The first noticeable improvement in PhotoPaint 7 is its interface, which employs the same Property toolbar as CorelDraw 7. The context-sensitive Property toolbar changes with each tool and object being used, allowing users to access the most common features and settings. Customization has always been Corel's strong point, and the company finally added user-defined hotkey support for most of PhotoPaint's tools, called Accelerator keys. PhotoPaint's speed enhancements are just as important as its facelift. Users no longer have to wait for PhotoPaint to update screens or render effects.
Most effects now render noticeably faster than in previous versions.
PhotoPaint 7's tools will also please those looking for new tricks. Corel has added an Image Sprayer tool that works much like Fractal's Image Hose. Image Sprayer releases a series of image sets, creating seamless collage effects. Like CorelDraw 7, PhotoPaint 7 uses the Scrapbook palette to browse images. It is a Windows Explorer-like palette that shows icons for all compatible image file formats and allows users to drag items out onto their documents.