Congratulations to winner, Valerie Mitchell!
The wonderful people at Corel recently sent me a copy of Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate to use and review. I have to say, as an intermediate level Photoshop user (who occasionally does things the hard way), I am happily surprised with Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate.
This program has it all.
It is perfect for a beginner, in that there are many easy one click adjustments that can make you photo look ALOT better. The interface is easy to use, keeping menus close at hand and allowing you to drag and drop tools and photos directly from your library.
The intuitive nature of the automatic adjustments and tools (such as the skin smoother) amazed me and made for quick and easy photo editing.
In addition to these one click adjustments, advanced users have a wide breadth of tools and adjustments from which to choose, such as:
- a depth of field tool,
- levels adjustments,
- blur tools,
- and more!
Here are some things that impressed me when I used the software:
- Supports over 250 RAW camera formats
- The Background Remover tool allows you to quickly remove the background of a photo for photo manipulation
- The Skin Smoother tool is part of a set of makeover tools. The skin smoother reduces fine lines, uneven skin tones, and blemishes on the skin. It does this with the click of your mouse.
- The Smart Edge tool will notice a change in contrast in the photo so that you can select an edge much easier.
- One click and simple photo adjustments such as blemish remover tool, the noise reduction tool, and smart photo fix will shave LOTS of time off your work flow. I LOVED this. The automatic adjustments and the tools were quick, easy, and fun.
- The Express Lab allows you to quickly change the brightness, shadows, highlights, and saturation of the photograph with slide bars. It will make suggestions for the adjustment to proper levels.
- Has a before and after feature so that you can see how the changes you made effect the entire photograph.
- Has over 150 photo mats, frames and edges perfect for digital scrapbookers.
- Has a depth of field tool which allows you to keep an area in focus and throw the rest of the photo out of focus. Easy, and very cool.
In my opinion, this program is a great tool for those who want a lot of bang for their buck, no matter if you are a beginning or advanced user.
If you are on a budget (in both time and money), I would highly recommend that you consider this program.
I will be posting tutorials here for users of this program as a series of articles.
Great News! Corel is giving Corel Paint Shop Pro Ultimate to one lucky Blissfully Domestic reader!
How to Enter:
1.) Simply leave a comment below on why you would like this program. You must use a valid email address in order to be eligible for the prize. That's it!
2.) You can receive a bonus entry if you "Tweet" this giveaway with a link to this post. In order to receive this entry, you must return here and leave a second comment linking the URL of your tweet.
3.) The contest will run from Saturday, December 6th, 12pm CST to Friday, December 12th, 12pm CST.
4.) One lucky winner will be chosen from these comments at random using random.org.
Good luck!
Corina is a former science teacher staying home to raise her two imaginative, active, and wicked smart children. Contrary to what the last line suggests, she is not from Boston or Canada. She is a mom, photographer, teacher, outdoor enthusiast, sarcastic, and down to earth woman. You can find her weaving her tall and small tales at Down to Earth Mama.
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i also need a new camera and would love to hear (affordable) recommendations.
I would love to have this product. I'm just beginning my own photography business and this is the perfect tool for me to use. Especially since I am a single mother of two and cannot afford a program other than Picasa.
Thanks for the great review! I've never really heard much of anything good or bad about PSP. But I have been wanting a different option to Photoshop.
here's my tweet…http://twitter.com/jkburleson/status/1045830190
I would use this to tweak family photos currently but I'm hoping to get a digital SLR soon & use this in a more professional manner. I'd love to try my hand at digital scrapbooking as well & this is one program I've heard mentioned. Neat!
lisaanne29@hotmail.com
I would love this program! I am glad it is good for beginners cause that is what I am! I have no photo editing software and I would really like some!!
I would love to win this program because I own NO photo editing software. I have been inspired by the photo related post on BD, so I totally want to get into photography more, especially to document my 9 month old's life a little better for out of state family. Pick me!
XO
I like all the features and the skin smoother and depth of field sound awesome. I consider myself a beginner and always looking for new ways to process photos.
Why? Because that would mean even less time to get done the things that *really* need to be done around the house. I could spend all my time playing with pictures! "Oh, honey, I'm sorry, I'm editing pictures with my new Paint Shop Pro software…you'll have to make dinner yourself."
Very nice! I have an earlier version and love it….I would love this newer version! Please enter my name! Thanks for the chance to win! *Heidi*
I would love this because I love the posts about the printshop ideas and can't wait to try it myself.
I would love to win this because I am just beginning with all this "digital stuff" and I need something super easy. Thanks!!!
Wow, you are all OVER the place!!
(focus, focus)((wait, what am I SAYING!?!??))(Arghhh!)
If I had a CAMERA with this software capability, I'd either capture the best of every moment, or I'd never get ANY pictures because I'd always be FIDDLING with the settings… But having already TAKEN the picture(s) before sitting down to this crafty bench o' tools, I suspect I'd be better able to finally bring the mind's-eye image I originally saw OUT, into the real world, to share.
I would love to win this! We are using an old copy of CompuPic for photos, which we love, but PhotoDex isn't making it any more, so our version is getting really out of date. Paint Shop Pro Photo sounds like it's so much fun to work with and easy enough even for me to use
I also twittered the giveaway:
http://twitter.com/Table4Five/status/1046940532
I would love to try this program to see how it can enhance my photos!
oh, i would love to win this!
i have long been a fan of PSP, but have not upgraded yet, and this would be awesome!
Thank you for the chance to win!
I would love this! I take so many pictures of my kidand this would be a wonderful addition to my photography hobby (obsesion)!
I would love to win this as a surprise for my husband. He tried the software and loved, but it doesn't fit in our budget right now. I'd even love to try using it.
I have wanted to try/use a good quality, yet easy to understand, photo editing program for a while…winning this would be great!
i would absolutely love to win this!
i have been digging around to see what options there were for me … with a reduced amount of funds! i'm one of those people that loves taking pictures of my kids … but i always want to tweak it slightly! so, winning this would definitely help! thank you so much for the opportunity!
I'd (like to) get this…I am currently using PSPXI, and LOVE it…I did try this one you're giving away (try and buy) and loved it… but can't swing it ($$) right now.. I recommend it though!
These programs are awesome! Do extra hours in the day come as part of the package?
I always get so involved with adjusting pictures that the time passes so quickly. Thanks for the review.
Awesome; I'm in!
This looks like a great photo program. I have tried several, as I have attempted to pretend I'm a great photographer, and my photo's never turn out very good. I like that it has so many options and freatures to add and or remove nesessary things to make a photo look "good" I like to photograph my children, toddlers, ya it never works out! I think this would be a great tool to help my love of great pics of my kids along!
I would love to win this and try it out!
Have read sooo many good things about this program. Would love to give it a home with me!
Hi, I'm an aspiring photography who is portfolio building so that I can do professional photography. My husband is in school and funds are tight right now because my daughter is getting ready to have surgery to correct scoliosis…so I don't have the money to invest in a great photo edit program. This is a wonderful opportunity! Thank you!!!
I would love to have this software! I love to be the informal photographer at get-togethers…and haven't had access to good editing programs since college!
Here is a link where you can see my twitter post! http://twitter.com/ecosphericblog/favourites
i'd like to have this software because of the Skin Smotther feature. charm32 @ ymail . com
I love taking pictures, but am limited with my POS camera. I don't have any photography software for playing with my pictures and perfecting them. I would love the chance to win this!
I would love to win this photo editing software! I am in great need of awesome software that is easy to use! Hey number generator – Pick me, Pick me!! Kristie
My wife and I are starting a fine art & photography printing business with a 36" and 44" printer. I'm going to hold up on ordering Adobe Photoshop CS4 to, hopefully, be able to try this product from Corel! Sounds great from everything we've heard.
I'm interested in a powerful photo editing software that won't be out of my budget and won't require a classroom to learn how to use. I think Corel's offering is just what I'm looking for.
I would LOVE to win this! I am wanting to get me a new camera and having a photo enhancement program would be AWESOME! Thanks for the chance to win this GREAT program. My mom has used Photo Shop before and says it is very user friendly.
I would love to win this so I can compare it to Photoshop. I used to use Corel (it was Jasc then) in college alongside Photoshop, but I can't justify spending more money to own Corel when I have Photoshop already
I want this!!
I would like to try this.
I'd love to see if they actually improved it, or just made it as slow as every other Corel program
Wow, that sounds fantastic, especially for a beginner like me
I would LOVE to win this for my daughter she would go nutty! thanks!
It's high time I took this whole "hobby" thing to a new level and I'm ready.
Hi, I realize I'm too late for the giveaway, but am hoping you might know how to manipulate a logo using PSP? I am trying to learn this software for work! Thanks in advance for any help! My email is conradkm@gmail.com.
Your page needs to be updated, this is the end of January and the contest has expired.
I would like this program to edit amateur wedding photos and awesome events photos with chroma key backrounds.
Feb. 27th is my birthday. I sure could use your program. I volunteer teach digital photography and ProShow Gold classes to the computer club of about 360 members at our local senior center. It would be wonderful to introduce them to an alternative to PhotoShop. Please consider helping out a Senior Surfer who will share your program with others.
I have direct and extensive experience with all of the Paint Shop product lines. I was quite satisfied with PSP up until the company was bought out by Corel. After that time, I have suffered through version after version of bloated, unstable and horribly buggy releases of this product – none of them any improvement over the other. Anyone who wasted money on PSP XI will know what I'm talking about. My laptop's cooling fan sounded like a jet engine even when the program was idle; and the next version, X2, had a known spyware program called PSIservice.exe (in flagrant violation of EULA agreements) running in the background!
Why should I trust that Corel has finally made a stable, bug-free, and spyware-free version of PSP when they have a track record of releasing sub-standard, untested garbage. For the number of versions you'll run through, it's better to just invest in Photoshop. At least you'll get a quality product.