I am Thinking About Buying PaintShop 4X Ultimate

[KeithH]

Hi. I am thinking about buying paintshop 4x ultimate, and I have some questions for you guys. I am making a web site, and I am looking for a program to do some photo editing and also some graphics. Is PaintShop 4X Ultimate a good program for this? I downloaded the trial version; but before I dig deep into it, I want to know if it will be good for what I need. Following are some questions:

1. Would it be good for graphics? (I cannot afford CorelDraw).
2. I assume it is good at photo editing, but is it easy to learn on (I have no experience at it).
3. Does it have plug-ins that come with it (or does Corel offer them)?
4. Does it have the ability to produce the "water ripple effect" and the "puzzel effect"?
5. Does anyone know how it compares to the Xara Photo and Graphic Designer 7 (That is one of the other ones I was thinking about)?

I am interested in hearing from you: how you like it, etc. I need to buy a program this week, but I don't want to get the wrong one. Also, I tried to download the PDF manual through the online help (I was taken there from the help in the trial version), but it stopped downloading at the halfway point. So, I was not able to look through the manual (maybe someone knows who to contact to notify Corel).

Thank you in advance for all your help, and have a great day.

--Keith

[LeviFiction]

Yes PSP can do photo editing and graphics.

It's vector.functions (you mentioned Xara and CorelDraw so I am assuming you want to know specifically about vectors) are actually a weak area for PSP. You can use them and do a lot with them but they aren't the easiest to deal with and are not feature rich. Psp's strength is still regular raster graphics.

Many consider PSP very easy to learn, others find it very difficult. There are plenty of tutorials written and video (see the tutorials section of these forums) to help you.

PSP is compatible with many older PhotoShop plugins, but many also don't work with PSP. So there are many you can download. Corel provides 24 plugins with X4 and some extra ones with X4 ultimate which are really really good for photo editing. The extra plugins and resources are the only things that make PSP ultimate any different from the normal one.

Yes it can do the ripple effect. Or at least something similar. I never use it so I cannot speak for the quality of the filter. It does not do the puzzle effect though you can get a script from Cassel (a member here) that does a puzzle effect.

Compared to Xara...Xara wins hands down for vector graphics.

But for photography editing PSP is the stronger of the two, even if Xara does have nice quality handling options the Magix Photo Designer is weak.

Inkscape is a slightly weaker free alternative for vector graphics.

[teknisyan]

I would strongly recommend that you try the product first before buying. This way you can evaluate the program without shelling out some cash.

[KeithH]

Yes PSP can do photo editing and graphics.

It's vector.functions (you mentioned Xara and CorelDraw so I am assuming you want to know specifically about vectors) are actually a weak area for PSP. You can use them and do a lot with them but they aren't the easiest to deal with and are not feature rich. Psp's strength is still regular raster graphics.

Many consider PSP very easy to learn, others find it very difficult. There are plenty of tutorials written and video (see the tutorials section of these forums) to help you.

PSP is compatible with many older PhotoShop plugins, but many also don't work with PSP. So there are many you can download. Corel provides 24 plugins with X4 and some extra ones with X4 ultimate which are really really good for photo editing. The extra plugins and resources are the only things that make PSP ultimate any different from the normal one.

Yes it can do the ripple effect. Or at least something similar. I never use it so I cannot speak for the quality of the filter. It does not do the puzzle effect though you can get a script from Cassel (a member here) that does a puzzle effect.

Compared to Xara...Xara wins hands down for vector graphics.

But for photography editing PSP is the stronger of the two, even if Xara does have nice quality handling options the Magix Photo Designer is weak.

Inkscape is a slightly weaker free alternative for vector graphics.

thanks for the help everyone. I have tried the trial some, and I like it. Now, I have one more question: How does the Pro 4X ultimate compare to the serif photoplus X5 for photo editing?

I appreciate all your help. Thanks.

--Keith

[LeviFiction]

Having never used it myself so I couldn't say with any certainty. But from the searching I've done the answer is, they both do very well and it's more up to the user as to which they prefer. I will be looking for a trial to see if I can't find more. I did notice, though, that a few of the articles suggested PhotoPlus X5 was slower than Elements or PSP at some photo editing and filters.

Also there was mention that there are no adjustment brushes and the dodge and burn brushes they do have don't allowed for feathered edges which is a must for restraining effects and keeping things soft.

It seems a very capable editor that offers a lot of very powerful tools. But, and I know it means nothing as I haven't used the software myself to make this a meaningful statement but, from what I've read PS Elements and PSP are far more capable editors and I prefer PSP.