ACDSee for Mac gets an overhaul
posted Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 11:37 PM EDT
ACD Systems has released a new version of its ACDSee Pro photo editing and management app for the Macintosh platform. ACDSee Pro 2 is the company's first update for Mac since the original version's final update to v1.9 (build 475), almost a year ago.
A lot's changed since then. Key among the new features is a 64-bit raw processing engine, where the original ACDSee Pro was a 32-bit app. With the ability to address more memory and reduce swapping among other differences, 64-bit support should make itself felt with greater processing speed.
For editing images, ACD has added two new tools--Clarity and Soft Focus--that work on mid tones, as well as a Cross Process function that aims to replicate the film processing technique's often surreal effect on digital images. ACD has also tweaked the Vignette tool, and incorporated the Lighting & Contrast Enhancement tool seen in some of the company's other imaging products, plus automatic red-eye reduction and the ability to save batch workflows as presets that can be shared. There's also a new processing interface, with movable panels, intuitive colored sliders, and new keyboard shortcuts.
In Manage mode, ACDSee Pro 2 brings an improved quick search function including EXIF, IPTC and date searching plus the ability to create search presets. There's also an automatic calendar function, color labeling of images, and a duplicate image finder tool. Additionally, ACDSee Pro 2 is now integrated with the company's ad-free ACDSee Online image sharing service, which includes 10GB of free storage.
Finally, in View mode there's a new slideshow function, with transitions including fades, color planes, copy machine, dissolve, doorway, mosaic flip, pan & zoom, sliver, and swing.
Available immediately, ACDSee Pro 2 for Mac is priced at US$140, but an introductory discount through June 27th brings this price down to US$100. Existing customers can upgrade for US$80, a healthy discount off the standard pricing, albeit not far below the introductory discount. A 30-day free trial is available.
More details on the ACD Systems website.
Press Release
New ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) Photo Editing and Management Offers Photographers Best Combination of Features and Savings
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ACD Systems International Inc. today announced ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac), the only Mac-based photo editing and management software that reduces the time, cost and complexity of creating exceptional photography. ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) is designed to meet the exacting needs of the professional, yet it is simple and affordable enough for the passionate amateur photographer. As with other ACD products, ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) incorporates the company’s patented technology and user-focused design which have made ACD Systems photography editing and management products the solutions of choice for over 50 million users worldwide.
Our users are incredibly loyal and ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) is in response to their feature requests and strong demand for us to continue to lead in Mac photography software,” said Doug Vanderkerkhove, Founder and CEO of ACD Systems. “The proliferation of quality digital cameras and the desire for everyone to take great photos and share them, means people value their digital assets more than ever. As a result, it’s important for us to create products that not only allow photographers to fully enjoy their creativity, but manage their digital assets in the cloud and via social media.”
ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) includes a combination of features unavailable through any other Mac photography software product. The product allows users to create professional quality photos and manage their image libraries the fastest way possible from start to finish. New features in ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) include:
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Import files from a connected device or access files from their original locations. When a folder is opened on a laptop or connected device, Pro 2 will begin to display thumbnails of photos.
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Customizable batch presets apply rules as photos are imported. Save, back-up, rename, resize, set metadata information and apply edits across any number of photos, all at once.
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A more intuitive user interface allows editing of photos faster with non-destructive editing tools that operate in real time. Preview results in full screen or restore to the original photos at any time.
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LCE (Lighting & Contrast Enhancement) lets users experience the full power of ACDSee’s patented LCE technology. Use this lighting tool to gain complete control over shadows, mid-tones and highlights to create natural HDR-like results.
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Soft Focus and Clarity tools target midtones to make intuitive, natural-looking adjustments to your images, instantly.
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Color labels quickly identify groups within a large number of photos for further processing using customizable Color Labels.
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Calendar feature captures day and time of photos and automatically indexes them by date.
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EXIF or IPTC fields now let users search using presets or keyboard shortcuts to accelerate a search.
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Duplicate finder eliminates digital clutter. Users can look for duplicate files, no matter what format, to free up space on the hard drive and improve performance.
The company also has its online photo sharing and storage site, acdseeonline.com which pairs with the new Mac product. ACDSee Online’s cloud-based environment allows photographers to store and share images in a free 10 GB online space. ACDSee Online users can easily archive any file format (including RAW formats), email photo albums, post albums on Facebook and Tweet links to albums. It is safe and secure and does not require purchase of any ACDSee product. ACDSee Online also recently released their free iPhone and iPad app in the iTunes App store to manage and share digital assets on the go.
Pricing & Availability
ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) is available beginning June 19, 2012 online for suggested retail price of $139.99(US). Existing ACDSee Pro (Mac) users can upgrade for a suggested retail price of $79.99(US). A free 30-day trial is available online at acdsee.com. ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) runs as a 64-bit application on Mac OS®, Snow Leopard and Lion (10.6 and 10.7). Full system requirements, online tutorials and more information on ACDSee Pro 2 (Mac) can be found at acdsee.com.
About ACD Systems
Founded in Texas in 1993 by imaging visionary Doug Vanderkerkhove, ACD Systems is one of the largest and most respected independent digital editing and management companies in the world. Doug foresaw the importance of the convergence of analog and digital (print, photos, scans, video and metadata). The company’s products include ACDSee Pro 5, ACDSee 14, and Canvas 14 + GIS, which helps Fortune 500 companies enhance, manage and disseminate their valuable digital assets. Customers include General Motors, Caterpillar, Boeing, The New York City Fire Department, NASA, CNN and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Today ACD holds six patents and millions of ACDSee products are in use throughout the world. In fact, ACDSee products are so popular in Asia that they are second only to Louis Vuitton in product piracy.
ACD Systems can be found online at www.acdsee.com, on Twitter at @acdsee, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/acdsee.