Corel Paint Shop Pro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 in Windows Vista |
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| Developer(s) | Corel |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 12.5 / 2008-09-07 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Raster graphics editor / Vector graphics editor |
| License | Proprietary EULA |
| Website | www.corel.com |
Paint Shop Pro (PSP) is a raster graphics editor and, later in the series, a vector graphics editor for computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system that was originally published by Minneapolis-based Jasc Software. In October 2004, Corel Corporation purchased Jasc Software and the distribution rights to Paint Shop Pro. PSP functionality can be extended by Photoshop-compatible plugins. They are listed in the 'Effects' menu, below the built-in effects.
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[edit] History
Originally called simply Paint Shop, the first version, 1.0, was released in early 1992. Paint Shop was originally distributed as shareware and is still available at many download sites (4.12 being a popular version). Newer versions are only available commercially. A key competitor is Adobe Photoshop, the commercial market leader in this category. Photoshop’s popularity is in part because Photoshop is available in an Apple Macintosh version, the platform widely used in the print publication industry, whereas Paint Shop Pro only runs on Microsoft platforms.
Corel announced, on November 28, 2007, that the office that created Paint Shop Pro would be shut down, with development moved to offices in California and Taiwan. [1]
[edit] Version and event history
Italicized entries indicate the closest date available. In these cases, the date is that of the earliest file date available on JASC or Corel's FTP site. It can be assumed that the official release fell on or before that date. For non-italicized entries, the dates are taken from official press releases or notifications posted on JASC's web site.
- 1990 — beta? - based on screenshot
- 1992 — 1.0 - based on screenshot
- 1992 - 1.02a
- 1993 August 13 - 2.00
- Version 2 introduced the floating toolbar.
- This was the first 32-bit release (for Windows 95 and NT 4.0).
- 1996 September 3 — 4.10
- 1997 January 10 — 4.12
- 1997 October 13 — 4.14
- 1998 April 28 — 4.15
- 1999 April — 4.15 SE
- Special edition for PC Advisor Magazine free cover disk "Licensed version- do not distribute"
- This release introduced major user interface changes, including support for layers.
- This release introduced support for vector graphics.
- 1999 December 15 — 6.01
- 2000 February 7 — 6.02
- 2000 September 21 — 7.00
- This coincided with the release of the "Anniversary Edition" of Paint Shop Pro 7. Presumably, this means the first release of Paint Shop Pro was on August 22, 1991.
- It's not clear whether or not this was an official release. Several downloads with this version number were available, but all web site content refers to 7.04 as the last update.
- New UI, ability to control most elements of PSP via Python scripts or macros. New filters, One Step Photo Fix, Learning Center. New brush engine.
- The last version to support Windows 95
- History Palette, natural media brushes, limited Camera RAW support, Fill Flash and Backlight filters.
- 2004 September 21 — 9.01
- The last version to support Windows 98/ME
- JASC Software is officially acquired by Corel. [2]
- 2005 September 8 — 10.00
- Fully rebranded as "Corel Paint Shop Pro X"
- Revamped Learning Center that helps new users to get started, Makeover Tools (Blemish Remover, Toothbrush/whitener, and Suntan Brush), IR film simulator, and a Black and White film converter that includes color filter effects, partial 48-bit (16bits per channel) color support. Image browser palette, Smart Photo Fix, Object Remover.
- The last release was 10.10 and the last patch was 10.03 [3]
- 2006 September 12 — 11.00
- Fully rebranded as "Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo XI"
- 2006 December 18 — 11.11
- Bug fixes, including improvements in the appearance of Camera Raw images (and support for two new camera models) plus a performance increase of the organizer, new 'One-step photo fixes'.
- 2007 February 16 — 11.20
- The last version to support Windows 2000
- 2007 September 5 — 12.00
- Comes with the "Graphite" workspace theme. Layer styles have been added, although these have been criticised by people[citation needed] as too basic.
- 2007 October 31 — 12.01
- 2008 September 9 — 12.5
- Adds Creative Content Pack, Background Remover, and Full Certification for Windows Vista.
[edit] Picture tubes
Picture tubes are small graphic images with no background. They are often used as a starting point for complex images; that is, they are combined with other image elements to produce a final work. Tubes can also be regarded as graphic brushes based on a pre-created image; this was their original use.[4] Popular tube subjects include alphabets, human, animal and toy figures, flowers, love messages and seasonal symbols.
The tube system originated with PSP Pro version 5. Native tube files may be in .tub, .psp, or .pspimage formats.[5] XnView, IrfanView, and TubeEx are separate graphics programs that can open tube files (.tub) and save them as .png files for use in other programs.[citation needed]
[edit] Criticisms
[edit] Slow development
Critics argue that since Corel's acquisition, Paint Shop Pro has had few serious improvements, receiving only minor cosmetic changes, while demanding more system resources.[citation needed] The user interface has remained essentially the same since version 9 and long standing issues with CMYK editing and brush quality haven't been addressed. It's also argued[citation needed] that Paint Shop Pro is becoming too basic, focusing mainly on one-click photo fixes like "thinify", "Express lab" and "eye drops".
[edit] Pricing policy
There have been criticisms of Corel's pricing policy that pitches international versions at significantly higher prices than those charged in the US. [6]
Another different (reversely) pricing example is the English version of Paint Shop Pro (release 9 to XI) could be more than 50% higher than that of a localized version. A Traditional Chinese localized version of Paint Shop Pro X was for sale at HK$699 in Hong Kong, whilst at the same time, the pure English "imported version" from the same distributor, having a price of HK$1199.
[edit] Unreliability and instability
Version XI, in its launch version of 11.00, was criticized[citation needed] for the number of bugs and also for the 'Organizer' function's high CPU usage. Some of the issues were addressed in the patch to version 11.11 but the Organizer continued to attract criticism. It remains problematic when working with large picture collections. The 'Organizer' issue has been fixed in version 11.20.
[edit] Spyware allegations
Versions XI and X2 install a third party program named PSIService.exe, listed under Windows services as ProtexisLicensing. Written by Protexis, this runs in the background and collects licensing information. This program communicates with a remote host[citation needed] and is described in some posts as spyware.[citation needed] The Corel EULA does not reveal that installation of Version XI or X2 will result in the installation and continued background execution of this non-Corel program. Uninstalling XI or X2 will not uninstall PSIService.exe; and upon manually disabling the Protexis Licensing service, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo will cease functioning, stating "This copy of Paint Shop Pro has been damaged or illegally modified. Please reinstall from your original source."
[edit] Limited color depth support
The latest version X2 has an incomplete implementation of 48-bit color. This color depth is limited to a handful of digital image correcting features, but not full-blown photo editing, where the real benefit can be realized. Updating to the latest version 12.01 will not provide full color depth support.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Corel to close Eden Prairie office
- ^ http://graphicssoft.about.com/b/2004/10/14/corel-acquires-jasc-software.htm
- ^ http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CorelCom%2FLayout&cid=1153321224268&c=Content_C1&lc=en&pid=1152796551300
- ^ Discussion of introduction of tubes to JASC Paint Shop Pro 5.
- ^ Discussion of Paint Shop Pro Picture Tubes, tutorials and tips.
- ^ Features - Critical Focus: Software pricing - it's an international rip-off - Digital Photography Now
- ^ Version 12.01 Release Notes
[edit] External links
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