Photoshop alternative Corel PHOTO-PAINT

With Adobe moving 100% to cloud based software, more and more users are looking for Adobe Photoshop alternatives. The alternative I already use and have used since 1997 is Corel PHOTO-PAINT (also spelled Photopaint by some, and in the CorelDRAW & Photo-Paint community many times simply called PP) from leading software maker Corel who also develop Corel PAINTER and Paintshop Pro.

Photo-Paint used to be a standalone program for photographers and illustrators, just like Photoshop is. But nowadays an integrated part of the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite.

Read more about Corel PHOTO-PAINT on the dedicated Photo-Paint page on Corel.com, click image above.

Some tools, features and naming differs from Adobe Photoshop. And this of course is normal. Considering Photo-Paint have been around for quite some time, and was once considered the leading Photo editing software, using some words and phrases of its own. For example Layers is called Objects. And Levels is called Contrast Enhancement. But Tone Curve of course is called Tone curve.

CorelDRAW and Photo-Paint  have always offered way more file format extensions than Photoshop. So you can still save as PSD file format if you prefer and open and edit your Adobe Photoshop files in Corel Photo-Paint. Feature specific tools in Photoshop such as Layer styles is not available in Photo-Paint. Personally when I have worked with Photoshop I havent ever used Layer Styles. It simply isnt my style of work so I have personally never had any interest in that. Therefore I can not tell you if it works to edit layer Styles from Adobe Photoshop in Corel Photo-Paint. But generally there is no problem to open PSD files in Photo-Paint. File format, extension in Photo-Paint is called CPT.

With Photo-Paint you can easily open old CPT files in Photo-Paint, no problem. There is no particular problem with back save compatibility. In new versions of Photo-Paint there is Grouped Objects (Grouped Layers) in the Objects Docker (Layer Palette). This means in practicality if you open an older Photo-Paint version were Grouped Object wasnt available as a feature, the grouped objects simply become objects outside a group. No biggie in other words.

Corel Photo-Paint have Rotating Guidelines (angled guidelines). Dont remember if that has been added to new versions of Photoshop, but regardless, rotating/angled guidelines is great when you need to have guidelines you can angle/rotate 360 degrees.

Alignment Guides Docker (Palette) and Guidelines Docker (palette) is something to look closer at if you like me use guides in your workflow.

Guidelines is also very easily placed in an image file in PP without using the respective dockers (palettes). You simply activate the RULERS via the menu bar. Menu>View>Ruler or shortcut Ctrl+Shift+R.

Non-Destructable editing?

LENS Objects in the Objects Docker is where you find many of the non-destructable image editing features. Together with Merge Mode (Blending Modes) also in the Objects Docker. (Layer Palette).

You can of course work with Channels as non-destructable image editing in PHOTO-PAINT, the alternative to Photoshop. Simply open the Channels Docker and work with it similar to how you work in Adobe Photoshop. Often these editing tools and features is demonstrated in magazines and blogs on the net, using Photoshop by adding Levels to Channels and objects, and of course this you do in Corel PHOTO-PAINT as well. Just remember that Levels is called CONTRAST ENHANCEMENTS in Photo-Paint. If you use Blending modes + Screen on adding fire effects to photos, and using Clipping mask – go ahead, use Merge Modes (blending modes) + Screen. And clipping mask is simply called Clip Mask in Corel Photo-Paint.

Photo-Paint has a RAW Lab dialog of course. Personally though I useally use Corel AfterShot PRO and first make my first RAW image editing in Aftershot PRO. Save and open the RAW images afterwards in Corel PHOTO-PAINT for further image work. In other words the RAW combo workflow of Corel Aftershot PRO + Corel PHOTO-PAINT would be the equivalent workflow combination of Adobe Photoshop + Lightroom.

Both CorelDRAW and Corel Photo-Paint (CorelDRAW Graphics Suite) has the most professional and 100% ICC compliance color management. If Color Management is something highly important for you, you have come to the right place.

Download a FREE trial, 30 days form Corel here > and Corel earlier announced a great deal for Adobe CS users with special offers price wise for those who like to switch or buy software from Corel. Read the offical press release here https://coreldraw.com/blogs/gerard/archive/2013/05/16/welcome-cs-users.aspx

Sometimes people around thee web on various forums misunderstand and believe Corel Paint Shop Pro, PSP, to be the same as Corel PHOTO-PAINT. Which of course is not the same. Just the very fact Paint Shop Pro don’t handle CMYK color, which of course Corel Photo-Paint does.

Allow me to add a Tutorial I made using Corel Photo-Paint. Showing something both Adobe Photoshop and Corel Photo-PAint illustrators for example do quite many times – scanning and coloring techniques. This one show howe you do it using Corel PHOTO-PAINT, enjoy!

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator & graphic designer
www.canvas.nu
CorelDRAW Master