#Paint shop pro picture frames free update

It’s finally possible to type text directly onto an image rather than via a dialog box. Images can be batch processed but only using the basic controls in the Express Lab, and it still manages to be unwieldy. Object Extractor provides a new way to cut out objects, but this isn’t very successful, with little built-in intelligence and an insistence on pasting the result into a new document, which isn’t always helpful. In addition, a new Vibrancy tool boosts colours without spoiling skin tones, and is great for livening up dull photos. It works better than Photoshop Elements’ similar Recompose tool, being both easier to use and producing better results. It’s ideal for making photos fit a picture frame without having to crop the edges, and also for removing a stranger, or an ex, from a photo. In the main application, you can use the new Smart Carver tool to stretch or compress photos into different aspect ratios, while defining areas to protect or discard. Thankfully, this problem disappears once the image is sent to the main application for further editing, but it makes a nonsense of the noise reduction and sharpness controls. Worst of all, zooming the preview to 100 per cent magnification reveals glaring blocky artefacts (we suspect the demosaicing and anti-aliasing algorithms are at fault). The controls are hopelessly basic, with no picker tool for custom white balance, no highlight or shadow restoration and not even a contrast control. Sadly, handling of RAW files is atrocious. Camera support is reasonably comprehensive, although certain recently launched cameras such as Sony’s A550 and Pentax’s K-series aren’t currently compatible. PaintShop Pro finally gets its own RAW-processing engine.

#Paint shop pro picture frames free update

The veteran image editor PaintShop Pro has just had a makeover and, unusually for creative software, it’s a pretty significant update – though the overhaul still needs some work with numerous bugs and a few glaring omissions.