Does anybody use Corel Paintshop Photo X2 or X3

[Lanny]

Hi all,

Just wondering, I know that PS is an awsome package and is packed beyond belief with all the right tools but has anyone experienced Corel and what it offers or am I in a minority here.
Me personaly I decided to buck the trend at the start and go a different angle with using Corel. I am a huge fan and just went out and bought the X3 which I think is the latest version and I think it has some fantastic features and allows the user to be as complex or as lazy as the operator wants to be. Maybe Corel is a poor mans software but I really like it and find it user friendly. I have used PS but I think Corel is heading in the right direction to being a good competitor and making sound waves in this areaas being the best alternitive.
Just my thoughts.

[ricktas]

I used PSP up till about version 9 and it is good software. Probably more alligned to Photoshop Elements than the full blown PS. I jumped ship after V9 of PSP, and went to photoshop, purely because there are a lot more courses/tutorials/online video guides etc for photoshop. If I need to find out how to do something in PS, I can easily find a video tutorial on the net to show me. Unfortunately PSP doesn't have that level of 'support'.

However, it is a damn fine bit of software and some of its features make it easier to use than PS.

[GoldenOrb]

From memory there was Corel something that came with my wacom tablet a few years ago but it never worked with my macs....not sure why though?

[colinl]

I've used the trial version of Paintshop Photo X. I liked it very much. It seemed more intuitive to me than PS. I didn't end up buying though as I could get adobe CS5 very cheap through work. I was using a combination of Aperture for processing and PS for editing and painting. I've just recently gone to Lightroom too. Aperture is good and I like its interface, but I think Lightroom handles noise better.

[Lanny]

Hi all, thanks for your feed back. I just find it really strange that very few have used it on a permanent basis. I sort of feel left out. is it because PS has such a cult following. Or, the marketing for it is good. I know I am getting off the subject here but my sister in law is a graphic artist and she uses Dream Weaver for her work. I asked her why she uses this and she did say why but asked what other great software there is and she really struggled to name more than a few.
The reason why I am asking this is because I have used Corel for so long I am a person that struggles with learning new software that if I did change to PS I would starting from the begining again. Bottom line, is there something I am missing out on with not using PS or is it really just a personal taste and Corel is just as good or it's going in the right direction. Really confused, but thanks all for submitting your thoughts.

[GoldenOrb]

For us (the wife and I) we were given a crash course.. and I mean "crash"... when we started a franchise, it was either learn or sink and blow a shit load of money. Photoshop whether it be cs2-cs5 is complex, but I dont find it overly impossible to use, as Rick said, there are a tonne of tut's on the net. 99.9% of the stuff I have learnt is self taught or trialled over 5 years.

My current choice is CS3, but have the whole package. Even just Photoshop listed as itself, I reckon I could use for another 5 years and not use every part of it.
I have aperture, light-room and a heap of other programs that I have played with or trialled.. I always find that I will almost immediately come back to photoshop though

[ving]

g'day lanny. my wife and I use psp x2. i love it personally and cant see a single reason to change to the more expensive PS/adobe proggy. :)

but each to their own.

[colinl]

I think with photoshop it is the depth of support that has built its user base. As Rick mentioned before, tutorials are easy to find and there are a stack of courses that you can do that use it. If you did a graphic arts or photography course I think you would find most of them would be using PS within the course.

In my case my work computer has CS5 on it, so it makes sense to use CS5 at home, especially when I can buy it as part of our work at home program for only $75.

[Adrian Fischer]

I use PSP X2 and have done for ages (or variants of it but dont see the need to upgrade to x3 as reports suggest its not necessarliy an improvement.). I also use LR to import and archive and for some pp and then export and open in PSP for any final work like noise removal and sharpening etc. I think its a case of what you have become accustomed to. PSP meets my needs. I dont do a lot of manipulation so dont need the grunt of PS. I have also found that if you read a tutorial on PS or elements then its not overly hard to work out the same thing in PSP. They can do pretty much the same thing it just the process to get there that really differs. Layers, histogram adjustment, dodge, burn, sharpen, clone, blemish removal etc etc. Im happy with it and until I find a need to use anything else then I will stick with it.

[ricstew]

I used psp from 6 onwards until I got x3.......I struggled with x3. It was buggy, slow and difficult. The final straw was not being able to use the guides.....there was a work around but it was too hard to do on an ongoing basis. Using guides is pretty basic stuff.......it should have been able to handle it and not crash my computer all the time. I went to PS.......took quite a bit of playing to get the hang of it but now I wouldn't change.
cheers
Jan

[bobt]

I have uses PSP since version 4 or so, and I keep making moves towards PS. However, I am used to PSP, like PSP, and it seems to me far more intuitive than PS. I only make moves towards PS because every man and his dog (and probably cat) seem to use PS.

However, I also use ACDSee, and although I keep moving towards Lightroom I always end up back in the familiar arms of ACDSee, so i think it has to do with your comfort zone. Unless there is something really special about the new temptresses, stick with the one you know and love.

[rwg717]

Yes I use Corel a lot, things which aren't available in PS Elements I can do in Corel X2, very fine editor:)
Richard

[peterb666]

I have XI at home and X2 at work. While I currently use PS5 as I really like Camera Raw, I found PSP a lot easier to use. It is only that I got PS5 very cheap and most people I knew were using PS5 that I moved over to the dark side. I think PSP X3 is exceptional value.

[wheellathe]

Ive worked my way up to Corel X3, but find it to unstable my Lap top hangs and does strange things when it is installed. I am thinking of going over to Photo Shop .What would be the equivalent in Photo shop if I did make the change ....Cheers

[ricktas]

Ive worked my way up to Corel X3, but find it to unstable my Lap top hangs and does strange things when it is installed. I am thinking of going over to Photo Shop .What would be the equivalent in Photo shop if I did make the change ....Cheers

For most, photoshop elements is a good start without outlaying the big $$$

[bobt]

I'd agree with Rick on that, Elements is a better step. However, first I'd try and re-install PSP or see why it has problems. I've used the same version ever since it came out, and on PCs and laptops, and it's quite stable. It's also a great little program that's much more user friendly than Photoshop.