ACDSee Photo Studio Review

PROS: The biggest positive when it comes to ACDSee is how it keeps everything organized, thanks to the multiple ways you can filter and tag files. It has made it easy for me to find shots that are great and get rid of ones that are unusable. I can go through hundreds of photos simply by ranking the images using my keyboard and then further narrow down my choices by using colors to sift through the shots I've chosen.

CONS: There are a number of features that could be added to improve on this software. i'd like to see bulb correction, face recognition, and face management in future versions of this software.

PROS: My job requires me to handle a large amount of photos that are then passed on to other departments like marketing and public relations. ACDSee has been a great tool in keeping things organized, because tagging and categorizing is so easy to do. If other department need a specific photo, I can just look through the tags to find the photo that they need.

CONS: I think they could provide better tutorials on how to best use tags, as I do get a little confused on which one is better to use -- labels, categories, or keywords.

PROS: I am really impressed with how easily ACDSee can take on the raw files from my cameras. If you're someone who works in photography, I think this is an application that you must have. Another feature that I like is how great it is at file conversion. This is incredibly helpful for me when I do quick reviews.

CONS: It's not so much a negative but more of something that I think isn't really needed. The preview for video and audio files is something that I turn off since I don't think it's really needed and it just slows me down when I work. Another feature which I think slows down the software is face detection. I always find that my work flies by so much quicker when I turn it off.

PROS: I specialize in fixing old images, particularly in removing defects that come with age and ACDSee has been really helpful in a number of things, such as balancing, color correction, combining images, masking, and adjusting exposure. It took me some time to get the hang of using it, but it has resulted in people really appreciating my work. I also appreciate how easy it is to add information to an image, such as location and names because it helps me find images and track work that I have done some time ago.

CONS: This software could really be improved with a more intuitive user interface. I had to look for FAQs and demonstrations online to help me get the hang of using it. I also found it hard to work with circular objects. Why does the software not allow me to just draw a circle and then move it or resize it when selecting an area?

PROS: Photo management is really where ACDSee shines. Because I can print and view multiple phots, as well as easily print captions, file organization has become such an easy thing to do. It has been a great help in my work as an executive assistant and made it easy for the company I work for to submit cases to the courts. This software has worked so well for me that I've often been asked what I use and I always have no hesitation in recommending it to others. I don't think any other program can top ACDSee.

CONS: Quite honestly, there isn't anything for me to dislike about ACDSee. Maybe they could make the editing features more user friendly, but I honestly don't use those features too often. ACDSee has been a great help to me when it comes to my work that I can't really think of any negatives or any issues with regards to it.

PROS: Editing has really become easier because this software allows me to repeat previous settings with the record macro tool. Edits can be automatically applied to a photo, which really cuts down on the time I work on an image.

CONS: The ability to reuse previous edit setting should also apply to the brush size on red eye reduction. As of the moment, I don't think it can hold the setting that was last used. It frustrates me that I have to set the setting I used every single time I edit a picture.

PROS: When it comes to image processing software for PCs, I don't think there's anything better than ACDSee. It's a standalone software that works fast and is also comprehensive and intuitive. It has only improved over time and remains the software that I use the most often. With ACDSee, I don't have to look around for the adjustments that I need since everything is easy to locate with no hidden sub-menus to go through. When it comes to working with RAW images, outputs are always well-rendered and smooth, and I don't think any other software can compete. I also appreciate how the implementation of color adjustments and tone is so comprehensive. Profile making is also easy. I think other users will also be happy with the additional functions that come with integrations with other programs like Topaz, Paint.net, Neat-image, and Portrait-pro.

CONS: I think it would be a great improvement if they had better coverage of lenses from first part manufacturers. For instance, the biggest miss is with Sony hardware. This is a big problem for people like me who shoot with hardware like the Sony A7r3 and 4, most with Zeiss and Sony glass. It is also disappointing that this oversight has happened since from what I know, the programming community can freely access the lens profiles made by Sony.

PROS: I found ACDSee to be really user-friendly and easy to understand. But what I really love about it is how affordable it is. They're very open about their pricing and provide discounts all throughout the year, which is something I really appreciate.

CONS: I used to be irritated with their annual upgrade offers, but ever since I signed up for the 365 subscription plans, this hasn't become an issue for me. I can be assured that every year, I have ACDSee latest video and photo editing software.

PROS: This software is simple, powerful, and constantly upgrading its features, which is why I've been a loyal user for a decade now. Thanks to it, creating, managing, and cataloging images for PDF files and slide shows is now easy to do. I can't recommend it enough, especially since software bugs are rare with this one.

CONS: While saving catalogs in PDF format is easy to do, I have to say that I have had to use another program when it comes to deleting, adding, or editing it. This is something they can improve in future versions.

PROS: I don't think there's a lot of software that can match up to the tools ACDSee has for cropping or color and exposure adjustment. I also really appreciate how much time I've been able to save thanks to the light EQBatch operations. Another thing that impressed me about this software is how it can produce thumbnails of thousands of images really quickly.

CONS: I think they could make the perspective correction tool more intuitive and user-friendly. I get very frustrated with the fact that I have to constantly turn on the grid when using this tool. It also isn't very intuitive that I have to drag corners when they don't fall exactly on the grid. Another tool that could be more user-friendly is the rotate tool, since the buttons for 180 and 90 degree rotations aren't big enough. They could also add a feature that adds a better shortcut to rename batch files.

PROS: It's been a decade since I started using ACDSee and I've kept using it because it works so much faster especially when you compare it with other products like Adobe Lightroom. You don't need to work with a special database where you have to import images, because that whole process takes a lot of time even when the computer you're working with is fast. This is really important especially when you work with a lot of RAW images that are uncompressed and have a high resolution. I also like that you can use ordinary folders to store images alongside the exceptional database tool that ACDSee already has.

CONS: Windows can produce a thumbnail preview image of a PSD or TIF file, so I really do not understand how ACDsee can't do the same. It's really annoying and I think they should resolve this in future versions.

PROS: ACDSee doesn't take up a lot of space on your computer, which is something that I really like. I also appreciate how configurable the toolbar is, so everything is just the way I like it. I also get the results I want when I use the develop module. I also think the tutorials were well made since I could easily understand it.

CONS: I think the database could use some improvement since there have been occasions where it was unable to show me recently rated images. It can be frustrating when I am given older images when I am looking for new ones.

PROS: If you're looking to keep your files organized, ACDSee is a good choice to make. It is easy to find a specific image out of hundreds because you can use ratings, catalogs, collections, geotagging, custom tags, and a number of other parameters. I am also impressed with how this program makes it simple to rebuild the metadata of a library or share it among multiple PCs, thanks to how easy it is for files to have embedded information.

CONS: While the search function is great, I do think that there could still be a number of improvements that could be made. For instance, I want the search to have another option besides using or when looking for tags because it makes it difficult for me to find something that includes tag one and tag two. I also think they could add an option to search for files that do not have a specific set of properties. Currently, they only search for properties that the files have and not what they don't have.

PROS: The best thing about ACDSee is that it is "non-destructive." When I work on an image, I can give it a new name and can be assured that the original image stays the same. Another thing that I like is when they added layers a few versions ago.

CONS: I had some problems with the newest version because of the fact that the face detection feature was automatically enabled. I don't think anybody really wants that feature and it took me quite some time to disable it.