Paint Shop Pro X3 Wish List for Future Version

[sjj1805]

I would like to see the program run a little faster. It seems to take quite a while for it to start, especially the project creator.

Computers are fast when new but over a period of time, unless you are expert at keeping your computer in peak condition, it soon slows down due to unwanted background services running, unwanted/unnecessary software running at start up - ever installed a program and its asks "would you also like to install (this that and the other) wonderful can't do without tool such as Google toolbar, "speedup my PC", "This can't live without search thing"
They are like those pop ups you stumble across every once in a while, "Your computer is infected with a virus - click here for a free scan." (Don't!)

Do you get my drift?

Then there are things like defragmentation of your hard drives, Never did like Windows Search 4.0 - my computer seems a bit faster since I uninstalled that, one program you really need to get rid of if you have it is "Google Toolbar Notifier" - I have seen computers grind to a crawl with that installed.

Here are some tips to get you going:
Creating a Video Editing Profile.

You don't need to go the full hog and do all of the suggestions, but they can point you in the right direction.

[garyb]

I would like to see a User Guide like the other versions had. it just makes it easier if you are attempting to do something and you have the manual right there to follow it step-by-step.

[goyta]

I would like to see a User Guide like the other versions had. it just makes it easier if you are attempting to do something and you have the manual right there to follow it step-by-step.

Let me go beyond that: I want local, off-line help back! It annoys me A LOT that PSPP X3's help is exclusively on-line. What happened to good old .CHM, .PDF or even local .HTM files if you must, and what's wrong with them?

I can think of several situations when having to go on-line to look up a help topic can be impossible, impractical or inconvenient:

• the ISP may have a technical problem and go down;
• the same may happen to Corel's Web servers;
• the user may have very slow Internet access (there are still a lot of places where only dial-up is available), or no Internet connection at all where he/she is at the moment;
• even if the user has broadband access, the specific routing path to Corel's servers may be slow at the moment (this happens more often than one would think with any possible Web server);
• the user may be at work at a place with very restrictive Internet use policies;
• there are some ISP plans with extremely low traffic allowances that must be spared;
• security software may block the content (for example, there is a documented problem with Kaspersky Internet Security 2010's Anti-Banner feature), and there may not be a workaround at hand (think corporate firewalls);
• and lots of other possibilities.

At any rate, local help will always be much faster and use less resources, no matter how fast the user's connection is.

Maybe Corel keeps help on-line because it wants to track which features are more obscure and demand more help queries, so that it can correct this in future versions. But this can be accomplished by other means (just having a look at these forums is one of them), and it's no excuse for bringing inconvenience to users. And I doubt that help topics are updated often enough to justify an on-line site, too.

[syswriter]

I would like to see a simpler way to achieve rounded corners on images using only one click.
There should be an Effects category of Rounded Corners where all that is done is to round the corners by a selection of simple categories.
The Effects drop-down menu allows me to apply an Antique Glass effect to an image with one click. Surely it is possible to do the same for rounded corners.
A menu would allow a change to the radius of curvature. The background color would also be specified for the part of the image removed.
I could choose to round all corners or only selected ones.

[JHzlwd]

Here is my wish list and commentary:

The first one is critical ... the rest in no special order.

(1) FULL support for 16 bits/channel images. More and more of us are shooting 48 bit images. Having to demote so as to use an important tool like the clone brush is unacceptable.
(2) Produce a 64 bit version so those of us using Windows 7 on big processors can achieve full benefit, especially for large file load/save. This is less critical than (1). Adobe provides both 64/32 bit versions with their license (they ought to, for what they charge).
(3) Provide highlight restoration, preferably at the RAW level.
(4) Clean up the color management with better context sensitive help and get rid of that forced color space conversion on mis-match (alternative options needed). This is one of the few areas where Adobe does it better.
(5) Not all 8bf plugins work - and it's not just the 64 bit ones either. A rather minor quibble but this should be fixed.

Last January I finally bit the bullet, mortgaged the house and bought Adobe CS4 almost entirely because of item (1) above. I am by now very experienced with CS4 and still don't like it. It is often clumsy in use (consider the tacked-on ACR) and that take-it-or-leave-it retro look is hard on the eyes. Paintshop spoiled me after all those years of using it. I still go back to it when not needing 48 bit support. It has a far superior appearance ("gorgeous" is not too strong a word) and a more intuitive approach to imaging despite the superficial similarities. Functionality is exceptional and some important tools are like nothing CS4 can offer, even with plug-ins. We all know how dominant Adobe is but with that pricing and if Corel could satisfy at least (1) it is not inconceivable they could give Adobe a scary run for it with an aggressive marketing effort aimed at both pros and amateurs.

If I just get (1) I will gladly dump Photoshop and be content to wait for (2) and (5). Hope this is not too cranky but as a die-hard Paintshop fan only want to make it more competitive.

(BTW, I have 50 years experience as a photographer.)

Best wishes,
JH/Calgary

[dmiller]

I would like to see the program run a little faster. It seems to take quite a while for it to start, especially the project creator.

I too would like to see it run faster. When I load it the program stalls a lot and does not respond. Many times I have to try and close it using the Task Manager and reopen it. I WANT the text box feature back that was in PSP12. I do NOT care for the option that it writes on the image and no way to move the font, no dancing ants or no vector boxes to move text where you need it.

[jcoa_mx]

We need an option to disable auto rotate.

[bigfatron]

I think first and foremost based on the X3 experience is...

PLEASE TEST THE DAMN THING PROPERLY BEFORE RELEASING IT!

I don't know if they did a proper beta release before putting this thing out but certainly the two big bugs i've noted to date (the now fixed lost EXIF data thing and also the memory leak issue which is so far unresolved) should really have been spotted and fixed pre-release (and I have no problem taking part if they need volunteers for a beta). I've been a big fan of the product since back in the Jasc days but this particular release has been very dissapointing in so much it seems to have introduced more errors than new features. Being brutally honest its warmed-over X2 but with more bugs.

[df]

I'll second Tim Morrison for that Panoramic tool. I'm using Microsoft ICE right now for it and it's not nearly as good as it could be.

[bigfatron]

I'll second Tim Morrison for that Panoramic tool. I'm using Microsoft ICE right now for it and it's not nearly as good as it could be.

Agreed, bar a couple of quirks then ICE has impressed the pants off me.

[tom-discoverit]

I am looking forward to Paintshop Pro X3 supporting RAW CR2 files coming from the new Canon EOS T2i

Canon support sent me this
"You would need to update your software with Corel and Picasa. With the
CR2 raw files they do make changes to this file type from model to
model. Newer models have a different CR2 file then previous models.
Updating will resolve this issue if they have made an update for the CR2
file for the Rebel T2i. This should be stated on their website."

My Canon T2i or 550 D in not on the list of Corel supported cameras yet.
http://corel.custhelp.com/app/answers/d ... V1R4T2gqag

Apparently every camera body has a different type of CR2.
Pro X3 works fine on the CR2 files from my Canon SX1 IS

[Karmin]

(1) I like the Graphite look, but the X2 version was a better colour than the X3 version... especially the white text on black in the menus.

(2) The Layer Styles need numeric input. Currently they are not usable for reproducible results and can't have settings described in tutorials.

(3) A film strip of a folder of images available in the full editor.

(4) A full Paint Shop Pro user site like those Corel provides for WordPerfect, CorelDRAW, Painter and Painter Essentials.

(5) A Help file that is usable when there is no Internet connection. Ideally a full paper manual, or at the very least a PDF version. It would be very simple to create a PDF file from the current internet only help pages.
[/list]

(1) it is true, I like X2 graphite more than as X3 ....too black for me
(2) I solved it - I recorded and saved script (as single step/operation) and then manualy edited numbers; ...but there should be numeric input for precious input
(3) it would be nice
(4) big YES
(5) at last here it is PDF for X3 - http://corel.custhelp.com/app/answers/d ... D%3D/sno/0

[Karmin]

Top two PLEASE PLEASE return two X2 features to X3!

-Making the organizer a PALETTE option in the full editor, so I can have it at bottom of my screen and still do my work as I do on my other (home) PC where I have X2

-Returning the 'search field' to the organizer, in the header, rather than in a separate pop-up box. It's SO easy to start typing a word for a photo search and have them pop-up. Sometimes a mistype can bring lag time, but for the most part it's a real time saver.

It seems to me organizer palette simple use (more handy) in X2 as in X3.

[Karmin]

I would like to see a User Guide like the other versions had. it just makes it easier if you are attempting to do something and you have the manual right there to follow it step-by-step.

Only PDF help for X3 (not a part of TRIAL) - http://corel.custhelp.com/app/answers/d ... D%3D/sno/0

[jegs1]

There is STILL after multiple versions a glitch in the shortcut structure to Sharpen. The Adjust menu has 2 items with S as the designated shortcut. This is ridiculous since I reported this glitch several versions ago.