Hi Bruce ... Well, I've got PS 7.0, and really like it, but sometimes I don't want to load "the big gun" for some little editing job, and IrfanView, while nice, lacks a lot of features. From what I can see having fiddled with the PWPro program just a little, it might be a nice middle ground between IrfanView and PS.
I wasn't able to get the curves in PWPro to work like the curves in PS ... didn't seem as full featured, but that's no problem at this point. Couldn't find the full color management that PS has either, although I saw it has some. The trial version has less features, so some of what I'm seeing may be related to the "streamlined" version available for download. I'll say this, though, the clone tool, the patch tool, and the healing brush in PS 7 are worth every penny of the PS price if you're doing any photo restoration, or if you need to touch up a scratched or spotted neg or slide. I've been slowly working through the restoration of some old family photos, a few in very bad shape, and those tools are invaluable. I agree that there's a lot of graphics stuff in PS that is mostly useless for photographers, but every now and then (mostly "then" for me) one of those tools or techniques comes in handy. Thanks Bruce ... Shel Bruce Dayton wrote: > I've used it quite a bit. Overall I like it. One of the big > comparisons between it and photoshop is the price. Remember that full > price photoshop is $600+. Quite steep for my blood. PW Pro is $90. > On the plus side, it is one of the few programs that fully support > color management. It is also more geared toward a photographer rather > than a graphic artist. > > If you already own Photoshop, I really doubt there is anything in PW > Pro that would make you want to switch. If, like me, you have not > sprung for Photoshop at this point, it is worth considering. I have > been using Photoshop Elements for quite some time, and one of the > biggest things lacking in it is "curves". This is present in PW Pro > as are some perspective correction tools. > > PW Pro creates a new window for each edit process. About half the > time I hate it and half the time I love it. When I want to try two or > three different edits and compare them, then the multiple separate > windows is very nice. Just switch between them. But when the edits > are simple and I don't want to compare, then the extra windows are > bothersome. > > Overall I like it and can recommend it. Like I said, if you have > already purchased (or are willing to) Photoshop, it is probably not > worth the bother, but if not, this is certainly one of the top > contenders.
