Corel KnockOut

Achieving a perfect cut-out is a challenge, and often a daily one for print designers and photographers. Adobe stole a lot of the thunder from earlier versions of KnockOut by introducing a similar Extract utility within Photoshop 6. Now KnockOut 2 hits back with a slicker and faster release, sold under Corel's Procreate banner.

Unlike KnockOut 1.5, this version is strictly a plug-in module only, with no standalone facility. You will need either Photoshop or Corel Photo-Paint - or a 100 per cent plug- in compatible alternative - to run KnockOut 2 from within. This enables you to send each layer in a Photoshop document to KnockOut individually, then re-insert the masked versions seamlessly back into the multi-layered original. Also, process- separated CMYK images are now supported, so post-production workflow is no longer affected.

Version 2 introduces more touch-up tools for repainting and re-erasing areas manually, as with a conventional mask brush. A new Photoshop-style property bar across the top of the screen is convenient for switching tool subsets and adjusting settings. Unfortunately, the multiple Undos don't apply to retouching actions; the best you can do is revert to the last preview.

Other improvements to the interface are moderate, such as Photoshop keyboard shortcuts. More importantly, the utility no longer seems to suffer from insufficient memory errors, and the masks appear to be more accurate and generate faster than ever.

The workspace consists of: a Toolbox for defining and viewing selections (including separate tools for selecting objects and shadows); a Property bar showing the options associated with the currently selected tool; a Process palette for choosing the transition complexity setting; a Selection palette for hiding or displaying selections; and an Info palette that displays data about the current image-sprung-

Great Refinement
Where KnockOut does shine is its sophisticated touchup tools. Photoshop gives you an eraser and a brush to erase unwanted pixels and restore wanted pixels, but KnockOut has a battery of refinement tools that Photoshop can't match.-sprung-

First of all, there's a syringe tool for restoring foreground areas in the transition zone between the foreground and background areas. A tweezers tool lets you designate pixels in the transition area that are actually part of the background detail. The pushpin tool is similar to the tweezers, but is used to preserve detail in a foreground object that is mostly transparent. Both the tweezers and pushpin tools let you pick specific pixels that you want to keep and not knock out. Finally, to help smooth jagged edges of a completed selection, KnockOut supplies an edge- feathering tool.-sprung-

Not for Everyone
KnockOut is a highly specialized program and it isn't for everyone -- especially at the breathtaking price of $329. In many cases, Photoshop's own selection tools are all that you need. But KnockOut does a very good job with objects that are especially difficult to mask, such as smoke, water, and hair So if you find yourself spending hours tweezing selections out of a background, KnockOut will save you both time and trouble.

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