[Sticky] - Wish List for PSP2024

[PromZA]

Better HEIF support with the ability to save edited HEIF files. A lot of newer cameras shoot HEIF, in the case of some of Canons R series (R5 and R6 mark II), they will shoot HDR PQ (perceptual quantizer). HEIF is the future
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptual_quantizer

Newton

Honestly I think HEIF/HEIC is on the way out as everyone is finding out how hard it is to use and just converting it to JPEG. I would rather have full JPEG-XL support though PSP itself can't even handle what JPEG-XL supports. Once browser support for JPEG-XL takes off it will be the standard.

[LeviFiction]

Still and again
Build in something like puppet warp as in photoshop.

Puppet Warp
Puppet Warp provides a visual mesh that lets you drastically distort specific image areas, while leaving other areas intact. Applications range from subtle image retouching (such as shaping hair) to total transformations (such as repositioning arms or legs).

Mesh warp?

Puppet Warp is different and more flexible than Mesh Warp. Of course so was Photoshop's old Transform Warp, offering far greater shapes and not being locked to the edges of the canvas.

[FloridaDrafter]

Better HEIF support with the ability to save edited HEIF files. A lot of newer cameras shoot HEIF, in the case of some of Canons R series (R5 and R6 mark II), they will shoot HDR PQ (perceptual quantizer). HEIF is the future
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perceptual_quantizer

Newton

Honestly I think HEIF/HEIC is on the way out as everyone is finding out how hard it is to use and just converting it to JPEG. I would rather have full JPEG-XL support though PSP itself can't even handle what JPEG-XL supports. Once browser support for JPEG-XL takes off it will be the standard.

I may have been a little overzealous with that comment "the future" because the future is not set for anyone or anything. However, here and now it's being used in Apple products (standard since 2020) and on the current camera releases of Sony, Nikon, Canon, et al. At this time, I'm using Canons Raw editor Digital Photo Professional 4 (DPP4) to convert my Raw HDR PQ shots to HEIF or JPeG, depending on where the edited images are going to land, but I would like something besides Adobe to polish my HDR images and still retain the HEIF 10bit gamut. With this version of PSP 23, it just converts them to JPeG and looses any editing I did in DPP4. The image is just flat, and frankly, hard to look at with any enthusiasm.

Honestly, the biggest hurdle for any HDR format is that most casual users do not have HDR monitors. Yes, if they've bought a Smart TV in the past few years, it will be HDR compatible. But who edits photos using their TV? I use HDR monitors and both the Raw HDR PQ and converted HEIF files are stunning and there is very little loss in IQ in the conversion, at least with my Canon gear and DPP4.

As mentioned, most don't have the proper equipment to view HDR, so it is a moot point for them. But for those Apple users and PC users that can take advantage of it, it just makes sense that PSP would include this format, if for nothing else, to simply keep up with the competition, e.g., PhotoShop

Newton

[PromZA]

Honestly I think HEIF/HEIC is on the way out as everyone is finding out how hard it is to use and just converting it to JPEG. I would rather have full JPEG-XL support though PSP itself can't even handle what JPEG-XL supports. Once browser support for JPEG-XL takes off it will be the standard.

I may have been a little overzealous with that comment "the future" because the future is not set for anyone or anything. However, here and now it's being used in Apple products (standard since 2020) and on the current camera releases of Sony, Nikon, Canon, et al. At this time, I'm using Canons Raw editor Digital Photo Professional 4 (DPP4) to convert my Raw HDR PQ shots to HEIF or JPeG, depending on where the edited images are going to land, but I would like something besides Adobe to polish my HDR images and still retain the HEIF 10bit gamut. With this version of PSP 23, it just converts them to JPeG and looses any editing I did in DPP4. The image is just flat, and frankly, hard to look at with any enthusiasm.

Honestly, the biggest hurdle for any HDR format is that most casual users do not have HDR monitors. Yes, if they've bought a Smart TV in the past few years, it will be HDR compatible. But who edits photos using their TV? I use HDR monitors and both the Raw HDR PQ and converted HEIF files are stunning and there is very little loss in IQ in the conversion, at least with my Canon gear and DPP4.

As mentioned, most don't have the proper equipment to view HDR, so it is a moot point for them. But for those Apple users and PC users that can take advantage of it, it just makes sense that PSP would include this format, if for nothing else, to simply keep up with the competition, e.g., PhotoShop

Newton

I know what you're saying but the scenario you describe is what everyone is doing. When talking about HEIF you also have to distinguish between Apple's HEIC or the independent AVIF format. The biggest hurdle for HEIC is that it uses a proprietary codec that costs $1 on the Windows store. Not just that but when using licensed codecs it introduces hurdles when adding support in products where licensing for viewing is often separate from licensing for saving.

It would be easy technically for PSP to add full HEIC support right now as it just forwards it to a third party library but the licensing issues may not be so easy to deal with. Honestly I think Apple like with many things they tried and failed with over the years killed HEIF by using HEVC rather than a free and open source codec like AV1 which also has superior compression with 12-bit depth.

Currently everyone is going with the hype that Apple created but they're still only using it as a RAW storage format which defeats the purpose. Safari is the only browser that supports it and even Apple itself converts it to JPG when it leaves their ecosystem. I don't know why the big ones like Nikon and Canon went with it rather than JXL. Ironically even Apple supports it and Chrome will re-add support for it if everyone started using it. Support for it can be enabled right now for free on Windows 7/10. Lightroom allows exporting RAW files to JXL which is a bigger market than HEIF where it's usually the reverse.

That's just my 2c. I don't want to discuss why HEIF/HEIC should or shouldn't be supported by PSP but I think JXL has a better future and ironically the same criticisms levelled against it can be levelled more so against HEIC. If PSP added JXL support it would solve all the viewing issues you mention.

[PromZA]

Open two (or more) copies of the same file simultaneously. Currently PSP just goes to the tab with the open file.

[Jean-Luc]

Open two (or more) copies of the same file simultaneously.

Do:
-> Window / Duplicate (or Shift + D)

[PromZA]

Open two (or more) copies of the same file simultaneously.

Do:
-> Window / Duplicate (or Shift + D)

Ah, but that just creates a new image with the current state, minus the undo data. I'm talking about opening the image as it was last saved.

[LeviFiction]

Open two (or more) copies of the same file simultaneously.

Do:
-> Window / Duplicate (or Shift + D)

Ah, but that just creates a new image with the current state, minus the undo data. I'm talking about opening the image as it was last saved.

What is this meant to accomplish? Is there a photo app that allows this? Because it might be kind of confusing when saving unless it locks the document like how Microsoft Office does. Opening duplicate copies for read-only.

The way you'd normally approach this, duplicate before edits. Then do all of your edits on the duplicate. This leaves the current image at the last save, untouched. It can be closed and reopened later, or left open for whatever your need is. And you can use Save As to save over the original file if, then you'll have two images with the same filename open in PSP at the same time. Of course then you're dealing with collisions.

Another option is to use incremental saves. 1) Save your current edits as a new file (I use my save incremental script to handle this for me) and then 2) Open the original file. So, not what you want, but far more flexible as it doesn't have to deal with collisions and you get an entire history of incremental saves. Though it does take up more disk space.

[PromZA]

What is this meant to accomplish? Is there a photo app that allows this? Because it might be kind of confusing when saving unless it locks the document like how Microsoft Office does. Opening duplicate copies for read-only.

The way you'd normally approach this, duplicate before edits. Then do all of your edits on the duplicate. This leaves the current image at the last save, untouched. It can be closed and reopened later, or left open for whatever your need is. And you can use Save As to save over the original file if, then you'll have two images with the same filename open in PSP at the same time. Of course then you're dealing with collisions.

Another option is to use incremental saves. 1) Save your current edits as a new file (I use my save incremental script to handle this for me) and then 2) Open the original file. So, not what you want, but far more flexible as it doesn't have to deal with collisions and you get an entire history of incremental saves. Though it does take up more disk space.

A few times I've had to reopen the original to compare it to the new one. The way I'm currently doing it is to open in IrfanView and then copy over into a new image or layer. Yesterday I had to reopen the image and make different changes to it before comparing it. It's best to just give the option and let the user handle the technicalities instead of just assuming they want to go to the open image. There is after all currently nothing to prevent "collisions" between different applications or versions so I don't see how it matters.

[sheng-si]

Still and again
Build in something like puppet warp as in photoshop.

Puppet Warp
Puppet Warp provides a visual mesh that lets you drastically distort specific image areas, while leaving other areas intact. Applications range from subtle image retouching (such as shaping hair) to total transformations (such as repositioning arms or legs).

Mesh warp?

Kind of:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using ... paths.html