Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate

January 16th, 2010

Corel

Customer Rating: Rating 3.5 out of 5

(123 Reviews)

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Product information Creator: Windows Xp
Brand: Corel
Publisher: Corel
Category: Software
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Format: Cd-rom
Model: PSPPX2ULTENPC

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Features

Support for over 250 cameras has been added for those who shoot in the raw format
New Media Recovery software is included and can recover images, movies and sound files from memory cards, including SD, miniSD, microSD, CompactFlash I & II, Memory Stick, MMC, xD, SmartMedia and Micro Drive, even if they have been reformatted
Includes a 2 GB USB flash drive for storing and transferring your digital photos and files
Express Lab--this easy photo fixing mode helps you view and correct dozens of photos in the time it used to take to edit just a few by letting you edit photos without opening each image file individually
Red Eye Removal--Eliminate red eye in one click or use advanced red-eye removal that even works on pets

Accessories

Editorial Reviews

Product Description: Corel Paint Shop Pro Software - Corel PSPPX2ULTENPC.

Amazon.com: Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate combines ease of use with full professional power. Fix brightness, color and photo imperfections like red eye in a few clicks, or use precision photo-editing controls to create photos you'll be proud to share. The Ultimate edition features valuable extras like media recovery software, a creative content pack, Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4 and a 2 GB USB flash drive--over $180 in value!

The easiest way to get professional looking photos--fast!

Overview

Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 has everything you need to create stunning photos. The integrated Learning Center and a selection of one-click photo-fixing tools make it easy to correct common photo flaws such as red eye, color and sharpness. Unique makeover tools let you whiten teeth, remove blemishes and paint on a tan, so you can make everyone look their best before printing or posting photos online. As your skills and confidence grow, you can harness the power of professional-quality features such as HDR Photo Merge, Histogram, Curves and Levels Adjustment tools to make precision edits. You can even get creative with artistic effects and filters to turn your favorite photos into fun projects to share with family and friends.

Import pictures from your camera automatically
Instantly fix common problems such as red eye, color and sharpness
Add special effects to photos, text and projects with a few simple clicks
Use advanced editing tools to fine-tune images on your own
Print, email and share photos

Paint Shop Pro Photo X2
Includes:

New--Express Lab
- Save hours with this rapid photo fixing mode
Corel MediaOne Plus (DVD Maker not included)
- Edit with fast, fun and easy photo & video software
- Turn pictures and video clips into slide shows, or create collages, calendars and album pages
Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 video training
- Learn editing tips and tricks with video tutorials by Lynda.com
Special effects filters by Nik Software
- Add stunning effects and styles to transform pictures into unique photographs

The Express Lab lets you edit photos without opening each image file individually, so your workflow runs seamlessly. Click to enlarge.

Use layers to add effects to your images. Click to enlarge.

Ease of use with full professional power. Click to enlarge.

Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate
Includes everything in Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, plus:

Enhanced--Camera raw support
- Enjoy support for over 250 camera raw formats
New--Background remover plug-in
- Easily remove the background of a photo and change it to a new scene for more creative impact
Enhanced--Creative content pack
- Get creative with your photos by adding fun details. Choose from 150 brand-new, custom-made photo frames, photo edges and Picture Tubes
New--Certified for Windows Vista
- Certified for Windows Vista software has undergone Microsoft compatibility tests for ease of use, better performance and enhanced security
Bonus--USB flash drive (2 GB)
- Store and transfer your digital photos with this handy thumb drive
Bonus--Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4
- Transform your photos into stunning paintings in 3 easy steps
Bonus--Media recovery software
- Recover images, movies and sound files, even from reformatted memory cards

What's New

Enhanced--Camera Raw Support
For those who shoot in raw format, support for over 250 cameras has been added.

New--Background Remover
This new plug-in lets you easily change the background in your photos to create unique and exciting effects. Just cut out part of an image, remove it from the background and place it on a different setting. You can even preserve fine image details like strands of hair or smoke.

Enhanced--Creative Content Pack
Ideal for scrapbooking and other creative photo projects, this bonus pack contains 150 brand-new, custom-made photo frames, photo edges and Picture Tubes that allow you to enhance any image with fun graphics.

New--Certified for Microsoft Windows Vista
Certified for Windows Vista software has undergone Microsoft compatibility tests for ease of use, better performance and enhanced security.

Bonus--Corel Painter Photo Essentials 4
This fun program lets you turn a photo into a unique work of art in just 3 easy steps:

1. Choose a photo and the painting style you want to apply.
2. Let the Smart Stroke painting technology create a stunning painting.
3. Touch up your masterpiece by hand if desired.

Bonus--Media Recovery Software
New Media Recovery software included with Paint Shop Pro X2 Ultimate can recover images, movies and sound files from memory cards, even if they have been reformatted. It is compatible with virtually all media card formats, including SD, miniSD, microSD, CompactFlash I & II, Memory Stick, MMC, xD, SmartMedia and Micro Drive.

Bonus--USB Flash Drive
Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate comes with a 2 GB USB flash drive for storing and transferring your digital photos and files.

New--Corel MediaOne Plus (DVD Maker not included)
This fast, fun and easy photo & video software lets you turn pictures and video clips into slide shows, and create collages, calendars and album pages.

Get photos from your PC, camera or scanner automatically with Express Lab. Click to enlarge.

Easily apply artistic effects to individual layers, such as drop shadows, embossing and reflections. Click to enlarge.

Merge photos of the same scene taken at different exposures or with different brightness/contract settings to create a final image that features the full range of detail in the highlights and the shadows. Click to enlarge.

Features

View, organize and edit photos quickly

Rotate, resize, crop, straighten and remove red eye fast in Express Lab mode
Import photos automatically, including raw images
View thumbnails of all images on your hard drive
Tag photos with keywords for easy reference
Search for photos by filename, folder name, keyword tag, caption text or image metadata

Express Lab
This easy photo fixing mode helps you view and correct dozens of photos in the time it used to take to edit just a few. The Express Lab lets you edit photos without opening each image file individually, so your workflow runs seamlessly!

Get photos from your PC, camera or scanner automatically
Adjust photo details, such as brightness, shadows, highlights and saturation
Rotate, resize, crop, straighten and remove red eye
Retouch and restore to remove flaws

Autopreserve Originals
Automatically store a copy of your original photo when saving an edited version.

Crop to New Image
Quickly separate multiple images that you scanned at the same time. This tool automatically creates a new file from the cropped area and keeps the original scan open so you can easily separate individual image files from the group scan.

Enhanced--Camera Raw Support
Download photos from your camera to computer effortlessly, including raw image formats produced by many digital cameras. By working with these "digital negatives," you can achieve the results you want with greater artistic control and flexibility, without overwriting the original raw files.

Support for Over 50 Formats
View photos and video clips in more than 50 file formats. Easily import files and ensure accurate color quality for your images.

Share Photos Instantly
Email photos or slide shows to family and friends.

Retouch your photos like a pro

Retouch with unique makeover tools to look your best in photos you print or post online
Whiten teeth, smooth wrinkles and remove blemishes with a few clicks
Edit quickly with easy tools
Cover distractions or remove unwanted objects
Change the color of anything in your photo
Remove noise, grain or discolorations

Makeover Tools
Make sure the people in your photos look their best with tools that are fun and easy to use. Help your subjects look thinner in seconds, whiten bloodshot eyes, smooth wrinkles, paint on a tan and remove blemishes.

Smart Photo Fix
Instantly correct lighting and color problems with automated tools, or make manual corrections on your own.

Red Eye Removal
Eliminate red eye in one click or use advanced red-eye removal that even works on pets.

Color Changer
Easily change the color of objects in your digital photos, such as clothing, walls and furniture. Rather than simply replacing a color, the Color Changer detects and analyzes variations in brightness, then makes the necessary adjustments to produce a realistic effect.

Remove Digital Camera Noise
"Noise" artifacts are small specks of color that interfere with the clarity of your digital image.

One-Step Noise Removal--smooth photos with a single click
Digital Camera Noise Removal--precisely control how these same corrections are applied

Straighten Tool
Fix crooked photos taken at awkward angles.

Correct Perspective
Get rid of unwanted distortions by changing perspective.

Repair Damaged Photos
Restore old, damaged photos by removing scratches and fading.

Remove Distracting Objects
Improve photos by covering up unwanted background objects, such as lamp posts, trees and buildings.

Enhance with professional tools

Combine exposures to get full details in highlights and shadows
Simulate black & white film or convert to sepia
Adjust levels, curves or histogram settings
Fix brightness, color, contrast, saturation and sharpness
Experiment with more advanced editing tools by fine-tuning details on your own

HDR Photo Merge
Merge photos of the same scene taken at different exposures or with different brightness/contract settings to create a final image that features the full range of detail in the highlights and the shadows.

Enhanced--Black & White Photos
Create dynamic black & white images by simulating the look of taking photos using a colored lens filter.

Layers and Adjustment Layers
Maintain image quality when applying changes to color or tone. Edit photos with precision by adding multiple adjustment layers to test various color corrections or to see how corrections look when they're combined.

Adjust Levels & Curves
Change photo exposure using advanced features, including Levels, Curves or Histogram Adjustment tools.

Sharpen Out-of-Focus Pictures
Turn fuzzy photos into crisp images, without compressing or degrading the quality of the image.

Fix Lens Distortions
Easily remove fish-eye, barrel and other lens distortions.

Depth of Field Effect
Draw attention to a specific area of an image. Depth of Field applies focus to a region of your photo while applying an out-of-focus blur to the rest of the image. This allows you to create an effect in seconds that usually requires precise manual lens aperture adjustments.

Professional-Level Options
Work with a variety of advanced features, including 16-bits-per-channel editing, color management settings and raw file conversion.

Visible Watermarks
Take credit for your photos by easily adding a visible watermark to label your work.

Create and share one-of-a-kind photo projects

Give photos a unique look with vintage and artistic effects
Simulate the look of film using vivid, glamour and vibrant foliage filters
Decorate your favorite photos with Picture Frames and Picture Tubes
Use layers to add drop shadows, glows, reflections and embossing to your images
Design scrapbook pages, cards and collages to share with friends and family

Layer Styles
Easily apply artistic effects to individual layers, such as drop shadows, embossing and reflections.

Picture Tubes
Decorate your photos with 30 new sets of professionally designed artistic elements. A longtime user favorite, this tool lets you paint on photos with readymade art that features a variety of themes. For example, add butterflies and beetles to a picnic setting or fill an aquarium with fish.

Picture Frames and Photo Edges
Easily add eye-catching final touches to your images with 20 new Picture Frames. A variety of styles and the ability to edit give you more creative possibilities.

Time Machine
Go back in time and give photos a retro look using effects that replicate the unique appearance of photos taken in the 1800s, 1950s and other points in history.

Black & White Photos
Easily covert your color photos to black & white, mimic infrared film or add a touch of class by making them sepia-toned.

Special Film Effects
Produce interesting, eye-catching photos with a range of effects inspired by classic film and filter types. Simulate the unique look of slide or portrait film, mimic the effect of using color filters on your camera lens, or apply a Film Look to model the effect of using different types of film in a traditional camera.

Captions
Add shapes or words to your photos to add creativity, raise impact, or note important dates and events.

Enhanced--Creative Content Pack
This bonus pack contains 150 brand-new, custom-made photo frames, photo edges and Picture Tubes that allow you to brighten up any image with fun graphics.

Customer Reviews

Better Than the Number One

by Richard L. Steiner 2008-12-17, 276 people found this review helpful

I have been negligent in reviewing the Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate image editing program because I wanted to be sure about what I suspected when I began using it a couple of months ago. "This program is better in many ways and cheaper than the top rated Adobe Photoshop Elements version 7."

I was reluctant to believe that hunch at first. I have both programs installed on a VISTA laptop. Both installed easily and without problem. Both function perfectly without any of the crashing and buggy performance described by other reviewers. I have been using the two programs interchangeably for awhile and eventually noticed that I was opening and using the Corel Paint Shop Pro program more often than the Adobe software. That was the prompt that I needed to offer this review, but my observations do not intend to say the Adobe Photoshop Elements program is necessarily inferior--I simply prefer the Corel software and find it less complicated to use. I will attempt to tell you why.

First, the Corel home screen is easier to see. I found the Adobe Photoshop Elements screen sort of dark and foreboding. The two screens are similar in how the toolbars and menu items are arranged, but not all that much alike in how they are applied. I think the Corel program is more intuitive and logical than the Adobe system.

Both programs have all of the usual features like red eye removal, cropping, brightness adjustments and cloning. These are mostly straight forward, but the Corel program strikes me as less complicated in these areas than the Adobe.

I should admit at the onset--I have yet to master the "Layers" functions in either program. Be that as it may, I am pretty familiar with the rest of the tasks offered by both programs.

Adding images to the organizer pallet at the bottom of the main Corel window is a snap. The "saving as a copy" option in the Corel program is very helpful. Image color adjustments can be made in a number of ways in both programs, but Corel Paint Shop offers better options for changing hue, saturation and texture. I was happy to find how easily edits can be reversed with undo opportunities along the way. The image straightening and adjusting perspective features are worthy of note as is the skin smoothing and tooth whitening options. There is even an option in the Corel program to make a person appear thinner. I never thought I would use that tooth whitening thing, but I have.

I found the Corel feature called "Browse effects" to be particularly useful because it brings up a familiar outline style listing of everything the program does all in one place. One doesn't need to click around on various icons and menu items in order to find the function desired. Clicking through this "Browse effects" list brings up thumbnails that illustrate the choices involved. One could almost use this feature and ignore the array of icons and menus situated around the main window.

I have used the Corel "time machine" function a few times to give vintage appearances to certain photos and find it to be fun if nothing else. The same is true for the frames and distort features along several other artistic effect functions that I doubt most people would use very often. The reason I mention these options is to point out the presence of several functions that are really just amusing to use and probably not essential to serious photo editing.

The ability to adjust the appearance of the home window in the Corel program is appreciated, but I have not messed with that at all. I like the looks of it as is.

Oh, one more thing--adjusting the "layers" in an image may have been included in both programs as a means to humble the user. Just kidding...

If you are trying to decide which program to buy and think the Adobe Photo Shop Elements program is definitely number one you should certainly consider the Corel alternative. I would recommend you buy the Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate instead of the Adobe Photoshop Elements program Version 7 not because they are so different in what they do, but because they are so similar in almost everything else except the price and ease of use. The Corel Paint Shop software is easier to figure out and it is significantly less costly than the Adobe program. Then of course there is the matter of how I found myself using the Corel program more often than the Adobe program. I think that says something.

UPDATE(December 2009):

I recently loaded the Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate software into a new Windows 7 laptop and it went in perfectly and quickly. The program seems to open up and run faster than it did on my VISTA machine. I like it even more. Just thought you would like to know.

X2 without the bugs

by Chawks 2008-10-19, 69 people found this review helpful

X2 Ultimate is faster than X2 and seems to be free of bugs. In addition, X2 Ultimate includes Background Remover 3 from Image Skill software.

My only complaint is that Smart Photo Fix applies the "suggested fixes" before I can make adjustments. Because of this I have to undo the "suggested fixes" and then apply my fixes.

Smart Photo fix works very well in dark environments but it does not work well in bright climates. Everything is way overexposed! The technology appears to have been developed in Russia where the sunlight exposure is much lower than the southern U.S.

This same overexposure problem affects "One Step Photo Fix". Corel would be well advised to return to the "One Step Photo Fix" from version 9. My clients were absolutely amazed by the one step photo fix in version 9.

Nevertheless, Paint Shop Pro X2 Ultimate is by far the best photo editor available for the price. While not as powerful as Photoshop, it is much easier to use and more powerful than Photoshop Elements 6 or 7. The only product that is close in power for the price is Serif's Photoplus X2.

GREAT PRODUCT!

by Lucas's Mommy 2008-10-09, 46 people found this review helpful

This product is wonderful, it allows you to do anything with a photo. It is not a sit down and start using program and does take some time to learn. The book is well worth reading because it is a bit complicated. However, once you learn how to use it, its super simple and can easily change any photo into a great portrait.

Nikon RAW support worse than prior versions

by Wallace Orlowsky 2008-11-14, 69 people found this review helpful

I have owned all Paint Shop Pro versions. Recent versions had some enhancements, but also some bugs that tech support could not resolve and which still appear in Ultimate. But, I upgraded to X2 Ultimate because it claimed to support my Nikon D300 RAW files. They do open, but they can not be saved directly as uncompressed TIFF files. In fact, in this version the problem applies to all NEF files from my other Nikon DSLRs as well (though those worked fine in the previous version). The bug was verified by Corel Tech Support and I applied for a refund. It was bad enough that I had to pay $60 for a minor upgrade; but, worse, Corel refuses to refund the shipping charges I paid. So, I have to pay $9.00 for the privilege of discovering a bug that rendered this version useless in my workflow. Corel seems to have little regard for users of this increasingly buggy software.

This program cannot be used with some computers!

by Dan Tyler 2009-04-11, 29 people found this review helpful

After wasting nearly 15 hours trying to repair my computer, I went to Corel's support site and discovered that Paint Shop Pro X2 is NOT compatible with MANY computers' graphic chip sets.

True. Many faster computers use chip sets (including NVIDIA) that cause your installation and program execution to stall. My computer kept freezing and required a complete reinstall of the operating system! Yes, all my data was lost and it took me all weekend to discover that Paint Shop Pro X2 had caused this problem.

Although Corel recommends upgrading your drivers, many of the newest drivers are not compatible with this program. I have a an HP notebook that has a custom driver- not upgradable so I am out of luck!

It is truly disappointing that Corel has not updated Paint Shop Pro X2 to reflect faster chip sets. A weekend has been wasted for me and all my PSP projects are UNusable on my new computer.

Best PSP Yet

by Michael McBroom 2009-02-24, 16 people found this review helpful

I've been using Paint Shop Pro since version 4, and have used PSP4 and PSP8 extensively. I also have an older copy of Photoshop, version 7, which I use quite a bit. A couple weeks ago, I downloaded the trial version of PSP X2 Ultimate. As I became used to the interface, I found myself using Photoshop and the older versions of PSP less and less. There are many things to like about X2 Ultimate, and relatively few annoyances. I plan on purchasing a copy once the trial period runs out.

Most of my work with these products involves processing of images from my DSLR and scanning and processing slides and negatives. I find X2 Ultimate much easier to use than Photoshop, and more convenient to use than PSP8. Many of my old slides have taken on a magenta cast, which I find is more accurately removed by X2 Ultimate than by either PS7 or PSP8. However, the primary tool that I use to correct the color cast -- "Color Balance" is not as easy to use as the same tool in PSP8. It's been dumbed down and if additional refinements are needed, the controls left are not as effective as those used in PSP8. I have found that X2 Ultimate does an admirable job at removing grain and/or noise from images, with several different tools that can be employed. The High Pass sharpening feature is a welcome addition, and I find myself using it frequently.

X2 Ultimate does require more computer oomph, though. I have it installed on an older system running XP with a 1.2 ghz processor and "only" 768MB RAM. This is plenty of power for the other imaging software I use, even Photoshop, but X2 Ultimate definitely lags, swapping memory to and from the hard drive frequently. I use a tablet for some editing chores. X2 supports pen pressure for variable width lines (PSP8 does not, although PS7 does), but the drawn output does lag behind the cursor on my system, while the lag is negligible with either PSP8 or PS7.

The fact that X2 Ultimate will require that I either add RAM to my system, or upgrade it altogether for performance to improve is why I give this product 4 stars instead of 5.

Paint Shop Pro fails with no warning - Corel says they will not fix

by D. A. Sterner 2009-06-10, 32 people found this review helpful

Corel Paint Shop Per X2 has obvious programming errors that the support system says they will not fix. Based on my experience Corel does not care about the user and allows programming errors to be the norm. The program may appear to work on your photo, but can you ever be sure?

I was using Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 to enhance old photographs that I had scanned. Because of the photos contained a lot of detail, I scanned them at a high resolution. When I brought them into X2 some functions seemed to work, but other functions failed to work as expected. I sometimes even got basic programming error messages that indicate the application had failed.

I reported this using Corel's email support. Their only suggestion was reinstall. That seems to be their answer for any unusual behavior. I did this, no change in results. I asked to talk to a manager and they refused.

I then called the phone support line to report this as a bug. They took the report, and then called back in a few minutes saying that is was my problem for using a picture that was too large for Corel X2 to handle and it was my problem. They completely ignored the fact that the program failed to identify this as a photo that was beyond X2's capability. And, nowhere can I find the limits of X2 processing capability.

Corel should have taken this seriously because a failure in their program causes bad results. If the picture is too big for X2 to handle it should tell me that, not just produce bad results. This implies that Corel is not quality oriented, and you should be careful using the product. If this type of error is common in the product and is called a user error, the quality control for the software likely leave other "user error" program errors throughout the product.

Corel - Bonus Pack only $20 value not $200

by ljm 2009-05-13, 29 people found this review helpful

I owned previous versions of this program and I feel ripped off on this one. Corel is not JASC. When JASC owned the program you felt that you got a nice program at a good price - they even sent out a news letter with free picture tubes, frames and tips. Now I feel ripped off. Corel advertised that you get a "Over $200 Value" if you purchased the ultimate version. Not true. The USB drive is cheap plastic, You get a trial version of Painter Essentials 4 - The upgrade is 35.00 + shipping. The Media Recovery Software you can download from the web for free. A Background Remover is included in most other photo programs for free and the Creative Content Pack is junk. You might like them if your five. I think they took the ones no one wanted and put them with this package - you have to download them on install, they're not on the disk. The last version I was happy with was JASC Version 8, it was great, but It didn't operate on Vista so I thought I would upgrade after my PC died. As to the Corel program it is a little different. Some of the features are nice but the dark interface is terrible I have large monitor and It's still hard on the eyes luckily it can be changed to the lighter interface through the view menu. Overall I haven't noticed that much new or useful for me. I wish I hadn't bought this package because it doesn't have the quality or customer service it use to have. I'm changing to Serif's PhotoPlus - it has similar features and if you need help they don't charge you to ask a question or more. Corel charges $15 and of course there is no money back guarantee.

Everything you need

by A. Tegtmeier 2008-12-02, 21 people found this review helpful

I uses Photoshop CS 2 before and while this is a phantastic software for editing pictures, it was really shooting birds with canons.
The most pictures I make these days fall in the category of family snapshots, with the occasional landscape and some other documentary photos.
So I was looking for a more simple solution with more automation / with three kids, you just don't have the time anymore to individually tweak every photo to the max in PS. And with my wife discovering the joy of taking pictures of our kids, the picture count for this year is slightly below 3000.
X2 Ultimate has everything that I need - a quick fix button for my wife, a somewhat more elaborate but still simple tweaking capability for me and if I really need it, it also has basically the same functionalities built in as PS, when you delve deeper into the menus.
It also has a decent photo viewer and comes will all kinds of bells and whistles that I haven't tried out so far (like the background removal tool, the HDR fuction etc.).
The worklflow might not be as refined as with PS and Lightroom, but for my basic and simple needs it is a perfect fit.
The learning curve is practically non-existent if you already have some experience with other photo editing software. And it runs very fast even on my old XP machine with 1GB RAM.
I used the ancestors of this software way back in the early 90s, before I became a serious photographer and updated to the big gun PS. Now that I have reverted back to being a snapshooter again, X2 Ultimate is the BB Gun I need to shoot my birds. :)

Learn how to edit your registry!

by R. Walton 2009-05-27, 26 people found this review helpful

Corel has taken a very good product, Paint Shop Pro, and turned it into junk that won't run or even let you remove it without manually terminating the processes it runs in the background. After it seemed to run fine, on day 32 (possibly 31, as it wasn't run that day) it ceased to operate at all. This was a fully licensed copy, not a trial. So their return system won't even respond since it's over 30 days old - good timer they have.
Unless you want some practice editing your registry to remove all of the corel crap, don't buy this turkey.