Software

Color grading is a science, and it can take professionals years to perfect. With so many variables in the mix, is this something that you would want to try for yourself? What if there was a plugin that could take out the time involved in the matching of colors over a series of images using a reference image, and in doing so, allow you to get the results you are seeking without as many hoops to jump through?

DxO Labs’ has released its latest raw development and editing tool: Photolab 7. Plus there's an update to its tribute to analog photography: FilmPack 7.

I was intrigued to try Luminar Neo from Skylum. I’ve installed and used most of the image-editing software on the market except this app. Is it an app worth investing in?

Zoner Photo Studio X (ZPS X) is an all-encompassing post-production suite and file management system that has been quietly growing into something truly impressive. In the latest update, ZPS X has seen some major user experience upgrades, making it faster and easier to use than ever before.

If you’re like me, then writing a blog for your website is probably the last thing on your mind. But content creation doesn't have to be a chore. In fact, it can be downright simple.

Luminar Neo is one of my top editors, and Peakto is my very favorite cataloging app. Bringing the two together is a win-win for editors because one of the weaknesses of Neo is their catalog/database. It's been improved some, but it certainly can't compete with Lightroom or even Adobe Bridge.

ACD Systems marks 30 Years of Innovation with the latest edition of their flagship software, ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2024. It’s available for preorder and has some exciting-looking new features.

ON1 Photo Raw has always been well ahead of the game for innovative features. Will their 2024 version bring new and exciting tools to enhance your workflow? It certainly looks like it.

I go way back with the Nik Tools software. I bought the set before Google snapped it up, then they let it sit virtually idle. DXO got it six years ago and have added their own deep knowledge of photo editing and, I think, fulfilled the dream of what the Nik Collection should be.

I remember vividly in July of 2019 when Skylum announced Luminar 4, software that featured Sky Replacement. A ho-hum feature for some, it was seen as a major gift by many photographers who wanted an easy way to replace a bland or cloudless sky.

There are plenty of photo cataloging programs out there. Lightroom and Bridge from Adobe are the key products in the category, but there are many other entrants, including Skylum with its Luminar Neo, On1, and Apple Photos on the Mac side. There are even more for Windows users.

ON1 Photo Raw keeps leaping forward in its functionality. It seems that Lightroom is forever playing catchup with the program's innovative features. The new facilities in the latest release make ON Photo Raw even more attractive.

It's been a while since Skylum has added any extensions to Luminar Neo, its sophisticated image editor. Now, however, there's an important feature coming.

In its July update, DxO is releasing 369 new Optics Modules.

Does this affordable video editing software live up to expectations? Definitely. If you want a powerful but easy-to-use app, then look no further.

When was the last time you fulfilled a print order? When I think of print sales, I envision awkwardly contrived meetings where proofs have been held hostage and finally revealed as leverage, using the client's emotions to maximize profits. I know in-person sales is an effective strategy, and photographers bankroll this method frequently. However, for the majority of photographers who don't want to take that approach, providing an online client photo gallery and a few simple suggestions can help you maximize your profits without the pressure of in-person-sales tactics.

“It's not AI that will take your job; it’s someone who’s using AI who will.” Narrative Select is the fastest-growing photo-culling software. Until now, it’s only been available to Mac users. That is about to change, as it becomes available to even more photographers.

I've taken a look at some earlier iterations of Astro Panel over the years, a plug-in designed for automating and enhancing both astrophotography and landscape photos. I found it a powerful addition to my editing arsenal, and it was easy to use but could do some very sophisticated editing. This new version from photographer Angelo Perrone adds more than 80 new astrophotography and landscape functions, as well as some features to support portrait editing.

Coming from the land of "why has no one thought of this before," ON1's latest release, Photo Keyword AI, promises to make organizing your photo far easier and more efficient. It looks awfully nifty, and for anyone who has a large catalog of photos in Lightroom that they need to navigate, it could be an indispensable tool. This great video will show you the tool and how to use it to organize and search your images.

If you've been running your photography business for any amount of time, you have quickly discovered that being successful requires you to spend an inordinate amount of time doing things that have nothing to do with a camera. Things you probably loathe. Suddenly, you find yourself needing to acquire skills in accounting, web development, project management, copywriting, contract writing, and countless other fields. A newcomer has entered the CRM space: Bloom IO, and they are on a mission to alleviate many of these burdens, allowing you to focus on what you truly enjoy.

Imagine being able to effortlessly insert your own face into iconic images or movies or create completely unique images with a particular person using AI. Thanks to the remarkable open-source software Insight Face, this is now achievable with just a few simple steps.

In the ever-evolving world of photography, the integration of new technologies in the photo editing workflow can create fears and concerns among photographers. Many worry that AI software will replace their skills and make them obsolete. However, it's essential to understand that AI software is not here to replace, but instead assist photographers.

With the advancements in camera technology and software, focus stacking has never been easier. You can now even stack complex woodland photos without significant difficulty. In this article, I share how to approach such scenes.

It sounds like a crazy idea when you first hear it: learning how to light a portrait using only a computer. However, set.a.light 3D promises to give you access to an almost unlimited library of virtual lights, modifiers, studio spaces, and subjects, all with strict adherence to the laws of physics, making it easy to quickly build and explore complex lighting setups. Is it the ultimate learning tool? This great video review takes a deep dive into the software and shows you everything you can accomplish with it.

Today, DxO is releasing a revamped collection of editing tools that works as either a Photoshop plugin or as a standalone app. They also can function with Lightroom Classic, Affinity Photo and, of course, DxO PhotoLab.

Google Photos is pushing the boundaries of image editing, testing a new feature that uses generative AI to transform photos in a groundbreaking way. Last week, I talked about Google Photos's revolutionary changes to their search feature, and today, we're going to explore the editing features themselves. Named the "Magic Editor," this innovative tool promises to offer a level of manipulation that allows users to make drastic changes to their photos seamlessly.

Google Photos is in the process of testing an enhanced search feature that allows users to perform complex queries, making it simpler and more efficient to find and manage photos within the platform. By catering to detailed and specific queries, users can locate their desired images with greater ease, thereby improving their overall experience.

Before Android-powered modern smartphones, the company, pre-Google, was focused on making a universal operating system for cameras. It raises the question of an alternate reality that never happened, but what if it did?

Current Luminar Neo users are in for a treat the next time they open the app, which has quietly hit version 1.8.0. Some of the updates are evolutionary, and there's the usual gaggle of bug fixes, but there are some really nice updates here that will please Neo users.

Over 20 years of digital photography produced 80,000 images. Culling is a time-consuming, tedious process that I’ve neglected. Consequently, my hard drives and cloud storage are bloated. Can Aftershoot PRO help me lighten the load?

I gave a favorable review to Peakto a couple of weeks ago, and one thing I noticed is that they do frequent updates, which is a positive thing in my view. Bug fixes and new features are frequent. Today, they've offered an update to Peakto that includes integration with Pixelmator Pro, a popular photo editor. Peakto, please note, is a Mac-only application.

Unless it's your full-time job, you probably don't know how fast AI is improving. Let's look at the incredible advancements that took place just last week.

I didn't think DxO PureRAW 2 for Mac and Windows could be improved, but it has been, in a variety of both subtle and not-so-subtle ways that improve workflow. The latest, version 3, is out today, and the company says PureRAW 3 features DxO’s latest artificial intelligence technology, DeepPRIME XD, delivering industry-leading noise reduction and RAW image enhancement; greater control over which corrections are applied through DxO’s renowned Optics Modules; and user interface modifications that offer improved integration with every photographer’s workflow.

If you're like me, you've got photos strewn over a variety of storage devices: local, on the web, maybe even some off-line storage. Keeping track of these images is a real pain. I've got multiple image editing apps: Lightroom, Photoshop, Luminar Neo, and some dedicated astronomy editing apps. I'm also a former Aperture user (groan). Lightroom has its own catalog system, and it's very good. But I've also got photos in the Neo catalog (it's not so good as a catalog) and all my iPhone photos in Apple's Photo app.

Blurry pictures are a nightmare. When you simply have to recover detail on images you've taken, this is the video to watch. Photographer and author Glyn Dewis goes through three mainstream programs, Luminar Neo, On1 NoNoise AI 2023, and Topaz Sharpen AI, that he uses to evaluate and try to improve his blurry image.

While I'm not fond of using AI to replace the creative process, I think it is incredibly helpful in enhancing image quality. With the right AI tools, you can rescue photos that may have been unusable otherwise. Topaz Photo AI is such a tool, and in this article, we look at its capabilities, limitations, and ways to get the best results.

Skylum's Imgmi for smartphones has been out for a while. Like Luminar Neo on the Mac and PC platform, it's an AI-based image editor with a host of features, including sky replacement, power line removal, and tools like saturation, exposure, shadows, and highlights for simple editing.

With 2023 well underway, it's time to look back at what has been a busy year for Luminar Neo, the AI photo-editing software from Skylum. Since its launch back in 2021, Luminar Neo has seen many updates, performance improvements, and major feature enhancements, including new AI-powered tools, and has established itself as a powerful editing tool for both amateur and professional photographers alike.

In a lot of my articles, I go on about how incredible Capture One is and how every photographer (with a few exceptions) should switch from Lightroom to Capture One. In this article, we will finally take a deep dive and see for ourselves why it’s worth considering the switch in 2023.

Most of the problems I get asked to fix in my role as technical support for photographers has to do with Lightroom. This article will show you the way I use Lightroom to be able to find any photograph I've shot in the last 10 years in under a minute. This is how best to organize and categorize your files to best serve you as a photographer and the tips and tricks that you might have otherwise missed.

DxO PhotoLab 6.3 has just been released, and it's persuaded me to change my workflow. Here's why you should consider giving it a try.

With ON1 Photo Raw 2023 having just won a Pop Photo Award for its AI features, it is apt to compare the app with Lightroom next. How would it stand up to different camera raw files?