I really wanted to like ASP

[pentax_shooter]

I figured I'd give a little feedback, most of you already know this but maybe somebody at Corel will listen.

I'm new to DSLRs and found myself needing a RAW image editor for windows. I looked at the options, with LR4, ASP, ACDSee Pro 6, & Photodirector looking like the most polished. Ten years ago I did some work with Photoshop, and even back then I found Abobe products to be bloated, slow, and overly complex. Moreover, LR4 is nearly double the cost of any of its competitors. So I really didn't want to go there. However, I would eventually be needing a pixel editor and a video editor, and having all three products in the same "ecosystem" has understandable advantages. Corel's line, on the surface, looks like a powerful but not overly complicated line of products really aimed at amateurs, valuing simplicity and low price, while still having enough to do anything I may want.

However, in about an hour's research I started questioning my decision. Within a day I decided to look elsewhere. It starts with the lack of support and development. On this forum I read very few positive experiences. The software was beginning to look abandoned until a few days ago, and a lot of too little too late was going around. If you are targeting the amateur market, above all else it needs to work right the first time, and it needs enough updates that the latest cameras and lenses are accounted for. That's the only competitive advantage you have (Adobe's got you beat on features, and others match your prices). There looks to be very little integration with Corel's other products, which should be a big opportunity. In fact all the products including PSP and VS look neglected. I've got to believe that Corel is trying to develop too many programs, and doesn't have the resources to do any of it right.

I'm sure there are more thoughtful critiques out there on Corel and ASP. But I figured I'd share my thoughts.

[thazooo]

Since you appear to be a Pentax user, I'll mention my experience. ASP/Bibble is the only RAW converter I've found that consistently matches the color of Pentax's PDCU program.
All other's I've tried always needed a tweak or significant adjust to get the color right. And I like the Pentax colors.
ASP itself is pretty good, nice set of features, and fast. If I hadn't committed to another asset manager, I'd probably use it for that also.
Yeah there has been some up roar over updates, etc....... But a lot of that started when Corel turned loose the Bibble staff. If you check the Paintshop Pro forums
you'll still see folks complaining about how it was better when Jasc had the program. Many versions ago. Corel builds good products, always has.
You have a 30 day trial, give it a go and decide for your self rather than listen to some folks complaining.