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17 of 18 found the following review helpful:
 paintshop X4 database management problem Nov 25, 2011
By R. Bailey
"picture me"
I upgraded from paintshop X2 to the current X4 version. The X4 version can now process my RAW files. Other differences are nice. The database management utility is a show stopper if you require such a tool. It crashes every time it is used or tries to move files. Moving or deleting files outside of the program will also cause the program to crash. This problem is maybe why Corel provided the restoredatbase utility, without it the program would be useless.
The videostudio X4 ultimate program is good. I bought it because of the Mercalli image stabilization add on. I take handheld videos at 720mm zoom and the program stabilizes the images very well. I had been using power director. Videostudio X4 is easier to use for my needs.
Overall I am happy with the X4 products. Corel needs to fix the management problem.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 This is *the* software bundle you'll want if you want your videos and/or photographs to rock! Dec 24, 2011
By D. Fowler
"Dragonfly77"
This is probably *the* software bundle you'll want to invest in if you want to upload your videos to YouTube or make everyone think your photographs rock. Mind you, I've just done a few video clips for my reviews and personal enjoyment and have used Windows Live Movie Maker. It works, but is best suited to the movie maker who just needs a little help now and then. If you are also a photographer you'll be able to edit your work like a pro. With this "ultimate bundle" you have it all and then some. I find Corel products to be extremely user friendly, and in fact I'm using the Corel Write program in the Home Suite bundle to write this review.
If you already know you want this software, you can simply bypass this review because it will be lengthy. I do want to help people make up their minds whether they want to actually purchase the software by going into detail about what exactly they will be getting. Our family is anxious to use the VideoStudio Pro to edit recorded sports related activities such as snowboarding and kayaking. A quieter family member, with whom I share my art related Corel software, will be anxious to take a look at the PaintShop Pro capabilities. No matter what you plan on using it for, you won't be disappointed. Mind you, there are about 75 new or enhanced features on this software. Can it get any better than that?
WHAT IS IN THE BOX:
* Two comprehensive User Guides, each more than 170 pages
* A free download disc for WinZip Pro
* A pair of 3D glasses (save your 2D movies into 3D or into YouTube 3D).
* 2 PaintShop Pro discs
* 1 VideoStudio Pro disc
* A coupon for a free photo book with Blurb
* A VideoStudio Pro X4 Getting Started Guide (booklet)
NEW and/or ENHANCED FEATURES (PaintShop Pro):
* Photo Blend: This feature will help you select the best features in a photograph and blend them into another. You can take the Freehand tool and grab the image you want and actually layer it into another background. Another way you can use this is if you have several shots of a group of people and someone has their eyes closed. Now you have a way to "photo blend" and get the perfect family shot (a great feature for large families). Full instructions as to how to use this feature are in the User Guide.
* HDR (high dynamic range) which includes Batch Merge, Exposure Merge, and in the User Manual, tells you how to take photographs for them.
* HDR Batch Merge: This tool helps you to create batches of photographs according to when you took them and save them in individual folders for later editing.
* Exposure Merge: You can combine two or more shots of the same scene to create a dynamic shot that even nature would have difficulty imitating.
* Vignette Effect: Say for example, you are taking a picture of your family at a park. You may wish to emphasize your family and fading out the background. FYI, this is an awesome effect.
* The RAW lab has been enhanced (working from your DSLR camera). You can export your work to JPEG, GIF, or PNG files to edit it. You can go to Corel and find several Knowledgebase articles to assist you. You can work with your photographs until you get "just" the right effect(s) you want.
* Tabbed Workspaces: Redesigned workspace makes it easier for you to move Manage, Adjust, and Edit tabs than before.
* Selective Focus effect (tilt shift): This allows you to turn your scene into a miniature world without having to purchase specialized, expensive lenses.
* Performance: With performance updates, the program works faster and "effects such as Noise Reduction, Vibrancy, and Tone Mapping can now be adjusted and applied in real time.
* Full-screen review: This enhancement allows you to use Quick Review in a "full-screen mode." This feature makes it quicker to review, edit, delete, rotate, and add star ratings to your photographs.
* Built-in capacity to share to Facebook and Flickr. Are you a user of either one, you simply click the "Share" button to upload your photos to the site (follow some easy instructions).
NEW and/or ENHANCED FEATURES (VideoStudie Pro):
* Stop motion animation: You can create your own animated project by using stills from your DSLR cameras or individual frames from videos.
* Customizable interface: You can actually move your own panels (Menu Bar, Player, Media Library, Timeline, and Step Panels) to where you want them. It's as easy as double-clicking or dragging.
* Enhanced Library Panel: This feature makes it easy to store, sort, delete, and find your work all in one location.
* WinZip Smart Package: You can save all your work in this package AND take it with you to another computer.
* Project template sharing: You can create and import and export your work and share with your friends.
* Enhanced speed and performance.
* Time-lapse and Strobe Effects: You can do things such as modify the speed of your videos. You can slow them up or speed them up as well as make a movie out of stills.
I must admit, that every time you think a particular software can't get any better it does. There are many more enhancements than I've listed here because many of the existing ones were tweaked to work just a bit better and a bit faster. This is the ULTIMATE in play toys for anyone interested in the media arts ... either as a pro or a simple hobbyist. Yes, by now everyone has searched the Internet and discovered there is a free 30-day trial, but no doubt everyone who tries it will be back for more and will want this no time limit software to work with. It's definitely worth the asking price if you want to create priceless works of media art!
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Video editing review only! Jan 09, 2012
By Chris Swanson
"I'm just this guy, you know?"
In this pack, you get photo and video editing software. I don't need photo editing software, but I do need video editing, because each month or so I post videos on my blog talking about, of all things, "Doctor Who." I'm entirely self taught (using an earlier version of this software), so something that helps make videos look good and is easy to use is a must.
Fortunately this product is both easy to use and enables me to make decent, professional-looking videos. It's not quite as intuitive as I'd like it to be, and even after using the previous version of the software as long as I have, there's still bits that confused me, but overall I found it very easy to get into and my most recent video looks much better than my former videos.
However. There are some bugs that must be addressed. First, I've often spent quite a lot of time getting everything just so, only to have the software crash. We're not talking about a small crash once every few weeks. No, I had the software crash out completely *five times* during my efforts to edit one five minute video. This was usually when I was trying to add a new element to the editing area or when I hit "play" to see how it all looked. This used to be a problem with the previous version of the software, but then stopped. I imagine there was a patch issued that fixed the problem, and hopefully there will be here, too.
The other major issue is that the gallery won't display thumbnails of my various clips and photos and the like. This is a real serious problem, as it's hard to move something down to the editing lines if I can't see it. I did find a way to "force" it to let me view everything, but it's a real pain and not something I should have to deal with. Again, I'm assuming this will be fixed at some point, but for now it's annoying as all get out.
For those two reasons, I give this software, which I would have given four stars, a mere three. Once those issues are fixed, I'll come back and update the review.
6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Rich in content and comes with plenty of help Dec 25, 2011
By Big Al
"Alan Rivière"
This Corel Photo and Video Pro X4 Ultimate Bundle comes with 3 discs - one for VideoStudio Pro X4 and two for PaintShop Pro X4; the 2nd disc contains updates. There is no lack of help to learn this software. There are two 4-1/2" X 6-1/2" booklets in the box, one for each program. The books are up to 180 pages long each. They are comprehensive and well organized, the book for PaintShop especially so. Furthermore, the user can click on the "Help?" button at "Corel Guide" to get online help for VideoStudio, fully indexed and chaptered. In PaintShop, there is the "Learning Center" with plenty of online guidance. The following are highlights of my first impressions of the software:
VideoStudio Pro X4
One needs a fast processor and plenty of RAM in his computer to effectively utilize this program. My HP has an Intel Core 2 Quad Processor running at 2.4 GHz and over 3 GB of RAM. It seems adequate. This software allows the user to capture videos from camcorders, TV tuners, webcams, Blu-ray and DVD discs, and iPhone, iPad and other mobile devices, provided that the user's computer is equipped with the proper video capture hardware. In my case, all I get is a pocket camera that can take videos. The video files are uploaded via USB to my hard drive, easily accessible to this program. In the edit mode, where the rubber meets the road, the user can separate the video clip in different tracks for video, voice, music, title, overlay, etc., allowing him to manipulate the video clip in the smallest detail. There is a built-in library containing video clips, still photos, audio files, titles, transitions, etc. These elements can be readily incorporated into the video clip under edit to give it a professional look. There is no way a beginner can learn all these skills in one sitting, but I can see the potential of this program for a real video hobbyist. It will take a fair number of video projects for a person to be proficient. But for someone who is passionate for video making, it might worth the effort.
PaintShop Pro X4
With this program, the user can quickly fix or enhance his digital photos with common tools like cropping, straightening, red eye removal, brightness/contrast adjustment, rotating, flipping, resizing, etc. These are tools I am familiar with. He can further edit with more advanced tools like perspective correction, scratch remover, airbrush, vignette, black and white film, emboss, sepia, etc. These are tools I rarely use. For the real hard-core photo bugs, there are tools for advanced digital manipulation. There is a tool for layering, which combines parts of photos, text, and graphics. Another tool allows blending of several photos into one. I may try them some day. A notable feature of this PaintsShop Pro X4 is the redesigned "RAW Lab". RAW files are not image files, at least not yet, but they contain digital information which will develop into image files. They are therefore called "digital negatives" by some. Many DSLR cameras allow users to take pictures in the RAW mode. Working with RAW files allows the user even more control on the outcome of the images. Since I don't have a DSLR camera or a RAW file in my hard drive, I can't speak any further on this topic. DSLR camera owners, on the other hand, may want to look further into this improved feature.
In conclusion, this Corel Photo and Video Pro X4 Ultimate Bundle is worth the price. It offers many advanced features other digital photo software does not. This software is rich in content; it will take sometime to learn and be proficient with it, but it comes with plenty of help.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Just ok Jan 12, 2012
By K. Sandberg
"JaxBeach"
This is definitely not close to Adobe Photoshop or Elements. It does have some tools and it is better to have this than nothing at all, better than any of the free versions out there, or if you just can not afford Adobe Photoshop.
As far as the Video Pro X4 goes, I did not have any software and I do like using this to edit my videos so I can put them on CD's for me and other family members. I like the simplicity and really love the Corel Guide since that helps with the learning curve. The best part is the Mercalli image stabilization add on for users like me that naturally shake more than the average person when video taping!
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