PSP X4 Tabbed Interface NOT desired

[azz710]

Folks,

I just upgraded to Paint Shop Pro X4 and am at my wit's end with the tabbed interface. I have the need to work on multiple images concurrently and require the normal, old Multiple Window Interface. But I find that as often as I pull-down Windows and uncheck "Tabbed Documents", PSP turns the tabbed document option back on, generally when I attempt to move the second window to keep it from overlapping the first image I want to work on. Furthermore, when I uncheck "Tabbed Documents", PSP displays my images cascaded, which I also don't want.

I simply need a way either to disable tabbed documents permanently or, at least, I need to find a way to keep PSP from turning it on without my consent.

Jeff Broido

[Kathy_9]

Hi Jeff,

Welcome to the forums. You're not alone as a number of people have expressed their displeasure with the tabbed document interface. I happen to like it but can understand that others do not. If you check the tile horizontally or tile vertically option on the Windows menu, the images will not cascade and you should be able to re-size the windows the way you want and drag them around. However, if you double click on the top part of the image window or click the maximize button, they will revert to tabbed documents.

If you need to enlarge a part of the image you are working on, you can zoom in and out without forcing a tabbed document.

Kathy

[azz710]

Kathy,

Nope, not for me. I tried this experiment. 1) I created three small image windows via File/New. 2) I moved them to specific points in the main window. 3) I maximized one of them by double-clicking on its title bar and Tabbed Documents was enabled as expected. 4) I hit Windows/Tabbed Documents to turn it off, which left me with three cascaded windows, not three windows in their original positions.

I then tried the same experiment, inserting steps 1a) I hit Windows/Tile Horizontally and 1b) I restored the three image windows’ original sizes. I then continued as before with step 2) and had the same result. In other words, even tiling them horizontally first does not help.

To me, this is yet another case of PSP moving toward an Apple-like interface where everything is done automatically and we users, who know the product well, perhaps using it since Bob Voit’s original Paint Shop days, will have to search for something else. Yes, PSP’s user interface is still more intuitive than Photoshop’s, but for how long?

Corel: Take note- you've been losing me for years, even as I pay my endless upgrade fees. I'll make this the test issue. Unless Corel comes-up with a solution for this, and I want an update to PSP X4 and am unwilling to wait for X5 and another $59 upgrade, and soon, I’m off to do my research and find another poor man’s Photoshop.

Jeff

[edwinn]

Wow.. this is another significant issue. Normally I have 8 to 10 images open in X3 at various zoom levels from 100% down to a postage stamp (or matchbook) size, and positioned all over the workspace. OTOH in text editors like NoteTab Pro, I use tabbed windows all the time.. but ?? for graphics editing. Not saying the Tabbed function is bad, and would use in now and then.. maybe even warm up to it after a while, but it's not clear now one would switch back-and-forth between the two modes and retain any kind of image size and position history. X4 should not, IMHO keep snapping back to Tabbed as the OP describes.

-Edwinn

[Kathy_9]

Jeff,

Maybe I didn't explain very well. Yes, if you return the image to it's original size the program will revert to tabbed documents.

What I was saying is that you can have your images tiled either horizontally or vertically (as opposed to cascaded since you don't like this) and move them around the work area without having them revert to tabbed documents as long as you do not use the maximize button (return them to original size) or double click on the title bar of the image. You can also zoom in and out on the image itself without reverting to tabbed documents, if you need to get in close on a section of the image.

I have no idea why Corel changed this and I can see that it is a pain for those who don't like tabbed documents. My suggestion would be to complain directly to Corel because if more people complain, you stand a better chance of seeing this changed in the future.

Kathy

[teknisyan]

@ azz710

I'm sorry to hear this problem and this has been reported and this issue has already been logged. So you can be sure that Corel Developers are currently looking into this problem.

Thank you for your patience.

[JStanley]

deleted

[hipshot13]

Corel lost me with X3. When they completely changed the way the the editor/ file manager worked. I hate this "new" and stubborn interface! Like others I have been with PSP since ver 1 and had learned the ins and outs of the user interface and how to make it work as I liked. Then along comes X3 and everything is changed in an attempt, I guess to look more Mac or photoshop??? I like my X2 and have no plans to upgrade to a new interface where I have to learn a whole new way of doing everything and am given no choice but to do it the way they think I should work. I knew when corel bought PSP that this sort of non support/buy a new version every year would soon occur.

The problem with this whole concept is, that to work, you must first produce strong stable apps that really do "improve" the product. X3 was a buggy nightmare full of changes that didn't improve anything and rather than fix it they simply moved to a new version and claim that the bugs are "the way it should work" and you will just have to work that way and like it.

I had hoped that X4 would fix the problems with X3 and give us more versatility but instead we get the same buggy interface as X3 with yet more flaws.

[gail0423]

I too am at my wit's end with the tabs. I love PSP but this is like living with Hitler. I've actually given up on PSP X4 and gone back to X3 until they get rid of this tabbed thing. I could probably live with other changes they've made, but not this.

Maybe all they need is to provide the option to totally disable tabs, and give back the restore down button that I use in X3 that keeps my open image windows sized/arranged as they were before the maximize, and not forcing them to cascade, ruining my workflow.

[terrya84]

I too am at my wits end with this stupid tabbed document layout.

I have done all the things like uncheck tabbed documents but it keeps returning.

I have been using PSP since version 7 but this is game breaker for me. If I have multiple images open I NEED to be able to see them all at once to work efficiently, this tabbed rubbish makes my work 10 times harder.

I'm sorry to be impolite but this is rubbish, get rid of it or I will not be upgrading to the next version, I'll find somehting else that allows me to work efficiently and doesn't annoy the hell out of me.

Who thinks up these stupid "updates", someone with too much spare time or thinks everyone should work the way they do.

Not a happy user

[Misbehavin]

@ azz710

I'm sorry to hear this problem and this has been reported and this issue has already been logged. So you can be sure that Corel Developers are currently looking into this problem.

Thank you for your patience.

While the developers are looking into this, could you at least tell tech support about the issue. I started a case regarding this, in hope that it would add importance to this bug, and the responses I've been given from tech support are as follows:


"Kindly be informed that after several test, the issue about tabbed document setting did not occur in our end. Try to launch the program as Administrator, click on Start then All programs then right click on PaintShop Pro X4 then choose Run As Administrator."

"Try to reset the program to its factory setting just press on Shift plus F8 key then launch the program, a message will prompt you if you want to restore the program to factory default just choose the OK button."

"Please right-click on the program icon and choose to run it as administrat. Then disable the tabbed document view by going to Window and clicking on Tabbed Documents."


I'm choosing to not attach the tech support person's name to this, as I hate to get petty. However, these responses are just ludicrous and show how out of touch tech support is with some of the issues your customers are seeing. It's a bug... running the program as an Administrator has zero to do with this issue as I've explained to tech support several times.

[Joelle]

@ azz710

I'm sorry to hear this problem and this has been reported and this issue has already been logged. So you can be sure that Corel Developers are currently looking into this problem.

Thank you for your patience.

While the developers are looking into this, could you at least tell tech support about the issue. I started a case regarding this, in hope that it would add importance to this bug, and the responses I've been given from tech support are as follows:


"Kindly be informed that after several test, the issue about tabbed document setting did not occur in our end. Try to launch the program as Administrator, click on Start then All programs then right click on PaintShop Pro X4 then choose Run As Administrator."

"Try to reset the program to its factory setting just press on Shift plus F8 key then launch the program, a message will prompt you if you want to restore the program to factory default just choose the OK button."

"Please right-click on the program icon and choose to run it as administrat. Then disable the tabbed document view by going to Window and clicking on Tabbed Documents."


I'm choosing to not attach the tech support person's name to this, as I hate to get petty. However, these responses are just ludicrous and show how out of touch tech support is with some of the issues your customers are seeing. It's a bug... running the program as an Administrator has zero to do with this issue as I've explained to tech support several times.

Oh good grief, how ridiculous. the Support (?) team most probably use The Gimp for all they know about X4...
I absolutely HATE those Tabbed Windows, in any shape or form.
Just to add to your misery... be careful when you have the Crop Tool active and then click on another image's title bar, the dreaded Tabbed Windows will appear without any input from you (it's a bug and yes it has been logged).
Of course then all the images in the Workspace will cascade 'nicely' when you click on Windows>Tabbed Windows, meaning you have to click on each one to minimize them again.
A really dumb setting.
Oh sure, the development team know about this, but haven't fixed it yet.
I hope someone is sensible enough to reinstate the Restore Down button when the next Service Pack comes out.... (have no idea when that is, though).

Joëlle