In this forum we're seeing a growing number of posters who are using the newer versions of Paint Shop Pro, which is now officially Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2. I'm sure many purchased the software because of the low price. But my guess is some of these folks are like me and not fully satisfied with the latest versions.

If you're considering photo editing software for the first time for something other than professional use (Photoshop required there), I would urge you to make some comparisons before putting down the cash for photo software for your digital camera, scrapbooking, scanning, etc. needs.

Longtime users of PSP who have followed the development (or lack of) of the software since its sale to Corel know PSP has fallen behind its competitors. There was no new update last fall, the usual time for software publishers to release new versions. The last couple of releases were mostly cosmetic in nature, failing to address memory-leak problems and other bugs users had identified. A few months ago, Corel conducted a survey of at least some of the owners of PSPP X2, suggesting a new version may be in the works. But there's been no official word from Corel.

So, I offer you two alternatives to consider -- unlike PSPP X2, both run on a PC or Mac -- Photoshop Elements and PhotoLine 32.

Elements is like a stripped-down version of PSPP X2. It has an Organizer that is much better behaved than the version in PSPP X2. It won't record scripts but will run actions that have been recorded in Photoshop, and there are lots of those available -- for free and for sale. Masks, Channels and Curves are available only through these third-party action. Elements has a very large support community. It's published by Adobe, so you know any bugs will be fixed in a timely manner. The latest version, Elements 7, is available for about $75.

PhotoLine 32 V.15 is a heavy-duty application published by a small German firm. At least one on-line review in the Mac world called it an alternative to Photoshop. It does not have an Organizer, but has a Browser similar -- but souped up -- to the old PSP. The latest version, 15, was released in January of this year, and there have been 4 updates since then. There is a learning curve here, in part due to the German to English translation, and there's only a small English support community. However, there's a 250+ page manual in English for download. Available for about $60.