This is a technique we've been able to do for years in Photoshop Elements, by Ctrl-clicking a thumbnail in the Layers panel to make a selection based on that layer. The Text Cutter button combines the colours from a photo with the shape of a text layer. Pressing this button hides the selected text or shape layer, creates a new layer with the textured fill (drawn from the layer below) and also creates a new image document of the same textured fill. In this case when the Text Tool or Symmetric Shape Tool is selected. As with Magic Fill, it's activated via a button that's tucked away in the Tool Options bar. It's a great idea but, again, the implementation could be neater. PaintShop Pro's Magic Fill button is tucked away in the Tool Options bar for the various selection tools.Īlso new is the ability to use a photo as a textured fill for text or a vector shape. Neither software makes the feature easy to find. Ultimately, it's about as effective as the Content Aware mode built into Photoshop Elements' Spot Healing Brush since 2010. However, it struggled for objects that sat in front of more structured backgrounds such as the regular pattern of floorboards, or in front of two or more background objects. It worked flawlessly when removing objects that were surrounded by grass. It's a great idea, as compositions often look stronger when unnecessary distractions are removed. Remove unwanted objects with the click of a button, but only if it's sitting on a relatively nondescript backgroundĪ new Magic Fill command erases unwanted objects in a photo, automatically cloning from other areas. Both applications have only seen incremental rather than revolutionary improvements in recent years, but both still dominate for home-oriented creative image editing. Does that make it older and wiser than the competition, or is it ready for retirement? A lot of that depends on whether it can beat its old rival, Adobe Photoshop Elements. PaintShop Pro is the godfather of bitmap editors, with a history that dates back to 1990.