Paintshop Pro - Wishlist for version X6

[LeviFiction]

photodrawken, most of his vector requests were basic vector enhancements that are in now way only reasonable in a dedicated vector program. Many of them can be accomplished using scripts in PSP. Well, if you know the math.

Vectors are a huge benefit to both photo-editing and photo-manipulation. I use them often when making things, either to make more controlled selections or to add to the overall effects. Most of these basic vector enhancements should have been there a long time ago, and would only make things better overall.

Others, like vector specific effects, gradients along a path (would love this one personally), variable stroke width, would not happen. Though so long as they don't want full SVG support basic SVG import and export would be more than possible. I have a preliminary SVG Export script...though I haven't worked on it for over a year.

[photodrawken]

Most of these basic vector enhancements should have been there a long time ago, and would only make things better overall.

We'll have to agree to disagree about whether those specific enhancements should be in an image editing program. I agree that vectors can be a great enhancement to photo-editing and manipulation, but I think the only vector functions PSP still needs is the ability to use a vector shape as a "clipping mask" (as in PSE).

Layer Styles are a whole 'nother thing, and I miss PSE's ability to apply them to vector shapes....

[Joelle]

Layer Styles are a whole 'nother thing, and I miss PSE's ability to apply them to vector shapes....

Apply the Vector Shape, right-click on the Vector Layer>Properties>Layer Styles.. see attached.

Joëlle

[photodrawken]

Joelle,

You're exactly right -- thanks. I should have been more precise and said that I'd like PSP to have more extensive Layer Styles available. My bad.

[alexhuang888]

alexhuang888:

Although I rarely step on someone's wishlist (because we all want the sun, the moon, and the stars all in one inexpensive application ), your suggestions deserve these comments:

All the vector tools and enhancements you mention belong more to a vector editing program like CorelDraw, which either has those features or would be the more appropriate program for them.

Your comment #7 about Camera Raw enhancements seems to miss the point -- since PSP X5 can already do all that in its Editor with 16bpp images, there's no need for them in the Camera Raw editor. Indeed, it seems to me that the PSP Camera Raw editor's purpose is to quickly de-mosaic the Raw image and get it into the main Editor as soon as possible, which is not a bad workflow.

vector tools: photo tools still needs vector graphics. For example, I can use plain text as my signature on my photo, but I prefer to convert text to path then tweak them to my style. To design vector in other software is fine, but I am afriad to copy those back to PSP will not fit my resolution since that probably will be bitmap data only. If I want to finish my design job fast, I'll use Inkscape or CorelDraw, but to edit photo with some graphics decoration, or some easy design job, PSP is still my top choice.

for #7, camera raw contains lots of information in its raw image data and metadata. with metadata (exposure, focus points, flash light, white/black points, ...) camera raw decoder can do much better image operations than you have in Edit mode. Most of time, I deal with camera raw with little editing, crop, denoise or tone mapping the most. Then I want to save it as a new image. Why bother to open it a document just to save file?

[photodrawken]

I am afriad to copy those back to PSP will not fit my resolution since that probably will be bitmap data only.

The point of copying a vector into PSP is that the vector shape (on its own vector layer) is resolution independent, so you can alter it as you wish and retain its sharpness. For example, I created the swash shape in CorelDrawX5 and saved just that shape as an EMF file. I opened the raster image and the EMF file in PSPX5, copied the vector shape from the EMF file and pasted it into the raster image. It came in on its own vector layer and I easily adjusted it to fit the image. A little masking on the vector layer gave me this:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Since you have CDR, your vector needs are already well met.

There's nothing particularly magical about Raw images -- if PSP can edit them as 16bpp images, then the power of the PSP Editor is greater than Camera Raw editors. RawTherapee can do some better adjustments than the PSP Editor (Noise Reduction, in particular), but that's because of its algorithms and not because it's using Raw data.

[alexhuang888]

I am afriad to copy those back to PSP will not fit my resolution since that probably will be bitmap data only.

The point of copying a vector into PSP is that the vector shape (on its own vector layer) is resolution independent, so you can alter it as you wish and retain its sharpness. For example, I created the swash shape in CorelDrawX5 and saved just that shape as an EMF file. I opened the raster image and the EMF file in PSPX5, copied the vector shape from the EMF file and pasted it into the raster image. It came in on its own vector layer and I easily adjusted it to fit the image. A little masking on the vector layer gave me this:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Since you have CDR, your vector needs are already well met.

There's nothing particularly magical about Raw images -- if PSP can edit them as 16bpp images, then the power of the PSP Editor is greater than Camera Raw editors. RawTherapee can do some better adjustments than the PSP Editor (Noise Reduction, in particular), but that's because of its algorithms and not because it's using Raw data.

There is always work around. wish list is for those who want to make everyday job easier and fast. for these easy operations, I have to launch CDR, save EMF, open in PSP, copy/paste, edit and adjust to where I need. If I do not satisfy, I need to do it again and again. If PSP engineers read your steps, they should know these are operators worth to provide.

In Edit workspace, image data are already in RGB workspace in 16bpc or 8bpc, and/or with color profile converted and color balanced. With those modified data, you sure can do more image editing on it, but that is not the original data. With camera raw metadata, and raw Rgb data, algorithm can do better operations on it with more tone and color information.

I think this is wishlist forum, PSP engineers can judge if they make sense or not. We could talk these topics more in other boards. I don't want to mess this thread. Or, PSP engineers can pick our wishlist and invite us to discuss for feasibility and priority. (did they ever do this?)

[photodrawken]

If PSP engineers read your steps, they should know these are operators worth to provide.

Not really. My steps showed that your vector wish list items are already more appropriately incorporated into a vector editing program (CorelDraw), and the result can be easily used right now in PSP. My comments regarding your vector wish list items can be simply summed up as this: keep the esoteric vector editing tools in a vector editing program and provide the vector handling tools in PSP that are most appropriate for use in an raster image editing program. If we disagree about what is "most appropriate for use in an raster image editing program", that's OK, and it's up to Corel to decide what they want to do.

In Edit workspace, image data are already in RGB workspace in 16bpc or 8bpc, and/or with color profile converted and color balanced. With those modified data, you sure can do more image editing on it, but that is not the original data. With camera raw metadata, and raw Rgb data, algorithm can do better operations on it with more tone and color information.

If you are seeing a Raw file as a picture, all those things you don't like have already been done -- that's the only way to view Raw data as a picture. It doesn't make any difference if the viewing application is labelled as a "Camera Raw Editor" or as the "PSP Editing Window". Once the Raw data has been processed to obtain a viewable image, editing that image occurs on that processed picture; and as long as the main PSP Editor can apply adjustments to the full bit depth image, I don't see the need to duplicate those adjustments in a separate Camera Raw editing window.

When I first saw the PSPX5 Camera Raw Editor, I was shocked at how few adjustments it provided -- far fewer than in other Camera Raw editing apps I've seen. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realised that quickly getting the Raw image into the PSP Editor is a valid workflow.

[ADonahoo]

I have Loved PSP since Version 5 and I am amazed with every new version. But the one change I've always wanted never happened.
The ability to change folder names within the browser

I have changed folder names in the browser in X2 and the organizer in X3. I never tried it in X4 or X5, because I didn't have time to wait for for the organizer to load in X4 and was afraid to even start using it in X5.

[Dizzie]

I would like each version to be able to load the previous version's workspace. I put off (sometimes for ever) getting a newer version because it takes so long to make a custom workspace. I just installed X5 and now I wish I hadn't...can't load X4's workspace. I have to start from scratch. There's not enough difference in the versions, who woulda thunk X5 can't read X4's workspace...argh.

[Joelle]

I would like each version to be able to load the previous version's workspace. I put off (sometimes for ever) getting a newer version because it takes so long to make a custom workspace. I just installed X5 and now I wish I hadn't...can't load X4's workspace. I have to start from scratch. There's not enough difference in the versions, who woulda thunk X5 can't read X4's workspace...argh.

You can't load an older version into a newer version. The newer version is sufficiently different to make that impossible.
I take screenshots of everything I have customized, that way I know what to add when I do it again.
It works well

Joëlle

[Guttle]

It would be great to have sliders in Highlight/Midtone/Shadows, like in Smart Photo Fix.

[trueblue]

links to preset sape tutorials are now fixed. sorry

[el48tel]

I'd like
- an intelligent 'fill' so that when you want to remove an object from an image it looks at the surrounding area and makes a good guess at what it should use for the replacement
- photomerge NOT to need virtually all of the image to need RED and GREEN paint (another product does it very well)
- a warp tool that has more nodes than the very few it has AND the capability of being any starting size and shape rather than the rectangle

[JCA]

Fix the bugs that have existed there in multiple versions. For an example, I experienced this bug in version 8, and it still exists in X4, and probably in X5 too:

The original image, 128x128 with seamlessly tiling 32x32 squares:


Offset X -32 Y +32 (working ok):


Offset X +32 Y -32 (not working ok):


As you can see offsetting the image with positive X or negative Y does not only offset the image, it changes it slightly. The black lines were supposed to be 2px wide, but now some of them became 1px wide.

Repeating the action multiple times, trying to get it back to the original state:


Of course if I know that it only works in one direction, I use that, but why should it matter which way I offset it? Should work ok both ways.