Review by Grace

I used to use Paint Shop Pro back when it was owned by Jasc. For the price, it was a great paint program. Since then I’ve moved onto Photoshop, which is obviously way beyond Paint Shop Pro, so I won’t compare the two. I wanted this software for the VideoStudio Pro part and I was very interested to give the latest version of Paint Shop Pro a try as well.

First of all, my computer never crashed or froze up… yet upon trying to install this software my computer would cut off and reboot every time. It was impossible to install. I couldn’t find a solution online and since I was getting a new computer the following month, I waited rather then contact technical support.

With the new computer, the software installed just fine. Then I got to the registration screen, which pops up when you first start it. I don’t like filling those out since you only end up with junk mail, so I normally skip this, but this program doesn’t give you the option to permanently skip it. Instead you have the option to be reminded in 30 days. Of course, I could simply fill out false information and be done with it, however I absolutely HATE programs that try to force you to register.

Starting Paint Shop Pro, I’m immediately shown an organizer that will organize all of my photos. Seems like every program these days wants to organize something for you. I opted to skip that and go straight to photo editing. My first thought was that the interface is not as nice as it use to be… they opted for a cleaner look and removed most of the icons from the main toolbar across the top. Most icons are contained in floating menus that can be moved around and placed anywhere and in any position. The layer panel can be placed anywhere on the screen, pinned, floated, or even placed away in a popup on the edge of the screen, maximizing workspace. At first, I didn’t like the interface, but after moving stuff around and customizing it, I was highly impressed by what Corel did.

There is also a ‘Learning Center’ window that is a text menu allowing you to easily start off and get what you want done without much knowledge at all of photo editing. Click on an option and it’ll take you step by step through editing and creating effects. Click on a tool and it converts to a list of instructions on how to use the tool as well as giving you a few tips for how to make the best of it. This can be closed out easily for those more fluent with editing.

I immediately opened up one of my Photoshop PSD files, which other programs I’ve used often have trouble working with. No problems whatsoever… it took me a bit of time to figure out the new tool layout, but once I did, I was able to do the editing I needed. It’s no where near as robust or powerful as Photoshop, but it does the job and considering all the options for new users, I would HIGHLY recommend Paint Shop Pro to anyone new to editing.

My opinion of VideoStudio is quite different. Aside from the colors, the interface and menus are completely different… if I didn’t already know, I would never have guessed these programs are from the same company. The interface is not really customizable, it’s completely stripped down with few easily accessible features, and worst of all, it has big fonts and buttons. Looks very amateurish.

I’ve been using Cyberlink PowerDirector for months now… VideoStudio feels like a clone of PowerDirector, without the power and control. Being use to PowerDirector, I found navigating VideoStudio to be very familiar. Both programs have a lot of effects and stock photos and sound, but everything with VideoStudio seems to require extra steps. Everytime I click on the transitions tab, I have to select ‘All’ from the dropdown, since it’s defaulted to ‘My Favorites’ rather then your previously selected option. I’ve had numerous problems with sizing and adjusting frames where PowerDirector offered an easy solution. After working with it for a couple of days, I moved back to PowerDirector. VideoStudio needs a LOT more work to catch up with similar priced video editing software… as it is right now, it’s barely ahead of freeware.

Overall, I’m very pleased with Paintshop Pro and I would highly recommend it to anyone new to the editing world as well as anyone that doesn’t need something as robust as Photoshop. 5 stars.

I would not recommend VideoStudio at all and hope that they manage to improve it in future versions. 1 star.