Similarly, the Auto-enhance Contrast button presents choices for Bias, Strength, and Appearance, with 18 possible combinations. It requires you to set the illuminant temperature and strength, and to decide on colorcast removal before proceeding. The “automatic” image-adjustment features Jasc Software added to this release require more user input than one might hope.Ĭlicking the Auto Color Balance button, for instance, brings up a dialog box that hardly differs from the program’s other image-adjustment palettes.

In fact, I found myself wondering why they are called “automatic” at all. Unfortunately, the program’s automatic tools are disappointing. While Image Expert’s single tool does an admirable job a majority of the time, Paint Shop Pro’s promise of separate auto-correct buttons for balance, contrast, and saturation was appealing. I have found just such an auto-correction tool in Image Expert 2000 to be a great timesaver. Support for Java rollovers, as well as improvements to Paint Shop Pro’s bundled companion app - Animation Shop 3 - will be of interest to Web designers.Īs a digital photographer, I was excited to learn that Paint Shop Pro 7 adds new tools that can automatically balance color, adjust contrast, and enhance saturation. A whole toolbar of buttons for retouching and repairing photos and video is aimed at digital photographers, while support for editable vector graphics targets high-end graphic artists. New features in Paint Shop Pro 7 will appeal to disparate types of users. In light of such developments, the program’s thumbnail viewer has become incidental it’s now Paint Shop Pro’s editing tools by which the program must be judged.

Jasc has responded to the increasing competition by beefing up Paint Shop Pro’s high-end editing capabilities to appeal to more-experienced users, despite the package’s $109 price. Consequently, they lack the kind of image-enhancement tools that business and artistic users require. Most such products, however, are entry-level applications aimed at consumers new to digital imaging. Since the advent of digital photography, image thumbnail browsers have become legion, erasing Paint Shop Pro’s erstwhile distinction in that regard. Though not the distinguishing feature it once was, Paint Shop Pro’s thumbnail browser is still a pleasure to use.

Paint shop pro windows 7