Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8

Rating:
Summary: Buggy and slooow
Review: I'm PSP user for several years now. Two months ago I upgraded to PSP8 and I am very disappointed. Launching PSP takes 3 times longer than launching PSP7. In complex PSP images with multiple layers and a lot of vector graphics selecting a single object can take up to 5 seconds (you click an object, for 5 seconds nothing happens and then it gots selected). Strange error messages are shown while working with PSP8 that do not make any sense. Saving GIF files doesn't really work, looks like there are bugs in save routine. Once in a while PSP8 completely stalls and the CPU utilization goes up to 100%.
All this behaviour I experienced with the latest PSP patch (8.1) and I NEVER had anything like this with good ol' PSP7.

Yesterday I installed PSP7 again...

Rating:
Summary: Getting better
Review: I love PSP. I've used it since version 3, and I've always been impressed by what I could do with it. Paint Shop Pro 8 (and by "8" I'm really referring to "8.1") is the best yet. More intuitive, more features, etc.

I have only 2 complaints that keep it from being 5 stars. One is that - depending on your RAM and CPU - it can take awhile to load its very large .dll library. It uses a lot of resources to do what it does.

The other continues to be a peeve with me: the online help. For a product that does as much as it does, the help is far better than even version 5, but still not at the level of quality it could or should be. (For example, the online help says I can change the ruler increments in the Units box. It doesn't tell me where to FIND the "Units box.")

If you're going to spend money on a powerful graphics package, this is a bargain compared to the wildly overpriced and overrated Adobe product and does the job just as well.

Rating:
Summary: WOW! Excellent!
Review: I've used Paint Shop Pro for years, but version 8.1 is incredible! If you have an earlier version, just the Effects Browser upgrade alone is worth it. It's powerful, flexible, and - most important - STILL REASONABLY priced! I'm amazed at what I can do with this, and I'm still exploring. Anyone who pays 6 or 8 times more for a competing product is being ripped off. This is all you need!

Rating:
Summary: Great Program
Review: Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 is a great program! I began using it when I got a job as a technology teacher. The software offers so many options for teachers, students, and anyone who is into design, editing photos, WebPages, and even PowerPoint Presentations.

My middle school students love this program! They have designed so many graphics that it is unreal. The program offers downloadable picture tubes that allow for students to add pictures, drawings, or unique effects to their graphics. I, as well as my students, have designed monthly banners for the school web page calendar that are absolutely amazing.

As I was teaching myself, a few things were a little tricky such as the layers, floating images, and selection tools. However, I quickly learned how to use these items to create some wonderful graphics. I really like this program because you can edit existing items. My students changed a graphic by selecting and changing the colors in it and adding some of their own effects. It is really neat that the students can personalize or spice up an already existing graphic.

Another great feature is that Paint Shop Pro comes with Animation Shop which is a wonderful program. Students have as well as myself have taken several items that we have made or found and made animations out of them. The animation wizard makes it really easy to load the pictures into the frames to create an animation. It is super easy to add any effects such as changing colors, wheel, rotate. This is very helpful for creating just the animation that you need for your Webpage or Presentation.

For the price, this program is the best! I have had no bad experiences with the software at all. I would recommend Paint Shop Pro to anyone!

Rating:
Summary: Moving Up in Digital Imaging Software
Review: When I was younger and had more time on my hands I was a very serious amateur complete with his own film darkroom (you remember those, don't you.) The advent of the digital camera and imaging software has actually allowed me to get back into the "digital darkroom" at a lot less expense and time commitment, and with a quantum leap (maybe even two or three leaps) in creativity opportunities. Also, I have a technical background and am very comfortable with software. My first experience has been with software that came with my digital camera, namely Photo Impressions 4, and with my computer, namely Dell Imager. I found both of these to be really good and user friendly for a beginner. These programs got me hooked on digital imaging. Once hooked, I wanted to move on to software with more capability, but didn't want to go the full Pro route. After researching the subject, I decided to download free trials of Adobe Photo Shop Elements 2 and Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8. I made the assumption, well supported by other reviews, that either program would have more than enough capability for my needs. I focused on user friendliness, ease of learning, and how likely I would remember how to use the software after a period of a month or so of not using it (probably typical for most beginners/amateurs). This last point is important, because it could become a barrier to continued use. Without going into all the gory details (see the other reviews - they make excellent points on technical details), here's how I reacted. After using the Adobe product for a few hours, I decided that it isn't particularly user friendly and would take quite a bit of effort on my part to learn how to use it with confidence. Also, I was convinced that after a month or so of non-use, I would have to retrain. I decided not to purchase the Adobe product. After using the Jasc product for about 15 minutes, I got hooked. It's user friendly, intuitive, fairly easy to learn, and I am sure that I'll be able to get back up-to-speed quickly after a few months of not using it. This is a no-brainer, I'm going to purchase Paint Shop Pro 8.

Rating:
Summary: PSP 8 has much to offer
Review: It has much to offer, but it will take some time to experience all the effects and features, because they are sort of hidden. I had gotten a 60-day-trial and the trial was half way done, before I had found all the features and how they worked. It is a great buy for amateur graphic designers, if you are not willing to pay a lot of money for Photoshop.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent "easy" paint / photo package!
Review: To be honest Adobe Photoshop is the top pro paint/photo package to use but I find myself turning to Paint Shop Pro very often. Let me list the reasons why.

- It is quicker than Adobe Photoshop.
- It has enough functions to do most of the things I need.
- It is easy to use.
- The learning curve is not steep.
- The package is smaller in hard drive size that Photoshop.
- It can do the vast majority of things that Photoshop can do.

In short, if you want to learn a pro package then learn Adobe Photoshop, but Photoshop has a very steep learning curve. If you are looking for an easier paint/photo package that you can almost start producing with right out of the box then this is one to get. It is easier than Photoshop but Photoshop still tops it for functionality.

I use this package a lot. An aweful lot. It fits a perfect market niche for semi-pro or domestic paint/photo software users.

Rating:
Summary: You can't go wrong with PSP8
Review: As a pro-am photopgraher I can't say too many good things about this gem of an application. PSP has matured over the years into a full featured image editor that can compete with anything Adobe can produce in this price range. I use PSP along with Adobe Elements as they both have their minor nuances. It is unlikely that you will be left wanting any more features or capabilities with this package. Although it is so feature rich that it can take some time to find all of the capabilities...buy it, spend the time and have some fun.

Rating:
Summary: The best value in high-function photo editing
Review: I've been a long-time user of PSP going back to the shareware days. Over the years, and with the purchase of a digital camera about three years ago, I've slowly learned how such programs really work and what is possible. (Hint for newbies: a big key is layers!)

PSP 8 is a great improvement with a lot more info shown on the screen now and within easy reach. The tool controls are always available. The scripts are great. JASC has terrific service and they send the only e-mail newsletter I actually read (you can opt out, but it's actually useful).

To put this in perspective: I shot a wedding recently on film and had film-transport problems causing creases and scratches on many photos. I had the negatives digitized at high resolution, and was able to repair or rebuild all the important photos and fix up most others. We're talking >200 photos. Every problem I faced, PSP had the tools to solve.

If you're new to photo editing, there are the simple operations like one step photo fix, and easy contrast and saturation adjustments. But when you need something more, or are ready to expand your artistic reach, Paint Shop Pro will be ready to unleash all its power for you.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Graphics Editor
Review: I've used lots of graphics editing programs and this one is the best & easiest for the money.
I upgraded from PSP7 and PSP8 was a bit buggy but the final upgrade 8.10 finally made it great & JASC mailed me the new CD with final upgrade without me having to even ask :)

Those of you that miss the way PSP7 LOOKED ...just load the PSP7 Workspace on PSP8 and TADA! There you have it, PSP7 setup again!

I don't know who the heck said all the good reviews are from people working for the company but I know I don't work for them, I'm just a stay at home mommy with a love for graphics...but if you'd like to hire me JASC, Gimme a call! LOL

I have NO bugs since version 8.10 and it runs fine on my P4 1gb ram WinXP computer.