Corel PaintShop Pro X6 Photo Editor Review

Part 1: Feature Overview

The process of preparing photos for most amateur photographers occurs according to a similar scenario. First, you need to disassemble the materials of the next shooting or travel, select the best and make some kind of photo chronicle. Then convert the photo from RAW, fix the flaws of shooting and landscape defects and bring the photos to a “tasty” look. And finally, create a ready-made selection for posting on the Web, and process individual pictures more carefully - for printing in landscape or wall format.

Most of this processing is done in powerful graphic packages such as Adobe PhotoShop, and the analysis of photo materials, their storage and cataloging is performed either using separate utilities, or they do it in a completely artisanal way. The new version of Corel PaintShop Pro X6 does not pretend to be a direct competition for Adobe PhotoShop in the field of graphics and design, but it may be preferable for amateur photographers. At least by the fact that it allows you to quickly go through all the stages of the process - from working with a photo archive and finding the photos you need according to the specified parameters and ending with their placement on the Web or printing. In the first part, I tried to give a brief overview of the main functions of the product, and in the following, we will examine in detail the advantages of PaintShop Pro in performing specific tasks.

Interface and Navigation

The interface of the sixth version is significantly redesigned compared to the previous ones. Three tabs in the upper part of the window (Control, Settings and Editing) are associated with three stages of the process - search and selection of the necessary photos, basic settings during conversion from RAW (exposure compensation, levels, lights / shadows, noise reduction), and, finally, final processing photo and save in the desired format. This approach eliminates the need to make file selections (for printing, for the Web, for display) and sort them into separate folders: the system remembers which photo is being processed at the moment and allows you to freely switch between these three modules. For example, during editing, you can return to the “Settings” tab (the system will offer to save the file), quickly adjust exposure parameters, and then continue processing the photo.


The program interface allows you to freely switch between navigation, setting basic parameters and editing


Owners of large photo archives will be relevant to the function of creating collections. You can do them yourself, or provide this to the system by enabling the filter according to the specified parameters. PaintShop Pro X6 automatically indexes the viewed photos and allows them to be grouped by date, EXIF ​​parameters, size, or even location on the map, if geotagging was enabled during shooting. There is also a built-in calendar that allows you to quickly view all the pictures taken on a specific date.


The filter allows you to display all the pictures that match the specified parameters ...


... and the Calendar - photos taken on a given date.


The bottom panel of the "Management" module allows you to quickly share the selected photo on social networks (available on Facebook, Twitter and Google+), import GPS-bindings into EXIF ​​(GPX / KML, Facebook files or manual coordinates can be used for this) and perform a number of other actions . The function “Share your trip” is interesting. In the event that geotags are already in the EXIF ​​photo data or the coordinates are specified manually, it allows you to build an interactive travel map in a couple of clicks: it’s enough to note the pictures that you want to see on the map.

Create an Interactive Travel Map

1) Location data is attached to photos


2) An interactive route map is created based on geotags


3) The map is saved in HTML format. It can be posted on the website, uploaded to Dropbox and shared on Facebook, or used offline.


The contact sheet printing function will be useful when selecting photos for printing, or for quickly creating a small portfolio that allows the photographer to show examples of his work - for example, when organizing an exhibition or for use in booklets and guidebooks. The basis is taken from the current folder or collection, and their location and size can be selected using a large number of templates.


When printing a contact sheet, a large number of templates are available.

RAW conversion and preprocessing

By going to the Settings tab, the user enters the interface of a fairly advanced RAW converter. These operations are usually performed in Adobe LightRoom, or in the software supplied with the camera. However, Corel PaintShop Pro X6 can be in serious competition here: the module turned out to be quite functional and fast, and the ability to instantly switch from view mode and vice versa significantly saves time. The list of supported cameras is quite large; including the most recently appeared models. For example, with the Nikon D600 RAW files, which are supported by only a few third-party products, I did not have any difficulties.


The “Settings” module combines the functions of a RAW converter and the filter menu of the notorious Instagram

On the left there is all the functionality for adjusting and converting the image, which I will focus on a little later, and on the right there is a special menu for those who do not want to delve into all the intricacies of the curves, levels and white balance, and expect to achieve a “wow effect” in a couple of clicks. The latter is somewhat reminiscent of the filter menu of the notorious Instagram: you can select the desired effect (increase or decrease the contrast, stylize an old photo, etc.) and immediately apply it to the photo. Here, various design elements are concentrated, as well as imitation of various types of films and vignetting. Among the most interesting effects are imitation of infrared film (several modes are available), old color photography (muted colors and imitation of large grains), daguerreotype of the late XIX-early XX centuries, soft filter, tone map (resembles images,


The menu of instant effects contains a large number of filters, divided into groups.

The left menu is intended for those who have experience in image processing. From top to bottom are:
- Combined histograms for each of the image channels
- A set of quick tools (cropping, horizon correction, red-eye removal, a cosmetic bag for face correction and a cloning brush that works similarly to the Stamp tool - you can use it to gloss over image defects).

- Conversion settings, divided into several groups (intelligent correction, white balance, brightness / contrast, lighting / sharpness, local tone mapping, high-pass filtering and noise reduction).


The panel of the RAW converter offers a rich and well-grouped set of settings.

We will dwell on these functions in more detail in the review devoted to converting photos from RAW, but for now we will move on to a brief overview of the editing options.

Photo editing

Everyone familiar with PhotoShop can easily figure out the interface of a photo editor.

Most editing features are focused on the Edit tab. The interface of this module resembles Adobe PhotoShop, and anyone familiar with this product can easily deal with it. In the left panel, the main tools are concentrated (cropping, brush, eyedropper, fill and others). Their functionality is almost similar to the latter. There are also functions for quick horizon straightening and perspective correction. When you select a tool, its parameters are displayed at the top of the window. Only the last panel is specific to PaintShop Pro X6: it resonates with another product of this manufacturer - Corel Painter (formerly Fractal Design Painter) and allows you to simulate various graphic and pictorial materials - oil, watercolor, pastel, pencil and others. Here is a palette that allows you to get different shades by mixing strokes:


In PaintShop Pro X6 there is a tool that imitates various painting styles, as well as a palette for mixing strokes.

On the right is the training center panel (along the way, very sensible contextual tips for using a particular tool or function are displayed, which saves beginners from the need to leaf through the manual for a long time ), as well as various additional parameters. By default, the search panels for colors and working with layers are also placed here, but you can add additional ones, for example, the menu of instant effects already discussed above.

Above, under the main menu, there are quick access buttons and an interesting panel “Photo Improvement”. It allows you to significantly improve the image in a couple of clicks. One-step photo correction is similar to the automatic color correction in PhotoShop (Auto Levels), however, according to my feelings, it works softer, and the result of its work is in most cases closer to ideal. Intelligent Photo Correction works in a similar way, while displaying a number of parameters for fine tuning manually. Here you can remove noise, adjust white balance and a number of other parameters.


The “Photo Enhancement” menu contains a set of tools for quick photo correction

That's all for now. A detailed overview of the functionality of each module, working with layers, masks and blending modes, as well as examples of specific tasks for preparing photos in PaintShop Pro, are the topics of the following publications. The developers managed to combine a friendly interface and powerful functionality of a professional graphics package in this product, and therefore a description of all the product features is beyond the scope of a single article.

Alexey Polyakov