Finding a new image editing program

Hi

I have been happy with ancient paint shop pro 7 for long enough, but a
fright recently when the program wouldn't load and I couldn't find the disk
either prompted me to think about upgrading. However, when I started
searching on the net, I found that programs seemed seriously geared towards
photography and overlooked other types of graphics. I do edit photos, but I
am more likely to be doing creative work such as a cartoonist might do, by
starting with a blank window or a drawing from the scanner.

I need all the effects and drawing-type tools such as flood-fill (including
graduated colours), colour replacer, sharpen, greyscale, gamma correction,
invert selection, resize, save as gif or jpg and so on. No doubt there are
more effect-type tools now available which I would find useful.

One disappointment in PSP was poor text manipulation: I once needed to
write text round a cylindrical shape but it just did not seem possible.

One frustration I am finding while searching for alternative programs on the
net is a seeming unwillingness by manufacturers to display an example of a
working page, so that I could see the environment and the tools I would be
working with.

I look forward to readers' suggestions for a package which I would find
exciting and rewarding to use.

Josh


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