I used PhotoImpact image editing software long before I had Photoshop. It was more intuative to use, with the pull-down menus options logically arranged where you expected them to be, without menu levels many layers deep.
In fact I upgraded to PhotoImpact from Image Pals to Go, which was supplied with a Devcom flatbed scanner many years ago. You can still find Pals To Go supplied with some scanners even today. The package was renamed to PhotoImpact when the Win95 version was released. Obviously Pals To Go does not include long filenames, as it was prior to Win95.
In some respects it has more available in it than Photoshop without resorting to third party plug-ins, such as a comprehensive range of borders. However, most Photoshop plug-ins will also work with PhotoImpact should you wish. Most reviews I've seen say that PhotoImpact will do 75% to 90% of what you can do in Photoshop, which is very good considering the price.
The package also includes histograms, layers, gamma correction and a very user-friendly print preview option which actually displays the image unlike Photoshop. Another nice touch on the print preview is adjustment of the x and y position on the page, automatic of manual centering of the image on the page, or automatic fit to page.
For anyone new to image editing (and very much cheaper than the full version of Photoshop), I would certainly recommend trying the demo version of PhotoImpact available from the Web-site. If you have difficulty obtaining the full verson, try the main UK distributor of PhotoImpact:- Bit-Systems (UK) in Alton, Hants.
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