Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI

[Kim]

I noticed recently that Corel has taken over Jasco's Paint Shop Pro. (OK....I'm slow....it was a while ago...)

This new version though seems to be specifically designed for photo enhancements. I've downloaded the trial but haven't played with it yet. I was wondering if anyone else has though, and particularly how it stacks up against Photoshop and PS Elements.

Any comments?

 

[Jamdiver]

Hey Kim haven't used paint shop pro in many years so I really can't comment on it.
Which I know is what you're looking for.

But honestly Adobe is the 800 pound gorilla in the room, so you'll find a lot more response if you had an issue regarding elements.

If it helps from cursory reading of reviews that i've seen of paint shop pro, it seems fully features and has a good amount of image editing features...

 

[justleesa]

Kim, looking at the price and the features on the website I would say it is closer to elements than the full version.

 

[Kim]

The thing is though that in some ways it's two Adobe programs in one.......it's Illustrator as well. I used to use PSP for vector graphics, making stuff for class etc; I never considered using it for photos as well until now. I know Adobe is an industry standard, but to a large extent that has been due to the predominance of Apple in much of the printing industry. Without looking though, I'd lay bets that there is probably stuff you can do in PSP that you can't do in a single Adobe program......especially in complex "mix and match" poster designs that use both photos AND vector graphic designs.
What I'm interested in though is if anyone is savvy enough to highlight specific tools or processes that can't be replicated in the other software. The price difference is huge, as is always the case between the "market leader" and the following pack. That's the thing with being an 800 pound gorilla though, they often go extinct or lose a lot of weight due to outside innovation. Think IBM/Bill Gates, Microsoft.......the swings and pendulums of the gaming industry........database design........publishing software like Ventura.......the list goes on & on.

 

[justleesa]

OK, I don't know the other program so I guess I can't say anything.....but FWIW I have made vector drawings with PS - I don't have elements on this computer so I can't say off the bat if I could do it with elements too.

 

[D_B]

I'll be following this thread, just purchased PSPXI and hardly have a clue as to what it can do

I did find that, with me being a total novice, that some things were easier to so with PS (like putting graphics in a curved area, tilting and stretching them to fit the area and look like they are part of the background .. I still have no idea how to do the same with PSP)

 

[Kim]

Leesa.....I don't think you have (if I understand the difference). Photoshop supports raster drawings, not vector. Vector drawings in Adobe software are what Illustrator produces. I'll have to look at the program to explain what I mean , but there is certainly a lot of stuff concerning line art and simple paint type colouring that I've never seen in Photoshop....but I'm no expert by any means. ScubaJenny might know something about this.....I believe she knows a LOT about Adobe Illustrator. Basically though...I only ever seen software that handles photographs, or software that handles original artwork. I'm curious if someone can shed light on this..... I simply don't know enough.

 

[justleesa]

Nope, it was vector - it was part of my photoshop class and titled Vector drawings - drew our logo with it

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I haven't played with the vectors in PSCS2 yet, as I have not found a way to use it in my job. However, I do know you can copy and paste vector images into PSCS2 from Illustrator. I have not played with those vectors yet, just brought them in, and a little tweak here n there. Most vector art I do is in Illustrator. That being said, I just opened PS7 here at home and there is the vector tool. It is the other arrow tool way down on the toolbar. You can also get the direct selection, +point, -point.

 

[Kim]

I haven't played with the vectors in PSCS2 yet, as I have not found a way to use it in my job. However, I do know you can copy and paste vector images into PSCS2 from Illustrator.

Yes...that's what I understood as well without really looking too far. Corel Draw though used to be the industry standard for vector graphics so I could imagine that in a combined Rasco PSP/Corel draw type environment those graphics would be rather well represented. What's new for me is the "photo" element.

Like I said...I haven't tried this myself here yet so I have no real opinion past what the history of the software might dictate. I'll probably take an image and test it next week in both programs to see what I can get. I'm no expert in either though, so I really don't pretend that I can come up with any really definitive answers.......that's why I was actually asking if anyone else has done any serious comparisons so far. In any event it would appear at first sight that many plug-ins are interchangeable. That suggests a similarity in programming if nothing else.