Wish List for PaintShop Pro version X9

[LeviFiction]

That preview shows you what is selected, not what's going to happen to the selected pixels. the Modify selection commands literally only modify the selection not the selected areas.

[Rick_R]

However, I think it's important to recognize and praise another philosophy -- a program written by developers who really love the field in which they're working. Developers whose primary goal is excellence.

And you still don't get it. PaintShop Pro is a low-end product. It was not developed in-house by Corel. Corel bought it only to have something that could compete with PE and Arcsoft PhotoStudio, because at the time the lowest-priced image software from Corel was professional software costing several hundred dollars.

People in the PE / PSP / PhotoStudio market are not going to get into things like writing code. Often times the previous PSP version is available for $35 and can do much more than the users will ever use. And people in that market bracket routinely do not buy each upgrade or even every second upgrade. Corel isn't trying to put out a "top-notch" product with PSP. Why would they want to put their top developers and lots of resources into a low-end product when they need those for their professional/prosumer products?

If you want professional-level features, call Corel Sales and ask them which of their professional products have those features. It should be very obvious to everyone from reading through this thread and the Wish Lists for X5 through X8 that although some people do use PSP's macro facility occasionally, even the vast majority of those people aren't interested in writing code.

[Troy at TheGTAMblog]

If I may pop in, I actually see that one of my Wishes have been stated already, but I would like to add:

• Rotate Textures (Previewing it before Applying)
• Two-Click Gradient Creation (click a start point and endpoint and the Gradient is simply created)
  Edit: Thanks to Corel for implementing this in X9.... Fantastic!
• Import of SVG, maintaining Nodes for Editing
• One-Click Automatic Cropping (trimming out all Transparent Canvas around an image without needing to 'select' it first) Edit:Thanks to hartpaul for sharing how to do this one (drag the thumb from the Layer onto the Workspace)!

Still loving PSP otherwise - keep it up, devs!

Edited to add:

• First-Run Helper

...which could be on each Tool ("Since this is your first time running this Tool, would you like to see a Demo of how it works?"), or on the entire Program (Sony Vegas Video Editing Line has a 'first run' set of screenshots that indicate most of the tools on the main interface, with one-sentence summaries of each one and what it does). The Welcome Launcher is great, but sort of specific in what it shares, this would be a first-run, one-time, information screen(s).

[photodrawken]

However, I think it's important to recognize and praise another philosophy -- a program written by developers who really love the field in which they're working. Developers whose primary goal is excellence.

...
PaintShop Pro is a low-end product.
...
Corel isn't trying to put out a "top-notch" product with PSP. Why would they want to put their top developers and lots of resources into a low-end product when they need those for their professional/prosumer products?

Go back and carefully re-read what I wrote in my "Ode to Excellence".

The whole point of that rather esoteric message was to "recognize and praise another philosophy".

There's no question that one can imagine a whole lot of reasons for selling a "low-end product" and not "trying to put out a top-notch product".

However, if the developers of an image editor love photography and photo editing, and take pride in their work, and are committed to creating the best program they can think of, then the sky's the limit. That's why two guys in Germany can sell an image editor for $65 that's not only a thousand times better than PSP, but also hundreds of times better than Corel's so-called "top-notch" image editor that costs a few hundred dollars. (Disregarding for the purposes of discussing raster image editors that the CorelDrawGraphicsSuite also includes CorelDraw in that price.)

The differences between the philosophies are stark -- Are you happy that Corel is spending money on the salaries of marketing parasites and public relations flacks and sad characters who devote their time to maintaining picture galleries on social media outlets? Or would you rather have all those bozos fired and the money that's saved be spent on hiring a few programmers who are committed to excellence?

To sum up, we each choose this image editor or that image editor for very personal reasons, and that's cool. We might not realize it at first, but that choice also means we are accepting the philosophy and attitudes of the company producing the program. All I'm saying is that one does not have to accept (or make excuses for) the attitudes of that company. Fortunately, we have choices.

Added:
I realize this philosophical discussion, which might be interesting to some, is rather far afield from the purpose of a "Wish List" discussion thread, so I'll drop the discussion now. My apologies to those who are bored/offended by such musings.

[Cassel]

One-Click Automatic Cropping (trimming out all Transparent Canvas around an image without needing to 'select' it first)

You can already do that (almost with one click) using the Crop Tool. Check out this post that shows you how (in addition to other tricks):
http://scrapbookcampus.com/2016/06/how- ... r-element/

[hartpaul]

One-Click Automatic Cropping (trimming out all Transparent Canvas around an image without needing to 'select' it first)

You can already do that (almost with one click) using the Crop Tool. Check out this post that shows you how (in addition to other tricks):
http://scrapbookcampus.com/2016/06/how- ... r-element/

An even faster way than copy and then paste is to simply drag the layer thumb out and release in the workspace.

[Troy at TheGTAMblog]

One-Click Automatic Cropping (trimming out all Transparent Canvas around an image without needing to 'select' it first)

You can already do that (almost with one click) using the Crop Tool. Check out this post that shows you how (in addition to other tricks):
http://scrapbookcampus.com/2016/06/how- ... r-element/

An even faster way than copy and then paste is to simply drag the layer thumb out and release in the workspace.

Whoah... I was beginning to think I was just 'spoiled' a bit by another graphic editing program that had this type of auto-cropping function - I had no idea this workflow'function existed in PaintShop Pro...this is it! Still learning PSPx8, I leave the Learning Center open all the time - this is the kind of thing that should be in there! Thankyouthankyouthankyou

[brucet]

To Rick-R and Photodrawken I think you are both missing one important point. Companies are in business to make a profit. If they can!! I'm sure the 'boffins' at Corel could make a wizbang editor. But they are constrained by decisions made by the accountants and boarded room. Unlike Photoline where I imagine the accountants, board and programmers are all the same folks.
The simple fact is that we users all want something different from our editors. No one company/editor fulfills all our 'wants'. And that's great. We have multiple programs to choose from. All have good and bad points. All we have to do is find the best compromises. In my case that includes multiple editors and plugins. Larger tool box. Goodness even the high and mighty Photoshop has bugs, shortfalls and a want list as long as an editors arm. I'm even sure they have a forum with users berating Adobe for all their short falls.

I tend to believe we accept what we are given. Bugs and all!! However 'we' have every right to berate Corel for the bugs and have the ability, via this forum, to add to the wish list.

regards

[Rick_R]

I have already suggested being able to change the color of the bar used in the straighten tool.

It would also be nice to be able to set the color of certain other tools such as perspective correction and selection marquee. Most of my work involves cleaning up and straightening black-and-white images of old documents such as census records. It would be easier to work with if I could have selection borders "stick out like a sore thumb" by setting the "ants" to red or something that highly contrasts. (I admit that I do go overboard at times -- I'll increase or decrease a crop border by one pixel ...)

[Michael REMY]

hi,

i am a longtime user of PSP, since the Paintshop 3 release on Windows 3.11, and always upgade each version til X3 for a moment.

now, i just upgraded my psp x3 to pspx8, and i lose a serious handfull feature :

moving the mouse cursor to full top-right corner of psp windows (when application is maximized) and clic does not close the application anymore in PSP x8! it is not a respect feature to Windows ergonomy environnement.

Because psp x8 have its own super dialog application top bar which is replacing the classic windows7 dialog topbar !
So now, i have to clic right in the middle of the cross icone to close my psp application !
what a lose of time and quality work !

i hope psp x9 can have back the classic windows theme dialog bar.

[Joelle]

I use PSPX8 and have no problem closing the application.
Clicking on the X icon on the right top bar closes X8 fine.

Have you tried resetting X8 using the Shift key?
Close PSP, open it again holding the Shift key as you do so.
Click OK when the program tells you it's resetting to Default settings.

You will need to re-do Preferences and File Locations.


Joëlle

[Rick_R]

MULTI-FORMAT SAVE AS

I use PSP mainly for genealogy. That means cleaning up document images, retouching images of old photos of people, and creating "excerpts" from newspapers including a transcription.

In practice this generally means:

• Save the document with layers as .pspimage
• Save a "high quality" as .PNG
• Save as a .JPG because certain sites won't accept .PNG
• Possibly save as TIFF *
• Possibly save as grayscale in one or more formats **

* The "standard" archival format is considered to be TIFF.
** The recommended archival format is to save everything as 24-bit color, even black-and-white documents.

I suggest a dialog with about 6 rows, each containing the following:
a) Drop-down to select the Save As Type
b) Checkbox to save as grayscale
c) Checkbox for "Merge layers" (so you can save one pspimage or PSD with layers and one merged)
d) Possibly a compression factor box for JPG and similar files

Also, the selections could be saved with a "group name", so, e.g., you could have a "Genealogy" set:
- Merged, Layers, JPG-c, PNG, JPG-g

And that would do all the following without a bunch of dialogs:

• Save as merged PSPimage
• save as layered PSPimage
• save as color JPG
• save as color PNG
• save as grayscale JPG

If necessary, it would automatically append a -1 or -a to the new file to avoid conflicts. So, for example, if you opened a TIFF MyFile.TIFF and clicked the Genealogy save-set it would save MyFile.pspimage, MyFile-1.pspimage, MyFile.jpg, MyFile.png, MyFile-1.jpg. Alternatively, it might automatically add a -c, -m, -l, etc., to indicate particular options, e.g., MyFile-c.jpg and MyFile-g.jpg.

[Troy at TheGTAMblog]

Sorry to post again, but Rick_R's post reminded me of one more that should 'save a step' in workflow:

• Open As Layer

This one comes from my past with using GIMP, as it is a quick way to Browse for, then open an image, adding it as a Layer to the Project/Image - all in one step - whereas with PSPx8, I currently would have to:

- open Image
- copy Image
- go back go original image/project and Paste Image as Layer

(three steps) every time.

[If anyone has a shortcut to this process, I would be happy to hear it!]

[LeviFiction]

I have two options for a shorter process.

Later versions of PSP include the ability to drag images from either Windows File Explorer or from the Organizer. Just select the image, and drag and drop into the layers palette. Lot faster than opening, copying, pasting and closing. But still petty slow because it's still one image at a time. And again it only works with certain versions of PSP.

The other option is a script. I actually tried to convert a friend of mine from GIMP to PSP and he complained about the lack of an "Open As Layer" option as well. So I made a script, now it doesn't work on layered PSP images but it should work just fine on regular flat images.

Cassel took my script and added an extra edit so you can download the script from here: http://creationcassel.com/store/index.p ... 5dEIjXD4Ws

When you run the script it'll open the standard "Open" dialog, you can pick as many images as you want it'll perform the task of opening them, copying and pasting, and then closing these new images for you. Should work all of the way down to PSP9.

[flagpole]

+1 for open as layer. i thought it was just me.