PaintShop Pro
Last updated: 18 December 2025
What is PaintShop Pro?
PaintShop Pro is Corel’s flagship photo editing and graphic design application, renowned for providing advanced tools and creative features at a budget-friendly price. Designed to rival competitors like Adobe Photoshop, PaintShop Pro targets beginners, enthusiasts, and professionals who want a capable and accessible software for photo retouching, compositing, and digital illustration.
With its intuitive workspace, broad file compatibility, and extensive library of effects and presets, PaintShop Pro enables users to create striking visuals without a steep learning curve. Its regular updates incorporate cutting-edge features—such as AI-powered enhancement tools—making it a versatile solution for anyone serious about photo editing or digital artwork.
Key Features:
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AI-Powered Tools:
PaintShop Pro introduces artificial intelligence-driven tools to automatically enhance photos, remove artifacts, upscale images, and restore old photos with minimal effort, helping users achieve professional-quality results quickly. -
Layer-Based Editing:
Support for non-destructive, layer-based editing lets users combine multiple elements, experiment with compositions, and easily apply blends or adjustments, providing ultimate creative control. -
Extensive Effects Library:
The software includes hundreds of customizable filters, instant effects, and presets, making it easy to stylize photos or create artistic effects with just a few clicks. -
RAW & HDR Processing:
Photographers can process RAW image files and create stunning High Dynamic Range (HDR) compositions directly within PaintShop Pro, ensuring high-quality output and flexibility during post-production. -
Graphic Design Capabilities:
Beyond photo editing, PaintShop Pro offers vector drawing tools, templates, text manipulation, and a variety of brushes, catering to graphic designers who want to produce logos, ads, or social media content. -
Batch Processing:
The batch processing feature allows users to apply edits or resize multiple images at once, saving time and ensuring consistency across large projects.
What makes PaintShop Pro unique?
PaintShop Pro stands out due to its one-time purchase model, offering a compelling mix of affordability and power that is especially attractive compared to subscription-based rivals. Its integration of AI-powered editing and automated workflow tools democratizes advanced features for users at all skill levels.
Additionally, PaintShop Pro offers a highly customizable workspace and wide plugin support, allowing creatives to tailor the software to their exact needs. Its ongoing updates and vast online community ensure robust support and innovative functionality, making it a perennial favorite among non-Adobe users.
Pros and Cons
Who is using PaintShop Pro?
Photography Enthusiasts: Individuals who regularly shoot, retouch, and enhance photos will benefit from PaintShop Pro’s powerful editing capabilities, vast filter selection, and RAW/HDR support.
Graphic Designers & Creators: Artists and designers working on digital illustration, branding, web elements, or marketing graphics will appreciate the vector tools, templates, and flexible design environment.
Small Businesses & Social Media Managers: Companies and freelancers needing quick, high-quality visuals for websites, ads, or social media will find PaintShop Pro’s affordability and batch processing invaluable.
Continuous Improvement Timeline
Since its initial release, PaintShop Pro has continually expanded its toolset, evolving from a basic image-editing program into a comprehensive creative suite. Each new version delivers enhanced performance, more intuitive UI updates, and greater format support.
In recent years, the introduction of AI-powered features—such as automatic artifact removal, AI-powered upsampling, and selfie enhancements—has kept PaintShop Pro competitive and relevant amidst emerging digital trends.
Corel regularly responds to user feedback by streamlining workflows, adding customizable workspace options, and improving batch processing, ensuring the product remains accessible and effective for both new and returning users.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | About |
| Standard One-Time Purchase | $79.99 (varies with discounts) | A straightforward single payment gives permanent access to the software and all standard features. |
| Upgrade License | $59.99 (for previous users) | Existing users can upgrade to the latest version at a reduced rate. |
| Ultimate Edition | $99.99 | Includes additional premium software, plugin packs, brushes, and creative effects. |
| Subscription (rare/promotional) | Varies (typically $5-9/month) | Occasionally offered, provides flexible access for short-term needs. |
Verdict
PaintShop Pro remains a top choice for anyone seeking robust photo editing and graphic design functionality without the commitment or cost of a subscription. Its combination of advanced tools, user-friendliness, and regular AI-enhanced improvements ensures it’s suitable for a vast audience—from casual users to creative professionals.
While it faces limitations like being Windows-exclusive and not offering the sheer extensibility of Adobe’s ecosystem, its price, performance, and feature set make it a smart investment for most individuals or businesses seeking powerful image editing software.
