Pretty basic questions regarding CorelDraw Graphics Suite 12.  First
and foremost, we need to do some basic things and I'd like to know if
this product does them well: 1) Starting with photos/images I want to
manipulate their actual dimensions (pixel W x H), # of colors. 2) I
want to convert among formats (mostly to BMPs and vector formats from
a variety of formats). 3) I want to do screen captures.

     We have an application that will use/display BMPs. But we have
specific width and height sizes of ?display space? in each instance.
We also need to limit the byte size of the images as well (under ~250
KB). And, of course, we need the images to maintain pretty good (VCR?)
quality.

Seems to me that most of what you're asking for can be done free with
www.irfanview.com. CorelDraw is a pretty hefty package if you only
need to do image editing and, quite honestly, we're not crazy about
its export quality. We regularly use PhotoDraw to do what you are
looking to do. PhotoDraw was including in Office 2000, and has been
discontinued, unfortunately. I use CorelDraw only to do brochure
layouts, and when necessary to draw nontypical shapes. But not for
optimizing images. Someone else may disagree.

Good luck!

Oh...one more thing... :)

If you're going to spend the money on a professional graphics program,
then I suggest PhotoShop/Illustrator. I've never used them, but they
seem to be more "the norm". For instance, we look for work doing
graphics, but most people want PhotoShop experts, not CorelDraw, by an
overwhelming margin.

The Corel Draw program itself is a vector graphics program, and is
very powerful. You create designs newspapers brocheres, you name it
with Corel Draw. Corel has an image editing program called Photopaint,
it should come with the suite. I have used both photoshop and
photopaint, and I can say that each has its own advantages,but overall
I like photoshop better.