Trying PSP X8 - posting this just for discussion

[JoeB]

I have just installed X8 for testing, the main reasons being (a) a few new tools - like Magic Move, improved selection, etc, - that interest me as being useful, and (b) more particularly, because some posts here and reviews I have read indicate that it is faster by quite a bit than X7 and previous PSP versions. The latter point is important to me because I do have an older, less powerful system than many people. I should add that I am using the 32 bit version on a 64 bit system (like I do with X7) because of the many legacy plugins I have that don't work under the 64 bit version.

Because my existing X7 interface is quite customized with button and menu changes and additions including various bound scripts, I'm hoping to make the transition as easy as possible. So far, I started by simply importing my customized workspace from X7, and a cursory check shows that this worked fine. However, there is the issue of a whole bunch of plugins I have installed in X7 as well as lots of scripts, and of course my bound scripts rely on those script locations. So I can see there's lots of work to do in setting File Locations before I can test everything to see how that X7 workspace, the file locations for both scripts and plugins, allow them all to work with X8.

So this post is simply for (a) discussion purposes for those attempting to migrate to X8 using X7 resources, and (b) to ask others who have already tried this migration to comment on any issues they have found in trying to do so. I suspect that getting some plugins to work without re-installing into X8 (as opposed to just pointing to their location in X7) might be a bigger issue than just pointing X8 to my X7 Script locations, but if others have dealt with this issue I would appreciate any comments that might save me some time. As well, is there anything in the X8 Ultimate package (in terms of resources, not the extra plugins) that isn't already available in the X7 Ultimate package I already have.

OK, so I'm being lazy, but just hoping others might already have re-invented the wheel so that I don't have to! Hope you don't mind!

[Cassel]

So far, I started by simply importing my customized workspace from X7

Don't do that. Some new features of X8 (namely in the Layer palette) will not appear if you use a workspace that does not have it. We had testers experience that so you might be stuck having to re-customize your workspace from scratch, unfortunately.

[Kathy_9]

Joe,

I know it takes a little more time and effort to set things up from scratch but I have found out, sometimes the hard way, that is the best way. Once you do this and save your work space you are set until the next version.

I too run a 32-bit version of the program on a 64-bit PC for the same reason as you and I had no trouble with any of my plugins. I didn't have to reinstall; just pointed to the correct folders in File Locations.

Hope you like X8.

Kathy

[JoeB]

X7

So far, I started by simply importing my customized workspace from X7

Don't do that. Some new features of X8 (namely in the Layer palette) will not appear if you use a workspace that does not have it. We had testers experience that so you might be stuck having to re-customize your workspace from scratch, unfortunately.

I have attached screenshots of my X7 and X8 Layers Palettes (with X8 using my imported workspace) using the same image, promoted with 2 duplicates and 2 of the 3 layers selected, and showing the Merge options. They appear different with more options in X8. My own modifications (extra buttons on the palettes) appear in both versions and seem to work also. Any idea what Layers features might not be working for me in X8?

EDIT: Of the other customizations (toolbar button additions and menu modifications) they all seem to work except 2 of the buttons that didn't load, but they were bound scripts to filters and I don't have those scripts or filters added to File Locations yet in X8.

[Cassel]

In testing, some beta testers didn't have those newer options in the Merge contextual menu. It looks like you have them, so you are lucky. But as Kathy said, beware that you MIGTH be missing on some things, and the problem is that you would not know they are missing since you never saw them in the first place

[JoeB]

Joe,

I know it takes a little more time and effort to set things up from scratch but I have found out, sometimes the hard way, that is the best way. Once you do this and save your work space you are set until the next version.

I too run a 32-bit version of the program on a 64-bit PC for the same reason as you and I had no trouble with any of my plugins. I didn't have to reinstall; just pointed to the correct folders in File Locations.

Hope you like X8.

Kathy

Thanks for the confirmation about X8 and plugins - a real timesaver! And of course you and Cassel are both right that in the long run I should re-do my UI mods in X8 just to be safe. I think I'll just leave it for now while I try out some of the new options and then spend the time doing re-mods.

[JoeB]

OK, and update on my experiment with loading my PSP X7 Workspace into X8, pointing X8 to all my scripts and plugins folders as they exist in X7, and checking out all of what Corel says (with their video tutorials) are new or enhanced features in X8.

First, I don't find X8 working any faster than X7 for me, but that is likely because I have an older machine.

Second, in an earlier post in this thread I indicated that the X8 Layers Palette worked just fine and it does include the buttons I've added to that palette in my X7 workspace which work also. HOWEVER, the one feature that I did find that was missing in my X8 layers palette using my X7 workspace was the Quick Layer Search button, which returned when I reloaded the original X8 default workspace.

There WAS one other button missing also from the X8 layers palette - the Edit Selection button - but for all I know it might also be default in the X7 workspace layer palette because, if it was there, I would have removed it. That's because I already have a customized button on my toolbar for Edit Selection that works better than the default Edit Selection in any version of PSP, and I could add that to the layers palette if I wanted to.

Why does it work better, you ask? Because the default Edit Selection only provides the pink selection area and you still have to select the Pick tool to do the actual editing. My button is a recorded script and when clicked it not only gives the pink area to be edited but also automatically selects the Pick tool, so I don't have to choose it separately. And clicking the button once editing is finished works just like clicking Edit Selection in the program's default mode. So I don't need or even want PSP's Edit Selection tool.

So I guess that my own personal experience, on my particular system and with my particular modified X7 workspace, the only thing I don't get if I load that workspace into X8 is the Layer Quick Search, but I retain all of my modified toolbars and modified menus (and I've modified several of both the former and the latter) and all of the other new or improved features of X8 seem to work as advertised. I can't speak for the Lens Correction tool because I don't shoot RAW. My modified Effects menu works fine as do the plugins. The 3 Nik plugins I use, which didn't work natively in my X7 so which I bound to the Effects menu using the Nik Plugin Workaround Script, also work as they did in X7. The layers palette also does have the new Merge items so that isn't an issue, although it has been reported that some people lose those when using a previous version's modified workspace.

Just wanted to provide an update of what I've found so far, and appreciate the comments of others who have replied to this thread!

[JoeB]

As a slight update to my last update post, I have determined that X8 opens on my system about 25% faster than X7. By "opens" I mean from the time I click the shortcut to launch it until the interface opens AND the little blue circle - which rotates as the program is loading stuff - has also disappeared. More important, in X7 there has always been an issue (for me and for some others who have posted) that even after X7 completely opened and editing could start there was a lag of sometimes up to 2 minutes before the Plugins were recognized and Plugins was highlighted under the Effects menu. With X8 (which points to all of the same plugins I have installed in X7) I find that the plugins are ready to go within seconds of the blue rotating circle completing - i.e., they are basically available immediately when the program is available for editing. What I haven't seen is any appreciable speed increase in rendering edits including opening and editing and rendering edits with plugins.

[Zantara]

Thanks for starting this discussion.

I am using a trial version of X8 myself at the moment, but will not buy the full version.
Although a few nice gimmickes, such as Magic move, it doesn't warrant the cost, I think.

I have a computer with Windows 10, upgraded after a full Recovery with Windows 7. So an older system, but with a fairly emty C-drive.
Hope I can keep it that way.
Startuptime of X8 slightly faster than X7, but marginally so.

Brilliant advice not to import the workspace from X7. I will certainly advise my visitors and members about that. Thank you for that.
I am just working with a as-it-comes trial version, just to disover what's different and what's new.
Standard the trial version comes in 64-bit bit, so not very useful if you want to test your plugins.
Buying the full version gives you the option to install the 32-bit version.

The Macic Move tool can be fun, but needs some serious getting used to.
I found that using the Smart Selection Brush selects an object better than the Automatic Selection.
You need Automatisch Selection Mode, however, to move your selected object.
Use Magic fill to fill in the background of the now empty space.



The new Texttool Textwrapping is a real winner if you use Smart Selection around an object.

Pardon my Dutch

Can somebody explain to me what the added benefit is from the new function in the layerpallette?
If you right click on a layer you have a new option to merge to a new Visible layer.
The merged layer becomes the top (merged) layer in you layerpallette and you also keep the seperate layer.

[JoeB]

The new Texttool Textwrapping is a real winner if you use Smart Selection around an object.

My suggestion, when doing a selection like that, is to expand your selection before laying down your text so that you have some space between the object (your flower) and the text rather than having the text pushed up against the object.

And like you, I wasn't thrilled with how the Move tool worked in moving the woman to the right and auto filling the space. In fact, once she moved and the previous space was filled I found there was quite a bit of residual red shadow that must have been from her jacket, as if there had been some opacity issue when she moved and the red was used somehow in the fill. I got a better result by using the freehand selection with a small feather and anti-alias to select her and copy that and paste as new layer to move her to the right. Then, back to the original layer, used Magic Fill to fill in the selection of her. There was no residual red shadow doing that. And then I cleaned that space up (it needed more texture) with a large clone brush to take some texture from the middle area of the mountain in the image, and some touchup with small selections and Magic Fill to make it look less like cloning from an adjacent area.

[Zantara]

My suggestion, when doing a selection like that, is to expand your selection before laying down your text so that you have some space between the object (your flower) and the text rather than having the text pushed up against the object.

Fully agree with you there.
But it means the tool only works if you add an extra command: Selections > Edit > Expand selection > 2 pixels.
Which means you don't need the new tool and are able to add the effect in any PSP version.

I had the red shadow and am not that impressed with magic fill either.
Cloning will do a better job if you are a bit experienced using the tool.

All in all...not impressed with PSP X8.

[ComputerCynthia]

The merged layer becomes the top (merged) layer in you layerpallette and you also keep the seperate layer.

I believe this new choice is allowing non-destructive editing. You can perform your next edit on a copy of what's visible. A lot of the Topaz Labs tutorials and webinars done in Photoshop talk about a command (might be ctrl + J) to make a stamp/take a snapshot of sorts. If you don't like the way things turn out you can delete layers and still go back to what you had originally.

I think I had a recorded a short script to copy special -> copy merged and then paste as new layer to follow along with PhotoShop tutorials asking for this.

[Kathy_9]

I think I had a recorded a short script to copy special -> copy merged and then paste as new layer .

I was doing the same thing so I was happy to see this new feature.

You can also drag the merged layer off the work-space to make a copy and create a new flattened image. I will sometimes do this if I want to try different frames/masks that would otherwise flatten the original layers stack.

[Zantara]

@Kathy_9 and Computer Cynthia....thanks for that.
I normally use Copy merged
For that I have made an icon on my personal toolbar.

[edwinn]

Because my existing X7 interface is quite customized with button and menu changes and additions including various bound scripts, I'm hoping to make the transition as easy as possible. So far, I started by simply importing my customized workspace from X7,

So this post is simply for (a) discussion purposes for those attempting to migrate to X8 using X7 resources, and (b) to ask others who have already tried this migration to comment on any issues they have found in trying to do so.

OK, so I'm being lazy, but just hoping others might already have re-invented the wheel so that I don't have to!

One major downside to PSP when upgrading is the lack of a routine to import Customized TOOLBARS from previous version. Having bought X7U at a huge discount (now i see X8 was coming along), wasn't able to get past the drop shadows, the 'desktop' leaking in through the EDIT workspace, and especially the Smart Photo Fix rearrangement, which I felt was crude and grossly done.

Most software will migrate its toolbar config.

It should be ok to simply 'select' plugin folders in X8. But I wouldn't try to LOAD Workspaces from previous version.

HTH,

-Ed