Best Photo Editing Software For Photographers - Mac & Windows - 2022

Photography PX
8 Nov 202020:38

TLDRIn this video, Devon Linux discusses the top photo editing software for photographers across Mac and Windows platforms. The list includes a range of tools suitable for all skill levels, highlighting the evolution of photo editing beyond traditional methods. Software such as Portrait Pro, PhotoWorks, Movavi's Photo Editor, Pixio's Photo Studio, and Zoner's Photo Studio are covered, each with unique features like AI-powered enhancements, one-click effects, and advanced color management. Adobe's Photoshop Elements is recommended for beginners, while professionals might prefer DxO's PhotoLab, PaintShop Pro, Luminar, ACDSee's Photo Studio Ultimate, Serif's Affinity Photo, Phase One's Capture One, and Adobe's Lightroom and Photoshop. The video emphasizes the importance of editing in the photography process and how these tools cater to various needs, from simple adjustments to complex retouching and organization.

Takeaways

  • 📷 **Photo Editing Importance**: Today, capturing an image is just the beginning; editing is a critical component in the photography process, especially with the rise of smartphone photography.
  • 🚀 **Market Growth**: The photo editing market is expected to double in the next five years due to increasing demand, moving beyond professionals to mainstream users.
  • 🔍 **Diverse Options**: There's a wide array of photo editing software available, catering to all skill levels and operating systems, offering freedom in choosing the right tool.
  • 🌟 **Adobe's Evolution**: Adobe, once the dominant name, now faces competition from other innovative tools that aim to simplify the editing process without specialized skills.
  • 🎨 **Portrait Pro**: A tool focusing on portrait enhancement, offering features like skin correction, relighting, and AI face detection for manual adjustments.
  • 🖼️ **Photoworks**: Provides professional portrait retouching with one-click effects and AI functions, suitable for Windows users looking for high-level automation.
  • 🧠 **Movabee's Photo Editor**: Utilizes AI for enhancing and fixing photos, with tools for object removal and photo restoration, suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
  • 🎭 **Pixio's Photo Studio**: Offers ease of use and fun bonuses like frames and effects for Mac and Windows, with tools for image enhancement and organizational capabilities.
  • 🌈 **Zoner's Photo Studio**: A powerful workflow and editing program for Windows with advanced color management and unique 360-degree color shift tool.
  • 🏆 **Exposure X6**: Known for its speed and GPU optimization, offering a professional grade editor with customization and a range of presets and tools.
  • 📱 **Cyberlink's PhotoDirector**: Offers ease of use and value with AI-supported tools, and provides access to Shutterstock images and music, available for multiple platforms.

Q & A

  • What is the significance of photo editing in today's photography process?

    -Photo editing is a critical component in the overall photography process and has gained new levels of importance with the rise of smartphone photography, allowing photographers to correct common issues and enhance their images beyond the capabilities of the camera alone.

  • How is the market for photo editors expected to change in the next five years?

    -The market for photo editors is expected to double in the next five years, indicating a continued rise in demand for photo editing software and tools.

  • What is PortraitPro's main focus and what advanced tools does it offer?

    -PortraitPro focuses mainly on portrait editing and offers advanced tools like relighting, bone restructuring, AI face detection, manual adjustments to alter facial features, skin smoothing, catch lights, hair editing, and automatic batch processing.

  • What is unique about Movavi's Photo Editor and its AI-powered editing functionality?

    -Movavi's Photo Editor uses AI to sharpen, enhance, and fix poorly lit photos. It also includes selection and replacement tools for object removal and a comprehensive photo restoration tool to retouch and repair log pictures.

  • What are some of the features that make Pixio's Photo Studio stand out?

    -Pixio's Photo Studio offers ease of use and a large selection of fun bonuses like over 100 frames, effects, text filters, and textures. It also provides one-touch image corrections, LUTs, and an extensive collage tool with a powerful cutout feature.

  • How does Zoner's Photo Studio differentiate itself from other photo editing software?

    -Zoner's Photo Studio differentiates itself with its advanced color management and a unique 360-degree color shift tool for intuitive changes to hue, saturation, and luminance. It also doubles as a video editor and offers cloud storage and social media integration.

  • What are some of the key features of Exposure X6?

    -Exposure X6 is known for its immediacy with GPU optimization for fast image processing, a fully customizable interface, and a seamless transition between editing and organizing. It also includes over 500 presets, overlays, textures, borders, and cloud integration.

  • What does Cyberlink's PhotoDirector offer that sets it apart from other photo editing software?

    -Cyberlink's PhotoDirector offers AI-supported tools for advanced color control, layers, masking, and creative filters. It also provides complementary access to thousands of Shutterstock images and background music, along with features like HDR, tethering support, and facial recognition.

  • How does ON1's Photo RAW differ from other photo editing software?

    -ON1's Photo RAW combines an organizer, editor, and effects suite into a single program. It offers a large selection of RAW processing tools, robust cataloging features, and integrated support with Apple Photos and cloud-based editing via a dedicated mobile app.

  • What are some of the beginner-friendly features of Adobe's Photoshop Elements?

    -Photoshop Elements is designed with beginners in mind, offering limited functionality compared to the full Photoshop suite but includes essentials like quick mode for simple edits, guided mode for step-by-step instructions, and expert mode for full control over layers, masks, and filters.

  • What are the advantages of DxO's PhotoLab for photographers?

    -DxO's PhotoLab is known for its RAW conversion, sharpening, and noise reduction tools. It offers fully automatic lens and camera corrections, render matching for over 60 cameras, and signature tools like DeepPRIME for noise reduction and a smart lighting module.

  • What makes PaintShop Pro a good alternative to Adobe Photoshop?

    -PaintShop Pro is a more affordable tool that offers pixel and vector editing, smart clone, filter brush, painting support, up sampling, and compatibility with third-party plug-ins and PSD format. It provides a straightforward and effective editing suite without a continuous subscription fee.

  • Why is Luminar by Skylum considered one of the top editing applications?

    -Luminar uses unique AI technology to enhance the sky, skin tones, retouch portraits, accentuate details, and sharpen images. It also acts as an organizer and offers features like layers, mass, smart contrast, and image cataloging, making it a powerful alternative to Adobe's products.

  • What are the key features of ACDSee's Photo Studio Ultimate?

    -ACDSee's Photo Studio Ultimate offers file management capabilities, advanced face detection, layers, a customizable interface, RAW support, focus stacking, HDR photo manipulation, retouching tools, LUTs, re-lighting, and cloud integration.

  • How does Serif's Affinity Photo cater to the needs of photographers?

    -Affinity Photo offers a clean and straightforward interface with separate workflow modules for raw processing and optimization. It includes layers, mask, RAW conversion, smart objects, HDR, liquify, panoramas, focus stacking, 360 image editing, custom brushes, and batch processing.

  • What are the distinguishing features of Phase One's Capture One?

    -Capture One is known for its advanced color correction and repair tools, robust RAW editing capabilities, color grading tools, HDR, layers, mass cloning, healing, multi-level adjustments, and cataloging. It also offers full customization of the interface.

  • Why is Adobe's Lightroom a preferred choice among photographers?

    -Adobe's Lightroom is favored for its intuitive interface, advanced library functionality, easy access to image processing tools, and a suite of features like retouching tools, profiles, presets, HDR, masking, layers, and correction tools. It integrates seamlessly with third-party applications.

  • What makes Adobe's Photoshop the leading photo editing software?

    -Adobe's Photoshop is the industry leader due to its unrivaled feature set, which includes retouching, design, exposure, color correction tools, smart sharpening, vectors, masks, paths, cloning, photo manipulation, background removal, presets, RAW integration, AI, and batch editing.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Photo Editing Software

Devon Linux introduces the topic of the best photo editing software. He emphasizes the importance of editing in the modern photography process and how it's become mainstream with the rise of smartphone photography. The video promises a diverse selection of software options suitable for all skill levels and operating systems. The first software mentioned is Portrait Pro by Anthropix, which focuses on portrait enhancements and offers advanced tools like relighting and bone restructuring.

05:00

🖼️ High-Level Automation and Organizational Tools

The video continues with a discussion on Photoworks, which provides professional portrait retouching and AI-based functions for Windows users. Movabee's Photo Editor is highlighted for its AI-powered editing capabilities, suitable for both beginners and advanced users. Pixio's Photo Studio is praised for its ease of use and fun bonuses, including frames and effects. Zoner's Photo Studio is noted for its advanced color management and 360-degree color shift tool, making it a powerful choice for Windows users.

10:02

🚀 Powerful Editing Suites and Adobe Alternatives

The video presents Exposures X6 as a professional-grade editor with GPU optimization for immediate image processing. Cyberlink's Photo Director is recognized for its AI-supported tools and access to Shutterstock images. ON1's Photo RAW is described as a comprehensive organizer, editor, and effects suite. Adobe's Photoshop Elements is recommended for beginners, offering limited functionality in a user-friendly interface. DXO's Photo Lab is praised for its RAW conversion and noise reduction tools, now expanded into an all-in-one workstation.

15:03

🌟 Top-Notch Editing Applications and Adobe's Dominance

PaintShop Pro is highlighted as an affordable and capable editing tool for Windows with features like smart clone and filter brush. Skylum's Luminar is noted for its AI-based tools and modern design, making it a top choice for professional photographers. ACD's Photo Studio Ultimate is recognized for its file management capabilities and speed. Serif's Affinity Photo is praised for its clean interface and powerful features across different workflow modules. Phase One's Capture One is acclaimed for its advanced color correction and repair tools, making it a favorite among experienced photographers. Adobe's Lightroom is described as the industry benchmark with its intuitive interface and advanced library functionality. Finally, Adobe's Photoshop is acknowledged as the leading tool for professionals, offering an extensive feature set for various digital art needs.

20:05

📝 Conclusion and Viewer Engagement

Devon Linux concludes the video by inviting viewers to check out the link in the description for more information on the discussed photo editing software. He encourages new viewers to subscribe and existing viewers to like and comment on the video, asking for feedback or any missed software.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Photo Editing Software

Photo editing software refers to applications that allow users to modify and enhance digital photos. They are essential tools in the photography process, offering features like color correction, retouching, and creative effects. In the video, various software options are discussed, highlighting their unique capabilities and suitability for different user needs and operating systems.

💡Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is a leading image editing software used by professionals and enthusiasts alike. It provides a comprehensive suite of tools for photo manipulation, design, and digital art. The video mentions it as the industry benchmark, known for its advanced features like smart sharpening, vectors, masks, and AI capabilities, making it a top choice for serious photographers.

💡AI Face Detection

AI face detection is a technology that uses artificial intelligence to identify and select faces within images automatically. This feature is highlighted in the context of Portrait Pro, where it allows for extensive manual adjustments and the addition of digital makeup to subjects' faces. It exemplifies how AI is streamlining the editing process, making advanced photo retouching more accessible.

💡RAW Support

RAW support refers to a software's ability to import, process, and edit images in their raw format, which preserves more detail and offers greater flexibility in post-production. The video discusses the importance of RAW support in several editing programs, emphasizing its significance for photographers who want to maximize image quality and adjustability.

💡Portrait Retouching

Portrait retouching involves the process of enhancing a portrait photo to improve the subject's appearance. This can include correcting skin tones, minimizing pores, and removing blemishes. The video mentions tools like Portrait Pro and Photoworks that specialize in portrait retouching, showcasing the advanced capabilities of these programs to perfect portraits with minimal manual effort.

💡Smartphone Photography

Smartphone photography is the practice of taking photos using a smartphone camera. The video notes the rise of smartphone photography as a factor contributing to the increased importance of photo editing software. With more people taking photos on their smartphones, there's a growing demand for tools to edit and enhance these images.

💡Batch Processing

Batch processing is a feature in photo editing software that allows users to apply the same set of edits to multiple images simultaneously. This saves time and ensures consistency across a series of photos. The video mentions batch processing in the context of Portrait Pro, where it can be used for quick and efficient editing of multiple portrait images.

💡Color Management

Color management is the process of controlling and ensuring color accuracy and consistency across different devices and media. Zoner's Photo Studio is highlighted for its advanced color management features, including a unique 360-degree color shift tool, which allows for intuitive adjustments to hue, saturation, and luminance.

💡HDR (High Dynamic Range)

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, is a technique used in photography and photo editing to capture and display a greater range of luminosity and color detail. It's often used to bring out details in high-contrast scenes. The video discusses HDR capabilities in various software, such as Photoworks and Photo Lab, where it's used to enhance images with more lifelike colors and details.

💡Layering

Layering in photo editing refers to the use of separate, modifiable layers to build up an image composition. It allows for non-destructive editing, where individual elements can be adjusted without affecting the entire image. The video mentions layering as a feature in several programs, emphasizing its utility in complex editing tasks and creative compositions.

💡Cloud Storage Integration

Cloud storage integration allows photo editing software to connect with online storage services, enabling users to save, access, and share their edited photos from anywhere. The video discusses the benefits of this feature in Zoner's Photo Studio, which integrates with platforms like Dropbox and OneDrive, providing convenience and flexibility for users.

Highlights

Photo editing has become a critical component in the overall photography process, especially with the rise of smartphone photography.

The market for photo editors is expected to double in the next five years due to increasing demand.

Portrait Pro by Anthropix focuses on portrait enhancement and offers advanced tools like relighting and bone restructuring.

Photoworks provides professional portrait retouching with AI-based functions for Windows users.

Movabee's Photo Editor uses AI to sharpen and enhance photos, with tools for object removal and photo restoration.

Pixio's Photo Studio offers ease of use and a variety of fun bonuses like frames, effects, and text filters for Mac and Windows users.

Zoner's Photo Studio is a powerful workflow and editing program for Windows with advanced color management and 360-degree color shift tool.

Exposure X6 is a professional grade editor that offers GPU optimization for faster image processing and a customizable interface.

Cyberlink's PhotoDirector provides AI-supported tools and effects, with the added benefit of access to Shutterstock images and background music.

OnOne's Photo RAW combines an organizer, editor, and effects suite with advanced AI retouching features for Mac and PC users.

Adobe's Photoshop Elements is designed for beginners and hobbyist photographers, offering limited functionality but all the essentials.

DXO's PhotoLab is known for its RAW conversion, sharpening, and noise reduction tools, now offering an all-in-one workstation.

Corel Paint Shop Pro is an affordable tool for Windows offering pixel and vector editing, smart clone, and up sampling without quality degradation.

Skylum's Luminar uses AI technology for unmatched enhancement of skies, skin tones, portrait retouching, and image sharpening.

ACD's Photo Studio Ultimate is a comprehensive standalone editor for Windows with advanced file management and face detection capabilities.

Serif Affinity Photo offers a clean interface with advanced features and is particularly strong for iOS users as a powerful mobile editor.

Phase One's Capture One is an all-in-one suite with advanced color correction and repair tools aimed at experienced photographers.

Adobe's Lightroom is the industry benchmark for photographers, offering advanced library functionality and a well-designed interface.

Adobe's Photoshop remains the leader and gold standard in digital art, offering an unrivaled feature set for professionals.