Corel PaintShop Pro X6 Ultimate [Old Version]

I've been a user of Paint Shop Pro since back in the Jasc days, but haven't upgraded since X2. X6 is a fairly large change in terms of the interface, as it has now been broken up into 3 sections, though the "Edit" section should be instantly recognizable by long-time PSP users. While the program has evolved over the years, the best part of the Ultimate version is the fact that it includes the Athentech Perfectly Clear plug-in (which works with the 64-bit version of PSP X6). While I do most of my initial photo conversions from RAW to JPG using Lightroom, Lightroom's default noise removal tool leaves much to be desired. The Perfectly Clear plug-in for Lightroom is $200, and yet, it comes free with the Ultimate version of Paint Shop Pro X6, and works great. I now process my images in Lightroom, then take the exported files and run them through the Perfectly Clear plug-in in Paint Shop Pro, and end up with beautiful images that are much clearer and noise-free than what is possible using only Lightroom (unless you pony up the extra $200 for the Perfectly Clear Plug-In for Lightroom.) Considering Adobe's move to the "Creative Cloud", and my refusal to rent software, the upgrade to PSP X6 Ultimate was a no-brainer.The Perfectly Clear Plug-In alone makes this upgrade well worth the price of admission, while retaining all the editing options that have made Paint Shop Pro a viable alternative to Photoshop for the majority of your photo editing needs. The new "smart selector" works well (though there is still room for improvement), and is a welcome addition as it makes it easier to select for example, a foreground object, which you can then invert the selection to add or enhance a bokeh (blurring) effect.I would say that Paint Shop Pro X6 Ultimate compliments what I'm already able to accomplish in Lightroom, by allowing me to use Lightroom for my initial post-processing, and then moving into PSP to remove any remaining unwanted noise (using the Perfectly Clear Plug-In), as well as adding effects, cropping, and any final editing before publishing. Using both programs, I feel the quality of my images has improved dramatically, and I'm very happy with my purchase.If you're looking for an alternative to Adobe's "Creative Cloud" subscription service for Photoshop, then Paint Shop Pro X6 Ultimate may be just the ticket for you. For the price (I paid just under $50 for PSP X6 Ultimate as a download here on Amazon), it's hard not to recommend this for amateur and professional digital photographers alike.The only real cons (and this is something that I'm sure most Paint Shop Pro users are already aware of) is that the program is slow to start up, and when applying filters and such, it's much slower than it could be (even using the 64-bit version). But despite the sluggishness of the program, it is powerful, easy to use, and for what it offers, extremely affordable.

I use many editors on the iPad but needed an editor on my PC to deal with a large collection of old scanned images on my PC. I want to edit them and keep them on the PC since I'm not sure whether or not the image compression will change if I transferred them to the iPad. I am mainly interested in color restoration of old photos and basic adjustments rather than remaking the photo completely. I have been very satisfied with the results. My three favorite features are the one touch correction function, batch processing function and the Perfectly Clear plug-in included with the ultimate edition. I must say that I have brought back photos that were almost completely faded. While those photos don't look perfect, the restoration of those photos is impressive. I tried several free editors but am more comfortable using a piece of purchased software (you get what you pay for). I installed only the 64 bit version with Perfectly Clear and Face Filter add-ons. I did not install the large creative pack add-on. By installing the program this way it takes up very little space on the PC. PaintShop with these two add-ons takes up about 200 MB. the 64 bit version works very fast. Before using this program I tried Photoshop Elements. That is also a very good program but it took up a tremendous amount of space on the HD. I can't say which is better but Paintshop is definitely smaller, which is a big plus. While I only want to do color restoration I have played with cutting and removing parts of the image. That works very well but you have to practice to learn to use it. Finally, the owner's manual is very good. I've been using the program for a while but only recently started reading the manual. It is very helpful and well organized. I would suggest that you read the manual at some point. Today there are so many excellent programs and apps available it's impossible to say which is best. I am very satisfied with this program and as I mentioned It allows me to edit my images and keep them on the PC. I definitely enjoy using this program. It works well, it's priced right and it does not take up much room on the HD.

I am not ready to give my review of this because I am new to this type of program. My husband purchased it for me, as a surprise, and I am having difficulty figuring it out. I do know that I'm not good with layers so that will be a problem for me to understand. I am having trouble figuring some things out and the problem is I'm getting frustrated. This may well be a great program, I just wish there was one a little easier for me to understand. I'm sure if I did it everyday I would get used to it. I haven't had much time to do that but when I do, I am frustrated. I do wish he got the disc, I had to download it, and there is no instruction booklet for me to follow.