but has a Browser similar -- but souped up -- to the old PSP. The latest version, 15, was released in January of this year, and there have been 4 updates since then. There is a learning curve here, in part due to the German to English translation, and there's only a small English support community. However, there's a 250+ page manual in English for download. Available for about $60.

Paintshop Pro is doomed. It has been doomed since JASC sold it. Corel is just buying up the competition and spitting it out when they have taken all they can from it.
Version 9 was the last version to offer much in the way of innovation. Ulead is going the same way, PhotoImpact has lost its impetus since Corel took over.
Xara Xreme was lucky to escape.
Corel Draw itself is no big deal, error-strewn, slow and clunky, they haven't done that much in the way of improvements since Version 9 either.
Plenty of newer releases, but diddly squat in terms of value for money.
Thanks for the PhotoLine tip, I'll have to take a look at it.
Saludos,
Bob.

I have decided to dump the newer PSP software as well. Going to use Elements 7 for my photo work for now. I will probably keep PSP 8.1 on my machine just in case. Got a little fed up having to keep deleting the coreliomonitor.exe everytime I had to re-install any Corel software.

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Originally Posted by OldRadioGuy

Elements is like a stripped-down version of PSPP X2. ... It's published by Adobe, so you know any bugs will be fixed in a timely manner. The latest version, Elements 7, is available for about $75.

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OldRadioGuy, thanks for this post. I've been wondering myself if I'm putting off the inevitable of having to learn new software and/or spending money on something that will eventually be abandoned. I'm also concerned about this same issue with FrontPage. If I can't get Windows XP in the future on, say, a new computer, I won't be able to use the last version of FrontPage.

My question is: Is Elements 7 like PSP in that you can create original graphics with preset shapes, brushes, tube-like files that you can shade and make appear dimensional? The Amazon description only mentions enhancing photographs and sharing them in online albums.

Thanks in advance. :)

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Originally Posted by helpmepsp

My question is: Is Elements 7 like PSP in that you can create original graphics with preset shapes, brushes, tube-like files that you can shade and make appear dimensional? The Amazon description only mentions enhancing photographs and sharing them in online albums.

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For the most part, the answer is yes. What you can't do in Elements that you can do in PSP is record scripts and customize your workspace, including assign new keyboard shortcuts. Most of the tools are very similar, although I prefer PSP's Blemish Fixer, Scratch Remover and Object Remover over their equivalents in Elements 7.

There are many free actions (scripts) available for Elements that enable curves and masking, and curves is much better in Elements. The actions are recorded by power users in Photoshop and then made available to Elements users, either for free or for a small fee.

Elements has an organizer that works and is very useful.

PSP7Anniversary edition was my first photo manipulation software. I never learned to use it properly. I upgraded to PSPXI when it came out. I have loved it from the moment I got it. It came with a built in tool explanation bar that helped me to quickly learn how to use the tools. I still use it, but then I'm not doing any professional work.

What bothers me about Corel is how they let software they own, languish. They don't seem to do seriousl work on their products. My very first software...ever...was Corel Bryce. I started my graphics career with this program. Corel did nothing with it and then sold it to Daz3D. Daz3D upgraded it twice and now they've let it sit on the shelf because there is no money to be made with it besides the price of purchase...unlike Poser and DazStudio, which users need to purchase product to use inside the program.

Bryce's users are a loyal lot but even the loyal can only wait so long.

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Originally Posted by Burpee

***clipped***

What bothers me about Corel is how they let software they own, languish. They don't seem to do seriousl work on their products. My very first software...ever...was Corel Bryce. I started my graphics career with this program. Corel did nothing with it and then sold it to Daz3D. Daz3D upgraded it twice and now they've let it sit on the shelf because there is no money to be made with it besides the price of purchase...unlike Poser and DazStudio, which users need to purchase product to use inside the program.

Bryce's users are a loyal lot but even the loyal can only wait so long.

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Actually Daz is offering Bryce v5.5 free on download.com. You can also grab the content pack as well.

Some new Bryce items have been hitting the Daz store, this gives me hope. I have always liked Bryce. :)