Serif’s PhotoPlus X6 moves up a gear,
with a swathe of new features
In this latest release of PhotoPlus, Serif
has made a wide range of changes, adding new features and improving other. For
my money, though, one of the most important improvements is the new 64-bit
engine. This allows users with 64 bit systems to address as much RAM as they
have installed, making the program far quicker and, as a result, more
productive. It will also allow you to handle far larger files without slowing
down the workflow. In addition, you’re less likely to try different options if
you spend more time waiting for the program to process your commands than you
do actually using them.
PhotoPlus
X6
The first Raw Studio supplied with
PhotoPlus was really quite basic, with not much in the way of editing tools
available. It was simply a method of incorporating Raw capability into the
program, whereas in this latest version, Serif has added a lot more
functionality, with filters for noise reduction, lighting, lens distortions,
chromatic aberration and more. On the left of the dialogue there’s a favourites
panel, where you can try a few instant fixes from a cocktail of different
filters. You can also save any adjustments you make, to create your own set of
filters. Another improvement to the Raw Studio is the addition of masks, which
allows you to apply changes and effects to specific areas without leaving the
studio.
The big advantage of using the Raw format
is that the image is saved without any form of pre-processing in the camera,
giving you the opportunity to change things like the white balance, sharpness,
and saturation after the exposure is made. This gives you much greater control
over the final image, because you’re working on what is essentially a
non-destructive form of digital negative.
The
powerful tools and features in PhotoPlus X6 can help you take on any photo
editing task. It has everything you need to do anything from simple adjustments
to creating complex compositions using many different images.
In previous versions, cropping an image was
a one-way street; once the image was saved the crop was permanent. Now this
information is saved with the file, so you can re-crop, or recover the original
cropped part of the image at any time in the future.
If you’re working on images with trees or a
portrait with lots of hair or, in fact, any image with fine detail, it’s very
difficult to select just what you want. Well, the smart selection and smart
edge refinement technologies built into this version make that task a lot
easier. You simply start by drawing close to the section that you want to
isolate, and the selection quickly identifies the area you want and makes the
selection for you. You can still reduce the brush size and go in to refine the
selection even more, or you can simply use the edge refinement option that will
do it for you. This is another new feature I was very impressed with.
Edit
and enhance photos of family, friends, and holidays in no time with the
easy-to-use tools in our great-value, must-have photo editing software.
When you’re masking a section of an image,
it’s not always possible to mask exactly what you want. With the new vector
mask tools you can, because like any form of vector, they are always editable,
so you can create smooth curves using the normal vector line, paths and shape
tools.
Last but not least, the depth of field
effect now includes a Tilt-Shift option, which makes the subject of an image
look like a miniature. By altering the depth of field in the foreground and
background, it makes the subject appear smaller than it actually is.
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Details
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Price: $116
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Manufacturer: Serif
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Website: www.serif.com
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Required spec: Processor must support SSE2
instructions, 821MB HDD space, 512 MB RAM, Windows XP or later
Verdict
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Quality: 9
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Value: 9
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Overall: 9
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