Review & Giveaway: Corel Paint it! - CLOSED

This giveaway has ended!  Thanks for visiting!

Recently, I had the opportunity to try out Corel Paint it! (courtesy of Corel and a pitch on The Product Review Place).  I was really excited to try out Corel Paint it! because I remembered back to college when I took a 1-credit course to boost my GPA and it was all about Corel products and I loved how easy they were to use but I hadn't used them since and it's been almost over 10 years (gasp!).  I am attached to Photoshop(R), even if I don't know how to use 75% of it, so I was grateful for the ease of use that is offered by Corel Paint it!  I opted to use a picture of Logan that has a fair amount of detail, but because he's a black dog, I find it can be harder to modify/edit correctly (at least for me) in Adobe(R) Photoshop. 

Logan's pictures untouched - I opted for a photo with lots of details in the background and foreground.  I have also noticed with other programs that black dogs are sometimes hard to capture well! (outside of Adobe(R) , other programs meaning programs meant to simplify changing a photograph into a "painting").

Using the Detailed Watercolor feature and no additional touch-ups, I think this picture looks really great.  There is still a lot of detail on his face, but the background is appropriately washed out.  With one simple click of a button, the program made all the changes that would have taken me hours in Photoshop!

This time, I opted for the oil painting.  I like the texture in the piece and am amazed that there is still a lot of detail in Logan's face and the flowers.  I did no additional touch-ups after using this option.  There are multiple other painting, pastels, and sketch options available but these were two of my favorites with this picture!

I haven't tried the program on pictures of my kids yet, but I am impressed on the ability to truly "automagically" transform pictures into paintings.  I have a fast computer, and it worked on this image about 5-10 minutes for each painting option, but it's still no effort on my part in comparison to Photoshop!  I also like the ability to restore certain features of your photo, so if you didn't like the painting effect on a face, you could restore the photo look for the eyes, nose, and mouth!  In addition, Corel Paint it! allows you to save the images in file formats that can be used in other programs, so you don't have to worry about your ability to upload, print, and/or edit using other software.  Overall, I think any of these options would look great printed on canvas (or another medium, we just like finished canvas) and hung in our home!

If you really want the ability to transform your photographs, this program is for you!  You can purchase the Corel Paint it! in stores, online, or directly from Corel for $39.99 or keep reading and you might win your own copy to "automagically" transform your photographs!

Giveaway details:

This giveaway will end on August 17th at 9:30pm Central.  One winner will have 48-hours to respond or a new winner will have to be chosen. (US Entries Only)

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Corel Paint It! and let me know something you learned about the program (i.e., system requirements, types of painting styles (excl. watercolor and oil), or some of the creative effects)!
You must complete the mandatory entry for the extra entries to count!

Extra Entries:

(if it states 2 extra entries, leave 2 comments, 3 extra entries, leave 3, etc.)

1. Follow Two Monkeys & a Washtub via Google Friend Connect (2 extra entries)

(if you already follow, just let me know)

2. Like Two Monkeys & a Washtub on Facebook (3 extra entries)

3.Follow monkeyswashtub on Twitter (2 extra entries)

4. Tweet about this giveaway leaving the link in a comment (you can tweet 2x a day (at least 1 hour apart) and grab an extra entry with each tweet!)

" #Win Corel Paint it! @monkeyswashtub http://goo.gl/fb/k23BZ !  #giveaway ends 8/17 "

6. Subscribe to my blog via email or RSS (2 entries for each, you can do both)

7. Follow this blog on Networked Blogs (5 extra entries)

8. Enter this giveaway into a linky and leave me the link where to find it! (5 entries for each linky entered)

9. Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to it. (5 Entries)

10. Enter any of my other giveaways (1 Entry for each giveaway)

11. Grab my NEW button over there on the left. It must be the new one or the entry won't count and leave me a link to where I can find it on your page. (3 Entries)

Please note that I do not normally ship items from my home and therefore cannot be liable for missing wins.  Please allow time for the products to be shipped from the company. 

Disclosure:  I received the Corel Paint it! from Corel for my honest reviews and opinions on the product.  No additional compensation was received.  The reviews above are my honest opinion and my differ from others.