[Leica] Re: Is Picture Window Pro MUCH easier to use than PS? (LONG)

[Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>]

Alex asked:
>     How is the intuitiveness and ease of use factor of PW Pro? 

(note:  I'm posting this to the LUG, too, as it might be useful to some
folks there)

Alex:

I've never used the full version of Photoshop, but I have used PS 4 and 5
Limited Edition.  I find PWP quite a bit easier.  I really didn't have to
look up things to do the basics--a couple of hours of playing and I was
OK.  Note that PWP is a full-featured program, though, and some complexity
is unavoidable unless you want an amateur's "happy snaps" program.

Picture Window Pro's (PWP) metaphors are more photographer-oriented, so
many things work the way a darkroom-experienced person would expect.
However, unlike Photoshop Elements, it does not try to hide details of the
process from you.  PWP has a much smaller footprint on your hard drive and
in memory.  It does most of its operations on 48-bit as well as 24-bit
color (16 vs. 8-bit B&W), so you can do major curve and color corrections 
without posterization (picket-fencing on the histogram). Its support is
great--the author is on line and answers most questions.

Major differences--PWP does not do adjustment layers. Channel mixing is
different.  You can filter and combine images and/or or use masks to
accomplish much the same things that these features do.  Also, PWP uses
"pipeline editing."  Most operations perform a "transformation" on one
Window and generate the result in another.  You can save or not save
windows to the same or different filenames.  So it's again different, but
you have just as much control.  Undo levels and layers are not preserved
in saved files, which makes for smaller files, but less ability to undo a
change days later if you didn't save a previous version.

PWP's algorithms are a little different than PS, so numbers in
Photoshop tutorials and tips will not be the same in functions like
unsharp mask, etc.

And PWP does not support Photoshop actions and plug-ins.  Note that
keeping a copy of PS 5.0 LE or PS Elements (bundled with many scanners and
printers) will give you the ability to use some, but not all plug-ins.

You can download PWP for free and try it for 30 days.  Go to 

www.dl-c.com

Registration is $89.00 as opposed to full Photoshop's $600.00.  I suggest
you download it, work through the first couple of chapters of the tutorial
and then play with it a bit.

I started out using the freeware Irfanview, which I still use for quick
and dirty stuff because it is fast, very easy, and free.  Irfanview also
supports some Photoshop plugins.  I used PS 5 LE for a while, and would
have stuck with it but for one thing--the screen gamma is fixed at 1.8, so
images you do on a PC are darker when you put them on the Web.  There is a
workaround that involves changing a number just before your final save--
after which what you see in PS LE is not what you get.  This was too much
of a pain to tolerate. It also got me rather ticked off at Adobe.

Once I started using PWP, I didn't look back--especially after Jonathan
added support for the curves used by the MIS quadtone and hextone B&W
inks.  PWP does not support Piezography--the driver is a PS plugin.

If you have any aspirations to be a graphic arts professional, need CMYK
separations for prepress, or you are most comfortable using the industry
standard, go with Photoshop.  If you want real value for money, PWP is a
great alternative, more oriented toward the photographer than the graphic
artist.

The truth is that any of the popular ~$99 programs will work well enough
for most of us.  I prefer to do my initial curve and color corrections in
48/16 bit mode--which PWP, unlike Paint Shop Pro or PS Elements, does.
Frankly, for most of us, Photoshop is overkill. I'd rather put $600
towards a new lens than $600 now and $200 every two years to Adobe.  That
could change if I find some plug-in I can't live without that won't work
in LE or Elements.

Hope this helps.  I have no connection to Digital Light and Color except
as a satified customer.

- --Peter

On Thu, 6 Jun 2002 ALEXSCIFI@aol.com wrote:

> 
> Alex
> 
> Date: Wed, 05 Jun 2002 20:50:04 -0700
> From: Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>
> Subject: Noise cleaning software, was Re: [Leica] Nathan in Zurich
> Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20020605203928.00a24620@pop.2alpha.net>
> References: 
> 
> >At 09:00 PM 6/4/02 -0700, Peter wrote:
> >
> > >I need a little help from our resident scanning experts here.  Nathan was
> > >wearing dark blue clothing, and it scanned with a lot of noise in the form
> > >of colored speckles.  It's harder to see in the little JPG, but in the
> 
> Tina replied:
> 
> >Peter, Fred Miranda has an action to reduce noise in digital photos.  I
> >don't see why it wouldn't also work for scans:
> >
> >http://www.fredmiranda.com/isoX/index.html
> >
> >Tina
> 
> Thanks, Tina.  Unfortunately, it only works with full Photoshop, which I 
> don't have, and not with LE or Elements, which I do.  Too bad--though I 


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