By Larry Anders, Librarian, Tampa PC Users Group
Larry@AndersNet.com

Well, if you haven’t noticed, JASC software has done it again. Paint Shop Pro 8 [PSP8] was recently released, and if you’re into any kind of digital imaging, whether your image is acquired from scanning, digital camera, or stuff captured from the web, PSP8 needs to be in your arsenal of software.

I looked back on our website, http://www.tpcug.org and saw that I reviewed this software package in 1996, but I believe I also reviewed it way before that in its early existence as a purely shareware program. By 1996 it was becoming a major contender. Well, there is no doubt that it has arrived. PSP8 is a first cousin to Adobe’s PhotoShop but at a fraction of the cost, a lot easier learning curve and some features I think Adobe wished they had. With PSP8’s new Automated Productivity Scripts™ you can start correcting your digital images right out of the box by just clicking a button that says, Enhance Photo and then One Step Photo Fix [Real hard!]. I was impressed with the difference in what I thought was a pretty good digital photo that PSP8 corrected for me automatically.

To make the learning curve much easier, JASC integrated a Learning System that is always available just a click away. There are five categories of quick guides that deal with:

• Automation and Customization [keyboard shortcuts, custom toolbars, etc.]
• Basic Tasks [create, save, e-mail, crop an image, etc.]
• Correcting Photos [straighten a crooked picture, remove red-eye, etc.]
• Graphic Projects [add a picture frame, drop shadow or text, etc.]
• Photo Projects [make a picture look old or convert it into a greeting card, etc.]

These are only some of the examples of what is readily available and easily accessible. There are also over 40 movies in the PSP8 Product Tour. You can’t help but easily learn how to use many of the features available.

One of the things I typically dislike most is having to learn a new program, or relearn a program because of major changes made in the newer version. I will admit I was a little put-out when I first opened JASC’s latest rendition because it didn’t look like I thought it was supposed to. But, within a very short time, I realized the changes made were for the better, and I got over it and moved on to learning what else was new.

I suppose it was about time that JASC made some sweeping changes. It’s been looking the same for several years now. I kind of liken it to walking into my favorite hardware store and finding they’ve changed everything around. I have to look over all of the other stuff to find what I am looking for and usually find something I can’t live without. [You think they do that on purpose?] We sometimes get so complacent in using a software program for only particular things time after time that we forget its other capabilities. Such is the case with Paint Shop Pro 8, and it’s obvious a lot of thought and planning went into this version because there is a lot of new stuff to look over.

One of the new additions is what JASC calls Dynamic Personalization™ that lets you tailor the program to what works best for you. New palette docking options, custom toolbars, and the ability to place any tool or command on any menu or toolbar in the program lets you customize PSP8 to your liking. Plus, you can save your custom workspaces or choose from a variety of preset workspaces for different workflow options. And if you continually do some of the same things over and over, you can now save time by recording, editing and saving commonly used tasks with Automated Productivity Scripts™. These scripts can be applied to a single image or a batch of images. You can also create and save your own tool or effect presets to reuse or share with other users.

PSP8 now has what is called an Effects Browser that will let you see the changes to be brought about by whichever of the many effects you choose to apply to your image. Of course, there is always the Undo button also.

Another of the new features I particularly like is the print templates. You can just about accommodate any printing project you might have with the many templates provided, which support many standard photo sizes, combination packs and commercial papers. In the last version you could place multiple images on one page but not nearly as simply as you can now. Just drag and drop, place where you want, adjust the sizes and print. And, if you like your layout [template], you can save it to use again at a later time.

The ability to read or convert to and from just about any format has always been a plus with Paint Shop Pro, and now PSP8 supports about 50 formats, including the newest file formats such as: JPEG 2000, enhanced EPS PostScript 3 and wireless bitmap (WBMP).

One of the other new features [tools] I really like is the ability to straighten a crooked scan or digital photo by just marking a single line on the image that is suppose to be either horizontal or vertical and, voila, it is straightened out. Also, if something has the wrong perspective, you can mark four points on an image that is supposed to be rectangular and straighten the perspective.

There are tons of new tools and effects, along with the standards typically found in top notch digital imaging and graphics editing software, to help you literally work smarter. If you’re new to Paint Shop Pro, get it. If you are a previous or current user, then it’s time to upgrade. Download price is $99, with a box price off the shelf of $109. I’ve also seen up to $30 in rebates floating around too. It’s a major upgrade to an already excellent program. But don’t take my word for it. Go to http://www.jasc.com and try out a fully functional copy for free for 30 days and see if you don’t agree. It will be well worth the download time. u