Paint Shop Pro's history isn't exactly steeped in photography. It started life as a humble shareware screen-grabbing utility about 15 years ago but under Corel's guidance the program has blossomed into the wider world of digital imaging

Versatile features, Wide rande of fixes and effects, Price

Not as many fancy tools as Photoshop Elements

If you want a real powerhouse of an image editor, without having to pay over the odds, X2 is a perfect choice

Extensis Portfolio is designed for a professional working environment. You can even use it in a networked 'client/server' system, where several users are working with a centralised image database

No-nonsense approach

Not ideal for beginners

An ideal cataloguing tool if you just want to get on with it