Pro versus Ultimate?

[Rylos007]

Looking to buy some Corel Products today. But wondering which is the more full featured? Pro or Ultimate???
Thanks

[n00b]

"Ultimate". Both are Pro

[Rylos007]

Thanks!. That is what I thought, but when buying a bunch of stuff it is no fun to realize you made a stupid mistake After purchase. And their Chat is not available...at the time I tried.

[Ken Berry]

The actual VS program is identical in both Pro and Ultimate versions. But with the Ultimate version you get extra goodies like Boris and proDad plug-ins, which can be very useful.

[n00b]

The actual VS program is identical in both Pro and Ultimate versions. But with the Ultimate version you get extra goodies like Boris and proDad plug-ins, which can be very useful.

In addition: Boris and proDad are reachable rather then integrated in X5. You access them in the right context (X5s tool for transitions or text tools), but they work as separate apps with own look & feel rather than smoothly integrated part of VS5. But the features are there. Sure.

[teknisyan]

For both PaintShop and VideoStudio the main program are stays the same but when you see the "ULTIMATE" the difference is on the Add on. You can check the version to version comparison here - http://www.corel.com/content/pdf/vsx5/v ... rix_en.pdf

[Old_Friend]

I paid extra to purchase the Ultimate version merely to have ProDAD effects. However, that 'addon' appears to be quite limited, especially in the very few 'transparent' Symbol graphics it provides. And, there seems to be no way for Corel users to add new ones to that list without using a non-Corel product to create them. Corel software of any kind can't seem to produce them as "transparent" objects to work as RotoPen "Symbols"!

My question is: Who is responible for updating and/or providing support for the ProDAD Effects? Is it Corel (since it's their product which incorporates ProDAD into into the Ultimate version) or is it the 3rd-party company that created it?

The Corel User's Guide (for the Ultimate Version) doesn't even mention ProDAD, RotoPen, etc.

[Old_Friend]

I paid extra to purchase the Ultimate version merely to have ProDAD effects. However, that 'addon' appears to be quite limited, especially in the very few 'transparent' Symbol graphics it provides. And, there seems to be no way for Corel users to add new ones to that list without using a non-Corel product to create them. Corel software of any kind can't seem to produce them as "transparent" objects to work as RotoPen "Symbols"!

My question is: Who is responible for updating and/or providing support for the ProDAD Effects? Is it Corel (since it's their product which incorporates ProDAD into into the Ultimate version) or is it the 3rd-party company that created it?

The Corel User's Guide (for the Ultimate Version) doesn't even mention ProDAD, RotoPen, etc.

I'm still waiting for a reply; somebody must know the answer to this.

[Old_Friend]

It's very discouraging that I have to keep writing to myself since nobody replies.

Anyway, I went to the company that USED TO SELL the ProDAD RotoPen tool. They don't even have it as a product listed on their company website!
http://www.prodad.com/home/products/plu ... l-us.xhtml Instead, they sell a product called ProDAD Heroglyph, which appears to be a replacement for RotoPen. They sell two versions of it; one is $100.00(US) and the other is $200.00(US). Since I can't trust them, I won't buy either of them. I shouldn't even have to. What I paid for should be supported by them and Corel!

It appears that Corel has sold a bogus, defunct plugin to its users merely to make more profit. Corel doesn't support the RotoPen tool; ProDAD doesn't support it. So, I got ripped-off by Corel. Had I known that plugin was discontinued by its developers (prodad.com) and not supported at all by Corel, I wouldn't have wasted my money and the many hours of trying to get it to do what it should have been able to do! I'm upset about that.

I'm done with topic unless somebody has information that I haven't been to find.

EDITED December 3, 2012 at 7:08AM (Pacific time)
I just now found out that (apparently?) the RotoPen tool is actually the ProDAD HeroglyphRoute-4.0 tool. I found this out by digging into the installation file structure of Video Studio. The path to where the images are is: C:\Program Files (x86)\proDAD\HeroglyphRoute-4.0\clipart\cp2\image (on my Windows 7 Pro OS). I have no idea why it was renamed RotoPen. That's just one more thing that has led to my confusion on this subject.

Furthermore, I'm beginning to suspect that the transparency issue may be related to Corel's "Color Management" and how it works. But, I have no experience on how to choose or adjust them to match whatever Photoshop used to create the original images I'm trying to duplicate. It's quite possible that by choosing the 'correct profile?' (or whatever?) that Corel may then be able to produce the desired output transparent image file?

[Old_Friend]

I added an "Edit" to my previous post. It may give a hint to one of you more experienced Corel-product-users on how to create the xparent images (for RotoPen) properly. See my (red text) edit pertaining to Corel's Color Management system.

[lata]

Hi

Well I missed your posts mainly cos you posted details of RotoPen in a post named Pro versus Ultimate that I hadn’t contributed to anyway.
Had it followed your previous RotoPen posts I would have probably have read it earlier.

Anyway thanks for the information regarding Prodad and Rotopen, but if you want your questions answered I think you should contact Corel Support unless Abeil replies.
Certainly am an in the same boat, but do have adobe to create the transparencies.

At least I now know where the RotoPen samples are.

[Old_Friend]

lata, reference your last post which included:

Well I missed your posts mainly cos you posted details of RotoPen in a post named Pro versus Ultimate that I hadn’t contributed to anyway.
Had it followed your previous RotoPen posts I would have probably have read it earlier.

Hi, lata. I suppose the reason I brought the issue up in this topic is because I noticed the statement made earlier by Ken:

The actual VS program is identical in both Pro and Ultimate versions. But with the Ultimate version you get extra goodies like Boris and proDad plug-ins, which can be very useful.

I agree with Ken that the ProDAD plugins "can" (or "could") be very useful. My issue with the ProDAD "RotoPen" plugin (which Corel sold to me!) is that it is limited in its features, available TIF images, and their compatibility with Corel products in order to allow users to create more of them. I'm still struggling to find out why Corel hasn't fixed it's PSP or PhotoPaint programs to do what Photoshop does, so that the images work with RotoPen. Getting a Corel Developer to reply anywhere is like waiting for a cow to grow wings! And, these are ALL their own products. Gee whiz.

[BrianCee]

When I started up my copy of VideoStudio this morning I received a message that two updates were available for the pro-dad products - one of them specifically for Roto-pen - I do not know what changes have been made or whether they address any of your queries but it might be worth just having a look.

depending on what settings you chose for messages in the Corel guide they may just pop-up on your screen or you may have to access them via the 'Messages' tab in the Corel guide.

[Ken Berry]

That's interesting Brian -- I got those update notices at least 3 weeks ago on two separate computers on which I have X5 installed... Mind you, even with them installed, it doesn't alter the non-acceptability of Roto-pen accepting Corel-generated transparencies...

[BrianCee]

and - oddly - after receiving those two messages and installing them on the laptop I then turned on the desktop and actually searched for messages or updates to Videostudio and could not find any and received the message that there were no updates available.