What is the Mac 10.5 version of Paint Shop Pro?

March 25, 2009 5:34 PM

Please help me find the Mac 10.5.x version of Paint Shop Pro.

I want to move my photo editing tools from my old PC to my new Mac. I have Jasc Paint Shop Pro 7 on my WinXP machine and really like some of the features it has. Thinking that all photo-editing software was the same, I went and got Aperture, only to discover that it's a totally different beast.

I did some research into Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and Elements, but I can't tell if any have some of the tools I used to use in PSP7. I just like the range of features in PSP7, which gave me the flexibility to do what I wanted with my photos. I've done things like remove red-eye, and most software seems to have that. I also want to be able to do special things, like remove blemishes by color-replacement, and work with GIF and RAW images. Some of the tools I used in PSP7:

- Layering. I sometimes made composite photos by layering one over another, then merging the layers (flattened, according to PSP7).

- Edge smoothing. I sometimes crop and resize photos, and used a smoothing tool to soften the pixellation.

- Selection. Shaped, or freehand, selections that let me copy-paste onto another photo, or within the same photo as a new layer (see above on Layering).

- Re-sizing. A bit different than just saving the pic at a higher resolution, this tool essentially allowed me to enlarge or shrink a photo in my workspace.

PSP7 also had other fancy things that, while I never played with, I would like just in case I decide to dabble.

I am not a professional photographer, and I do not have a standardized workflow for how I process my pictures. I've used mostly point-and-shoot digital cameras, but will likely invest in a D-SLR sometime in the future. What Mac photo-editing software bears a semblance to the PC-only Paint Shop Pro?

posted by CancerMan to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

Adobe Photoshop is the standard, period. If you don't think you'll use enough of it to justify the price, maybe check out Adobe Photoshop Elements, the "light" version.
posted by Oktober at 5:38 PM on March 25, 2009

You could try to get your existing XP app working using Crossover.
posted by pompomtom at 6:41 PM on March 25, 2009

Sounds like a job for Pixelmator.
posted by eafarris at 7:08 PM on March 25, 2009

Acorn is another choice and is part of the current MacHeist bundle. The whole bundle (up to 12 applications) costs less than Acorn alone does.

Photoshop Elements should also do what you want. There's a trial.
posted by kindall at 9:51 PM on March 25, 2009

The Macheist deal is pretty much always a no-brainer given how cheap it is. Aperture is, however, a very good raw workflow manager and you should use it. It's very good for reviewing photos and making raw-level edits such as white balance and expsorue correction. Lightroom is like Aperture. Most Adobe products have free trials you can play with.
posted by Caviar at 5:28 AM on March 26, 2009

Paint Shop Pro is pretty much a copy of Photoshop. They didn't invent anything new, they just recreated features that Photoshop has. Back in the old days I knew a lot of people who used PSP because it was easier to get a working, unlocked copy of that than it was to acquire Photoshop.

I don't know if Photoshop Elements can handle RAW images. Photoshop can, but I haven't ever used Elements.
posted by caution live frogs at 6:25 AM on March 26, 2009

Yeah, Elements does raw.
posted by kindall at 7:52 AM on March 26, 2009

You can buy a copy of VMware Fusion, install Windows, and keep using PSP7. I've done similar for CorelDraw which doesn't really have an equivalent. Fusion usually has rebates going and is certainly cheaper than Photoshop.
posted by chairface at 5:31 PM on March 26, 2009

I really like Pixelmator as an option here. For $59 (actually less for me since I got it during a MacHeist or MacUpdate bundle deal), it does about 90% of the things I personally use Photoshop for, and from the looks of it, all of the things you want to do. Plus it's really fast and has a slick user interface. Bonus points if the Mac you got has a nice GPU, since it uses that for some of its processing.

Acorn seems like a good option, too. There are trials for both apps. Give them a shot.
posted by joshrholloway at 2:24 PM on March 29, 2009

A few additional points to consider:

- Pixelmator or Acorn may work out well for your needs, but also consider that familiarity with Photoshop software is a good skill set to have for employment reasons. It can come in handy even for a non-graphics-focused job. It sounds like you don't work with images for your job now, but if an employer or potential employer ever happened to ask you about it in the future, s/he would probably ask, "So, are you familiar with Photoshop?" rather than "Are you familiar with Pixelmator?"

- If you at any time think you'll outgrow Pixelmator/Acorn, and want to upgrade to the full Photoshop, it might make better sense to start with the Photoshop family, instead of having to learn Photoshop from scratch later on.

So, if those two points are something that are important to you, I'm going to lean with some of the others here and recommend Photoshop Elements as a starting point. Grab the trial copy from Adobe (it should be fully functional), and work on a bunch of different photos and images. I admit I haven't used Elements, but this comparison should be helpful in deciding what you'll want. For example, if you're going to need CMYK output or color balancing, then based on that list, it looks like Elements won't cut it.

If you decide Elements really isn't enough, then you can download the trial for the full Photoshop (Photoshop as opposed to Photoshop Extended, which may be overkill for your projects) and compare.

Regardless, though: to save money, you might consider buying older versions rather than the absolute latest versions. I know someone who needed the full Photoshop but got a previous version for much cheaper, and it was more than enough for his needs. Also, definitely look into academic pricing/offers if you're eligible.

One other thing about Photoshop: since it has been around for ages and is so prevalent, there are scads more users, tutorials, guides, tips, etc. (Not to say that Pixelator and Acorn don't have their own help communities, that is.)

I hope I don't sound like I'm pushing Adobe here, but as a Photoshop user for many years, it's definitely the standard for a reason. That said, I've used and have recommended some fairly good (albeit Windows-based) alternatives and am all for supporting independent software makers, too. If you think Pixelmator or Acorn will work for you and you don't ever anticipate needing Photoshop for work, then Pixelmator and Acorn sound like great deals. (The MacHeist 3 bundle sounded like a great deal, too, but it seems to be over now.)
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 11:02 PM on April 13, 2009

Oops, sorry -- in the last paragraph, it should be "...but as a Photoshop user for many years, I agree it's definitely the standard for a reason."

In any case, good luck and I hope you'll update this thread when you've decided which software works best for you.
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 11:12 PM on April 13, 2009

Response by poster: After a long moment of consideration, I decided to go with Photoshop Elements. I haven't played with it for long, but knowing that the Photoshop family has become the current standard, I felt it wouldn't hurt to have that kind of skillset under my belt.

I was initially hesitant to pursue Photoshop, because the product descriptions did not address some of the needs I was interested in. However, I discovered recently that there are video tutorials and other resources that (albeit inadvertently) documented the features I wanted.

Thanks to everyone!
posted by CancerMan at 4:43 PM on May 1, 2009