Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

Publisher's description of Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

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Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is powerful photo editing software for digital photographers. The program is filled with everything from easy automatic photo fixes to precision editing tools. It even includes a built-in Learning Center to help new users get started right away.

Version X2 adds new features including an Express Lab, Graphite workspace theme, HDR photo merge, new layer styles, visible watermarks, picture tubes and picture frames, black and white film conversion, new and improved makeover tools, and a new Crop to New Image feature.

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Editor's review of Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

Despite a slightly annoying installation process, version X2 (read: 12) of Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo continues to offer the same high performance and full feature set of earlier editions. The digital image-editing program will fit the needs of many photographers and designers.

A well-designed and intuitive interface offers easy access to all of your digital images, and the individual components--such as tool selectors, palettes, and layer windows--can be dragged and dropped anywhere on the screen. Excellent one-click photo adjustments such as Smart Photo Fix or One Step Noise Removal will be godsends for photographers with busy schedules.

One of the most noticeable updates in X2 is the new graphite workspace theme, which gives the app a slick, 21st century look. A tabbed interface makes switching between photos a breeze, and the library organizer is available as either a palette tool or another tab in the image browser.

The organizer is one of the strongest features of Paint Shop Pro Photo, and a new Express Lab feature makes batch editing even easier. We did notice a CPU slowdown when using the organizer with large libraries, but otherwise the application was quite stable, even when editing very large BMP files. A new Learning Center provides contextual help for specific features, but we found searching the regular help topics to be more informative.

The installation is the most disappointing part of the trial. It requires registering for a free Corel account, which in turn requires a valid e-mail address. Adobe uses the same practice, but it's an annoying trend. You should also note that within the "Advanced" installation setting, Paint Shop Pro Photo is automatically set to become the default application for all your major image-file formats.

Once you get Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 installed and working on your machine, you'll find a very powerful photo editor and organizer that is quite easy to learn and use. A full 30-day trial gives you plenty of time to determine whether or not you'd like the full version.

User reviews of Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

• Average user rating: out of 329 votes
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  Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

  Way above my head.

  by: john3347 on 23-Dec-2007 09:11:32 PM

  Pros: Must be very good software because all the professional egg-heads say so.

  Cons: Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy above ordinary people's head. Cannot even figure how to get started doing anything with all the clutter on the screen when I open the program. Very complicated! I would be in total awe of anyone that can master this program simply because of all the information that they have to be processing in their head just to utilize the features of this program. I think I did figure how to use the red-eye repair feature and the eyes turned pitch black. Had to go to Faststone Image Viewer to correct the red-eye. Program is JUNK for normal people. I will not be buying this program.

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  Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

  Learning Center Or Not...

  by: BearPuppy on 22-Jan-2008 07:05:06 AM

  Pros: Clearly, the software has almost all the tools anyone could want. Then again, if you don't know the difference between a flat head and a Philips screw, all the tools in the world won't help.

  Cons: The key to using this software, or any graphics editing software is learning the lingo and the techniques. The learning curve for new to mid-level users may be extra sharp. The new Learning Center is a helpful tool, but it may frustrate users as well.

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  Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

  It's cool but not all that great

  by: sheba94601 on 23-Sep-2007 06:32:09 AM

  Pros: I like the one click features and the way it repairs old photos (noise removal, skin smother, eye color changer) but a few of the other features don't work that hot. To be honest some of the features that took alot of work, I could do w/ a few clicks in Microsoft 2007. To get a glassy font on my images only took one click in PowerPoint 2007. Now that's what I call hot!

  Cons: The instruction and help guide isn't very useful, some were very complicating and I couldn't find very many tutorials on this particular program over the Internet. Most are for Adobe.

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  Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

  The Best "Photo and Graphic" Edit on the Market for a Great Price!!

  by: neuttromusic on 31-Dec-2007 10:54:34 AM

  Pros: I can't imagine be without Corel Paint Shop, and this new version is really nice.

  Cons: Since Corel 10 almost Nothing has change it but its a great softwear as it is, change could be less for this incredible paint!

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  Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo

  Dumbed down version would be nice

  by: antmarkson on 16-May-2008 02:16:05 PM

  Pros: The trial version helped me finish the project I needed to get done.

  Cons: Like some of the other commenters, I'm not that versed in photo editing and I found this program way over my head. I found PhotoShop to be easier for first-timers.

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