Seattle based ACD Systems announced the availability of the latest version of its all-in-one photo editing and management product. The US$239.99 ACDSee Pro 4 promises to reduce time, cost and complexity for the professional photographer.
ACDSee Pro 4 allows photographers to manage, edit and distribute/share their photos within one application. Below are the main features of Pro 4 as described by ACDSee:
Manage
Pro 4 gives photographers the freedom to organize photos and their digital workspace according to their individual needs and preferences. They can customize their application toolbars and layout to reflect the way they naturally work with their images—Manage, View, Process and publish Online.
Photographers can view and manage a wide range of file types. ACDSee’s catalog-based technology stores key identifying metadata for each image, including date, location, and equipment used. This makes it fast and simple to perform tasks such as search according to keywords, dates and other important information, and to drag and drop images to compare characteristics and tags with other images.
Photographers do not have to import or export images into a vendor-controlled database resulting in a virtual view. Unlike other solutions, Pro 4 allows users to edit photographs in real-time, directly from the source – whether it is a camera memory card, hard drive or computer system — and then save those changes to the original equipment.
Edit
The patent-pending LCE (Lighting and Contrast Enhancement) and single exposure HDR (High Dynamic Range) algorithms are built into Pro 4’s RAW technology. The technology was developed to give users a simple and efficient means of dramatically improving lighting and contrast in photos.
Photos are fine-tuned to more accurately reflect the subject, and if desired, enhance the representation of the original subject. With LCE, photographers can increase the exposure of dark (underexposed) photos, increase the contrast and vibrancy of dull photos, correct uneven lighting, correct backlit photos, selectively brighten dark areas and darken bright areas (automatic dodge and burn), and create an HDR image from a single exposure.
Original RAW images are rendered in full-size and at high speed. Lighting and exposure problems, including high contrast and backlit scenes, insufficient flash, dull images, and under and overexposure are corrected in seconds. The traditional alternative – multi-exposure HDR – is extremely labor intensive and requires additional, specialized software. It can also result in motion blur, as well as process and capture complexity.
Edits can be seen in real-time and previewed in full screen. Batch processing is intuitive and fast. Photographers can experiment freely, knowing that the originals are always safe with Pro 4’s non-destructive editing capabilities.
Photographers can use his own editing tool together with Pro 4. For example, they can use editing products such as Photoshop and then import their images into Pro 4 for management and distribution.
Distribute and share
Photographers can quickly and easily share photographs using ACDSeeonline.com, a free, cloud-based photo sharing site. Privacy controls are set by the photographer, to ensure control and security.
Pro 4 allows selected contacts to download password protected full resolution images. Photographers can also share images on the most popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, SmugMug and Zenfolio, and/or via their own websites.
