While the plug-in is much harder to use than anything else on this software, it is still a fun tool to play around with. KPT specializes in crazy filters that dramatically alter your image in fascinating ways.

The KPT Collection gives you more than 20 extra effects on top of the ones that come standard with PaintShop and the over 50 Nik® Color Efex effects and filters. The effects and filters are sorted into tab-organized folders labeled “Portrait,” “Landscape,” “Stylizing,” “Traditional,” “Favorites,” which allows you to keep all of your favorites in one folder, and “All,” which lists all of the effects and filters together. Of course, the new PaintShop tab design carries over to this feature, too. It gives you over 50 filters and effects to play with. This tool takes you images to a whole new creativity level. The best part of the pack is undeniably the Nik® Color Efex 3.0. With the Corel PaintShop Pro X4 Ultimate Bonus Pack you get Nik® Color Efex 3.0, 21 free high-quality images from Fotolia with a 7-day subscription period, FREE WinZip Pro, KPT Collection and a custom photo book from Blurb. Open images are stacked now and can be accessed by clicking on the corresponding tab at the top of the work area.

There’s no need to minimize to switch back and forth between images. My favorite tab feature though is the Image tabs. The Edit tab to add artistic elements to the image such as 3D effects, layers, drawings, paintings in various digital mediums and more.The Adjust tab to tweak photos by adjusting brightness, contrast, clarity, tone mapping, camera noise, color balance and more.The Manage tab to sort through the images saved to your computer, add captions and rate your images using a handy star system.One of biggest revamps was the addition of tabs to help users navigate through the control panel. With its totally revamped design, artists and graphic designers will find all the tools they need to make professional images of their paintings, clean graphic designs and original digital art.

Corel PaintShop Pro X4 is poised to knock Photoshop from its pedestal.

Corel paintshop pro x4 ultimate reviews