What it does
PaintShop Pro combines painting, vector drawing, masks and photo editing on Windows. It is sold as a perpetual purchase, with a 30-day trial and separate Ultimate bundles.
Build a picture inside a drawn shape
In the Complete workspace, choose the Frame tool and draw an ellipse, preset shape or text frame. Use File > Embed Image, or drag in a picture, to fill it while retaining the picture’s proportions.
Select the image layer to adjust the crop inside the frame. Select the group to move the picture and boundary together. Existing vector objects can also become frames, but a raster shape cannot be converted directly.
Keep a PSPIMAGE copy to preserve layers and reusable frames. Save Copy As produces a separate PNG or other delivery image. If another artist uses an older PaintShop Pro version, the PSPIMAGE save options include a version choice.
ABR brush import, layer-mask editing and blend-mode previews support the rest of a mixed drawing and photo composition. Installation and authentication require internet access; the current application needs 64-bit Windows.
Strengths
- Frame groups let the image and its boundary be adjusted independently.
- PSPIMAGE save options support later editing and older-version handoff.
Watch out for
- Only vector shapes can be converted into frames.
- Installation and authentication require internet access.
Best for
- Photo-based illustrated posters
- Windows artwork combining paint, vectors and images
Sources
- PaintShop Pro 2023 features and requirements (Oct 27, 2026)
- Corel tutorial: use the Frame tool (Oct 27, 2026)
- PaintShop Pro help: saving images (Oct 27, 2026)