DxO Optics Pro 9
Product Type
Software
Software Main Type
Graphics/Multimedia
Brand Name
DxO
Software Sub Type
Image Editing
Platform Supported
PC, Intel-based Mac
Operating System Supported
Mac OS, Windows
Manufacturer
DxO Labs specialises in lens and camera testing, image
assessment and optical corrections, and DxO Optics Pro is the
fruit of all this work. It uses unique correction profiles created for
specific camera and lens combinations to correct a whole range of
optical bugbears, including distortion, edge softness, chromatic
aberration and corner shading (vignetting).
These optical defects are a fact of life for most of us, because it's
next to impossible for lens manufacturers to produce lenses which
don't have some or all of these flaws, yet provide the zoom ranges
we want and at prices we can afford!
DxO Labs Headquarter
Product Name
Optics Pro v.9.0 Standard Edition
Software Name
Optics Pro v.9.0 Standard Edition
Manufacturer Part Number
But DxO Optics Pro doesn't just correct lens defects. It also
converts raw files, and it has some tricks up its sleeve here too,
using DxO's Smart Lighting technology to open up shadow details
and recover the maximum possible dynamic range from your
images.
DXOS010
There are some working restrictions to be aware of, though. First,
Optics Pro can only work with your original files straight from the
camera. Second, if you use a high-end or pro D-SLR, you will need
the more expensive Expert version the DxO website lists the
cameras supported by each version.
Marketing Information
Its tools are also quite complex, even intimidating, so when you
take all these factors into account, it's clear that DxO Optics Pro is
designed for enthusiasts and experts rather than beginners.
The first time you use DxO Optics Pro you're in for a shock. You'll
find out just how much distortion and corner shading your lenses
produce, and you'll see how much better your pictures look
without chromatic aberration this often 'colours' fine details
more than you think. And it's all completely automatic. The
software identifies your camera and lens from the embedded
shooting (EXIF) data and selects and applies the right correction
profile automatically, leaving you with almost nothing to do. It
also happens to be an exceptionally good RAW converter,
producing noticeably crisper detail and less noise than Adobe
Camera Raw, for example.
DxO is constantly releasing profiles for new lenses and cameras,
so the new features in version 9 centre on the RAW conversion
and image processing tools.
DxO Optics Pro 9 offers superb lens corrections, clean and sharp
raw conversions, powerful highlight and especially shadow
recovery, one-click 'intelligent' corrections that often need no
further work.
Push the limits of your camera and automatically enhance the
quality of your images thanks to the power of custom-fitted tools.
Manufacturer Website Address
http://www.dxo.com
DxO Optics Pro
But it is quite inflexible. It will only work on your original images
straight from the camera, and you'll still need Photoshop,
Elements or some other image-editor for jobs like cloning,
localised adjustments, special effects and other image
manipulation jobs.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 13
Developer(s)
Adobe Systems
Stable release
13.0 / September 23, 2014; 3 months ago
Operating system Windows, OS X
Type
Raster graphics editor
License
Trialware
Website
www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelements.html
Pros
Photoshop Elements is the basic alternative to Photoshop Creative
Cloud (or CS) - but that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a lot of
power.
It's now in its thirteenth iteration, and new features include an
easier way to merge photos together, a new crop suggestion tool,
extra effects and a way to create a combined Facebook profile and
cover photo. More good news is that it's now fully compatible with
High DPI Windows monitors and has Retina support for Mac.
Unlike Photoshop CC, Elements doesn't require a subscription.
You can buy a licence outright and it comes bundled with the
companion Elements Organizer app.
Elements 13 is available as a standalone product or as part of a
package with Adobe's Premiere Elements video editing software.
You can get hold of Elements cheaper if you already have an
existing version of the software. Elements ships with the latest
version of Adobe Camera Raw, so you will have support for most
of the latest cameras' raw format files - as new versions of ACR are
added, a free upgrade should become available.
Another new introduction is the eLive feature - this draws
together tips, tutorials and other inspirational articles from
around the web.
Adobe Photoshop Elements is a raster graphics editor for
hobbyists and consumers. It contains most of the features of the
professional version but with fewer and simpler options. The
program allows users to create, edit, organize and share images. It
is a successor of Adobe Photoshop LE.
Originally introduced alongside Adobe Photoshop version 6,
Photoshop Elements targets photography enthusiasts and thus
lacks many features that make it useful in a proper print
production environment.For example, Photoshop Elements
cannot export files in the CMYK color mode, supports a simplified
color management system, and excludes detailed soft-proofing. It
also includes a limited set of Photoshop plugins, and instead has a
number of features aimed at non-experts (such as removing the
red-eye effect or changing the skin tone in a picture). An example
of a redesigned feature would be the Variations correction dialog.
Some versions can, however, open, edit, and save PDFs.
The Simple and Guided Edit modes in Photoshop Elements 13 are
perfect for helping beginners get good results with very little
technical knowledge, but at the same time they introduce key
image-editing processes in a friendly, straightforward way.
The Organizer app is essentially an application in itself. As your
photo library grows, you'll need a tool like this to keep your
images properly organized.
The new E Live feature brings in new ideas and tips from the
Internet and the Photomerge Compose tool proves easy to use.
The Crop Suggestion tool could prove particularly useful for
beginners.
Cons
There doesn't seem to be any way to sort files by type in the
Organizer, for example raw files versus JPEGs. And while you can
run Photoshop Actions (automated sequences of commands), you
can't create them. We also had trouble using the Facebook tools as
nothing happended when the 'Create Facebook cover' option was
selected.
Perhaps the biggest problem for enthusiasts is that the version of
Adobe Camera Raw you get with Elements is much less
sophisticated than the version supplied with Photoshop. You can
carry out basic raw file conversions, but you can't apply curves,
localised adjustments or lens correction profiles.
Verdict
Photoshop Elements has always been a very popular and very
capable piece of editing software for those that don't want, or
need, the full power of Photoshop CC. It also has the added benefit
of being much cheaper (in the long run at least) compared with
the cost of monthly or annual subscription to Creative Cloud.
It's clear that Adobe is really thinking about how beginner users
want to work with their images, with great Quick and Guided Edit
modes to help those who are just getting started with image
editing.
There's also the excellent Expert mode - which although not
improved for Elements 13, continues to offer a lot of the same
functionality as its more advanced sibling.
Adobe Photoshop CC 2014
Photoshop CC caused a storm when it was launched in 2013. From
that point on, you couldn't buy Photoshop with a 'perpetual
licence' you had to rent it a month or a year at a time via an
Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. You choose the plan you need,
and the software is then available to you for as long as you keep
paying the subscription.
This still causes dismay amongst some users, but there are
upsides. Your subscription includes free updates and an
increasing range of Creative Cloud services, such as the Behance
sharing/collaboration site. And since that rocky launch, Adobe has
dropped the price and increased the value. Photographers don't
just pay less, they get two programs for the price of one.
Photoshop CC and Creative Cloud are now a powerful and
compelling option and Adobe has been releasing modest but
useful updates. But June 2014 brought a new version, Photoshop
CC 2014, which doesn't replace the existing Photoshop CC app but
is installed alongside it.
Pros
Photoshop CC 2014 is a tough program to review because it
doesn't really have any rivals apart from the last 'perpetual'
version, Photoshop CS6. Some photographers may get by with
lower-cost alternatives like Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop
Pro, but in reality Photoshop CC is out on its own.
But to get the most out of Photoshop you do need to know what
you're doing there's precious little help here for beginners. And
there's a strong market in creative plug-ins which provide instant
effects, inspiration and creative options simply not available in the
Adobe program.
The improvements in each update of Photoshop CC itself are
relatively modest, but they accumulate and they'll carry on
accumulating for as long as you subscribe. The spectre of paid
upgrades is gone, we assume, forever. The improvements to
Adobe Camera Raw are equally significant. It's now a powerful
image-editing tool in its own right, and you can even use these
tools as a filter within Photoshop.
Developer(s)
Adobe Systems
Initial release
19 February 1990;
24 years ago
Stable release
CC 2014.2.2 / 10 December 2014; 27
days ago[1][2]
Development
status
Active
Written in
C++;[3] formerly Pascal (v1.0.1)[4]
Operating system
At least Windows 7 or Mac OS X 10.7[5][6]
Platform
IA-32 and x86-64
Type
Raster graphics editor
License
Trialware and software as a service
Website
adobe.com/photoshop
Cons
Photoshop 2014 installs alongside Photoshop CC rather than
simply replacing it, and with little or no explanation. Annoyingly,
our plug-ins were not migrated to the new version, so that means
re-installing them or migrating them manually and using the
'old' version of Photoshop CC until then.
The new mask brush tool in Adobe Camera Raw is really useful,
but it's not yet available in Lightroom 5.5, which is unusual since
they both use the same processing engine. Hopefully, Lightroom
will get an upgrade shortly which includes this useful feature.
Perhaps the main point to keep in mind about Photoshop is that
it's designed not just for photographers, but also for illustrators,
web developers and 3D artists. As a result, each update may well
include a whole host of new features and improvements, but they
won't all be relevant to specific types of user. Whatever your area
of interest, Photoshop will do a whole lot of other stuff besides
that you don't really need.
Verdict
For a while, you could still buy Photoshop CS6 as a 'perpetual'
alternative to CC. That's no longer the case, so Adobe's brave new
world of subscription services is the only way forward for
Photoshop fans who want to stay current.
But it all seems to be working very well. The Photography plan is
half the price of the original Photoshop CC subscription, and you
get Lightroom 5.5 too. Adobe's updates may not be on the same
scale as the old software version updates, but they add up and
they're free.
This is still the world's most powerful image-editing application
and Photoshop CC 2014 brings many small but significant
improvements that just reinforce its position. It's getting harder
and harder to argue against Adobe's subscription-based software
system.
Serif PhotoPlus X5
Product Type
Software
Software Main Type
Graphics/Multimedia
Brand Name
Serif
Software Sub Type
Image Editing
Distribution Media/Method
Serif PhotoPlus X5 mimics Photoshop CS and Elements very
closely, right down to the way adjustments are made. Like the
Adobe programs, PhotoPlus X5 no longer applies adjustments
directly to image layers the old-fashioned way. Instead, you
choose an adjustment from the panel and it's applied as an
adjustment layer, together with a mask that you can use to control
the area the adjustment is applied to.
CD-ROM
Its list of features places it somewhere between Elements and
Photoshop, with support for channels (including alpha channels,
for saving and manipulating selections) and the Pen tool for paths
and shapes, for example.
PC
It also has features you don't find in either Adobe program,
including the PhotoFix tool and Cutout Studio.
But in many ways, PhotoPlus X5 falls short. The Organiser lacks
the automatic version sets of Photoshop Elements, and will
overwrite your original photos unless you remember to save new
versions.
It also gave us an insufficient memory warning at one point,
despite the test machine having six times the minimum RAM
requirement listed on the box.
And while Serif PhotoPlus X5 does come with a raw converter, it
doesn't support the same range of cameras as Adobe Camera Raw,
its adjustment tools are limited, and its highlight recovery is very
poor, often producing strong colour casts or severe
underexposure.
Verdict
"Patchy" sums up the whole program. PhotoPlus starts out with a
great premise, as a potential Photoshop-beater at a fraction of the
price. But in reality it doesn't even compare that well with
Photoshop Elements.
The image editing world definitely needs more competition and
innovation, but to be blunt, Serif PagePlus X5 feels more like a
low-cost copy rather than a genuinely different alternative to
Photoshop CS and Elements.
It looks good on paper, and it does what it says, but it lacks both
polish and user-friendliness. Corel PaintShop Pro x4 is a much
more successful Photoshop alternative.
Licence Type
Complete Product
Platform Supported
Operating System Supported
Windows
Licence Quantity
1 User
Manufacturer
Serif, Inc
Product Name
PhotoPlus v.X5
Package Type
Retail
Software Name
PhotoPlus v.X5
Manufacturer Part Number
PHPX5USDPRT
Manufacturer Website Address
http://www.serif.com
Marketing Information
Powerful Digital Photo Editing Made Easy
Take photos then make them great with PhotoPlus X5. Use it to
edit, enhance, and organise your entire image collection. Remove
red eye, restore old photos, add amazing effects and everything in
between. You can even perform advanced tasks like editing Raw
files, HDR image merging and more.
Corel PaintShop Pro X4
PaintShop Pro is an affordable yet flexible and powerful photo
editor and graphic design tool.
Offers photo enhancement tools for correcting color and tone, red
eye, noise, and other common problems.
Draw and paint with gradients, textures, and patterns in vector,
raster, and art media layers.
A mix of fun and serious tools; hundreds of special effects,
distortion tools, frames, art brushes, and quick fixes.
Integrated photo organizer, camera raw converter, screen capture,
optimizer, multiple image printing, and batch processing.
Includes Web tools for image slicing, image mapping, and coding
image rollovers and buttons.
Options to customize toolbars, save personalized workspaces, save
effects presets and share them with others.
Record automated scripts that can be replayed and shared; batch
process, rename and convert images.
PaintShop Pro
For Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7.
Original author(s)
Developer(s)
JASC, Inc. (up to 4.12)
Jasc Software, Inc. (3.119)
Sourcenext Corporation (9)
P.&A., Inc. (5J, 6J, 7J, 8, 9)
Jasc Software, Inc. (1.0-9)
Corel (9X6)
Pros
Affordable, yet full-featured and flexible; offers a nice mix of fun
and serious tools.
Combines photo editing, retouching, painting, drawing, and image
management into one package.
Learning Center and training videos help new users learn the
software and accomplish common tasks.
Manage, Adjust, and Edit workflow tabs streamline the photo
editing process from the review stage to the finished photo.
Platform
IA-32
Easily copy and apply multiple adjustments to many photos in a
batch process.
Type
Raster graphics editor, vector graphics editor
Cons
License
Trialware
Menus, dialogs, and tool options tend to be crowded.
Website
User interface is a patchwork of old and new with some aspects of
www.corel.com/corel/product/index.jsp?pid=prod5100069
the program not meshing with others.
Performance can be slow in some aspects of operation.
Menus are crowded with options and some of the tools are
gimmicky and unnecessary. (For instance, Add/remove noise has
10 different commands under it.)
Final verdict
In spite of its budget-friendly price tag, Corel PaintShop Pro X4
offers sophisticated enough tools to perform many of the same
functions as much more expensive packages - including Apple
Aperture and Adobe Photoshop. If you don't need all of the bells
and whistles that the pricey top-end software provides and you're
looking to save some cash without scrimping on functionality,
then Corel PaintShop Pro X4 is certainly worth a look.
given them. You can also see metadata, which includes
information like GPS location and camera model.
Cyberlink Photo Director
So far so good, but all these features can be found in free image
sorting and editing software like Windows Live Photo Gallery.
Once you start editing your photos, PhotoDirector proves its
worth.
Slide show
You can make adjustments to your photos via various sliders. As
you move these, the photo is updated to show the effect. Each
setting, like sharpness or saturation, is grouped with similar ones
for ease of use.
This suite uses non-destructive editing, which means that no
matter how much you tweak your photos, the original shot is
always kept. A log of changes lets you review each change you've
made to the photo in depth. You can also see side-by-side
comparisons of your photo before and after editing, which gives
you a good sense of how the photo is evolving.
We also appreciated the multi-monitor support, which lets you to
view and edit photos over two screens.
We were pleased to see that one of PowerDirector's best features,
the online DirectorZone that lets users share effects and presets, is
included in PhotoDirector.
For
Easy to use interface
Non-destuctive editing
Library options
DirectorZone
Against
Price
Not as powerful as Photoshop
Cyberlink is best known for its video editing tools, including
PowerDVD and PowerDirector. It's now turned its attention to
photo editing with PhotoDirector 2011.
Will it be able to stand out in such a crowded market, and can
Cyberlink apply its successful video editing formula to a new type
of media?
When you start the software you'll find it looks similar to
Cyberlink's video editor, with an attractive interface that helps you
get started straight away. When we began using PhotoDirector
2011, the only photos imported were the example pictures that
came with the program.
Our own photos didn't take long to find and import though, and
we were impressed by how quickly they were added considering
how many of them were taken at high resolutions.
You can browse imported photos in the Library, and search
through them by the date they were imported, the number of stars
you've awarded them, their folder, album or the tags that you've
In some ways the DirectorZone works better for PhotoDirector, as
the effects seem to be of a much higher standard. There are
hundreds, if not thousands of these available, with more uploaded
every day. Hovering over the thumbnail of an effect gives you an
example of a photo before and after it's applied.
Microsoft's free Windows Live Photo Gallery can now handle
RAW files, so has PhotoDirector 2011 been made redundant so
soon after being launched? Having spent some time with the
program, we'd say no this is a great product for people who are
getting to grips with editing their photos.
FX Photo Studio Pro is a fun, easy tool to use. Many of its 159
effects feel like they're there to bolster the set, rather than because
anyone would use them. But there are some decent ones in there.
MacPhun FX Photo Studio Pro
Fluid Mask 3.2
For
Easy and fun to use
Has built-in sharing functions
Effect combos can be saved
Against
Too expensive for what it offers
Sooner or later, everyone wants to do more with their photos than
iPhoto allows. FX Photo Studio Pro is potentially the next step,
offering editing tools as well as 159 special effects.
FX Photo Studio Pro's interface is simple, easy to use but also
fun. Just drag and drop an image onto it and the program will give
you a scrolling set of effects. Click on one to see the 'before' and
'after' versions next to each other and a palette offering you
customisation options. Click on the green 'Apply' button to apply
it, then continue adding as many effects as you want.
There are also tools for cropping and rotating the image that are
just as easy, if not easier to use as iPhoto's.
And there's an Adjust section for changing colour balance, levels,
sharpness, noise, shadows and highlights, as well as the usual
brightness, contrast, and so on.
You can save the image in formats including raw, JPG, TIFF and
CR2, or share the image on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter or Flickr.
You can also share a combination of effects you've used as a
'Preset' a simple code to type in to recreate the complete set.
Fluid Mask 3.2 is an accomplished plug-in for Adobe Photoshop
and Photoshop Elements that adds a whole suite of powerful
image masking tools to the popular image editor.
Image masking lets you isolate and cut out parts of a photo, and
Fluid Mask 3.2 contains features that make the process easier and
more reliable.
Because this is both a plug-in and a standalone product, time and
technology has been spent on perfecting the tools, with very
impressive results. The tools included with Fluid Mask 3.2 are
much more powerful than those supplied with standard photo
editing software.
Buy Fluid Mask 3.2 (PC/Mac) at Amazon UK for 49.99
Users of Photoshop Elements will see the biggest improvement,
although we think even professionals using the full version of
Photoshop will be impressed.
Fluid Mask 3.2 identifies and segments images according to
colours and tones, and for the most part it does a good job. Similar
tones can sometimes get mixed up, though in one test photo, a
person's arm and the desk behind it were identified as the same
colour and combined as one.
This was easily rectified by drawing a line with the Forced Edge
tool through the selection, dividing it along the edges of the
objects. With care and attention, even fine hairs can be identified
and busy backgrounds removed.
One of the great things about Fluid Mask 3.2 is that you don't
need to be a professional artist to use its powerful tools. Image
segmentation, edge blending and other complex masking
techniques can be implemented easily.
A handy Tip pane gives you in-depth information about every tool
you click on, without being patronising or obstructing your work
with annoying pop-up windows. If you're more confident in high-
level photo editing, you can tweak and edit the tools, and with a
little effort the results can be amazing.
As mentioned, if you don't have access to Adobe's software, Fluid
Mask 3.2 also comes with a standalone editor for using its tools,
although it works best as a plug-in for the more advanced package.
Selections are also much improved in Acorn 3, moving the app
from being primarily about special effects and basic image
manipulation to one suitable for complex bitmap editing.
Flying Meat Acorn 3.0.1
The new Instant Alpha tool aims to work like a magic eraser you
click-drag to remove blocks of colour; this is fine for large, flat
areas, but we found it lacking for making detailed selections.
However, the new QuickMask deftly deals with complex masking,
enabling you to 'paint' a mask and turn it into a selection.
Rather than sprinkling myriad palettes around the screen or
deluging you with a baffling amount of options, you get a single
tools palette; this houses the app's selection of tools, contextsensitive settings for the current tool, and your image's layers.
However, the update's not quite without problems. While we
appreciate the 'Color Correction' section of Acorn's
documentation, some quick-fire tools for photography colourcorrection would be welcome, and we also found Acorn's
performance a problem on a Core 2 Duo iMac, especially with
larger images and when compared to Photoshop. Also, PSD
import is billed as 'improved', but remains variable.
On small screens, this 330-pixel-wide slab of interface might
grate, but it's easily toggled with the Tab key and it works well on
larger monitors.
But, criticising Acorn 3 too much would be a tad churlish, because
this release represents a turning point for the application. We've
long admired Acorn but have always wondered who it's actually
for, largely due to its scattergun approach regarding features,
offering a few insanely powerful tools but irksome omissions.
The user-friendly nature of Acorn continues throughout the bulk
of the application: tool settings are clearly labelled, and powerful
filters can be applied in a separate window that enables you to
chain multiple effects and save them as a preset.
With the improvements in this release, it matches Pixelmator for
basic image edits, betters all of its rivals regarding special effects,
and is even starting to muscle in on Adobe Fireworks's turf
regarding interface design.
Acorn 3 introduces Layer Styles, a feature that provides a
stripped-down (and slightly less configurable) set of effects that
are non-destructive, including shadows, blurs and colour settings.
In both cases, the ability to preview how combinations of effects
amend your image or layer is useful.
It's not quite in MacFormat Choice Award territory yet, but Acorn
now does more than enough to justify purchase for basic interface
design, quick image edits and effects work at least if you've a
reasonably recent Mac to run it on. And for existing Acorn fans,
the upgrade price is a total no-brainer.
Acorn bills itself as the "image editor for humans" and it's easy to
see why.
Acorn 3 also brings some big changes to vector objects, making it
more suitable for interface design. For example, if anyone's
designing for screen, then they can use the 'snap to pixels' option
for shapes, to keep everything sharp. The ability to dynamically
update corner radius and stroke settings for vector objects will
also be a boon for web and interface designers.
Elsewhere, anyone working with shapes and text will be pleased to
find these things can now be rotated, have gradients applied to
them and be converted to Bezier objects. And Bezier curves are
now also more flexible, since you can add and subtract points.
As such, the product needs a bunch more work before we'd make a
recommendation over one of its contemporaries.
adnX Imagerie 1.2.1
MY TOP THREE IMAGE-EDITING
SOFTWARES AND WHY
1. Adobe Photoshop CC 2014
Adobe Systems always take the
first place so well here thats the
case too. Adobe has shown
proficiency in programs including
flash player, AIR, reader and the
like. Minimal cons and maximal
pros are the key to great
programs such as this one.
Plus,this software is the most
user-friendly one.
2. Corel PaintShop Pro X4
For
Nice photographic filters
Great fullscreen mode
Against
Ill make it short. Corel's powerful
yet affordable photo editing and
creative effects will give Adobe a
run for its money. And thats the
reason why I put this second.
3. DxO Optics Pro 9
Terrible bitmap editing
Interface shortcomings
adnX Imagerie pitches itself as an entry-level photo editor, and
the developer says the app wasn't designed to be "a clone of
Photoshop or one of its competitors".
This is just as well, because Imagerie's bitmap-editing features are
terrible. Bizarrely, such edits are done in a separate 'bitmap editor'
window that has a horribly basic toolset, not even including
cloning.
Where Imagerie succeeds a little more is in making basic
adjustments to a photograph's canvas (cropping, flipping,
rotation) and applying effects. Along with the kind of
enhancement tools you get in iPhoto (exposure, saturation, and so
on), Imagerie bundles a number of powerful filters based around
classic camera types and provides access to Mac OS X's many Core
Image filters.
There's also a selection of vector tools for applying shapes and
text, which are fine, if occasionally fiddly.
The biggest problem this app has, though, is competition: iPhoto's
fine for basic edits and most Mac users will have a copy;
PhotoStyler (also 18) beats Imagerie for effects; and Acorn (30)
is significantly better for anything related to bitmap editing and
working with vectors.
Imagerie's interface is extremely variable the fullscreen mode is
great, as is the app's single-window design, but drawn shapes
aren't always selected, the history navigator is awful, and too
many controls are fiddly.
Ill make this short too. The reason
why I ranked this third is that this
software is an exceptionally good
raw converter that makes
corrections automatically.
