Productivity Tools
Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: photoshop, photoimpact, editing | Themes: Software
4. Productivity Tools
PhotoImpact also includes a Task Manager and Batch Manager that can make many common time consuming tasks less tedious. The Task Manager can be used to record using a series of actions - for example - adjusting Brightness and Contrast, using the Sharpen tool, and then saving with the Web Optimizer. The Task Manager also has an editor which enables fine tuning Tasks to your liking. Your new Task can then be added to the PhotoImpact Batch Manager, and you can run the Task on as many photos as you’d like, just by selecting the photos and the Task in the Batch Manager. When performing the same series of modifications on dozens of photos, this can be a huge time saver.
Another productivity tool in PhotoImpact is the Easy Palette. This tool is poorly named, since it sounds like it’s there for users that aren’t sure of what they’re doing, which isn’t the case. Productivity Palette would be much more appropriate. The Easy Palette contains thumbnail adjustments for just about every function in PhotoImpact. Also, if there’s a particular adjustment that you frequently use, such as increasing Brightness by 12 points and Contrast by 6 points, you can add this to the Easy Palette as a new thumbnail. In the future, when you want to use the adjustment, all you need to do is drag and drop it onto your photo. The Easy Palette also contains a huge variety of presets for reflection maps, bump maps, various natural textures, and even Mac OS X styled gel buttons and gel text.
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I'm not that familiar with PhotoImpact, so this was useful to know information. However, it totally ingnores the fact that Corel has it's own "Photoshop", by the name of Paint Shop Pro. PhotoImpact seems much more of a special effects toy, where Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro are more industrial strength tools.
Unfortunately, it's impossible to mention everything everyone would like to see mentioned, since there's a limited amount of space available for any article.
I always read comments and usually don't respond, since I feel this forum is for the readers. However, there is some clarification that I feel is needed here:
PhotoImpact has roughly the same editing features as many consumer photo editing tools, *plus* the special effects, so I don't feel that "special effects toy" is accurate.
In my opinion, "Corel's Photoshop" is Corel Photo-Paint (which is part of the CorelDraw Graphics Suite). Photo-Paint has a full CMYK editing mode, and the other color and print features that you'd expect in a high-end tool.
I'm not sure that I'd call Paint Shop Pro "Industrial Strength". Paint Shop Pro's features are roughly equivalent to PhotoImpact's, without the special effects. Also, like all consumer editing programs that I've tested, it has no CMYK editing mode (just split/combine, same as PhotoImpact), and it's priced as a consumer editing tool ($79.99 for full version, $49.99 for upgrade version).
TCeleste,
Unfortunately Corel does not agree with your summation.
If you go to their web site, and select photo programs, they list Paint Shop Pro as their up market product and Photo Impact as their mid-level/entry level one.
http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satel [...] 1657927030
After reading your review, I am puzzled by your mentioning only "Photo Shop" not "Paint Shop Pro Photo". It seems to me that the natural and required information would include differentiating it between not only the segment leader costing 10x's as much but must also include the sibling costing 10% more.
Over all this review presented nothing to help me select between these two competitors. Those considering photo shop do not care about either of these budget tools. While those looking for a budget alternative most certainly care about both of these.
Over all, this omission and the focus on the non-competitive product makes this review a complete waste of space.
Thumbs down for lack of focus on the actual market segment interested in this product.
Photo Impact? Never heard of it before, but this is a newbie/amateur application, and you compare it to Photoshop?
Paint Shop Pro X2 replaced literally everything I used to do in Photoshop CS2, and it's filters run faster and simple effects are easier to do.
Unfortunately, after blowing money on a worthless purchase of Paintshop Pro X - I'll never buy another product from Corel - ever. I've never seen a more bloated piece of buggy, non-functional software.
What about The GIMP? www.gimp.org
How do you feel it stacks up for photo-image manipulation / image editing?
Excellent review! I love this software. The only two major problems are CMYK as stated, and the inability to import brushes.
PhotoImpact is not a "newbie/amateur application" as suggested by an earlier poster. I have used PI for 8 years from version 4 up to X3 and in many many ways it is easier to use than PSP or Photoshop, by a long shot. It's a great program.
Holla .
I invite u guys to have an look here :
http://www.zooppa.com/users/ranicallas
These are only a few things that i do in PI X3 .
You will find i these images - reflection and many other things.
Please have a look and maybe than you could probably tell that PIX3 is not a good program !!!!!.
PIX3 - 75 $ - PhotoShop 500 and more.
And i think that in photoshop the most nice part are plugins -
Instead of photoshop products i will use - the gimp or PIX3 ,instead of Illustrator i will use Inkscape. instead of acrobat reader i will use foxit ! instead of acrobat reader professional i will use the OpenOffice.
sry for my bad en.