Is this the perfect photo-organizing
and editing solution?
PhotoDirector is one of a new generation of
image editing programs that both organizes your photos and applies
nondestructive adjustments that you can re-adjust at any time. That's just what
Aperture and Adobe Lightroom do, but while PhotoDirector undercuts Lightroom 4
($149.99) by a fair margin, it costs $15 more than Aperture does on the App
Store, so it has a bit to prove.
If you've used Lightroom, PhotoDirector 4
will look familiar. The program is split into five sections, accessed by
buttons running across the top Library, Adjustment, Edit. Slideshow and Print.
These match the typical image-editing
workflow, and you start by using the Library section to import photos, sort
them into albums, and add tags and maybe use PhotoDirector’s face recognition
system to identify your friends. It’s very similar to those used by Elements
'11 and iPhoto.
Used
with care, PhotoDirector’s cosmetic enhancement tools can deliver really good
results.
The Adjustment section offers everyday
essentials such as a crop tool, spot removal, redeye removal, adjustment
brushes for "painting" color and tone enhancements over specific
areas, plus white balance, tone, curves, HDR effects, and more. It’s in the
Edit tab, though, that PhotoDirector shows some interesting advances over
Lightroom and Aperture. You can whiten teeth, "bling" eyes, and
remove wrinkles, for example. And PhotoDirector's "body shaping” tools are
comprehensive.
PhotoDirector's
similarities to Adobe Liqhtroom are obvious, but it lacks Lightroom’s depth.
PhotoDirector also has Content Aware
technology similar to Adobe's for covering unwanted objects with a Smart Patch,
or removing objects completely. It can work well if the conditions are perfect
and the object you’re removing is surrounded by a clear area, but the results
can be disappointing, too though the Content Aware line drawer tool is great
for removing straight objects. The Edit tools are not nondestructive. Worse,
there's no provision in PhotoDirector for using an external editor like
Elements or Photoshop. You have to find and open the image separately in that
program, make your changes, save it, then open PhotoDirector and manually
import the new picture. By contrast, Lightroom and Aperture (and even iPhoto)
can work with external image-editors directly. Will you need an external
editor? If you want to experiment with layers, effects, masks, and the full
range of image-editing technigues, then yes. PhotoDirector can create a wide
range of effects, but it’s no match for Photoshop Elements or Photoshop itself.
The bottom line. PhotoDirector's organizing
and editing tools are impressive, but it has significant limitations.
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Information
·
Website: www.cyberlink.com
·
Price: $94.99
·
Requirements: Intel 64-bit multicore CPU. Mac
OS X 10.6.8 or later. 2GB RAM. IGB disk space. 1024x768 display
·
(+) Nondestructive
adjustments. An impressive range of effects.
·
(-) Costs more
than Aperture. Enthusiasts will quickly reach its limits.
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