The version 7, according to Mr Johnson, has a lot of additional features which were not there in the previous versions. The new features in Paint Shop Pro 7.0 offer the users the ability to quickly and professionally enhance digital photos with automatic filters such as colour balance, contrast/brightness and saturation; remove red-eye in digital photos; restore damaged photos with scratch removal tools; create unique images for logos, business presentations and Web graphics; add interest to graphics and text using multi-colour gradients, textures, patterns; save and reuse graphic elements; create Web graphics and add motion to messages.

Competitively priced at Rs 5,400 for the Indian retail market, the product is expected to sell at least 700 pieces by next October, said Mr Johnson. Replying to a query as to how Paint Shop Pro 7.0 will handle the competition from Photo Shop, which is a more popular brand in India, Mr Johnson said it would do so by two ways. First, by the price attractiveness of the product and two by spreading awareness about Jasc as an international brand and Paint Shop Pro's global positioning.

Talking about the target market, Mr Ankur Bhatia, director, Electronic Travel Aids, Jasc Software, said that it's aimed at four segments in India. The first segment is that of the big software companies including those doing Web designing and graphic designing. The second one consists of publishing houses, who may use Paint Shop Pro 7.0 along with Photo Shop that they might already have. Educational institutions make the third segment. And the fourth category is that of individuals.

Although there's just one kind of Paint Shop Pro 7.0 right now, more categories are likely to crop up in the future, according to Mr Bhatia. The primary reason for segmenting the product further is to offer a better pricing to the market, he said.

On the whole, it's a product meant for both professionals and novices. In fact, at the launch of the product at its homeland in September, Mr Kris Tufto, CEO, Jasc Software, said something about the Paint Shop Pro which explained the nature of the product. He said: ``No matter what you're into - digital photography, sharing family photos, creating business graphics or designing Websites-paint Shop Pro 7.0 is packed with powerful tools that help you look great.'' He added that newcomers will love the handy, automatic tools and professionals will appreciate the top-notch, high-end features.