Corel Photo and Video Software for 29.99 on Groupon

Corel Photo and Video Software for 29.99 on Groupon · 09:27 AM

EDIT: Aftershot Pro 3 is actually 19.99 at Woot right now! https://computers.woot.com/offers/corel-aftershot-pro-3-photo-editing-softwa...SABEgJRf_D_BwE

Original post:
There are 3 packages from Corel currently on Groupon... the AfterShot Pro 3, Paintshop Pro X9 and VideoStudio X9.

https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-cm-corel-editor-download-cards

I am considering going back to Aftershot Pro... I like both RawTherapee and DarkTable as economical solutions, but each has some drawbacks. When I used Aftershot Pro, it felt just right (when it didn't crash of course, but hopefully they've worked on that since...)

PaintShop Pro X9 is the older version so not that much better than buying off Amazon but you still get about 8 dollars off...

CarlJF · 09-19-2018, 12:43 PM

BTW, you can try Aftershot free for 30 days. Probably worth trying before spending even 20$ on it. I gave it a try a few months ago and had been underwhelwed by it. Its RAW processing was definetely subpar to LR (and probably most other software). I never was able to get a picture looking near as good as LR. No matter how much time I put on it. In fact, even an SOOC jpg was better than AS3...

But nothing to lose by trying it and decide for yourself...

ChristianRock · 09-20-2018, 08:49 AM

Well, I've used the software before (version 1) and I was very pleased with a lot of aspects of it. I didn't upgrade to V2 at the time because they took forever to support the K-S1.

Corel states that they don't oversharpen pictures right off the bat like other software, what you get is a much more "neutral" or "natural" picture to start with. LR processing might be more advanced, especially on how it handles midtones. But I find AFP alright, especially for the price. Which brings a point that anyone that is spending 120 dollars a year for LR isn't going to be looking at a 20 dollar piece of software. This is for us who can't really afford LR.

For 20 dollars, I think the Perfectly Clear algorithm alone is worth it. Add a very fast workflow and interface, and a very intuitive way of doing local layers, and I think the software is worth it. I'm enjoying Darktable a lot, but I think it slows me down a bit too much, processing always takes a long time for anything. If I can do things quite a bit faster with AFP and get similar results, I think it's worth it. Plus I can always keep DT and RawTherapee on the side.

ChristianRock · 09-20-2018, 12:38 PM

AHHH I might have paid up the 20 bucks too soon, as you said.

I downloaded the 30-day trial with the intent to enter the product key once it got in the mail, but it won't open my K-S1 DNG files at all, despite the K-S1 being in the supported cameras list. it will open the K-50 files fine, but I want my K-S1 files to be supported...

Lack of K-S1 support was the reason I dropped ASP a couple years ago... they only added support for it last year.

**Riggomatic** · 09-20-2018, 01:01 PM

If there is a paint shop pro ultimate option, it comes with the After shot 3.

I uninstalled After shot 3 with all the crashing, and went to Affinity Photo. I still have aftershot 2 on the PC. I think it handles skin tones better than Affinity.

Now I'm looking at Rawtherapee.

**West Penn** · 09-20-2018, 06:33 PM

Originally posted by ChristianRock

AHHH I might have paid up the 20 bucks too soon, as you said.

I downloaded the 30-day trial with the intent to enter the product key once it got in the mail, but it won't open my K-S1 DNG files at all, despite the K-S1 being in the supported cameras list. it will open the K-50 files fine, but I want my K-S1 files to be supported...

Lack of K-S1 support was the reason I dropped ASP a couple years ago... they only added support for it last year.

It may be that you need to download the K-S1 profile. Click on the "Get More" tab on the right side of the screen and then scroll down until you get to the Pentax cameras that are supported. You can then download the profile for the K-S1. It's free. I don't have a K-S1 to verify that this model works, but as I recall I had to download the profile for my K-3 II. There are also a lot of free plug-ins available through the Get More tab, so it's worth spending a bit of time on that tab. But, some plug-ins have not been upgraded to 64 bit so they don't work with Aftershot Pro 3.

ChristianRock · 09-21-2018, 07:13 AM

Originally posted by West Penn

It may be that you need to download the K-S1 profile. Click on the "Get More" tab on the right side of the screen and then scroll down until you get to the Pentax cameras that are supported. You can then download the profile for the K-S1. It's free. I don't have a K-S1 to verify that this model works, but as I recall I had to download the profile for my K-3 II. There are also a lot of free plug-ins available through the Get More tab, so it's worth spending a bit of time on that tab. But, some plug-ins have not been upgraded to 64 bit so they don't work with Aftershot Pro 3.

You are right, I had to download it separately.

However it only works on .PEF files, not on the .DNG. That is a bit annoying, but I changed my settings to shoot .PEF from now on... the K-50 DNG files work just fine.

I'm doing a quick comparison between ASP, RawTherapee and DarkTable to see if it's worth keeping ASP...

**West Penn** · 09-21-2018, 08:51 AM

There are two KS-1 Profiles there under the Get More tab. One of which is designated for DNG files.

ChristianRock · 09-22-2018, 05:15 PM

Originally posted by West Penn

There are two KS-1 Profiles there under the Get More tab. One of which is designated for DNG files.

Ah, thanks. I didn't even notice there were two, My bad...

ChristianRock · 09-25-2018, 07:15 AM

Ok, so after trying out the latest version of Corel Aftershot Pro for a couple of days and making comparisons with Darktable, I agree that as a RAW converter, it's not very good. I remember it being good for my K20D files a few years ago, and I've used it with K10D files as well and it compared well to RawTherapee. With those older cameras, I like Darktable results a bit better, but ASP delivered some very pleasing results.

With K-50 and K-S1 files, the results are just horrible. Colors are all wrong, the files seem unsharp and lacking in detail. The same files opened up in Darktable and with just the basic curve already looked good; adding my initial settings (a little sharpening, dehaze tool, a bit of contrast) and they look great. With ASP, just to get the greens looking somewhat decent on my K-S1 files, ti's like pulling teeth - upon loading the files, they come like some neon-yellow-green.

Corel (after Bibble before them) creates their own camera profiles instead of using the readily available ones like Darktable and Rawtherapee. I think they just don't have the time to create decent profiles anymore and basically just release something, but using the common profiles would require a rewrite so they don't want to do that either.

The only redeeming thing about ASP, and which makes it worth it the 20 bucks (but not more) in my opinion, is the ability to use PerfectlyClear to enhance JPEGs. My wife will only use JPEG settings, so doing a batch run on those JPEGs with the PerfectlyClear algorhythm (or just running it on them one by one) makes them look fantastic. PerfectlyClear is of course an external software not made by Corel that they license to use in ASP Pro. It really is worth 20 bucks to have that if you have JPEGs to work on like we do. So I'm definitely keeping my 20 dollar ASP Pro 3 licence - when Fedex ever finds the Woot-sent box with the product key, that they lost in transit...

ChristianRock · 09-26-2018, 07:20 AM

No one probably cares... but I thought I'd give an update.

I ran some JPEGs as I said previously, through ASP Pro to do some basic enhancements, and then did the same in Darktable with just my saved settings. Darktable files came out nicer.

So, ASP really isn't worth it anymore, when free software does everything better...

CarlJF · 09-26-2018, 02:02 PM

Originally posted by ChristianRock

No one probably cares... but I thought I'd give an update.

I ran some JPEGs as I said previously, through ASP Pro to do some basic enhancements, and then did the same in Darktable with just my saved settings. Darktable files came out nicer.

So, ASP really isn't worth it anymore, when free software does everything better...

I concluded the same when I tested it.

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09-19-2018, 12:43 PM	#2
CarlJF Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,185	BTW, you can try Aftershot free for 30 days. Probably worth trying before spending even 20$ on it. I gave it a try a few months ago and had been underwhelwed by it. Its RAW processing was definetely subpar to LR (and probably most other software). I never was able to get a picture looking near as good as LR. No matter how much time I put on it. In fact, even an SOOC jpg was better than AS3... But nothing to lose by trying it and decide for yourself...

09-20-2018, 08:49 AM	#3
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910 Original Poster	Well, I've used the software before (version 1) and I was very pleased with a lot of aspects of it. I didn't upgrade to V2 at the time because they took forever to support the K-S1. Corel states that they don't oversharpen pictures right off the bat like other software, what you get is a much more "neutral" or "natural" picture to start with. LR processing might be more advanced, especially on how it handles midtones. But I find AFP alright, especially for the price. Which brings a point that anyone that is spending 120 dollars a year for LR isn't going to be looking at a 20 dollar piece of software. This is for us who can't really afford LR. For 20 dollars, I think the Perfectly Clear algorithm alone is worth it. Add a very fast workflow and interface, and a very intuitive way of doing local layers, and I think the software is worth it. I'm enjoying Darktable a lot, but I think it slows me down a bit too much, processing always takes a long time for anything. If I can do things quite a bit faster with AFP and get similar results, I think it's worth it. Plus I can always keep DT and RawTherapee on the side.

09-20-2018, 12:38 PM	#4
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910 Original Poster	AHHH I might have paid up the 20 bucks too soon, as you said. I downloaded the 30-day trial with the intent to enter the product key once it got in the mail, but it won't open my K-S1 DNG files at all, despite the K-S1 being in the supported cameras list. it will open the K-50 files fine, but I want my K-S1 files to be supported... Lack of K-S1 support was the reason I dropped ASP a couple years ago... they only added support for it last year.

09-20-2018, 01:01 PM	#5
Riggomatic Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Auburn, Indiana Photos: Albums Posts: 3,883	If there is a paint shop pro ultimate option, it comes with the After shot 3. I uninstalled After shot 3 with all the crashing, and went to Affinity Photo. I still have aftershot 2 on the PC. I think it handles skin tones better than Affinity. Now I'm looking at Rawtherapee.

09-20-2018, 06:33 PM	#6
West Penn Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 250	Originally posted by ChristianRock AHHH I might have paid up the 20 bucks too soon, as you said. I downloaded the 30-day trial with the intent to enter the product key once it got in the mail, but it won't open my K-S1 DNG files at all, despite the K-S1 being in the supported cameras list. it will open the K-50 files fine, but I want my K-S1 files to be supported... Lack of K-S1 support was the reason I dropped ASP a couple years ago... they only added support for it last year. It may be that you need to download the K-S1 profile. Click on the "Get More" tab on the right side of the screen and then scroll down until you get to the Pentax cameras that are supported. You can then download the profile for the K-S1. It's free. I don't have a K-S1 to verify that this model works, but as I recall I had to download the profile for my K-3 II. There are also a lot of free plug-ins available through the Get More tab, so it's worth spending a bit of time on that tab. But, some plug-ins have not been upgraded to 64 bit so they don't work with Aftershot Pro 3.

09-21-2018, 07:13 AM	#7
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910 Original Poster	Originally posted by West Penn It may be that you need to download the K-S1 profile. Click on the "Get More" tab on the right side of the screen and then scroll down until you get to the Pentax cameras that are supported. You can then download the profile for the K-S1. It's free. I don't have a K-S1 to verify that this model works, but as I recall I had to download the profile for my K-3 II. There are also a lot of free plug-ins available through the Get More tab, so it's worth spending a bit of time on that tab. But, some plug-ins have not been upgraded to 64 bit so they don't work with Aftershot Pro 3. You are right, I had to download it separately. However it only works on .PEF files, not on the .DNG. That is a bit annoying, but I changed my settings to shoot .PEF from now on... the K-50 DNG files work just fine. I'm doing a quick comparison between ASP, RawTherapee and DarkTable to see if it's worth keeping ASP...

09-21-2018, 08:51 AM	#8
West Penn Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 250	There are two KS-1 Profiles there under the Get More tab. One of which is designated for DNG files.

09-22-2018, 05:15 PM	#9
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910 Original Poster	Originally posted by West Penn There are two KS-1 Profiles there under the Get More tab. One of which is designated for DNG files. Ah, thanks. I didn't even notice there were two, My bad...

09-25-2018, 07:15 AM	#10
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910 Original Poster	Ok, so after trying out the latest version of Corel Aftershot Pro for a couple of days and making comparisons with Darktable, I agree that as a RAW converter, it's not very good. I remember it being good for my K20D files a few years ago, and I've used it with K10D files as well and it compared well to RawTherapee. With those older cameras, I like Darktable results a bit better, but ASP delivered some very pleasing results. With K-50 and K-S1 files, the results are just horrible. Colors are all wrong, the files seem unsharp and lacking in detail. The same files opened up in Darktable and with just the basic curve already looked good; adding my initial settings (a little sharpening, dehaze tool, a bit of contrast) and they look great. With ASP, just to get the greens looking somewhat decent on my K-S1 files, ti's like pulling teeth - upon loading the files, they come like some neon-yellow-green. Corel (after Bibble before them) creates their own camera profiles instead of using the readily available ones like Darktable and Rawtherapee. I think they just don't have the time to create decent profiles anymore and basically just release something, but using the common profiles would require a rewrite so they don't want to do that either. The only redeeming thing about ASP, and which makes it worth it the 20 bucks (but not more) in my opinion, is the ability to use PerfectlyClear to enhance JPEGs. My wife will only use JPEG settings, so doing a batch run on those JPEGs with the PerfectlyClear algorhythm (or just running it on them one by one) makes them look fantastic. PerfectlyClear is of course an external software not made by Corel that they license to use in ASP Pro. It really is worth 20 bucks to have that if you have JPEGs to work on like we do. So I'm definitely keeping my 20 dollar ASP Pro 3 licence - when Fedex ever finds the Woot-sent box with the product key, that they lost in transit...

09-26-2018, 07:20 AM	#11
ChristianRock Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: People's Republic of America Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 9,910 Original Poster	No one probably cares... but I thought I'd give an update. I ran some JPEGs as I said previously, through ASP Pro to do some basic enhancements, and then did the same in Darktable with just my saved settings. Darktable files came out nicer. So, ASP really isn't worth it anymore, when free software does everything better...

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09-26-2018, 02:02 PM	#12
CarlJF Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,185	Originally posted by ChristianRock No one probably cares... but I thought I'd give an update. I ran some JPEGs as I said previously, through ASP Pro to do some basic enhancements, and then did the same in Darktable with just my saved settings. Darktable files came out nicer. So, ASP really isn't worth it anymore, when free software does everything better... I concluded the same when I tested it.