Corel Paint Shop Pro X

Corel's determination to make the program less technical and more user-friendly is again clear when it comes to retouching. PSP's long-standing and seriously over-the-top red-eye removal tool, which laboriously recreates the pupil and iris, is still available as a filter option, but a simple one-click colour-replacement option sensibly takes its place in the toolbox. It's joined by a new Makeover tool, which lets you whiten teeth and quickly give skin a sun-tanned appearance. The tool can also be used to instantly remove small blemishes by replacing them with sampled surrounding pixels, while a dedicated Object Removal tool lets you do the same to larger objects by specifying a source area for sampling.

PSP X's new tools benefit expert and beginner alike, but the program moves into high-end territory with its new commands for calibrating and profiling monitors, and the ability to read and save colour profile files. The intention here is to improve colour accuracy and to enable output of CMYK files ready for use as part of commercial print-based workflows, directly challenging Photoshop's domination of the professional market.

Ultimately, though, without support for features such as a Channels palette or out-of-gamut highlighting, PSP X is no match for Photoshop when it comes to the print-oriented professional. Equally, for the average consumer wanting to make the most of their digital camera, Adobe's latest Photoshop Elements provides the simplest and most efficient solution. It's a tight squeeze then, but where Paint Shop Pro X scores is in the middle ground - those keen photographers looking for serious editing power but not at any price.

Author: Tom Arah