What we found

We rated each package for its effectiveness at fixing problems, for ease of use, and the number of tools and features. See How we tested for more details of the images we used and the problems they had.

Overall

• Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 was the best program overall, scoring a perfect 10 out of 10 in almost every category. Packed with highly effective manual correction tools and filters, it also had the best automatic correction tools on test. Despite its huge range of advanced features and large handbook we found it easy to use with a comprehensive help function.
  
  
• Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 was as easy to use as Photoshop Elements 6 and scored equally well at most tasks - but didn't perform quite as well at automatic corrections.
  
  
• Of all the programs on test, Gimp was probably the biggest surprise. We were bowled over by the array of tools this free program includes. We were particularly impressed by the program's colour adjustment features. Gimp rated only slightly lower than our two top programs, and the fact that it's free makes it an attractive proposition.

Automatic correction

Most of the programs we tested have automatic correction tools that aim to correct your photos with minimal input from you. The two exceptions are Serif PhotoPlus 6 and Gimp 2.3 - PhotoPlus 6 doesn't have any automatic correction tools at all, while Gimp 2.3 only has an automatic red-eye correction tool. (Note: since we conducted our test, Gimp 2.6 has been released and features more automatic image correcting tools than its predecessors.)

The performance of the automatic correction tools varied. Adobe Photoshop Elements' automatic correction tools were first rate. The built-in automatic correction tools of Corel Paint Shop Pro and Windows Vista Home Premium both had a reasonable go at improving our problem photos, but were nowhere near as good, while Apple iPhoto and Photoshop Album starter only had basic corrections.

Manual correction tools

It's the fully-fledged manual image-editing tools that really make or break these programs. Sophisticated tools can transform photos beyond recognition. Great results do take a bit of practice though, so be patient.

Brightness and contrast

All the programs with this function did a fantastic job brightening the picture of the couple outdoors (right) using their manual brightness and contrast tools.

Photoshop Album Starter Edition doesn't have any manual tools for adjusting brightness or contrast. The program is really more of a photo viewer and organiser than a full-blown image-editing program. As such it mainly comprises automatic editing tools.

Changing colours

Image-editing programs include settings for adjusting the balance of colour. These can correct discoloured or too-yellow photographs. Most of our programs scored well in this respect. Free program Gimp 2.3 proved it can easily take on the paid-for programs scoring 10 out of 10 for the quality of its colour adjustments. Like the advanced paid programs, Gimp lets you adjust individual pixels if you wish.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 and Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 also handled colour adjustments well. We especially liked the variations function within Photoshop that allows you to view thumbnails of your image with different colour treatments applied.

PhotoPlus 6 only achieved an average score because it had fewer tools for making colour adjustments. Photoshop Album Starter Edition didn't have any colour correction filters so it couldn't perform this task.

Removing unwanted objects

The most effective way to remove unwanted items from a photo is to use the clone tool. This works rather like a skin graft: you copy a piece of matching background from elsewhere in the image and paste it over the unwanted object. It's not quite as easy as it sounds as it can be fiddly to make the finished image look natural.

The top four tested programs - including free program Gimp 2.3 - all had clone tools and coped very well with turning our group of four ladies (right) into a trio.

None of the other packages had a clone tool and, with no other suitable tools available, it wasn't possible to remove unwanted objects effectively.

Eradicating red-eye

Returning your subjects' demonic red-eyes to a more natural shade is probably one of the most common tasks you'll perform with image-editing software. Most of the programs were very effective at removing red-eye and producing a good finish to the image. iPhoto unfortunately over-darkened the eye, giving quite an unnatural look.

Black and white

Older black-and-white photos are often torn and tatty. Restoring them to their former glory requires a lot of fiddling with a combination of tools such as blemish removing tools, clone tools and scratch removal tools.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 and Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 had an abundance of tools which, when applied with care, did a very good job. Gimp 2.3 was fiddlier than its rivals on this task but the results justified the effort. Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition 3.2 and Vista's built-in program lacked sufficient tools to produce a good image, with the end result looking blurred and unnatural.