Radiant Photo 2 Arrives, Promising Next-Generation Photo Editing

Just when you thought you'd seen just about every editing tool, Radiant Photo comes along with a solid update to its Radiant Photo Editor that I first took a look at in 2022. Since then there have been many improvements and new tools.

This latest version is packed with features, new tools and improved workflows. 

Photographers deserve tools that don’t just meet standards—they raise them. Radiant Photo 2 is designed to do exactly that. By intuitively understanding each photo—its lighting, subject, and background—it delivers results that are both precise and effortless. It’s more than editing software; it’s a tool built to empower photographers and creators to achieve their best work without compromise.

Unique Features

One new feature of interest is the addition of AI, but Radiant Photo 2 does not use generative AI. Instead, it enhances pixels, not replaces them. This is an important philosophical distinction. It will please many photographers but might not satisfy those looking to create new content within their images.

The software is also very privacy-focused, which photographers will appreciate in these days of runaway privacy-invasive software and social media.

The company says it ensures no personal data is transferred from the application to the company or the cloud. Every edit is processed locally on users’ devices, making edits fast as well as private and secure. The creators of Radiant Photo state they are committed to respecting intellectual property and empowering artists by providing assistive AI that enhances creativity instead of replacing it.

Other notable features include Live Effects, which the company claims preserve a truly non-destructive workflow while delivering superior results. Its advanced 16-bit live effects system lets all tools work seamlessly together, providing consistent previews of adjustments and making it easy to revisit settings at any time. Unlike other software that often rasterizes images after masking, flattens them following major edits, or complicates reverting to basics like exposure after a black-and-white conversion, Radiant Photo keeps every adjustment fully editable.

Here’s a landscape example: this is a blue-hour shot of Manila.

After applying Radiant Photo 2 tools, the image comes alive, with shadows adjusted and color fidelity optimized.

(Photos: Elia Locardi)

This latest version also includes new portrait tools, advanced scene and color tools with selective color adjustments, split color warmth, and new film emulations.

Radiant Photo 2 also adds customizable workspaces, a non-destructive workflow, and smart batch export.

One of the interesting new features is customized workflows. For example, there is a bird workflow with 94 intelligent scenes, recognizing different types of birds from hummingbirds to birds of prey and perfectly adjusting each image.

Here’s an unedited image:

And with a click, the workflow recognizes the type of bird and adjusts many parameters in an instant.

(Courtesy Radiant Photo)

Of course, the parameters can also be adjusted manually to match your particular goals and style.

There are other workflows for animals, landscapes, and portraits.

I haven’t gotten a copy to test yet, but I will follow up with a full review. Based on my work with the original Radiant Photo, I expect this new release to be very desirable.

How to Get Radiant Photo 2

Radiant Photo 2 will first become available to current customers by the end of November. This will be followed by a public beta in December. It runs as standalone software on Windows and macOS. It can also be used as a native plugin inside Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and Corel PaintShop Pro. Radiant Photo supports the following languages: English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish.

Pricing

New Customers

• Radiant Photo 2 standalone application & plug-in: $159 / €169 / £159
• Introductory price: $129 / €139 / £129 until early January 2025
• Add-on Workflows:
  • One workflow: $79 / €89 / £79 (Intro price: $69 / €79 / £69)
  • All workflows: $349 / €369 / £349 (Intro price: $299 / €329 / £299)

Toolkit Members

Radiant Toolkit is an optional membership for $50 per year, which includes free updates, upgrades, and a $15 monthly voucher for the purchase of workflows, Develop Styles, and LOOKs. First-time subscribers receive the first year of Toolkit for free.

• Radiant Photo 2 application & plug-in: FREE for active Toolkit members.
• Add-on Workflows:
  • One workflow: $79 / €89 / £79 (Intro price: $69 / €79 / £69)
  • All workflows: $190 / €209 / £190 (Intro price: $170 / €189 / £170)

Existing Customers (No Toolkit)

• Upgrade to Radiant Photo 2: $99 / €109 / £99 (Intro price: $89 / €99 / £89)
• Upgrade with all workflows: $329 / €349 / £329 (Intro price: $259 / €279 / £259)

Radiant Photo 2 is available with a 30-day free trial, offering access to all features without limitations. Additionally, Radiant Photo provides six months of Buyer Protection, guaranteeing free updates for half a year after purchase. This means anyone who buys version 1 now, before the release of version 2, will get the upgrade for free once version 2 ships. Customers can try Radiant Photo 2 risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Final Thoughts: Preliminary

As I mentioned, I haven’t used the software yet, but the demos were impressive. Of course, demos are usually impressive, but having used earlier versions of Radiant Photo, I appreciate using software designed by photographers with a photographer’s sensitivity. I’m in complete agreement with their thoughts on AI because generative AI can be a slippery slope if we are trying to capture reality.

Expect a review soon.