Amateur Photographer Magazine

Russian President in Corel photo software mission

Wednesday 3rd February 2010

Chris Cheesman

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin never shies away from an opportunity to boost his image, constantly being photographed in some 'action man' pose or another. Now, it seems the country's president, Dmitry Medvedev, is also keen on image enhancement - but on the other side of the camera.

NEWS UPDATE: President lifts Red Square photo ban

Amateur Photographer has learned that Canadian firm Corel upgraded its digital photo enhancement software after a special request from President Medvedev.

One might imagine the diary of a Russian president to be brimming with more pressing assignments, yet sources at Corel have confirmed that Medvedev's office contacted company bosses when he found himself in a bit of a fix.

Apparently, Medvedev, who is known to be a keen photographer, had discovered that his digital camera was not compatible with Corel Paint Shop Pro X2.

So, on hearing of his predicament, Corel duly obliged by upgrading its software to work with his equipment.

A Corel spokesman was not able to confirm which camera Medvedev was using at the time, but the president's enthusiasm for photography is well documented.

Last month the BBC reported that one of Medvedev's pictures, depicting the Kremlin, sold for more than a million pounds at a charity auction in St Petersburg.

Last week Corel revamped its software to launch PaintShop Photo Pro X3.

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