Alien Skin Exposure X2 Adds Advanced Layering Tools

Alien Skin Exposure has long been known as a plugin for Photoshop and Lightroom. But since Exposure X was released, it’s trying to compete with the big names in the raw processing department. The software has grown into a standalone app and isn’t just a plugin anymore. Today, Alien Skin is announcing an update for Exposure X2, making it more powerful than ever.

Alien Skin Exposure X2 was just updated and it’s now not so far from Lightroom or Capture One in terms of raw processing capabilities. The latest release includes quite a few new features, such as:

• New vintage and bright presets
• High DPI support for compatibility with 4K monitors
• Quick exports enable simultaneous saving of variants for web, publishing, and more, each with different settings and to different folders
• File naming options allow use of capture time for more flexibility, and destination options automate the placement of photos in subfolders
• Expanded camera support and manual lens correction provide greater flexibility
• Selective presets enable more control over mixing presets and edits

But even more interesting yet, the addition of advanced layering tools, essentially similar to what’s called local settings or adjustments in other software. It will enable local adjustments and keep track of everything in the form of layers like seen in Capture One or Photoshop. Something extremely useful they have included is the possibility of changing the opacity of any adjustment layer giving you more control than just adjusting the brush flow or opacity like what's found in most other raw processing solutions.

Alien Skin Exposure X2 is available for $149 from www.alienskin.com and the update is free for any Exposure X2 owner. Upgrade pricing is available to owners of previous versions of Exposure for $99. 

If you are in the market for a new raw converter or simply want a plugin to make your color toning easier than ever, download the 30-day fully-featured free trial from www.alienskin.com/exposure and give the software a try.

I’ve personally been working with Exposure for quite some time now, but only as a Photoshop plugin until recently. The software is really worth a look for anyone who cannot justify Capture One Pro’s price and finds Lightroom to be too slow. It’s especially interesting for wedding photographers because the software is blazingly fast! But I’ll touch more on that in my review coming up later this week! So be sure to stay tuned to learn more about Exposure X2.