Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Reviews

• Probably the Best Software for Advanced Editing in its Price Range

  
  By A1H5FQ5ISJGO57 on 2007-10-01
  Lets face it, Adobe Photoshop sets the standard for photo editing, but it's not in most people's price range. The latest version of Photoshop is between six and ten times more expensive Than Corel Paint Shop Pro PHOTO X2. (Wow, what a horrendously long and annoying name.) Photo X2 (as I'll call it from now on) approaches Photoshop in complete feature richness and with a decent interface, yet at a fraction of the price.
  
  Notice I said "feature richness" in describing Photo X2. If you are a relative beginner or you don't retouch your photos in certain ways, I'd actually recommend Photoshop Elements over Photo X2. Elements has a better interface, more "automagic" features and works faster than Photo X2 and is about the same price.
  
  I've used Photoshop, Elements, Corel Photo Paint and also JASC Paint Shop Pro (and some other things, too). So why didn't I buy the latest version of Elements or Photoshop instead?
  
  1. Photoshop is too expensive for me to justify for my personal and hobby use. I use it at my work for image editing since my workplace pays for the software license there. But when I'm paying I'm looking more closely at price vs. performance. Though Photoshop has the performance, it doesn't rate so well on the price scale.
  
  2. Elements is really nice for me to use about 85% of the time, but then there is the horrible 15% of the time that I want to use a feature that Adobe has gutted out of their software for the "Elements" version. Then I have to play around with copying the image into another program (some of them free) to adjust the curves (or whatever) and then copy it back in afterwards. The gutted feature set of Elements is a large, though occasional, annoyance. Plus I really don't use most of the fluffy side of its feature set (like "quick fixes," or "photo creations").
  
  I think for people like me, Photo X2 is a better choice because it gives most of the advanced features that Adobe guts out of Elements at the same price point. These would be features like a curves dialog, batch processing, creating/saving masks (and many more).
  
  Photo X2 has a lot of good sides. It can do a lot. It produces high quality results. It is much more feature rich than Elements. It has very good help files. It even has some nifty unexpected features built-in like HDR image mapping and RAW file support for many digital SLR cameras (including mine).
  
  The down side is that in some places the interface isn't quite as good as Adobe's. It's still pretty usable, but there are minor annoyances. In Photoshop you can zoom/shrink the view and pan an image around while a dialog box is open so you can see the results easily and in a large preview. In Photo X2, you can't zoom in/out and move things around except in the before/after view in the dialogs themselves (not a deal-breaker, but a little bothersome). The startup time and image processing time seem to be slightly slower than in Photoshop, also. Many issues are minor, but they make the product feel a little less polished than Photoshop or Elements.
  
  At least one reviewer has complained about long install and startup times. I noticed the long install time. And my initial startup after installing was 30 seconds or more. After the first time (and a computer reboot), my startup time for Photo X2 was about 8 seconds, which isn't bad. After, loading and closing it and then reopening it in the same Windows session, the loading time was on the order of 2-3 seconds. I don't find these times to be a problem at all, but if you're worried about the performance on your system you might want to download the 30-day fully functional trial from Corel's web site (though it is a 300 MB download or something). It might also be useful to download it to take a look at the features and get a feel for the program if you've never used it before.
  
  In the end, Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is good software that is feature rich and a good choice for medium to advanced-level users who have outgrown Photoshop Elements and can't justify spending 6 to 10 times the price to buy Adobe Photoshop.
  
  

• Sad goodbye to a once-valued brand name - now bloated and ugly

  
  By A197T2N6RU7K56 on 2007-12-27
  I've used Paint Shop Pro for longer than I can remember, back when it was a product of JASC. I think I first acquired Paint Shop Pro 5 or 6.
  
  In my experience, the program has just kept getting worse with each edition since Corel took it over. Bloated, unstable, and slow, the degraded performance seems to be a tradeoff for some of the fancy features Corel has introduced - many of which I don't ever use.
  
  Frustrated with PSP Pro XI's clunky performance which seemed to get a little worse after I bought a Vista-equipped PC, I recently took the plunge and bought the "upgrade" to X2. Now I'm just about done with the whole PSP ride and looking around for an alternative photo editing program. (And please don't tell me to get more RAM; I've added RAM up to the limits of this six-month-old PC: 4GB.)
  
  First, it took a long time for X2 to install. Turns out the culprit is a little third party "licensing" program (psiservice.exe) that both X1 and X2 install on each customer's computer, that Corel doesn't inform us about, and that some people consider spyware. I found out about it on Wikipedia. Once I followed the Corel instructions on dealing with psiservice.exe, I got X2 installed. By the way, Corel did not explain what "psiservice.exe" is, or that it's a program installed by Corel's PSP, or give any option to uninstall psiservice.exe.
  
  X2 has turned out to be a laggard performer. It doesn't work any faster than X1, either when I start it up or when I'm opening a photo image to work on. Also, X2 has consistently hung up after about the third image I've worked on, so I've had to close and restart it.
  
  I've wasted my money. I bought it directly from Corel, and I assume there's no money back guarantee. I plan to try to get a refund, won't be surprised if I can't.
  
  This is a sad goodbye to a software brand name - Paint Shop Pro - that for at least a decade provided decent photo editing capability, at a reasonable price.
  
  I just hope that when I find a replacement for it, I can figure out how to uninstall its little third-party "licensing" program.
  
  
  

• Upgrade from Elements 5.0

  
  By A24B1HPOUB5RVY on 2007-12-18
  I am a longtime user of Photoshop. Recently I was looking for an upgrade path from Elements 5.0. I considered 2 programs, Elements 6.0 and PaintShop Pro X2. I chose PaintShop Pro because of the reviews found here on Amazon... and the reported bugs in Elements 6.0 ... many people think it was rushed too early to meet the Christmas demand. When I received my copy of PaintShop Pro, the installation/registration/latest upgrade download process took me 2 days and more technical computer know-how than I care to describe. I had to get my son (the tech guru in the house) to unsnarl the mess. Once this initial hurdle was overcome and I've had a chance to use the program... I am extremely pleased! I went back to some old PSD files and they cracked open effortlessly. I quickly applied some easy fixes that I could never figure out in PhotoShop. And asked the family which they preferred? PaintShop Pro versions won handily. I am sure that PhotoShop could've done as well, but I wasn't expert enough in its use. I am extremely pleased with PaintShop Pro and would recommend it to anyone that isn't a PhotoShop guru -- but there are some installation rough spots... having a Windows Vista expert handy can be very helpful in getting started.
  
  

• PaintShop Pro does it again!

  
  By A32IWGU5P6ZFY2 on 2007-10-06
  PaintShop Pro Photo X2 is a fine upgrade of an already grand program. That said I will admit to agreeing with some reviewers who indicated that it is slow to open and on the slow side saving images. I hope with the next revision Corel puts some effort towards improving the responsiveness.
  
  Overall though I'd give Photo X2 a 9.5 on a ten point scale. Specifically, the Express Lab feature is wonderful. It's basically an interface change which brings all of your basic editing tools onto the screen at the same time and makes operation way more intuitive. Another new feature that will prove very useful is the photo merge ability. X2 now will let you combine exposures from 2 or more images to get just what you what; great for those tripod mounted, bracketed images where no single on is quite what you want.
  
  I've been working with Paint Shop for a couple of years now and am still discovering features; the Learning Center was an aid that I'd not had much to do with until this version. It is a fine tool to not only guide you in X2's operation but also in browsing through photo effects, for instance. You'll see a directory structure and when choosing a specific category even a thumbnail of the effects in a category. It certainly makes the program very easy for a beginner and assists those who've used it for awhile but haven't memorized all its capabilities.
  
  In summary, for all but the most seasoned of professional photographers, PaintShop Pro Photo X2 has all the features and then some that you'll probably ever need. Certainly when you compare it, and its price, to the main competition there can be only one decision...Corel does it again!
  
  

• Another release - ho-hum

  
  By A5H3RXJ744KEB on 2007-10-30
  Every release of this software since Corel bought it has had one or two little features that teased people like me into buying it, only to find that other features that we liked had been dumped.
  
  I have Photo X2 on my machine at work. I have PSP X on my laptop and home computer. Version X will open DNG RAW files with no problem, but the newer version won't open them at all. The help feature makes some fishy remarks about RAW not really being RAW, but I haven't seen this problem addressed anywhere else, and I can't find a reason for the software acting this way.
  
  I do like the makeover tool in the newer versions, but that's about it. It's probably not worth the money. And they need a better border tool so you can do relief-type borders. That shouldn't be difficult.
  
  When Corel bought the program, they dropped the best tools - the auto white balance, and the auto contrast. Now you have to mess with sliders. Life was so much easier back then. I got version X because it would work with RAW files, but it appears that functionality has disappeared from X2. I am not impressed. What will they thing of to remove next?Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
  
  
• Well Worth It
  By A1T3A1Y6SWY2EU on 2007-12-10
  A word of caution. Paint Shop Pro Photo is not a "dumbed-down" Photoshop. It is very powerful in it's own right and has a tremendous number of diverse tools and features. It will take time learn if you have not used a program like this before. With Paint Shop Pro X2, you can restore and retouch photos, create your own logos and original artwork, optimize graphics for the Web, draw, paint, create vector graphics, use type, and much more. If you're already a Paint Shop Pro user, you should find X2 familiar and be able to take to it quickly.
  
  I've been a Paint Shop Pro user for quite some time. I've also used various incarnations of Adobe Photoshop (including Elements) for many years, both personally and professionally. I will say, hands-down, Photoshop is the industry standard for a reason. It is powerful and enjoyable to use. Paint Shop Pro is not meant to compete with Photoshop for the high-end professional photo or graphics market. It can come close, but it's not really meant to.
  
  What it does do, and does exceedingly well, is put a tremendous number of very powerful tools at your fingertips at a fraction of the cost of Photoshop. Cost-issues aside, the true value is that the tools work. If they didn't, I would be the first to tell you to go buy or download something else.
  
  When I fired up version X, my first thought was, "Hey, this is pretty powerful stuff. There's not much missing from this." I kept digging and kept being impressed with it. Paint Shop Pro has all the features you would expect from a powerful image editor: layers, color palettes, effects, type, brushes, adjustment layers, masks, the ability to load and save selections, and so forth. There are also vector layers, scalable vector objects, paths, image slicing, image map tools, cool things like tube art, art media (oil brush, chalk, markers, etc.), and more.
  
  I keep current with Paint Shop Pro Photo and remain impressed with version X2. The new gray interface freaked me out at first, but the more I used it the more I liked it. I try to use it in a well-lit room so it doesn't appear overly dark and the photo subjects overly bright. You can go back to the original if you like. The dialog enhancements for the histogram tools are welcome and the new Express Lab centralizes a photo workflow and focuses your thoughts on retouching or restoring them. Those are just a few of the new features.
  
  Is X2 worth it? There are quite a few new tools, enhancements, and other features that make X2 unique from XI. I like and will use many of these features quite a bit. If you're interested in casual or professional photo editing (like me), general graphics use (like me), Web graphics production (like me), or exploring the bounds of your creativity (like me), then this is a great program to try. There are some flaws to the program, of course, but I give it 5 stars because of the tremendous power and real value the package offers.
  
  Do yourself a favor a look into getting a pen tablet as well. They are most definitely worth it.
  
  In the interests of disclosure, I am an author and have a book out on restoring and retouching photos with Paint Shop Pro. I also have a few video tutorials out on different versions of Paint Shop Pro and one on Photoshop Elements. I've also contributed to or been technically involved with some older Photoshop books.
  
  
  
• Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
  By A1ZNA68CJ8C737 on 2007-10-14
  I downloaded the trial version and it's pretty cool; however, I own a copy of X1 and don't see enough of a reason to upgrade at this time. I'll probably upgrade to the next version a year from now.
  
  Features I like (new and old) most: Makeover tools, vector graphics, style layers (limited), selection tools, the layers features, the many ways you can copy and paste things, the color adjustment tools, the number of kind of different files this program can read, scripting, powerful undo-repeat-and-redo features, and the improved cropping.
  
  Features I do not like (new and old): the Organizer, the style layers feature is limited, and old bugs are still in the program (Yes I've told Corel about them from the last version and they where present version 8 (the first version I bought) and older - they're old and bugs and Corel is just not going to fix them I guess).
  
  I use this Paint Shop Pro Photo everyday because it's fun.
  
  I've seen comments how this program is harder than other products. There is the online help and the learning palette, but there is another source: just do a search on Paint Shop Pro tutorials. That's how I learned before Corel was nice enough to put in all of this extra built-in help system.
  
  
• So far, unimpressed
  By A3JY07S9UNY028 on 2007-11-11
  I bought this product based largely on the very thorough review by Scott Fisher. I didn't need any special features and was intending the software for limited use, so it seemed like just the right thing. Now I'm kicking myself for not downloading the trial version first.
  
  I bought the software to use with digital copies of film photographs. Since I wasn't interested in major manipulations, something as expensive as Photo Shop was out of the question. I wanted software that could add watermarks and sharpen out-of-focus photos; Paint Shop Pro failed in both areas. While the software can *add* a watermark, it cannot *create* one, making it completely useless for this task. Software that can create watermarks can also add them to the photo, so I don't need this feature in Paint Shop. (I subsequently bought and am very pleased with Visual Watermark.) As for sharpening up blurred images, the option exists but the results do not resemble sharpening as I would define the term. Instead, the image tones were enhanced, making perhaps a more pleasing image, but not a sharp one. I also tried experimenting with noise reduction (to obscure the perfectly sharp, inappropriate so, background) and this did seem to work well. I did not experience any installation or startup problems as described by other reviewers.
  
  Bottom line, try this software before purchasing. It may be just what you are looking for, or it could be a waste of money (in my case, $15 more of a waste than it would have been if I had purchased it today).
  
  *** update, July 2008 ***
  I have since purchased a digital camera so have been using this program a bit more. The retouching tools are reasonably easy to use and I've been happy with the results. I'm still unhappy with the sharpening tool, which either does nothing (lowest setting) or bleaches out all the color (high pass sharpen).
  
  My latest disappointment is that the program cannot open a RAW file from my camera, the Lumix FZ50. Um, shouldn't it support file formats from all digital cameras?
  
  
• Support is AWFUL!
  By A3R74EHB34JTTP on 2008-01-28
  I've been a long-time user since PSP version 4, and I've always been a loyal user of this product. And then Corel bought it, and slowly but surely it went from bad to worse. When I buy a software or computer hardware product, support is very much a part of my purchasing decision, and determines whether or not I fell I got value for my money.
  
  The user documentation is incomplete, and the resources Corel provides are skimpy at best. The "contact us" and "email us" links circle you back to the same thin "knowledge base" where the only 'knowledge' is a handful of installation and configuration questions. Worse, they put their stamp of approval on a 3rd-party how-to book that's more marketing than actual how-to's.
  
  I'm done with any more upgrades of this product, even if they gave it away for free. I never thought I'd ever use anything else, but my next purchase will be Photoshop. At least there's plenty of useful documentation for that.
  
  
• Crashed My Computer
  By A199DEK848BJGN on 2008-02-10
  I'm a mix-n-match user of image editing programs, meaning that I dabble with a bit of everything. I've used PSP since v.5 and agree with many other long-time users that Corel has taken a fine program and largely ruined it. Actually, I can only say that based on my experience with PSP X. After I installed PSP X2 the other evening, I never was able to boot back to Windows -- despite the fact that I'd set a System Restore point before installing it. I had to totally reload Windows. (And no, I don't have an nVidia video driver.)
  
  Corel has recently purchased Ulead's products, including PhotoImpact -- which has always been a tremendous little editor. They've recently released a new version of that as well -- I'm scared to try it, frankly. Don't know if I can go through the better part of a day again any time soon, coaxing my computer to boot up.
  
  
• Awesome features, provided you're willing to wait for them
  By A1LR84OR50D0L5 on 2008-05-05
  When I purchased my new, Vista-installed computer, it came with a demo for Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X1. It was similar enough to the Paint Shop Pro 7 that I'd been using for years that I ended up buying the license, and I loved and used the program daily for the next several months -- until the program became corrupted and all efforts to uninstall and reinstall it were for naught.
  
  I decided to upgrade when I found out that X2 had became available, thinking that the newer version would be even better, right?
  
  Well.
  
  The Good Stuff: it has a variety of awesome features that are great for photo editing. I use the histogram and brightness/contrast level adjustments constantly; they're easy to use and perfect for fine-tuning lighting and shadow. The fade correction is also one of the best features for correcting a photo with bad white-balance. Some pre-installed effects like the Time Machine, Filters, and Sepia are fun to play with and are a quick way to turn ordinary photos into something unique.
  
  The Bad Stuff: it takes five to ten minutes to even open the program. If interrupted in the process of opening, it may freeze and have to be completely shut down and restarted. It freezes in the middle of saving pictures that are no more than a few hundred KB. This shouldn't be happening on a system with 2GIG RAM. When I ran PaintShop Pro 7 on a Win98 computer with 218MB RAM, it wasn't as slow as this program. I have this powerful photo editing tool, and I've started using free-ware more just to avoid the slow loading and the constant shutting down/restarting in the middle of my projects.
  
  Overall: When it works, Photo X2 does it's job well. But the loading and freezing turn any projected into a tedious and cumbersome chore.
  
  
• I Am Finished Purchasing Any Corel Products Now
  By A1WQ2XKPIZSOJI on 2008-03-16
  At first this Corel product seemed promising and I was quickly singing its praises. I later found out that spyware was automatically installed along with this software without my knowledge. It really is a shame to have to be considered a potential software pirate when you are actually honest and really only desire to purchase a software product and be able to use it with no worries. I decided to let this inconvenience go and just live with the spyware issue in order to use Paint Shop Pro. During normal use of their product I experienced some software related problems and needed a little support. I thought if I went directly to their website I could easily inform Corel of the problem and get a quick and concise emailed response from their customer support. I logged in with my outdated user account,(My email address had changed since the date of my purchase and I needed to update this new information). I tried entering my new email address as well as a new password several times, (cookies enabled and firewall temporarily disabled). I got kicked out of the web page on every occasion. I was unable to update my account in any way. I subsequently checked to see if there was a direct email address to communicate with someone that was "human". I didn't find anything, although I could have wasted a lot of my precious time searching forums for potential answers if I had so desired. Instead, I was greeted with yet another HTML page providing me with an option to PURCHASE some support for the software I had bought. NO THANKS! I'll just buy a better product from the numerous competitors out there. Who does Corel think they are anyway. The product itself is not really all that bad, hence the ONE-STAR rating is mainly for the Customer Support Service which I think is absolutely horrible. In addition to all this nonsense; 1) I don't really like spyware running secretly in the background while using up extra resources on my computer and; 2) I expect companies to stand behind the products they sell to their customers. This is important to achieve customer loyalty and thus to ensure that the product/company continues to flourish. What does it take to include a little email support?, not a lot really. Apparently this is too much for me to expect from Corel. Anyway, I just decided to go ahead and cut my losses. I'll upgrade to a more professional and well supported application such as Adobe.
  
  
• Well Corel din did it again
  By A3S2FM1HLD1VQY on 2007-09-29
  My title saids it all. If you thought XI & X was bad, well just pop this baby in. First off it took me about 40min to load this junk up and don't even get me started on how long it takes to install (note I have 2gb of ram, p4, 100GB HD and a XFX GeForce 7950 GT 512MB GDDR3 video card as well.) They have not changed much in the program thats worth the money. They added a few new frames, and a new skin. I'm also using Photoshop CS2 and we all know how bloated that program is but on my computer it loads in no time vs this junk! Pass it by. The only reason Corel bought it was that it was making inroads against their product. Poor Jasc. They sold their soul to the highest bidder. I still use v5, v6 and v7. Nothing much changed in my needs. Why are there new versions? There are other products to do the advanced graphic manipulations. This program also leaves behind 'footprints' that the installer leaves behind... Oh and by the way -5 stars!
  
  
• Put the WOW factor in your digital images!
  By A2M7CPXCLYUCTI on 2007-10-08
  I have grown with PaintShop back when JASC first published it. Corel has taken PaintShop Pro X2 to the next level, it is the best program on the planet! It does it all and puts the WOW factor in your images.
  
  If you are not using PaintShop Pro X2, you should be! I know, I have tried them all and this is the only one I use.
  
  John J. Bates, Computer Systems Analyst - Retired
  
  
• Using the automatic or manual modes, this is a 'Best Buy'
  By A1L4RH7HPPHY4A on 2007-10-08
  This is great software for the beginner or advanced user. I am learning how to work in a digital darkroom. And in reading magazine articles about comparable photo editing products, I was intimidated by the settings needed to make adjustments in the other software. I started out using the 'Smart Photo Fix' under the Adjust menu. This option analyzes the photo and then applies the changes to your photo in a preview window. Under the before and after pictures are the settings that it chose. You are free to make your own adjustments. The choices it makes are right on the money a large percentage of the time. And it makes it easy to learn to adjust photos: you can adjust the settings up or down and view the changes in the preview window, you can apply the settings to your photo and then click undo if you change your mind. The software comes with excellent on-line documentation and user manuals. Also, there are user tutorials that show how to use many of the popular features. I've gone through a couple of the tutorials and I have learned a lot. The tutorials are written by Lynda.com - I don't know if the company has created video tutorials on other software but this set of videos are great. While not everyone will need the video tutorials, however, if you do like to learn by watching a video, I highly recommend Paint Shop Pro X2. I recently took some pictures at a wedding and there was some equipment setting on the grass in the photo and was very distracting. In 10 minutes I learned how to remove the offending equipment by cloning the grass and fixed the first photo. I fixed the remaining photos in just a few minutes each. I can't tell where the photo was altered and I did the alteration! I say get it. It is very powerful and easy to learn.
  
  
• better and cheaper than Elements
  By A2VWNZNFV8QCP0 on 2008-01-29
  I have used Paintshop pro for some time, most recently PSP X.
  
  I downloaded and installed the upgrade (a current 40% discount applies online). My personal experience on my 3yo desktop are nothing like all the negative comments regarding load times, install times and execution times..far from it. Note btw, that if you have hundreds or thousands of photos and open up with the organiser in view of COURSE it will take time to load all those thumbnails..simply do not open it with the organiser in view :)
  
  This product is in the same price range as Photoshop Elements, but technically it really is far superior, and some even start comparisons against Photoshop CS3 in terms of technical merit.. (I wont go that far), but suffice to say if this was an Adobe product, you would be paying $250 or so, NOT the $60-$80 current street price..
  
  The digital camera noise removal, auto WB, blemish removal, background removal, scratch removal, skin smoothing, barrel distortion, CA distortion are all notable one click features in PSP with real value, whereas in Elements these require third party plug-in or laborious layer intensive actions...
  
  if you can only have ONE editor, and budget IS a consideration, this is it.
  
  
  
  
  
• more functional than Photoshop
  By A1CDXHJNZ65PHR on 2008-02-19
  I've used an older version of PSP (Jasc 7) for several years and found it to be adequate enough for my needs until I recently got more involved in photography on an advanced-amateur level (competitions, etc.). I needed to do some advanced color-editing and wanted to upgrade to better editing software. As I hadn't been in the market for editing software for many years, I was unaware that Corel had taken over and re-vamped PSP - nor was I aware that Photoshop had a lesser version of their $600 software in the form of Photoshop Elements 6 (I've been out of the loop).
  
  So when an instructor of one of my photography classed mentioned Elements and gave examples of her editing in the program, I became curious and started to look at the different options. I recently downloaded the free trials of PSPX2 and PS Elements6 and gave both a pretty grueling test run (laters, curves, etc., etc.).
  
  While PSE6 has a nice feature that allows you to create a web photo gallery w/ thumbnails in just a few clicks, I found it to be cumbersome to maneuver. Perhaps its because I'm used to the PSP format, but PSPX2 seemed to make a lot more sense navigationally than PSE6. The PSE6 layout seemed to be a watered-down, grandma-friendly program with an entry-level feel. PSPX2 seems to have eliminated all of the "visual fluff" and is a straight-forward program with a much more "professional" feel to it.
  
  And after using both programs, I found that they are almost exactly the same program. Yes, if you're a professional graphics-designer, then the full-blown version of Photoshop is probably your best bet, but if you're an advanced amateur photographer that has no need to create stunning marketing materials, then I would definitely choose PSPX2 over PSE6.
  
  Finally, I read a lot of reviews before finally deciding to purchase PSPX2 over PSE6 that say PSE6 has a lot more to offer with regard to tutorials, etc. And while it may be true that most tutorial books, newletters, etc. are based on Photoshop, they can be used for PSPX2! Case in point, I just purchsed a Photoshop tips & techniques book and it uses the same tools and language as PSPX2!
  
  Moral of the story - don't buy into all of the Photoshop hype. I much prefer PaintShopProX2 over PhotoshopElements6!
  
  
• One gotcha to beware of...
  By AIB4M4L387J4M on 2007-10-22
  ... is the need for 1024 by 768 resolution. Let me say first off that I've not tried X2, only X1 before going back to ver. 8 of PSP. But the one 'gotcha' for me with X1 or X2 is that you need to use 1024 by 768 resolution to to fully use the software. And sorry, but 800 by 600 works just fine for 1) my tired eyes, 2) the 19" monitor I presently have, and 3) the thousands of digital images I've already saved at that resolution. Sure, I could switch back & forth between the two display settings, but it would not be worth it. HDR creation is the only add'tl feature X2 offers that I would really like to have.
  
  Corel, why did you put such a limitation on this software?
  
  
• LOVE IT, OR HATE IT? ILOVE IT !!!!
  By AJE705WGX0KZE on 2007-11-09
  After reading all the reviews I decided to give my take on new ver 12. I have and still use ver 7 on an old celeron computer running Windows ME. I run ver 8 on a 2.6 pentium computer running Windows XP Pro. I built a new machine a couple months ago running a AMD 4400+ X2 running Windows XP Pro. I found that ver 12 installed with no problems and in no more then 15 minutes. I did what was instructed and had closed all other running programs during the install. I also created a restore point using system restore in case there were problems. After installing I took it for a fun test drive. After playing with it, and loving it. I will say that for a regular grandpa that takes hundreds of photos a year of the grandkids. This is one wonderful piece of software. I am using a 19" Samsung model 906BW LCD monior with the resolution set a the factory recommend 1440X900. No trouble seeing the screen. Using a EVGA 7600 video card with 256mb ram. The computer itself has 2Gb Kingston HyperX PC 3200 DDR. Because some reviewers said the program loaded slowly when opened. I turned on that machine and after it booted I opened the program and timed it. 17 seconds. Yes seconds. So I can only imagine that the ones having trouble with the way the program loads must have a lot of other stuff running at the same time. It took only seconds also to save a picture that I cropped, removed redeye. and resized before saving. With earlier vers I have been able to do some wonderful things to old B&W photos taken back in the early 40's of my father during WWII as well as my mother and older brother and sister. I'm sure this new ver with only make playing around that more fun. If you are new to photo editing I believe you will not be unhappy buying this. The other reason I purchased it was I'll be building another new computer as soon as service pack 1 is released for Windows Visa. And this ver with run under Vista.
  
  
• Excellent Picture Editing Software
  By A2YXHPJZNK36TK on 2007-10-27
  This is the best picture editing software I have ever used, and I have used a bunch. The only issue here is that it is a very large and powerfull program and there is a lot to learn. Fortunately it has a tutoring portion, and a good "how to" book included.
  
  
• NOT a Pro application.
  By A1K0IY3CW23I0T on 2007-12-19
  Just a warning to those of you with digital SLRs and film scanners: This application will not allow you to do anything beyond brightness and contrast adjustments in anything higher than 24-bit. That includes ALL of the retouching tools (clone, etc). Under the hood, this is a 24-bit application at the maximum. Forget about 32-bit. Forget about 48-bit. Limit your adjustments and you will be OK, but be prepared for artifacts.
  
  Software QC seems to be on the decline with this product. Recent updates have destabilized it almost to the point of unusability. I've actually switched to another application until the problems are sorted out.
  
  
• Install Warning
  By A29SLXP1UY1EA1 on 2008-01-10
  Bought this for my teenager for Xmas and she says it works well. But if you've got and Nvidia chip set it will not install. You can find an article on the install hanging on the PSP web site. Basically you have to update Nvidia driver. Install was good after that.
  
  
• PaintShopProX2 Loaded for an Unloaded Price
  By AK1HTWDD1JT9I on 2008-04-05
  I got this program about a month ago and have used it almost every day in cojunction with my web editor to create stunning graphics for my site. I have been able to take virtually any photo I want and turn it into a work of art and overlay it with text of all kinds from transparent to chromed or wood worked , on curves, etc...I love the feature of developing an image and then having the option of making it with a transparent background so that only what you want of the image will appear on any colored background. This program is powerful, packed, and I have only touched the surface in my month's time using it, but I know for the $79.00 I paid, I have already gotten every penny back! Unless you are a high end designer developer working in a large company doing this stuff...you will not be disappointed with what this program will provide.
  
  
• The best photograph edit software I have ever used.
  By AC2CNT95U571E on 2008-05-24
  It really comes down to this; Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 provides so much for such a reasonable price. I have nothing but exultation for this software; I still have a lot to learn but the software provides for the things that I know now and the things that I will learn and love to use.
  
  Before purchasing Pain Shop Pro Photo X2 I actually downloaded a trial version of Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 and Photo Shop Elements. (Each of the versions offer a free trial downloadable version from their respective websites. A great thing if you just can't decide without trying them out first.) After experiencing both of them and playing with the features for a month or so; I decided the better software and better fit for me was Paint Shop. The layout was easier to get around and to learn. The effects and photo fixes were better. The options were much more varied.
  
  Very good software and a great option for those willing to invest in a great piece of software.
  
  
• A Must Have Item for ALL Photographers
  By A26TPDPNLD3SVK on 2008-05-17
  This is the coolest product I've ever owned. I'm old school and cut my teeth on physical film, photographic paper, and chemicals in a literal "darkroom". But living in a small apartment having a "real" darkroom is impossible for me. With Corel's Paint Shop Pro PHOTO X2 it allows me to do anything I could do in a darkroom, all in the comfort of a well lit room on my computer, without the smell and possible allergic reactions from chemicals. You gotta get this program; it would be a bargin at twice the price...and with free shipping from Amazon there is no excuse to pass this up.
  
  Pair this up with Canon's PowerShot SX100IS like I did, and the sky's the limit for all the creative possibilities!
  
  
• Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
  By A1UMPKYDYMKCAH on 2008-02-13
  For several years I used PSP 8 to do graphics for my email and stationary projects. I changed computers and PSP 8 would not work with Vista. I ordered PSP Photo X2. It does not have all the presets that PSP 8 had other than that it's about he same. I do miss the animation program PSP8 had to offer and was dissapointed PSP X2 did not offer that.
  Kat
  
  
• Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
  By A2Z8HPRYK4S8PK on 2008-03-25
  
  
  
  
  How many times have you thought you took the perfect picture only to discover that there were flaws in the photo I recently tried out Corel's Paint Shop Pro X2 software which retails for $ 99.99. One disclaimer, I have used the various earlier Paint Shop versions in the past. This software is economical to purchase and fairly easy to use. The learning curve is too not difficult to grasp.
  
  The included Photo X2 printed manual provided is complete, but has no illustrations. Photo editing is very color intensive and in some ways your finished photo is artwork. Fortunately, I had assistance learning Paint Shop Pro X2. Two excellent books are Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 by Ken McMahon published by Focal Press and Picture Yourself Learning Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 by Diane Koers published by Cengage Learning. These both retail for $29.99 each. Ken McMahon's book is very complete and a great tool for a beginner to intermediate photo edit. Ken's book has numerous graphics and is an easy read and lays out different options a photo editor can implement. Diane Koers book's is 392 Pages and written as a text book for a classroom, it is for more intensive learning and it comes with a sample CD. Both books bring added information to the Pro X2 software and a different point of view on how to use it.
  
  There are multiple things you can do to enhance your photo with Photo X2.
  The number one reason is a one step photo fixer which is like taking your photo to a lab. I was somewhat skeptical of this until I used the photo fixer. I tried this option on a group photo, where the lighting was all wrong. There were dark areas and areas with too much ambient light. I clicked on one step photo fixer and corrected the lighting of the photo and the result was spectacular. The other problem I had was the group of people were in a semi-circle in the photo not in a straight line. I used a tool called a perspective tool and adjusted the group to a straight line. I now had the perfect photo with a lot of help from Paint Shop Pro Photo X2.
  
  
  The hardest concept to understand with Photo X2 photo software is the use of layers. The first layer is the background and then additional layers are placed on top of the first. The photo editor has the option to change layers around and make them more transparent or opaque. A good visualization of this is a group of transparent plastic sheets with designs on them. They layers are all stacked on top of one another for a finished photo. A use of this if you want to add text to a photo, another person to the photo or item. The photo editor will allow you move the layers around much like shuffling a deck of cards.
  For a Cub Scout function, I needed to print out some special photos. I didn't have a matt for the photos but X2 has a photo frame option which became my matt. The next step I used was adding the names of the Scouts in color. The finished photo was a big hit with the parents and the Scouts. Parents complimented me and asked me how I was able to make the photo.
  My last project was one of field expediency. I needed wrapping paper for my wife's Valentine Day gift. I opened X2 and selected a red background for the paper. I typed in Happy Valentines in different font sizes and type faces. I used the picture tube options for added effect. . There are different designs of tubes. I used the flower tube and laid down different flowers on the paper and printed it out. By the way, my wife liked the paper and thought I bought it at the store.
  
  There are more things that X2 can do like coloring black and white photos, removing red eye, scratches in photographs, 3D effects, and painting your own photograph than I have space to write about.
  If you are the market for fairly reasonable and easy to use photo software Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is well worth the investment. To get the most out the software I would recommend Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 by Ken McMahon and Picture Yourself Learning Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 by Diane Koers.
  
  
  MAJ (ret) Eric Shuler NJARNG
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Photoshop A Much Lower Price
  By A36Y8APE3H0W77 on 2008-05-02
  I must say that the Paint Shop Pro X2 is a superb piece of software. The layout and interface are user friendly. The PSP is also feature rich. Unfortunately the only drawback that I can see is that the PSP is low in performance even when running on Intel Core 2 Duo (2GHz) microprocessor and Radeon GPU. Anyhow, this product is highly recommended for those who love photoshop yet cannot afford one. The PSP is definitely the best substitute!
  
  
• paint shop pro
  By A3I6YCZD45IQOT on 2008-05-17
  I have used Paint Shop Pro for many years and find it a very good
  for photo work.
  I would recomend it to anyone who is into photography.
  It makes a great companion to my Nikon D40.
  TMT
  
  
• No joy for Nikon users... RAW does not work...
  By A2L95GJSY7FR9M on 2008-09-26
  Surprise, surprise! The newest version of Paint Shop Pro (PSP) X2, Ultimate version supports Nikon's raw file format for the D300... on paper. I upgraded from the old version because none of the newer Nikon raw file formats were supported (including Canon 14-bit raw).
  
  To my surprise the wording "supported formats" must mean something different to the Corel folks. With plenty of processing power (HP Media Center) and plenty of memory (3GB), it was like watching computer paint dry, and most of the time the rendering routines in the Ultimate version just quit... not responding, software crash.
  
  I am not writing this review to get my money back, or give the Corel folks a hard time. Rather as a warning to Nikon folks like me... DO NOT BUY PSP X2 for its raw file format capability... it does not work.
  
  Note: I suspect the new Canon raw formats don't work any better.
  
  

• Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate & VideoStudio Pro X2 Bundle
• Corel Painter Essentials 4 (Win/Mac)
• Corel Photo Album 7 Deluxe
• Corel Painter X Win/Mac
• Corel VideoStudio X2

• Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 for Photographers
• Picture Yourself Learning Corel Paint Shop Pro X2
• Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus [OLD VERSION]
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