Corel updates Painter

Corel announced a new version Monday of its Painter graphics application, used for manipulating photos and creating original digital art. Painter IX includes new tools for mimicking the look of oil paintings and watercolors, a "quick clone" tool to simplify touch-up of digital photos and enhanced integration with Adobe Photoshop.

Painter IX is set to go on sale next month, priced at $429 for the full version, $229 for those upgrading from a previous edition and $99 for the academic version. Corel has identified Painter as one of its key products since the company downsized after going private last year.