Digital Home Thoughts: Corel (Not Jasc) Updates Paint Shop Pro, Photo Album

"Corel on Tuesday announced new versions of both Paint Shop Pro and Photo Album, the first updates to either product since the company acquired the titles in October 2004 through the purchase of Jasc Software. Corel says the focus behind Paint Shop Pro X is ease of use. This is evidenced by the addition of the "Integrated Learning Center." The tools included in this area will help to create professional-looking results regardless of experience level. However, Corel also is aiming the product at professionals as well. Advanced photo editing controls will allow users with more experience to fine-tune their modifications to digital images."

Very interesting stuff, I would like to see how Corel has managed the new products. When one company buys another, it is always interesting to see whether it is able to retain the original style of the software that made it successful in the first place. Some of the features in Paint Shop Pro X include Smart Photo Fix that analyzes photos and suggests settings to enhance picture quality, Makeover Tools to fix skin blemishes, whiten teeth and darken skin tone, and the Object Remover that can remove unwanted objects from images and replace them with the background surrounding it. Photo Album supports several new features as well. Paint Shop Pro X comes with a standard version of Photo Album 6 and will retail for $129 USD.