ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate offers many Photoshop-level features at a fraction of the cost. And while it doesn't quite match Adobe's photo editing software in every feature, it's a professional Windows photo editor packed with the tools most photographers, designers, and artists need.
Features include photo stitching and non-destructive RAW editing, giving you the power of Adobe Lightroom style. The new version features powerful artificial intelligence "Action" (as it is called here). This effectively reduces time-consuming tasks such as background blurring or selecting specific objects.
When we tested this tool, we found it very easy to use and with excellent results. We're particularly impressed with AI Face Edit, which lets you alter a subject's face as if undergoing digital plastic surgery.
Photo Studio Ultimate is available for direct purchase at one price. It gives you one year of free updates and technical support.
You can also get it with a monthly or annual subscription that includes one of the best photo editors, including Gemstone Photo Editor, Luxia Video Editor , Video Converter Pro and Photo Studio for Mac.
Customers get free updates, 100GB of cloud storage and access to online tutorials and workshops. It's ideal if you're starting out as a beginner, although it can be intimidating at first for those new to photo editing.
Cyberlink PhotoDirector 365 is a cross-platform image manipulation software. It's a subscription-based service at $15/£14 per month or $55/£50 per year. If you prefer a one-off price to a perpetual licence, you'll have to pick up PhotoDirector 14 for $100 / £80 instead, confusingly, even though it's only the desktop version.
The subscription model offers more than the app itself. You get unlimited access to the CyberLink app, SFX, background music and soundtracks, all added monthly. You'll also have access to Shutterstock and Getty Images libraries, 50GB of online storage, and hundreds of templates.
PhotoDirector 365 has a beautiful and elegant interface, packed with tools and features, most of which are easy to access, use and customize. Saving your work every time you change categories can be a bit of a pain, but we appreciate the many video tutorials in the app. Rewards for newcomers.
Unfortunately, the software crashed a few times, even completely, and sometimes it seemed to struggle to do simple things like process or simply rotate images.
Read our full CyberLink PhotoDirector 365 review
Best photo editor. Frequently Asked Questions
How to choose the best photo editor for you?
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Be sure to consider many factors before choosing the best photo editor for you.
If you are new to image editing, it makes sense to use simple and affordable tools. You'll want to consider your hardware compatibility. You won't have a smooth editing experience if your computer slows down or crashes every time you launch the photo editor.
Besides hardware compatibility, check camera compatibility. If you regularly shoot in RAW, you need software that can convert RAW files without compromising image quality.
Also look for photo editor pricing models. While some apps are available at a single price, others are subscription-based and cost more in the long run
Overall, our favorite image editor remains the ubiquitous Adobe Photoshop. A powerful photo editing application with a full suite of tools for illustrators, designers and photographers, it's the most reliable solution you can download today. But that doesn't mean it's the best choice for you, especially since it's now only available as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud subscription service.
If you're looking for standalone offline software for a specific purpose, other photo editors may offer better tools or better value. For example, Affinity Photo is a strong competitor to Photoshop that is available at a very affordable price.
What is photo editing?
We asked Chris Pearce, senior photography manager (opens in new tab) at Corel, the team behind PaintShop Pro, to give us an early tour of our photo editing software's best features.
Taking great photos has never been so easy. Our smartphones are equipped with incredibly high-quality cameras, which means you can be creative without the limitations of a DSLR. But how can you turn your everyday photos into professional-quality masterpieces?
While you can create amazing photos with apps on your phone, nothing compares to the sheer power of professional editing tools that give you full control over your creativity. To unlock the full potential of professional photo editing, you need to invest in desktop photography software. Let's take a look at some basic photo edits and why they're worth your time.
Crop – The crop tool allows you to reconstruct the image after taking it. A simple rule to quickly give you better photos is the rule of thirds. If you didn't take the photo with this in mind, try cropping it to adjust the focal point of the photo.
Clarity Sharpness removes blur caused by the camera lens, emphasizes texture and sharpens your images.
Adjust hue and saturation . Hue and Saturation are powerful color correction tools. Adjust color to add color to your image and change the emotional impact of the image. If you want the color to be more or less intense, use the Saturation tool.
Contrast – The Contrast tool can sharpen an image or mute colors for a softer feel. Using it with the Hue and Saturation tools gives you excellent results.
Light – Images can lose detail if the camera's light sensor detects too little or too much light Overexposure correction prevents photos from looking too bright and washed out, while haze correction brightens too dark photos. While you can do some basic editing using filters and apps on your phone, they don't offer many advanced tools to fully enhance your photos. You can achieve this by using tools that are only available through desktop software.
Layer and remove objects from photos . Quickly enable and disable effects using layers to make complex edits without worrying about mistakes Continuously remove unwanted objects in the image using the Smart Masking tool.
Photo Fusion - Combine individual photos to create creative and artistic compositions Every good photo editing program will include special brushes, such as the Refine Brush, that allow you to easily select detailed parts of a photo, such as hair and grass. You can create beautiful surreal art by combining images with double exposure.
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