Corel PaintShop Pro X6 Ultimate review

PaintShop Pro X6’s handling of RAW files remains woefully inadequate. There are two entirely independent raw-processing modules in the Adjust and Edit modes, but neither provides the controls nor the underlying processing quality to make the most of RAW files.

The Adjust tab includes RAW processing, but adjustments are slow to update and quality isn’t up to scratch

Enhanced RAW support is on the new features list, but this only extends to the ability to edit the files’ metadata. Even then, it’s still not possible to rotate RAW images in Manage or Adjust modes. Adobe Lightroom leads the way for RAW management and editing, but Photoshop Elements benefits from the same high quality RAW-processing engine.

PaintShop Pro X6 Ultimate has various extra brushes, textures and stock images, a plug-in called Perfectly Clear and a standalone application called FaceFilter 3.

Perfectly Clear automatically enhances photos, manipulates white balance, brightness, contrast, saturation and applies sharpening and noise reduction. There are tick boxes and sliders for each component, but the default settings often gave excellent results, livening up colours without overcooking them. Perfectly Clear is a welcome addition to the suite, and we hope it sticks around for more than one update. It’s just a pity that Perfectly Clear’s tucked away under the Plug-ins subgroup of the Effects menu. This kind of quick fix would be much better off integrated into the Manage or Adjust tab.

The Perfectly Clear plug-in does an excellent job of livening up colours with minimal user intervention

It’s hard to know what to make of FaceFilter 3, which specialises in digital makeovers. It’s reasonably successful at removing blemishes, shiny skin and wrinkles. It can even apply virtual makeup. However, the results vary from creepy to ridiculous.

It doesn’t matter how proficient FaceFilter 3 is – it’s always going to be creepy

Taken on its own terms, PaintShop Pro X6 Ultimate has lots to offer, and it’s easy to see why users stick with it. However, we probably wouldn’t pay the upgrade price, and we think Photoshop Elements 12 is the better product for first-time buyers. It’s significantly faster and although it has its own weaknesses, Elements 12 does a much better job of streamlining the editing process.