Wishlist for PaintShop Pro X10

[Ken Berry]

Since PSP X9 has now been released, time for a new Wish List...

[jukka]

Currently using PXP X8

Does psp x9 have these ? if not, suggests to the wishlist:

- HDR MERGE: Should allow you to drag and drop a set of images (=load) because the image select..browse window really sucs.
- Locking of toolbars. This is a real #####. I set my workspace once and want to lock it. No need for rearrange every day. Accidentar moving is pain!
- Make option of the old way of save to REAL save and not ask any questions without shift.
++ Using the shift with other toolbuttons like contrast and brightness was really good, liked that one because it added extra quick path, did not change the way i worked but offered an alternative without forcing.. sorry my bad english

Can i somehow view the layer content outside of the image area? temporarily. If the layer is bigger than the image itself?

[JoeB]

Can i somehow view the layer content outside of the image area? temporarily. If the layer is bigger than the image itself?

I do not believe you can do this within the image itself other than by dragging the larger layer around to view the parts that are hidden. To see the whole, larger layer at once the only method I know of is to drag that layer from the layer's palette into the workspace where it will become its own image.

[LeviFiction]

Pretty much exactly the same as last time. Maybe a few extras.

Improvements to vector tools:
1) Dragging a line to adjust the curve
2) Use of hotkeys to change node type while drawing curves
3) Spiral pre-set shape tool
4) Boolean tools - Union, Intersect, Difference, etc.
5) Basic SVG import/export. At this point just shapes and colors. Nothing advanced.
6) Stroke to path conversion. Makes a new object based on the stroke of the selected object.
7) Subscript and Superscript settings for text.

Improvements to Editing Tools:
1) Draw the straighten tool's line. Having to move a preset line takes more effort than necessary.
2) Add ability to auto select Midtones, Highlights, Shadows.
3) Preview window for Arithmetic command. Having to accept the change then start over when it's not quite what I want is very annoying.
5) Add average as a blur command.
6) Auto map selected color into curves dialog. Not just black and white points.
7) Selection intersection.
8) The ability to use the Raster manipulation options of the Pick tool on vectors
9) More non-destructive options, maybe something like Smart Objects
10) The ability to convert Adjustment Layer masks to selections
11) The ability to convert masks/selections into paths

Layer Improvements:
1) Addition of standard blend modes: Addition, Subtraction, Division, etc. (both supports PSD imports and brings PSP up to snuff)
2) Have a pass-through mode for group layers. Pass-through lets you organize layers in groups but the group doesn't act like it's in a group for rendering purposes. When grouping two layers that use blend modes limits the effects of the blend mode to the layers in the group only. Pass-through allows you to group those layers without ruining the effect of the blend mode. If it's turned on.
3) Either a Blur layer effect or a blur adjustment layer

Improvements to Color selection:
1) Hotkeys to fix the position of the Hue or Saturation on the color wheel while dragging for more accurate color selections.
2) An automatic default first palette for swatches called "User"
3) Allow the use of SHIFT + CLICK to add a swatch to the last palette saved on the list. Decreases palette creation.
4) Button to add all complementary colors into the same palette in one go. Currently takes 3 clicks per swatch to add a primary and each complementary color to the palette.

UI Palette improvements:
1) return the ability to dock any palette to any side of the screen. Or at the very least let me dock the histogram palette to the bottom.

[Rick_R]

Currently using PXP X8

Does psp x9 have these ? if not, suggests to the wishlist:

- Locking of toolbars. This is a real #####. I set my workspace once and want to lock it. No need for rearrange every day. Accidental moving is a pain!

You can save your workspace. You can even save multiple workspaces. Then if you accidentally move something, just close and reopen the workspace. It's not the same as locking the toolbar but it would work.

[Rick_R]

WE'VE GONE THROUGH THIS ONE IN EVERY LIST FOR YEARS, so let's not waste everyone's time with long debates bringing it up and shooting it down again!

Yes, some folks would like photomerge. PSP was purchased from JASC and uses a different code base than Corel's professional line. Adobe can spend a lot of money adding a feature to their expensive Photoshop line and then just disable parts of that code base to create Photoshop Elements. Corel would have to code and test photomerge from scratch just for its PSP product--for its low-end hobbyist product, a product that can sometimes be purchased for $40.

And, there are free programs available that do a pretty good job of photomerging.

Like other companies, Corel "designs to a price point". They decide how much the product will sell for and they determine what features it needs to compete with other products in that range. Then they see what resources they have (people, money, etc.) and what specifics they can do with those resources. The bottom line is that for most PSP users photomerge just isn't a big requirement. The few times we need it we can do it with other software.

[hartpaul]

For the few panorama pictures I make I would use PSP and I would use shots done from a tripod and then put them in layers and for each pair of overlaping images set the blend mode to difference and then move the top layer with small adjust mnts until the over lapping area turns black ( = no difference) meaning they are aligned. Switch back to normal blende and apply a soft eraser down the join line so that the two image blend together.

One of the free photomerge / panorama programs is Hugin Panorama photo stitcher

http://hugin.sourceforge.net/

In the meantime one of the bugbears I have found in PSP is the default choices in dialog boxes.
This applies to the
Adjust > Digital Camera Noise Removal,
Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Levels,
Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Threshold,

Adjust > Hue & Saturation > Hue/Saturation/Lightness
Adjust > Hue & Saturation > Vibrancy,

Adjust > Depth of Field

In each of these and other dialog boxes the choices are: OK, Cancel, Help and the default is OK and that is highlighted with a blue halo around it. With all windows programs pressing the Enter key should be the equivalent of clicking the OK button.
From X4 - to X9 this has been broken and should be easy to fix as it has been correct for all the other Adjust commands with dialog boxes. Pressing Enter just flashes and nothing further happens.

Does it make a difference ? Yes for me and my working methods.
I may process 100s of similar images with slight differences eg a model folio, a wedding, a street parade from the same location.

I hate using shortcut keys as it means I have to nod my head forward and search the keyboard for the proper keys (as well as remembering the shortcut keys).
As a result I have prepared a custom toolbar with the most common adjustments there.- Levels , Brightness /contrast, Red/Green/Blue, Hue /Saturation/Lightness, Highlight/Midtone/Shadow, Unsharp Mask, Selections >Select None, Fade Correction.
With this toolbar placed near the centre top of the workspace I do not have to take my eyes from the screen nor move the cursor to the Adjust menu and then down to other choices.

I place my left hand middle finger over the Enter key, Index finger over both Shift and Control keys, and little finger between Alt and Spacebar. I always work in untabbed mode so that images are cascaded in the workspace.
Images are selected and dragged in from a windows explorer folder and here I can select different odd images using the index finger on the Control key or a group of consecutive images using the Shift key.

With brush tools the little finger presses the Alt key and moving the cursor up makes the brush smaller and down makes it larger in situ.
If the image is larger than the workspace the little finger holds the spacebar down (the cursor changes to the Pan tool) and I can drag the image to get the required section in view.
All of these can be done without taking my eyes off the screen thus more efficient.

Now to processing after loading say 10 images (usually 15),
1. Click image to make it active
2. Click levels button , adjust slider, hit enter.
3. repeat with any other adjustment on my custom toolbar.
4. hit red X to close image, hit enter button.
Repeat 1- 4 for each image.

In point 2 if the images are very similar no change in the levels is required so hitting the Enter accepts the previous settings. If a slight adjustment has to be made then again after that hitting the Enter accepts that. This is much speedier than navigating the mouse to the OK button and clicking it.

In point 4 as well as saving the image (I only work with copies , never originals), it closes the image as well.

I need to remember to do my first save as a Save As and check the compression, but that is the only one. This is now how X9 works.

Step 4 was stuffed in X8 as it insisted on doing a Save As each time.
It is now workable in X9, but Step 2 is still stuffed as it does not accept the Default Enter = OK. setting.

Surely this is simple to repair as it does work this way in most other adjustments so may only need a couple of lines of code changed to accept the Enter key.

[JoeB]

I hate using shortcut keys as it means I have to nod my head forward and search the keyboard for the proper keys (as well as remembering the shortcut keys). As a result I have prepared a custom toolbar with the most common adjustments there.
With this toolbar placed near the centre top of the workspace I do not have to take my eyes from the screen nor move the cursor to the Adjust menu and then down to other choices.

Just had to comment that this is my workflow method also. While of course everybody has methods that they prefer to work with, I have never understood why some feel it is more efficient to use shortcut keys, which requires not only removing your focus from the monitor to the keyboard but also removing your hand from the mouse to the keyboard and then having to re-focus on the monitor and move your hand back to the mouse. As most of the work is done with the mouse, using shortcut keys would certainly interrupt my workflow and focus!

[LeviFiction]

That does depend on the person. I don't have to look at the keyboard to hit a shortcut. And I rarely have to move my hand off the mouse for a shortcut unless it's some ridiculous combination.

[photodrawken]

I have never understood why some feel it is more efficient to use shortcut keys

I use a notebook computer (Thinkpad) and its touchpad. Therefore, my fingers are always over the keys, which makes using "shortcut" keys extremely efficient....

[photodrawken]

For the few panorama pictures I make ...

There's also Microsoft's excellent ICE, which is free.

[vherring]

Would like the option to upload photos to more web places, particularly Smugmug, the HTML share is only part of the answer, the facilities provided for Google+ and Flickr is the kind of thing I am after. I know there are many photo sites, the Lightroom product provides a plug in for Smugmug and I see this as something can be optional extra or gives us the tooling to build such a capability for whatever site.

[brucet]

I agree with Ken. ICE does a great job for the price! I've deliberately pushed it and it stands up well.

We have to keep in mind, as previously pointed out, PSP is an 'old' program/platform that Corel keeps adding onto. Simply not possible to unscramble the egg. Besides it would be like putting a new V8 into an old car. What else needs to be changed to modify the car? What are the consequences of those changes?

If the Corel folks would listen to me I would encourage them to look hard at a compliment of Plugins such as NIK offered. Photomerge could be a plugin feature. HDR. Noise control. Black and white. etc etc etc. Look at what Topaz offers. Corel could sell each specialised plugin and make MORE money. Us users could have a program that offers the basics and choose which plugins we need or want. So where's the flaw in my logic?

regards

[photodrawken]

If the Corel folks would listen to me I would encourage them to look hard at a compliment of Plugins (...)

You know, for the life of me I can't understand why Corel abandoned the KPT plugins. They're now over 12 years old and still provide effects that nothing else does.

Fortunately, my copy of CDRGS X5 includes its version of the KPT Collection, so as long as I keep CDRGS installed I can run the KPT plugins in PhotoLine. Unfortunately, the plugins don't look too good on a high-res display (the interface becomes very small), but the effects are still top-notch.

I'd give my money to Corel in an instant if they made the KPT Collection available again as a separate purchase.

[LeviFiction]

Corel did add the extra program "Photo Blend" to PSP. Which means they have the code for aligning images and combining them, but for some odd reason made it a separate program rather than a function of PSP. Assuming it's possible, I'd like to see these functions added to the Layers palette, a way to auto-align layers through translation and rotation on top of each other.