Corel PaintShop Pro

Corel PaintShop Pro
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Name	Corel PaintShop Pro
Developer	Corel Corporation
Released	1990
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
License	Proprietary

Corel PaintShop Pro is a proprietary raster and vector graphics editor developed by Corel Corporation for Microsoft Windows. Initially created as a consumer-oriented alternative to professional software, it evolved through numerous versions and acquisitions to include photo editing, graphic design, and digital painting capabilities used by photographers, designers, educators, and hobbyists. The application has been discussed alongside major products and companies in the imaging market and compared with established titles in publishing, photography, and software development.

History

PaintShop Pro traces its lineage to a product created in the late 1980s and marketed through the 1990s by a succession of companies and publishers, intersecting with firms such as Jasc Software, Adobe Systems, Microsoft, Apple, and Hewlett-Packard. The product's development and ownership changes involved corporate events connected to acquisitions, mergers, and strategic moves comparable to transactions involving companies like Symantec, Borland, and Novell. Industry conferences and trade shows such as COMDEX, SIGGRAPH, and Photokina featured demonstrations and competition among vendors including Nikon, Canon, Epson, and Fujifilm, which influenced image-editing feature sets. Notable milestones in the product's timeline occurred during the rise of digital photography alongside advances from Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, and Sony, and amid platform shifts led by Microsoft Windows versions such as Windows 95, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 10, and Windows 11.

Features and tools

PaintShop Pro includes tools and modules comparable to those in applications produced by Adobe, Serif, and Affinity, supporting layers, masks, and selection tools paralleling features in Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Affinity Photo, SketchUp, and CorelDRAW. Image adjustment utilities mirror controls familiar to users of Adobe Lightroom and Capture One with exposure, white balance, and histogram tools. Retouching tools are akin to those found in products from Nikon and Canon workflows, offering clone, healing, and red-eye correction. Vector-editing components recall functionalities in Inkscape and Illustrator, while batch processing and scripting relate to automation frameworks similar to those in Adobe Bridge and Automator from Apple. The interface has been compared with UI paradigms from Microsoft Office and Mozilla Firefox and integrates plugin support for filters from companies like Topaz Labs and Nik Collection developers. Color management aligns with standards promoted by International Color Consortium and printing workflows used by HP and Epson.

File formats and compatibility

The software supports a wide spectrum of raster and vector formats including formats commonly used by photographers and designers, paralleling compatibility seen in Adobe Photoshop PSD, TIFF images used in publishing by The New York Times, PNG assets used by web platforms such as Google and Facebook, and RAW formats produced by camera makers including Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, Olympus, and Panasonic. Interoperability with desktop publishing workflows that involve formats used by QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign is a consideration for users preparing materials for printing by vendors like FedEx Office and Vistaprint. Export options align with standards recognized by organizations such as the International Organization for Standardization for color and metadata interoperability with services like Flickr and Instagram.

Editions and licensing

Historically, editions and licensing models for the product paralleled strategies used by companies like Microsoft, Adobe Systems, Autodesk, and Symantec, offering retail boxed versions, downloadable licenses, upgrade pricing, subscription alternatives, and bundle promotions with hardware vendors such as Dell and HP. Licensing terms have overlapped with industry practices involving end-user license agreements similar to those used by Oracle and Microsoft and have adapted in response to distribution channels including Steam, app stores operated by Microsoft Store, and direct downloads through vendor sites. Special editions and companion suites have been marketed in ways comparable to promotional bundles from Intel and Nikon with third-party training partners like Lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning).

Reception and reviews

Critical reception has seen comparisons to flagship products from Adobe Systems, Apple, Serif, and open-source projects like GIMP, with reviewers from publications such as PCMag, CNET, Wired, TechRadar, and PC World evaluating usability, performance, and value. User communities and forums similar to those hosted on Reddit, Stack Exchange, Digital Photography Review, and manufacturer support portals have discussed stability, feature parity, and learning curves relative to competitors like Adobe Photoshop Elements and Affinity Photo. Awards and mentions from industry bodies and media outlets have paralleled recognition given to software by organizations such as TIPA and Epson-sponsored contests.

Technical requirements and platform support

The application primarily targets Microsoft Windows platforms and has been tested on versions released by Microsoft Corporation across multiple generations, with system requirements referencing processors from Intel and AMD, graphics acceleration from NVIDIA and AMD Radeon, and memory and storage capacities promoted by manufacturers including Western Digital and Seagate. Support for peripherals and drivers is coordinated with vendors such as Wacom for pen tablets, Epson and Canon for printers and scanners, and camera tethering protocols familiar to users of Phase One and Sony Alpha. Enterprise deployment and compatibility considerations echo practices used in IT environments managed with tools from VMware and Microsoft System Center.

Development and updates

Development cycles have followed patterns seen in software firms like Adobe Systems, Autodesk, Microsoft, and Apple, with feature updates, bug fixes, and service packs distributed through digital channels. Release notes and change logs have been discussed in forums frequented by professionals using software from Nikon, Canon, Sony, and Fujifilm, and updates have responded to evolving standards promulgated by organizations such as the International Color Consortium and the Joint Photographic Experts Group. Community feedback mechanisms resemble those used by projects involving GitHub issues, beta testing programs similar to those run by Microsoft and Adobe, and training resources produced by providers like LinkedIn Learning and Pluralsight.

Category:Raster graphics editors