By Jon Canfield
If you're in the market for a digital photo editor, but you've been put off by the complexity or price of Adobe Photoshop CS, Jasc Software offers a program with nearly the same features at a fraction of the cost. Toss another $10.00 in, and you have a full suite of imaging products that should handle just about any task you can think of.
Jasc Paint Shop Pro, shown in Figure A, has been around for years and is currently up to version 8.0. Version 9.0 is in beta and Connected Photographer will have a review of that version after it's officially released. Paint Shop Pro evolved from simple beginnings into a full featured application with support for advanced image editing tasks such as adjustment layers, easy to use selection tools, powerful editing controls for levels, color balance, red eye removal, and more.
FIGURE A
Jasc Paint Shop Power Suite Photo Edition includes all the tools you need in one package. (click for larger image)
I took a look at the Paint Shop Power Suite Photo Edition, which bundles Paint Shop Pro (PSP), Photo Album 4, Xtras Creative Editions 1 and 2, and a book Paint Shop Creations - Demystifying Digital Photography. The whole package is $119.00 (a savings of $90 over the separate purchase prices).
Don't be fooled into thinking this is a simple application. Jasc has done an admirable job of making complex tasks easier to accomplish through the use of One Step correction to automatically fix most common image problems -- color balance, contrast, sharpness and saturation as shown in Figure B.
FIGURE B
Paint Shop Pro auto adjustment controls work well in most cases and can be tweaked when needed. (click for larger image)
While the auto controls work well in many cases, they aren't a cure-all. When you're ready to master the individual controls to fine tune your images, the Learning Center will show you how to accomplish tasks.
PSP also has excellent tools for selections, such as the background eraser shown in Figure C, which makes extracting objects from an image much easier than the equivalent selection tools in Photoshop.
FIGURE C
The background eraser makes it easier to extract objects from the image background. (click for larger image)
When you are ready to move up to the interactive editing tools, you'll find that you have all the control you need. PSP speeds up processing by not updating the full size image by default; opting instead to show before and after comparisons in the dialog box as shown in Figure D.
FIGURE D
Before and after previews, such as the one in the Unsharp Mask dialog keeps processing time to a minimum. (click for larger image)
Before and after previews in most editing dialogs speed up processing. This is a good thing, because I found PSP processed image edits such as sharpening and color adjustments much slower than the equivalent Photoshop operation.
One of the advantages Photoshop has long enjoyed is the support from developers with a variety of plug-ins available for specialized effects. PSP supports the Adobe Plug-in standard, and every plug-in I tried worked flawlessly -- including Extensis Mask Pro (from http://www.extensis.com), AutoFX Mystical and Photographic Edges (from http://www.autofx.com), and Fred Miranda's B&W conversion and IntelliSharpen (from http://www.fredmiranda.com).
PSP also supports scripting to automate complex tasks and comes with a large selection of scripts to get you started. New scripts can be written from scratch or recorded, and are very handy for working with folders of images -- a simple script can create thumbnail versions of all images in a directory.
One of the gems in the Suite package is Photo Album, which includes organization and viewing tools, simple photo correction, backup to CD (with reminders) and projects like edges and frames, calendars, panorama stitching and a unique "Thinify" command to drop those extra pounds -- or add them onto someone you don't like. The photo frames, such as shown in Figure E, and edges are very good, and compare to plug-ins that sell for more than the entire Suite price.
FIGURE E
Photo Album includes easy to use features such as photo frames. (click for larger image)
The standalone version of Photo Album is 5.0. As David mentioned in an earlier article(at http://www.connectedphotographer.com/issues/issue200406/00001308001.html), one of the frustrations with bundled applications is that not all the applications are current versions. While version 4 of Photo Album is a very capable program, version 5.0 adds more project types and better data backup and recovery tools.
If your editing needs are light, you may find that the quick fix options in Photo Album will handle any correction needed, such as red eye correction, sharpening and cropping. In the event the correction tools in Photo Album aren't enough, a button click will quickly open your image in PSP for more editing options.
The Xtras Creative Editions included with the suite offer a collection of Picture Tubes, essentially a set of high quality image stamps as shown in Figure F, as well as ready to use selections, masks, frames, textures and patterns. For serious photo editing, the Picture Tubes probably won't be high on anyone's list of image enhancements but the ready made masks and frames are much more practical.
FIGURE F
Picture Tubes may be fun, but don't have a practical use for most serious photography (although those butterflies are pretty!) (click for larger image)
Conclusion
Jasc has given users a solid alternative to spending hundreds of dollars for Photoshop CS. Paint Shop Pro will handle almost any imaging task you can imagine. Throw in the ability to run Photoshop plug-ins, an excellent support policy, and a very good tutorial system and you have a combination that's hard to beat.
Unless you need specific Photoshop features, such as built in RAW image processing, Paint Shop Power Suite Photo Edition will take care of your images from start to finish while saving enough money to buy that large memory card (or even camera) you've been eyeing. I give Paint Shop Power Suite Photo Edition a score of 4 out of 5.
RATING: 4 STARSProduct availability and resources
FIGURE ARIGHT (click for larger image)
For more information on the author's book, Photo Finish: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Printing, Showing, and Selling Images, visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0782143482/joncanfieldph-20/ref=nosim/102-2867356-3312128.
For more information on Paint Shop Pro, visit http://www.jasc.com.
For more information on Extensis Mask Pro, visit http://www.extensis.com.
For more information on AutoFX Mystical and Photographic Edges, visit from http://www.autofx.com.
For more information on Fred Miranda's B&W conversion and IntelliSharpen, visit http://www.fredmiranda.com.
To read "The dark side of photo suites," visit http://www.connectedphotographer.com/issues/issue200406/00001308001.html.
Jon Canfield is the co-author of Photo Finish: The Digital Photographer's Guide to Printing, Showing, and Selling Images, published by Sybex. He also writes the Output Options column for eDigital Photo. Jon's website is http://www.joncanfield.com.