With the explosion of the Internet, scanners, and digital cameras, the market for a robust photo imaging program has expanded exponentially. At a discounted price of $600 USD (28, 000 INR) Photoshop continues to appeal only to the professional market.
Enter Paint Shop Pro. This easy to use, full-featured program can match Photoshop performance in all but the most eclectic requirements. It integrates seamlessly with most popular scanning software and, once an image has been loaded, the user has an amazing tool kit with which to manipulate and improve it.
For the novice who wants to do little more than correct exposure and color balance, the latest iteration of Paint Shop Pro, Version 7, is a dream. Cropping and sizing are simple and intuitive, then automatic features can make most of the basic corrections. If the effect isn’t right, multiple levels of undo are available so that trial and error processes can be used.
Other auto features include the ability to remove red eye, that annoying problem caused by retinal reflections from on-camera flash. For prints that are dirty or damaged, Paint Shop can remove dust specks and wrinkles. Best of all, new users can learn the basics in a few minutes. I’ve known art directors who’ve worked with Photoshop for years and STILL don’t know all it has to offer.
In addition to image manipulation, Paint Shop Pro offers text editing. It’s such a simple and flexible process with this new version that I’ve abandoned Photoshop for building web graphics and banners and use Paint Shop exclusively.
If you’ve not used a full-featured imaging program before, you’ll have a grand time watching your photographs come to life. In addition, Paint Shop Pro offers a huge selection of special effects, enabling the user to turn a common photograph into a splendid work of art.
If you’re involved in production for printing, you’ll quickly find one of Paint Shop’s drawbacks. It doesn’t offer a CMYK preview. Also, Jasc, the producer of the software, has yet to offer a version for the Mac.
But, for most of us, particularly those involved in web graphics, Paint Shop Pro is just short of perfect. In seconds it can convert a flat, badly processed photo into a striking screen image. In less time than it takes you to read this it can convert that image into jpeg or gif files for fast web transfer.
Finally, here’s the best news. Paint Shop Pro v 7.02 is available for download. It can be used free for 30-days. (If you have a slow modem or a time based ISP, the 30 meg file size may make this impossible.) Then, if you like it enough buy it, the street price is only $85 USD (4, 000 INR) plus shipping. For those who are interested in animation, the current version of Paint Shop Pro now includes Animation Shop at no additional cost!
If you’re interested, take a look at the Paint Shop Pro home page. You’ll find it at https://jasc.com. If you want to purchase the product, don’t buy it directly from Jasc. They’ll charge $109 USD (5, 082 INR) plus shipping. Instead, contact Amazon.com (where I paid $85) or CNET for a list of suppliers and current prices. You’ll save $20 (923 INR) or more over the manufacturer’s price.