Corel PaintShop Pro is a photo editing software used by professional photographers worldwide. Corel PaintShop comes with a large collection of features like; a large collection of filters, DSLR and lens effects, skin smoothing and blemish removal tools, multi-layer makeup system, a large collection of brushes, textures and backgrounds, auto selection, object selection, smart selection brush, selective focus, photo mapping and painting and drawing tools, these are just some of the major features of the software.

Learning PhotoShop Pro would be helpful for amateur as well as professional photographers. The aim of this post is to present and compare between free online sources that beginners can rely on to learn PaintShop Pro, the sources stated here are full-structured courses that beginners can follow along so you won’t find a link to a single article or a reply in a forum post.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn PaintShop Pro) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Getting Started with PaintShop Pro from Scratch

Corel Website

Corel Website is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning PainteShop Pro online through a video training. It’s worth noting that Corel is the company currently developing PaintShop Pro, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 5 sections, each section is divided into lessons that covers the various aspects and tools in PaintShope Pro.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the section you’re interested in and the list of available lessons will  appear, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to a new page where the video resides, just click on it and it’ll start right away.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured for beginners.
3. The training covers the basics beginners should be aware of in order to start using PaintShop Pro.

Cons

1. The training isn’t well-organized for beginners.

Verdict: This is the best outlet where beginners can start learning PaintShop Pro online through video tutorials.

Corel PaintShop Pro YouTube Channel

Corel PaintShop Pro YouTube Channel is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning PaintShop Pro through video tutorials.

Structure: This training is more of an overview about the software, the training is divided into 5 short video lesson, each of the lessons covers a certain tool in PaintShop Pro.

Interface: Standard YouTube interface.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized for beginners.

Cons

1. The training isn’t well-structured for beginners.

Verdict: This outlet is suitable for those who are using another software (e.g. Photoshop, etc.) and want to have an overview about the capabilities of the software.

Bai YouTube Channel

Bai YouTube Channel is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning PaintShop Pro through video tutorials.

Structure: As the above outlet, this training is more of an overview about the software, the training is divided into 4 short video lesson, each of the lessons covers a certain tool in PaintShop Pro.

Interface: Standard YouTube interface.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.

Cons

1. The training isn’t well-structured for beginners.
2. The training covers an old release of the software.

Verdict: As the above outlet, this outlet is suitable for those who are using another software (e.g. Photoshop, etc.) and want to have an overview about the capabilities of the software, but unlike the above outlet it covers an old release of the software.

Creative Design

Creative Design is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning PaintShop Pro through a text based tutorial, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training covers the newest as well as the old releases of the software, for the section that covers the latest X7 release it’s divided into 16 lessons, each lesson covers certain tools in PaintShop Pro.

Interface: The interface is simple, just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll download a PDF file that covers that section. It’s worth noting that in other sections that covers older releases you don’t have to download any PDF and you’ll only be directed to the webpage where the lesson resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized for beginners.

Cons

1. You’ve to download a PDF file to your computer.

Verdict: This is the best outlet where beginners can start learning PaintShop Pro through a text based tutorial.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning PaintShop Pro:

1. Corel Website is the best outlet for beginners to start learning PaintShop Pro through video tutorial.
2. Creative Design is the best outlet for beginners to start learning PaintShop Pro through a text tutorial.

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in learning PaintShop Pro.