by Joyce Kohl
April 27, 1998
Paint Shop Pro 5's innovative approach to design, new multi-layers feature, built-ins, and the ability to use filters and plug-ins from other graphics programs has earned itself a reputation as the most versatile 32-bit Windows application available today. Its multi-undo capabilities along with the comprehensive printed User's Guide containing a step-by-step tutorial along with extensive help within the program awakens the hidden creativeness in any "wanna be" graphics artist.
Previous users will immediately appreciate the newest enhancements and image manipulative capabilities. With full support of Adobe Photoshop import, export and file format plug-ins, Paint Shop Pro 5 is a stunning, superb program and continues to be the leader in its field.
Key Features of Paint Shop Pro 5
Here's a list of the powerful new features - the ones with detailed reviews and screen
views have hyperlinks which will jump to the subject area. I've also included some
related examples and comments as I combined various features, so be sure to also browse
down the page and not just use the hyperlinks.
For this review, I had to learn to use the program. My first attempts were frustrating as I tried to follow the tutorial quickly. The tutorial at the back of the User's Guide would no doubt be easy to understand by users of previous versions, but none of it contained the things I wanted to learn yet. As a hobbyist webmaster, I could hardly wait to create backgrounds, buttons and banners. Okay, so now what? I searched the Internet, found the foothold I needed from several different sites, and then the fun of Paint Shop Pro 5 began.
Let's Create
To begin creating a design, I launched Paint Shop Pro, chose New from the File menu, set
both the width and height to 200. This is a nice size for a background graphic on a
Web site. By placing the cursor over the new file, the dimensions and number of
colors are visible in the lower right corner of the window.
The new dialog box ensures the user of the background type wanted. In this view, white is the selection. If I want a transparent background, I simply select it from the Image Characteristics area, then click on the the down-arrow in the Background Color selection window, choosing transparent.
Layer Power
At the top of the new feature list is multiple layer support which is like drawing on
several transparent sheets. Each layer is an individual level of an image and a
multi-layered image is a set of sheets placed together in one stack. Layers can be
added, deleted, rearranged, blended, and until they are merged, they remain independent
for easy editing without effecting the rest of the layers. Every newly created
image will have at least one layer, the background. Paint Shop Pro supports up to 64
layers per image, though the actual number may vary according to the amount of memory in
your computer.
Each layer has a corresponding button displaying the layer name. To make a layer active, click on it. In this example, the background layer is active.
The attributes for each layer can be selected and edited either at the time of a new layer creation or it can be re-opened at any time by clicking the layer button and choosing Properties, right-clicking on the layer button, or by double-clicking its layer button.
Understanding layering is extremely important and will take some quality time to master. By sticking to a minimum of three or four layers and creating simple projects, much of the confusion about the functionality of layers will disappear and be replaced with comprehension.
As I worked through some of the basic learning skills in Paint Shop Pro, I made it a habit to start over again from scratch whenever I got myself into a muddle of layers. By beginning again each time, the functions of each layer became clearer. Rather than reinforcing confusion, starting over is good practice and will reinforce the ability to grasp the power of layering. Photoshop users have had the use of layers for a long time. Now in version 5, Paint Shop Pro users have layer power.
When I created these four tiles, I first created a template and saved it. Then using my template I was able to create differently colored grain background tiles easily by changing only the color/fill layer. I started with a 200 x 200 new window and then resized each of them to 100 x 100 for this review:
Thanks to the multiple layer support of Paint Shop Pro, the entire process took only a few minutes. The template will allow me to quickly create dozens of different background tiles in the future as well as create matching buttons and bars. Now I know how the free graphics Web sites create all the beautiful graphics sets.
Here's a simple gradient background. This is only one sample of how even a novice "graphics artist" is able to create acceptable background graphics for a Web site. You'll be delighted, too, with all the possible combinations available to you in Paint Shop Pro 5. Pasting an image on the left would turn this into a border graphic which is the latest rage for Web site backgrounds. Saving a template of one you like would then enable you create matching buttons, bars, and whatever else you need for a background set.
Understanding the concept of layers is a top priority. Layers allow you to design graphics templates you can then reuse and create unlimited special effects. Before doing anything else in Paint Shop Pro, I found that practicing with the Layer Palette was necessary or else gaining familiarity with it cannot be accomplished. Expertise will come as you practice, practice, and practice some more. Keep it simple at first, then gradually add one thing at a time.
Layers can be moved up and down in the stack of layers within an image; layers can be renamed, deleted as well as added, merged, and moved. A layer can be copied to another image; group layers can be moved as a single stack; transparency can be protected for each layer; opacity can be changed; and you can enable a layer mask and/or link it. These are only a few of things you can do with layers.
Multiple Undo
Anyone who has ever worked in a graphics designer program knows the importance of undo.
Only one other graphics program I'm aware of has multi-undos. The first thing I
check in any graphics program is how many times I can undo a process. Without this
feature, it's necessary to start over again. I've dumped any program which does not
include multi-undos.
The Tool Palette
By default, the tool palette is docked vertically on the left of the workspace. If
you prefer it to be horizontal and undocked (floating), it can be dragged to any edge of
the workspace. Undocking is accomplished by double-clicking on any area not
occupied by a button. The visible floating palettes can be hidden by pressing the
<Tab> key. Press it again to display them.
Tool Palette Undocked (Floating)
Tool Palette Docked
The Toolbar and the Color palettes can also be docked at the edges of the workspace window. When docked the bar or palette becomes part of the border around the image.
Brushes
Enhanced Paint Brushes allow image shape definition with full brush tip controls.
There are four steps to using a brush: Activating, selecting brush colors,
configuring the brush tip and attributes, and then applying the paint to the image.
Options include shape, size, opacity, density, hardness, and step controls. If the
attributes included with Paint Shop Pro 5 aren't enough, you can create your own custom
brushes.
Filters
The most fun I had with Paint Shop Pro was when I discovered all the magical ways to
enhance images with the use of filters. Since I have problems drawing a straight
line - or even a curved one, filters are a way for me to create images in a way which
gives the illusion of a user having artistic talent. Users who are
artists or have artistic abilities have created plug-in filters for Paint Shop Pro.
I found over 17 megabytes (when decompressed from the ZIPped) of filters.
Following is a four-step process of one way to create an all new image from an
object included with Paint Shop Pro:
Step One
Select an object.
Step Two
From the Image menu, open the Filter Browser.
Step Three
Select the Emboss Filter
Step Four
Select a plug-in filter. I chose one from "FunHouse."
Voila!
A "new" image.
Picture Tubes
The only drawing ability I have is confined to using a ruler and a pencil on a sheet of
paper and connecting one dot to the other dot. My painting artistry is limited to
polishing my fingernails. So you can understand why this new experience of being able to
paint a variety of objects without having to draw them is a phenomenal new experience for
me. Picture Tubes is best explained on Page 156 of the User's Guide:
"Each Picture Tube displays a variety of objects or an object in a variety of settings. For example, this Picture Tube applies 12 different fish, while the Colored Spheres Picture Tube applies a sphere in 15 colors."
The Picture Tube Icon on the Tool Palette
Frame a picture with holly, or block out the background with holly as I've done and create a holiday setting for a favorite photograph. Or how about an aquarium filled with colorful fish!
Create your own Picture Tubes, or download all the free ones available on Web sites. I ferreted out over 24 megabytes of plug-ins and add-ins, including several Picture Tubes, for Paint Shop Pro 5. I also found a lot of new fonts to add to my system. Some of them contain graphic characters like Wingdings. I found some that were all holiday, some for baby things, and even food items. First, check the Design Studio on Jasc. Or initiate a search in any of the search engines with these suggested phrases WITH the quotes:
On my hard drive I created a new folder under my Paint Shop Pro 5 folder, named it "plugins," and then copied all my decompressed files into it. Next I opened File/Preferences/General Program Preferences and clicked on the plug-in filter tab. Then I selected the folder I just created and made sure the "Enable Plugin Filters" was checked.
Buttons Using Filters
Another few minutes is all it took to create some plain beveled buttons. All I did
was open a new project, set the size, filled the buttons with my choice of colors, then
brought up one of the plug-in filters for buttons, and tried adding text.
Filters enable you to create special effects. You can find them on the Web as shareware and freeware. Designing with the tools in Paint Shop Pro is easy for the novice designer, yet contains a plethora of advanced configurations available for the professional. Here's only four of the paper texture filters. Considering the options of depth, opaqueness, size, and the brush tips available, you're limited only by your imagination.
Whether your taste is bright and bold or soft and subdued, whatever you desire can be created with this miraculous program.
Playing With Text Tools
Creating different effects with fonts is instantly gratifying. The only thing I did
to get these samples was to open a new graphic of 200 x 100, wrote my name in a 36-point
font, clicked on Image/Effects and then played around with the settings available.
Then I used the buttonize feature. In less than two minutes I created these:
Next I tried filling the background with a gradient, chose a different font, other effects and came up with these in another couple of minutes:
I used a drop-shadow in this one and several other tools.
Then I resized it to half the size .
The possibilities are infinite with this comprehensive, unrivaled Windows graphics program. Any font you use can be manipulated by flood filling, beveling, outlining, embossing and even cutout and recessed.
Browsing
An integral feature of the program is the browser. It opens in its own window and
while open, the Menu bar displays the ImageFile menu and the browser commands appear in
the appropriate menus. In this screen shot (showing only the top half of the actual
screen), the objects folder of Paint Shop Pro is open which shows the images in thumbnails
- small reviews of the images within the folder. Right-click on any image to select
information from the pop-up menu, or open the image for editing by dragging, opening, or
double-clicking.
Thumbnails can be saved to any size you wish. They can also be managed in ascending or descending order, and best of all, the thumbnails in Paint Shop Pro are viewed in true colors and they're not deformed as they are in many thumbnail viewers.
Considering the low cost of Paint Shop Pro, the built-in Thumbnail browser is worth the cost of the program to anyone like myself who has hundreds of images stored all over the place. I've been able to begin the process of organization. The other program I used prior to Paint Shop Pro did not show the actual colors of my images nor did it show them in the proper dimensions.
Animation Shop v1.00
Jasc Software includes with Paint Shop Pro 5 their new powerful tool, Animation Shop, for
creating and optimizing animated Web images. It features an intuitive and natural
environment with it's filmstrip-style interface.
Best of all, there's an Animation Wizard for building new animations from existing ones or from still image files and has some of the most powerful output options. It lets you create animations quickly and easily.
After selecting one of the included animation GIF files, a "film strip" of each frame appears:
The animation included with Animation Shop shows a black opaque fish. You can edit the color in each frame, add text or whatever you wish, then use the Optimization Wizard which custom saves files either with the image quality preserved, file size shrinking for faster downloads, or you can select something in between. Changes can be made quickly using drag-and-drop and propagate paste. Files can be saved in GIF or Animation Shop's format of MNG. The optimization process lets you determine the level of image quality of your animation versus the output size of the file.
My first feeble attempt flooding the fish with color and adding text. Each frame of an animation must be edited for the modifications you wish to make. As a novice animation creator, I have not yet learned how to create my own animations, but with the Animation Shop's new way of creating animated images, I intend to learn. The Animation Shop User's Guide is a "how to" reference. It's easy to jump to specific topics of interest or follow it from the beginning to end using each step as a tutorial.
Left: Original animation of 39 frames. Right:
One frame showing color change and text added.
What Exactly is "Deselect?"
In all the tutorials I located on the Internet and even in the User's Guide itself, were
instructions to either "deselect" or "do not deselect." One of the
simplest things threw me for a loop - which always happens when I'm learning something new
- so again I searched the Internet, searched the User's Guide Index, went page by page in
the tutorial at the back of the book and came up with nothing. Then I made one last
attempt by reading the inch thick printouts I collected while learning the program and
writing this review, and here's the answer:
"Deselect" means to choose "Select None" from the Selections Menu or click anywhere within the window with the right mouse button. Duh!
What You Need
Known as "The versatile image design
studio," Paint Shop Pro 5 requires at least a 486 processor, 12
megabytes of RAM, a 256-color display adapter, and 10 megabytes of hard disk space.
The recommended system is a Pentium processor with MMX™ technology, 32+
megabytes of RAM, 40+ megabytes of hard drive space, 24-bit color display adapter set at
1024x738 resolution, and a pressure-sensitive tablet. The operating environments
required are Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0. Released by Jasc Software in April, 1998, at a cost of only $99 ($39
for the upgrade), Paint Shop Pro 5 is the latest version of their popular image editor.
Conclusion
Paint Shop Pro 5 is without a doubt the best graphics program I have ever used.
It is the most comprehensive, the easiest to use, has all the features I need or
could ever want, and has the best streamlined interface. Paint Shop Pro 5 is truly
an all-in-one package because the built-in programs for scanning, browsing, and capturing
along with the plug-ins and filters available make it the best choice for the beginner;
the best choice for webmasters; the best choice for artists. From its shareware
beginning to its advancement to commercial, Paint Shop Pro continues to hold its place
among the leading graphics programs. To say it is stunning is an under-statement.
It is that and much, much more.
It is beyond the scope of this review to give you examples of all the amazing features of Paint Shop Pro 5. Customizing for your preferences is nearly unlimited; manipulating and processing graphics is awesome; its support of over 40 file formats and its power puts this graphics program in a class by itself. Go get it NOW! Jasc Software.
I'm 100% sold on Paint Shop Pro 5. It surpassed all my expectations and I give Paint Shop Pro five out of five Go Inside Review Lights!
Copyright © 1998 by Joyce Kohl
"Go Inside" is a David Boles Trademark