Corel Painter 2015 is a really professional program. It is an incredible package of tools that you can use to create or modify images in an unbelievable amount of ways. This is not a program that is for beginners, but with some time and use it becomes something that even a non professional such as myself is able to use to do some really exciting things. I have been a Corel user since 2008 and own several software packages from them, including Photo and Video ones, and had Painter X3, now the upgrade Corel Painter 2015.

Pinnacle Studio 18 is not a bad program. It is quite simple a bare bones package. I like Pinnacle software and am running Studio 17 Ultimate on another computer. I must say that this ‘upgrade’ to the regular Studio 18 offers me less features than the older Ultimate Version of 17. First, this new Version 18 only runs on Windows 7 and 8. Version 17 ran on those as well as Vista.

Parallels installs quickly and easily. For the XP installation, I followed the booklet step-by-step, since it’s not as intuitive as the usual Mac install. It is, however, easier than installing XP on a PC. XP runs inside a separate window, which you can use full-screen if you prefer. The 5 or 6 applications I need that are PC only have installed and worked without a hitch. I was even able to set up a network print server (Buffalo Technologies) via WIndows, then got it to work on the Mac.

Installing Dragon Dictate on my older MacBook (2010 4GB RAM) running Mountain Lion, went without a hitch. I had no idea that there was an app that would connect my iPhone directly with my computer (it isn’t using Bluetooth, so I assume it is using my wifi network), but it was suggested during the installation process. Genius! I was able to start my dictation training immediately, using my iPhone as the microphone, which comes so naturally!

I’m an interior designer, so the in which I use this program is different than an artist, so take this review with a grain of salt. I’ve been really putting the program through its paces over the last month or so. I am an experienced Photoshopper and Sketchbook Pro user and I really wasn’t expecting to love Corel Painter as much as those two programs. And admittedly, Corel isn’t quite as versatile as PS, though I think it is actually better for straight art/drawing/painting applications than PS and certainly better than SBP.

I have been using this for about a year now, and as a novice video maker, I found this to be indispensable. I was able to quickly learn how to use it without any trouble and I have had no trouble using it since. It is robust enough that it grows with you as you improve your video skills but easy enough to use for a first time user. Highly recommended.

I’ve used a number of programs designed to allow you to swap between Windows and MacOS, and this is my favorite. It is very stable on my system and it hasn’t crashed yet. It is super easy to use (I am new to Mac) and it took very little manipulation to get it up and running. I did run into a small problem (user error) and so I had a chance to work with customer support and they were very helpful.

I have both this version and the newer version and I would definitely recommend it for the PC user. All of the standard features are there: quarantine, scan, parental control, but it also includes guides and browser support, which I found particularly useful. My system stayed secure and the program caught a particularly nasty email virus before it could do any damage to my system, so I was particularly impressed.

I downloaded Quicken Premier 2010 from the amazon.com website, no problems. I downloaded on two different computers, no problem with doing that (license is for up to three computers). I’ve been using quicken for many years, and each version they try to put more bells and whistles on top of too many bells and whistles; I wish they would simplify the product – help me simplify my daily tasks. However, though it is a cluttered application with features of which I only use about 10%, it still gets the job done.

I had two previous versions of DRAGON, and found them slow and clunky. This version, though still painfully slow to install, works much better. There appears to be less lag time when using it, and navigation is easier. The enclosed headphones come with the adapter if your laptop has only a headphone (not an additional microphone) jack, so you can use it right out of the box. Recommended.