Is X4 debugged enough now?

[edwinn]

Have purchased X3 within the past 8 months and ordered TWO of the paperback books on "using X3" from Corel. All in all a good bargan with the special price offered on X3 Ult and the 1" thick books.

I do a lot of digital photography and edit MANY graphics and illustrations both at home and at the office with X3.

So... has X4 been debugged enough to upgrade from X3? The shell color scheme restrictions were a definite deal breaker, but how is X4 fairing after SP1? Generally working in PNG format and *.PSP* for multi-layer, exporting to JPG. I need a STABLE tool with as many advanced photo editing features as possible. What is your advise?

Yeah.. should have picked up X4 before SP1 for 39 dollars direct from Corel.

-Ed

[teknisyan]

So far, there's a consensus that PSP X4 is far better version than PSP X3. Though I would recommend that you download and use the trial version before purchasing the program. At least you'll have a feel on how the program works.

[JStanley]

deleted

[df]

Shall we list a few of the bugs/differences/annoyances?

-dpi defaults to 72 dpi. This isn't something that changes your pixel count so your image is unaltered but it is annoying.
-The max pixel count is reduced for the size of an image you can make/process, as well as the max dpi you can set (after you get past the program setting it to 72dpi).
-Save as and Save don't produce a file of the same size. There's just as many pixels, but something gets compressed. Save As also compresses the file size even if you have the compression set to it's lowest setting.
-Using the center scroll wheel for zooming is a little less precise. Hard to explain, if you're used to using it to zoom into the corners you have to grab the scroll bars at the sides and bottom of the image to actually get there.
-Some don't like the color of the interface, even when you can change it.
-Some of the more obscure file types are no longer supported.

Now the good
-Better organizer by far.
-Better HDR engine if you use that.
-Some of the Photo Effects are better.
-I think it's more stable. Or rather it's at least as stable as X3 w/SP5.
-It installs in less than half the time as X3 for me anyways, uninstall too.
-It didn't have nearly as many bugs to begin with that X3 did.

Now the just plain different
-Doesn't have Project Creator, but then most didn't care for it.
-Doesn't have the memory card download utility.
-Doesn't claim to play video files so you can take a snapshot of a frame and use it.

That's all I can think of for right now.

[JStanley]

deleted

[df]

edwinn, why don't we approach this a different way. What annoys the heck out of you in X3? What do you find essential? For me, the file size thing is really annoying, others find the dpi bug super annoying.

[edwinn]

Shall we list a few of the bugs/differences/annoyances?

-dpi defaults to 72 dpi. This isn't something that changes your pixel count so your image is unaltered but it is annoying.

-The max pixel count is reduced for the size of an image you can make/process, as well as the max dpi you can set (after you get past the program setting it to 72dpi).

-Save as and Save don't produce a file of the same size. There's just as many pixels, but something gets compressed. Save As also compresses the file size even if you have the compression set to it's lowest setting.

-Using the center scroll wheel for zooming is a little less precise. Hard to explain, if you're used to using it to zoom into the corners you have to grab the scroll bars at the sides and bottom of the image to actually get there.

-Some don't like the color of the interface, even when you can change it.

-Some of the more obscure file types are no longer supported.

Well, I use RESIZE to adjust DPI quite often. A default of 72 DPI isn't too much of an issue. When, or for what uages is that annoying? Rarely do I open a file that is bigger that 4000x3000 pix roughly speaking, and usually half that size. Being mostly a "screen viewport" or "browser fitter" type of user, most SAVED files are >1000x800 pix in size. There are some exceptions.. where TEXTURE files for FLightsim models can get big, maybe several thousand pix wide, and with dozens of layers but rarely do I edit these now.

Scrolling in with the wheel is going to annoy the hell out of me, as I feel Corel broke the CROP feature. Having to scroll into the corners to "land" on the exact pixel is a bummer. Unless the ZOOM function auto-centers the image on the crosshairs (like in X3) then that will make matters worse.

The light gray interface will work, but I could NOT get comfortable with the charcoal style!!

A revised ORGANIZER would be GREAT!!

-Ed

[Larry]

Dan...I used to work in internal finance for a large software company. Part of my job was to use and evaluate each release of our accounting software. The one thing that 'bugs' me is any software release where you go backwards. Of course, the idea is to put that feature back into the next full release. Fix something/lose something. That is the way I feel about the 'Auto-Preserve' feature that I had become very accustomed to.

Do you know where it went? I have been using X4 since mid-2011. I know that the folder was appearing on any new file that I worked on until some time in late October or November. Then it just stopped. Sure, it is still there but you have to find it in Explorer...just one more step.

I have read where this was done on purpose, it is a bug and they are working on it, or someone even suggested to reload the program. Do you know anything about this one?

Thanks much for any light you can shed.

Larry

[df]

Sorry Larry, I turn Auto-Preserve off in the preferences. I keep all of the RAW files that I shoot so can bring up and redo anything I need to. There was a post on here about it but as I don't use it anyways I all but ignored it. http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php ... 83&start=0 as of November of last year it wasn't in the program anymore as we know it??? But this was pre-SP1. Can someone offer some advice that actually uses the feature?

[edwinn]

Shall we list a few of the bugs/differences/annoyances?

-Using the center scroll wheel for zooming is a little less precise. Hard to explain, if you're used to using it to zoom into the corners you have to grab the scroll bars at the sides and bottom of the image to actually get there.

Now the good
-Better organizer by far.
-Better HDR engine if you use that.

Can you comment on the "scroll wheel for zooming?" I find that in X3, the ZOOM will center (roughtly) over the cursor, and getting to the corners means mousing while cursor is over that target corner. Does that no longer work? How could a feature like that be disabled?

What type of camera is required to take advantage of the RAW and HDR features? I could shoot multiple images from a tripod in MANUAL mode for HDR, yes? Thinking of upgrading from a PowerShot to a good Canon DSLR soon.

-Ed

[LeviFiction]

Don't think of it as a feature being disabled. That would mean turning it on or off. Since the UI base has been changed, and possibly a few of the calculations for things, it's not so much a feature being disabled as it is a new feature. One that apparently many hate.

[df]

Shall we list a few of the bugs/differences/annoyances?

-Using the center scroll wheel for zooming is a little less precise. Hard to explain, if you're used to using it to zoom into the corners you have to grab the scroll bars at the sides and bottom of the image to actually get there.

Now the good
-Better organizer by far.
-Better HDR engine if you use that.

Can you comment on the "scroll wheel for zooming?" I find that in X3, the ZOOM will center (roughtly) over the cursor, and getting to the corners means mousing while cursor is over that target corner. Does that no longer work? How could a feature like that be disabled?

What type of camera is required to take advantage of the RAW and HDR features? I could shoot multiple images from a tripod in MANUAL mode for HDR, yes? Thinking of upgrading from a PowerShot to a good Canon DSLR soon.

-Ed

This is exactly why I typed out my little laundry list. For some the zooming thing isn't a big deal, others it is. Let me explain it a little. Normally you're used to zooming in on a section of the image with the scroll wheel. Place the cursor over a section, roll the wheel, zoom in on that section. Now apparently it's not as precise on the section that you zoom in too. It's more apparent at the edges, because it won't let you zoom to the edges. But it also doesn't zoom in on the spot you have the cursor, not exactly like it did anyways. You do get used too it eventually, and it does work mostly like you're used too. It's just a little annoying.

[edwinn]

Shall we list a few of the bugs/differences/annoyances?

This is exactly why I typed out my little laundry list. For some the zooming thing isn't a big deal, others it is. Let me explain it a little. Normally you're used to zooming in on a section of the image with the scroll wheel. Place the cursor over a section, roll the wheel, zoom in on that section. Now apparently it's not as precise on the section that you zoom in too. It's more apparent at the edges, because it won't let you zoom to the edges. But it also doesn't zoom in on the spot you have the cursor, not exactly like it did anyways. You do get used too it eventually, and it does work mostly like you're used too. It's just a little annoying.

I've downloaded and installed PSPX4 trial, and also downloaded/installed SP1, and can now see how difficult it is to "get to lower right corner" of an image to set the CROP tool. First off, I almost ALWAYS crop to multiples or 5-pix. For instance, you'll never see a PNG that I edited with a size of 641 x 447 pix. It will be 645 x 445 pix. The process is to CROP an image from the original, then resize to the desired WIDTH, then if necessary trim the HEIGHT to mult 5 pix (or vis-versa.) That being said, and believing the Jasc CROP tool has been broken, this new ZOOM issue makes it difficult to set the CROP boundaries. How about elevating it to the programmers?

What is your work-around or process for setting CROP accurately?

-Ed

[Gobbo]

Hi
Some advice on autopPreserve / auto save please
This is mentioned in Is X$ debugged enough now.
Like Larry 29/01/2011 I used Auto-preserve all the time in PSP X3. I realised only yesterday that since installing PSP X4 on 02/02 tis has not been happening. The settings for this feature are all present and appear to be correct. On saving an edited file I am told that the original file wil be save. If it is then I cannot find it! Sure I can get around it by creating copies of everything before editing but it isn't very convenient.

Thanks in anticipation
Cheers
gobbo

[df]

Hi
Some advice on autopPreserve / auto save please
This is mentioned in Is X$ debugged enough now.
Like Larry 29/01/2011 I used Auto-preserve all the time in PSP X3. I realised only yesterday that since installing PSP X4 on 02/02 tis has not been happening. The settings for this feature are all present and appear to be correct. On saving an edited file I am told that the original file wil be save. If it is then I cannot find it! Sure I can get around it by creating copies of everything before editing but it isn't very convenient.

Thanks in anticipation
Cheers
gobbo

Please read this discussion http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=43373