beta trail ACDSEE 3.o pro

dstar · 07-12-2009, 10:47 PM

ACDSEE offer free beta trial manager pro 3.0 for 4months look very cool

johngs · 07-13-2009, 02:04 AM

Is this mentioned on the ACDSEE website? i cant see it anywhere.

dstar · 07-13-2009, 09:40 AM

go to digital photograpy review page and look
ACDSee Pro 3 beta available

**Marc Sabatella** · 07-13-2009, 10:09 AM

Or go to ACDSee Photo Software

I've been using it since it came out (a bit before, since I was in the "focus group" of pre-public beta testers and am liking this new version a lot.

johngs · 07-19-2009, 10:27 PM

has anyone used this or the 2.5 version and can compare it to Lightroom?

I'm undecided which of ACDSEE pro or Lightroom to buy. I've tried the trials of both and still undecided. Can anyone point out any reasons why one is better than the other?

**Marc Sabatella** · 07-20-2009, 02:36 PM

I have only very limited experience with Lightroom, but I am somewhat familiar with its capabilities from reading the new edition of Peter Krogh's "The DAM Book" and from being a moderator on the ACDSee forums, where people discuss this comparison often.

The new Pro 3.0 is much more obviously similar to Lightroom in overall look and feel than pro 2.5 is. Pro 3 also includes one of LR's big features - the ability to work with JPEG using the same non-destructive tools and interface as RAW (even if you still can't the same results).

Both LR and ACDSee Pro have image organization and processing features. LR's main advantages on the organization side are probably stacking, virtual copies, and hierarchical keywords. LR also supports more of the newer XMP schemas for storing metadata (IPTC fields that were not part of the older standards, ratings, etc), and can store updated / corrected previews within DNG files, something ACDSee cannot do. ACDSee's strength is the ability to view amd work with the file system directly without requiring an explicit import into the catalog - it's a browser as well as a cataloging program. There are also some ease-of-use advantages to ACDSee from what I can see and from what others report, although different people see things differently. Overall, I'd just say LR has more sophisticated cataloging features, but by incorportating browsing, not requiring explicit imports, and generally coming from a background of being a program designed for "the masses", most people find it less intimidating at first.

With regarding to image processing, LR has the advantage of providing some non-destructive editing facilities that can work on selected areas of the picture than the whole image at once. It's adjustments are also compatible with Photoshop's if you wish to share RAW processing duties between the programs. ACDSee cannot do operations on selections in non-destructive mode, but unlike LR, it also provides a traditional edit mode that operates on your images directly instead of everything being done "parametrically", and that can be useful. ACDSee also has a very advanced "lighting" tool that can be used to lighten shadows, recover detail in highlights, and perform other tasks more effectively and efficiently than anything LR currently offers; there are people who prefer ACDSee for this reason alone.

johngs · 07-20-2009, 07:47 PM

Thanks Marc. regarding the advanced 'lighting" features that you mention in ACDSEE, does version 2.5 have that or only the new 3.0?

AOski · 07-20-2009, 08:44 PM

I used Lightroom 2 for the duration of the 30 day trial and I really liked it...but it IS pretty expensive. I've been using ACDSee 3 Beta for a couple weeks now. I like the output just as well as Lightroom, however it is MUCH slower to process some things. (For example, the photo correction tools in ACDSee is almost unusable on my computer...whereas all of Lightroom's features seemed fine.)

Hopefully this is something that will be worked out before the full release. It if ran as well as Adobe, I would happily pay for it!

**Marc Sabatella** · 07-20-2009, 09:59 PM

Originally Posted by johngs

Thanks Marc. regarding the advanced 'lighting" features that you mention in ACDSEE, does version 2.5 have that or only the new 3.0?

2.5 has a more limited form. The "Light EQ" version is available in both non-destructive and traditional "edit" mode, but the "advanced" version is available only in 'edit" mode. In 3.0, both versions are available in both modes. And in 3.0, there is an additional element of local contrast enhancement performed by this tool.