Offering versatile organizational tools along with rich photo editing capabilities, ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac 5 from ACD Systems features a useful set of features to benefit a post-production workflow. Updated to greatly benefit image organization and handling, this version sees the inclusion of an Image Basket tool, along with a suite of features for filtering, rating, categorizing, and tagging your files to help find photos quickly. Rich metadata editing capabilities are also supported along with a dedicated Map pane for geotagging your files using embedded location data. For editing photos, a raw development pane lets you easily adjust a variety of image attributes, and capable adjustment tools let you refine the look of photos. Additionally, straighten and sharpening tools put the finishing touches on photos and support for external editing applications helps when integrating ACDSee within an existing photo editing workflow.

Photo Editing and Raw Image Processing    Image Basket and Filtering Controls    Retouching and Adjustment Tools    Map Pane and Geotagging Functions    Rich Metadata Editing Features    Straightening and Sharpening Tools    Batch Processing and Image Databases    Support for External Editing Programs    For macOS 10.12-10.14

• Image Basket allows you to gather and hold multiple files from different locations or folders, and then work from this desired assortment. This helps to retain original file organization while being able to work with groups of images.

• Filtering tools allow you to isolate desired files using metadata, ratings, color labels, tags, and categories, as well as the ability to identify images missing specific types of metadata, labels, or ratings.

• Up to four images can be compared at a time using the Compare Images tool, which helps to identify similarities using zooming and panning functions.

• Auto Advance lets you seamlessly update metadata without having to sift through folders; this function automatically moves on to the next image in the File List pane for faster, more efficient updating.

• External editing applications can be used in conjunction with ACDSee, and images can be opened using these other applications directly from the Manage or View modes.

• Unlimited image databases can be created for faster switching between groups of images.

• Batch adding of watermarks is possible, along with the ability to adjust watermark size, position, and opacity as well as save watermark settings as a preset for future use.

• A Batch Add Border function lets you add a frame around images en masse, with customizable color, texture, and thickness styles.

• Existing databases from versions 3 and 4 of ACDSee Photo can be imported into this new version, alleviating the need to re-catalog or organize image libraries.

Rich raw file editing is supported, with the ability to parametrically adjust exposure, clarity, sharpness, lighting, color, noise, details, and additional image attributes.

Create a personalized workflow by forming rule-sets to aid in moving, finding, sorting, and sharing image files. For example, images can be sorted by date, rated, and categories, keywords, color labels, and visual tags can be added to help organize an image library. These tools also help find duplicate files, view and edit Exif and IPTC data, and embed additional metadata.

Dedicated Map pane can be used to display the location where images were taken using embedded location info. This function also enables isolating groups of images based on the region in which they were taken. Images can also be dragged and dropped onto a virtual map for geotagging them or pins can be dropped on a map and images can be reverse geotagged by updating IPTC fields in the file's metadata.

• The overall appearance of imagery can be enhanced through the use of color and tone adjustments, exposure adjustment, shadow and highlight recovery, fill light, and contrast and clarity sliders. Additionally, a Soft Focus tool produces an ethereal, dreamy quality akin to using a diffusion filter, that reduces harsh lines and intensifies colors.

• RGB color channel adjustments allow for fine-tuned control over tonal range, color temperature, tint, and mid-tone, shadow, and highlight adjustments. Using Light EQ technology, detail can also be faithfully rescued from shadow regions for natural brightness and contrast from underexposures.

• Dedicated Straighten function requires drawing a line along an image's horizon to easily straighten and level it.

• Integrated sharpening tool preserves edge detail while helping to increase the overall apparent sharpness of an image. This tool can be controlled by the number of pixels from a recognized edge that are sharpened, along with coarse and fine settings and noise reduction control.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. What are some of the differences / limitations vs. Photoshop CC?

A: Photoshop is a fully featured image editor catering to a wide variety of applications and professions such as photo retouching, web graphics, photography, editing, teaching, retouching, restoration, and many others. This software seems to have a subset of those tools that caters mainly to photographers and retouchers.

Q: 2. will it create animated gif files?

A: This software is not designed to create animated GIFs.

Q: 3. Is it easy to use if it were Adobe Photoshop? Does it have layers like Adobe Photoshop?

A: Yes, many of Serif Affinity Photo 2's functions are similar to Adobe Phtoshop, including layers.

Q: 4. What are some good tutorials to help with Affinity Photo 2? There are books… any recommendations from experience?

A: Serif has a selection of quick start guides and tutorials for Serif Affinity Photo 2 (Download) online here: https://tinyurl.com/2ahvhm7j.

Q: 5. How many inches of cushioning is there between the bottom of the mac studio on the bottom of the case?

A: The Jason Cases Apple Mac Studio Case has 2.5" of foam padding between the bottom of the case and the bottom of the Mac Studio.

Q: 6. one time payment for life time use ??

A: Yes, this is a one time purchase and not a subscription.

Q: 7. Will this hold the 2023 Mac Studio with M2 Ultra?

A: Yes, the Jason Cases Apple Mac Studio Case will fit a Mac Studio M2 Ultra.

Q: 8. I have LR 6 and plan on getting the Cannon RP. Does this program work well with both?

A: Yes, Serif Affinity Photo 2 can work well alongside Lightroom 6 with your camera.

Q: 9. permanent licence?

A: The BH #ACPSU2021 • MFR #ACDPSU2021WESD listing is for the perpetual version of the software.

Q: 10. can I make automated picture packages with this? e.g. (2) 8x10 (3) 4x6 on one 17x21 sheet

A: Unfortunately, Serif Affinity Photo 2 does not currently support automation.