As Photoshop improves and moves ahead, so does ACDSee.
This review is once again from a user’s point of view (me) that uses the software almost everyday for many different tasks alongside Adobe’s Photoshop CS.
So, if you are reading this, please remember that my review of ACDSee pro photo editing software is as impartial as I can make it without sounding too biased. Like anything, this program has a learning curve which can be quite intense depending on how much you want out of it. In general I find each version of ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software better than its predecessor both in terms of features and ease of use.
Most of the time when I am working in Photoshop, I have ACDSee Pro running in the background. I personally find that the ease of reviewing and scrolling through finished and edited images is better than using Photoshop’s “memory sapping” browser function.
Also, the ease of viewing your images is much quicker and clearer, but that is just my opinion…anyway, here’s a brief run down of ACDSee Pro´s many features (a lot of which are similar to ACDSee standard photo editing manager, but Pro is the one I have and it obviously has more functionality).
ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software - Workflow
As life and technology speeds up, everyone wants everything yesterday and how you organise your workflow is paramount to giving an efficient and professional service to your clients.
Even if what you do is for pleasure, having the ability to get things done quickly and easily makes life just that little bit sweeter. I am a gadget and techno freak, I love "stuff" that does "things" to other stuff to make even more funky stuff.
Anyway…that’s for another day.
"View, process, edit, organize, catalog, publish, and archive your photo collections with the precision and control demanded by professional photographers around the globe."
One of the reasons I love ACDSee is the ease of using and browsing my thousands of images. The three screen-captures below show you how I view my typical workflow on a normal day.
Once I have edited an image in Photoshop, a single click on the file opens the picture with ACDSee. (If ACDSee is not your default browser, it is easy to change. Simply right click on the file and select “open with” and change to ACDSee from your program menu).
With a hit of the "F" key, you see the image in its full glory and Technicolor assuming your screen is calibrated correctly. I find the image colours rich, sharp and exactly how I wanted them during processing, some editors tend to show slight differences.
They also print exactly how I see them in ACDSee too.
Hit "F" again and you are back to the menus. In this full screen mode, you have many editing choices available to you.
Can I just say at this point that whilst the RAW editing process obviously gives less options than programs like Adobe Photoshop or Canon´s DPP software, if you are new to RAW editing, this is a great and affordable place to start learning about RAW, the results are pretty good too.
It will also allow you to work on the latest RAW files from, say, the Canon EOS5D or 1D MkII N without the need for any expensive upgrades…nice one.
Once the image is open, you have a host of options available from colour management right through to adding sound clips to your files!
The real beauty for me at this point is that by scrolling the mouse wheel you can flick through your images in any folder quickly and easily. This is something missing from many other image editors including Photoshop.
ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software - More Function Menus
A simple double click on the image reveals even more features as you enter the management mode for your images. This area is fully customizable for each photographer as you can create a layout that suits your own individual workflow.
Your layout is saved automatically and reloads each time you use ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software, although making any changes is really quick and simple…again, speeding up your workflow process.
The management area can be made to host as little or as much information as you need.
*Thumbnails of all images in that folder (size-adjustable).
*The files and folders within your PC (top left) for easy browsing.
*A larger preview image (left).
*All exif data (including keywording/descriptions for stock images) and the histogram for that image below the preview.
*On the right you have your organizing section where you can place images in certain categories. This is fantastic for me when organizing stock images. In fact, I am so impressed with this function, here is a small section just for this feature…
ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software -Organizing
Ok! Lets say, like me, you have 50 or more folders on your PC, full of unorganized stock photos and all dated "as and when" you shot the images (this works just as well for any images you have…weddings, family etc).
Now, you want to organize these into each category such as landscapes, people, objects, travel and so on.
Normally, I would go through each folder and "cut/copy and paste" each image into a new folder for that topic or category…very time-consuming.
With ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software you simply go to the View menu and select "Categories". A new panel will appear which you can click and drag to any part of your layout.
You can also open the "image basket" in the same way to make life even easier.
If you then right click on the word "category" in that new section of your layout, you can add as many new categories as you wish. You can even right click on each category and add a sub-category.
What you now do is open each of your 50 image folders one by one, and as you go through, you can either click and drag each image into its related category (automatically leaving the original where it is), or drag and drop all related images into the image basket at the bottom and then drag the entire selection into the category in one foul swoop once you have been through your entire stock collection.
Note - One thing to remember here is that it is difficult to mess things up. All you are doing is "tagging" your images for each category. The originals all stay exactly where they are.
Once you have tagged all your images is where it gets super cool and quick. You simply click on a category and in an instant, all your images appear within that category. No messing about copying and pasting into new files…the management of your files is a piece of cake.
ACDSee will instantly retrieve all tagged images for that category and display them in one place for you to organize further. Once in a folder, category or image basket, you can email them, print them, copy or move them, resize them, in fact if you can think of it, ACDSee have included it in the Pro version of their image editing/management software.
If you then wish to untag all images within a category to get back to how things were, simple! You just…
1. Select that category to bring up the images
2.Select all images in that category (Shortcut - Ctrl A)
3.Right click on any image – Set Categories – Uncategorize all selected items
As I said before, each image stays in its original folder, you are simply untagging them…brilliant.
What I also like about this is the fact that I like to keep all of my original images in folders dated and created when I took them…JAN06 – FEB06 – MAR06 etc. That way I can find the originals easily.
What this categorizing allows me to do is instantly go through all of these folders and select each category and manage them as I please…
For example, I can select all landscape stock images, set ACDSee to "resize them all for email" and place the resized images in a new folder and then instantly email them to a client.
ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software - Slideshow
Also, try this. Once you have categorized your images, click on the category, select all images, drag them into the image basket and right click – slideshow. You have an instant slideshow of that category to show your friends, family or clients with smooth transitions in full screen…no messing about.
The slideshow can then be burned directly to VCD, CD or DVD to play on your PC or TV (Don't you just love abbreviations)?
ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software - HTML Galleries
If you run and manage your own website or blog you will like this feature. ACDSee Pro will easily and quickly generate all the necessary files for you to make up your own gallery. They have a number of templates for you to choose from which you can alter to match you site.
You just fill in the blanks and set a few parameters and away you go.
You can even make the image a link through to a sales page for stock or fine art prints.
Once the page, HTML and CSS styling pages are done, you simply load them into your editor and upload to your site.
Not bad considering that this is first and foremost just an editing program.
Other features include (in their own words);
*Lightning-fast RAW image previews.
*Powerful RAW processing that gives you full control over your images with precision tools for adjusting white balance, exposure, sharpness, and noise.
*Extensive support for RAW formats from Nikon, Canon, Konica-Minolta, Olympus, Fuji, and Pentax cameras. View the full list.
*Full color management support for ICC and ICM color profiles.
*Visual tagging feature allows you to quickly sort and select preferred photographs.
*Integrated support for the DNG (Digital Negative Specification) RAW format.
*Batch editing of thousands of photographs at once using multiple functions.
*Fully integrated IPTC support for interoperability with PhotoShop Captions.
*Watermark your photographs with graphics or text to reflect copyright and ownership laws, or to overlay business-related information on specific photographs.
*The Shadow/Highlight tool allows you to brighten only the dark areas of a photo, or darken only overexposed areas, or do both simultaneously.
*HTML album templates designed to suit your professional needs. Customize them by adding your contact information, company logo, or a look and feel appropriate for your business.
*Customizable Browser layouts, short-cut keys, and metadata meet your personalized requirements and streamline your workflow.
*Quick editing features that allow you to easily fix common lens distortions such as perspective, barrel, pincushion, and fish-eye.
*A complete User Guide and tutorials that make sure you hit the ground running.
With ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software, they have added a multitude of other features that are just too many to review here.
What I have done is simply given you an overview of this lovely bit of software which should give you food for thought.
Whether you use Photoshop or not, ACDSee Pro Photo Editing Software will make your photography life and business a lot more manageable!
