Introduction and features
The latest version of Corel's all-in-one image editing program costs less than an annual subscription to Adobe's Photography Plan, and it's a 'perpetual licence' so you pay just a one-time fee for this version.
PaintShop Pro is Corel's rival to Adobe Photoshop and promises powerful image editing abilities for a much lower price. Version X8 adopts the same user interface as its predecessor, but adds several feature improvements like text wrapping, enhanced raw file editing and new lens correction capabilities.
As with previous versions of PaintShop Pro, the user interface is split into three sections: Manage, Adjust and Edit. In Manage, you've got an image browser and file manager similar to Adobe Bridge, where you can quickly navigate file folders, display image previews and examine EXIF data. All common image file formats are displayed, including raw files, with raw photos from recent Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras displaying flawlessly. Various viewing formats are available, including a map view to geolocate your image capture locations.
When you've hit upon an image in need of a quick edit, switching to the Adjust tab reveals a simplified editing interface similar to Lightroom or on1 Perfect Effects. Here you can use simple sliders to make common enhancements like boosting colour saturation or removing image noise.
You'll also find a selection of around 100 effects filters here. Called Instant Effects, they're split into various categories such as Landscape, Portrait and Film Styles. Multiple Instant Effects can be applied to a photo, but whilst the adjustment sliders can still be used to tweak the overall look of your image, the Instant Effects themselves are not customisable. As well as Instant Effects, the Adjust workspace also contains portrait touch-up options for whitening teeth, removing red-eye and even slimming a waistline.
Performance & ease of use
The Manage and Adjust sections are useful, but it's the Edit workspace that houses PaintShop Pro's most powerful features, many of which can also be found in Photoshop. Even the layout is similar, with a tools palette to the left of the image preview, and tool options above.
On the right of the image preview is a customisable pallet stack which includes a Materials section where you can select colours, gradients, patterns and textures. There's also a neat complementary colours feature here, where PaintShop Pro will pick one or more complementary tones to accent your current colour choice, making it easy to create attractive graphic designs. PaintShop Pro isn't just an image-editor, it's a design and illustration tool too.
You'll also find a Layers pallet in the Edit workspace, as PaintShop Pro uses a fully layered workflow, enabling you to work with multiple raster, vector, art media, masking and adjustment layers. Painting effects into or out of a layer mask is as easy and effective as it is in Photoshop, plus there's layer opacity adjustment, as well as blending and grouping options.
It'd be easy to get a bit baffled by all the available tools and features in the Edit workspace, so Corel has included a helpful pallet called the Learning Centre. Click on an editing tool and here you'll get a brief description of its function, plus a quick walkthrough of how to use it and a few tips for best results.
Text wrapping is new to version X8. By marking out a selection with any standard selection tool and typing within it, the text will automatically wrap to fit. The effect also works if you draw a vector shape and type inside this, making it easy to create speech bubble effects. The only slight drawback is the tool's speed – it can be a bit sluggish and slow to respond.
Another fresh feature is the Magic Move tool that automatically fills the background behind a relocated object or person. This is a development of Magic Fill, which is Corel's take on Photoshop's Content Aware Fill, and clones areas of background surrounding a deleted object to seamlessly fill the blank space. The results are impressive and on a par with what you could achieve in Photoshop, though as with any clone-based tool, it's most effective when working with large, uniform areas of colour or patterning. For smaller touch-ups, then there's always the Clone Brush.
Alternatively, to delete large objects without using cloning, try the Smart Carver tool. This compresses a photo horizontally or vertically to conceal the image element you want to remove. You'll need to first select this by painting over it, as well as highlighting anything you specifically want to keep. Then PaintShop Pro automatically shrinks the image and adjusts the surrounding background to stitch together around where the object once was. The only downside with Smart Carver is you're left with an image that's reduced in horizontal or vertical size, so it's not the best choice for removing objects if you want to preserve the picture's aspect ratio.
One area of PaintShop Pro that's been enhanced in version X8 is its batch processing abilities, thanks to a new Batch Process wizard. This makes it a doddle to select a group of photos and resize them all, simultaneously apply your own watermark, or add a themed frame design.
Batch processing also lets you execute Scripts to multiple images. These are PaintShop Pro's take on Photoshop's Actions and enable you to record a series of edits and then replay them to quickly make numerous corrections to additional images.
Camera RAW Lab is PaintShop Pro's raw file preparation workspace and it's been improved for version X8 with a redesigned layout and bigger image previews. Whether you're working in this or the main Edit workspace, you'll also be able to utilise X8's new Lens Correction feature that enables easy correction of lens distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration. This can be done manually, or automatically with the aid of lens-specific profiles included in the software.
Finally, version X8 is now faster when using various brushes, and it saves images more quickly. 4K monitors are supported too, thanks to enhanced icons.
Verdict
As with most new versions of long-running image editing programs, PaintShop Pro X8 is more evolution than revolution, but its new and enhanced features certainly give it added appeal.
The separate workspaces for image management, quick enhancements and comprehensive edits make the software instantly intuitive, and whilst the Edit workspace does require a steeper learning curve, make the effort and the results will be worthwhile.
We liked
PaintShop Pro impresses with its range and depth of editing options, along with its layered workflow, comprehensive batch processing abilities and automated scripts.
We disliked
The Adjust workspace, whilst useful for quick edits, can't match the versatility of programs that use a similar set-up, such as Adobe Lightroom, on1 Perfect Effects or Tiffen DFX. It's also a pity that PaintShop Pro still doesn't support Mac users.
Final verdict
PaintShop Pro's aim is to rival Photoshop's versatility and image editing power, but to be easier to use and cost a fraction of the price. That's no easy feat, but Corel has generally succeeded, as PaintShop Pro is one of the most capable alternatives to Photoshop you can buy.
Almost all of Photoshop's most useful tools have an equivalent in PaintShop Pro, and though they often work slightly differently, it doesn't take long to adapt, especially with help from the Learning Centre.
However, no matter how hard Corel tries, PaintShop Pro is still no Photoshop. Even with version X8's speed enhancements, some tools can be frustratingly sluggish, and then there's price to consider. Back when Photoshop cost a hefty one-off payment, PaintShop Pro could indeed be had for a fraction of the price. However, these days an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription for Photoshop and Lightroom costs just £8.57/$9.99 per month, which over a year isn't significantly more than the £79.99/$99.99 cost of PaintShop Pro, especially if you upgrade PaintShop Pro annually.
But, if you prefer to edit without subscription ties, PaintShop Pro X8 still offers excellent value, especially when compared to rival products which offer little more than the Adjust workspace alone.
from TechRadar: Technology reviews http://ift.tt/1HVKZ4y
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