Even if you are happy with your current Raw processing app or other image editor, you may find that some of the tools are well worth the cost of the application. I highly recommend downloading a copy of Alien Skin Exposure X4.5 and giving it a test drive. The company also frequently releases updates to support the raw files of new cameras, make bug fixes, etc. Re: upgrades, the cost to upgrade from previous versions of Exposure to Exposure X4.5 is $79.
For more on Snap Art, visit this page, or see the the video below:Īnd here is a quick video overview of Exposure X4: Effects include many different looks, including pastel, oil painting and watercolor. Snap Art’s forte is transforming photos or other artwork in many different ways. As I noted in my other article, Blow Up is an amazing application that can enlarge your images quite a bit while retaining good detail and minimal or no visible artifacts. It includes Exposure X4, Snap Art, and Blow Up. Exposure X4 Bundle (US $149), a $50 savings compared with the previous Exposure X3 bundle.I should note that this is a $30 savings compared with the previous price of Exposure X3.
Photo © Andrew DarlowĮXPOSURE X4.5 PRICING and 30 DAY FREE TRIALĪlien Skin Exposure X4.5 is free to all owners of Exposure X4, and is available in two configurations for Mac and Windows OS: One of my photos being edited in the Overlays panel. Here’s what it looks like (click on image to see it larger): The thumbnails can be made quite large (almost full screen if you like), which is great for quickly making selections. I found the new visual browsing option when copying photos from a card to be very well designed and easy to use. NEW VISUAL BROWSING OPTION FOR CARD IMPORTS Now the keyboard shortcuts match between both applications. With that in mind, I was able to change the default keyboard shortcut in Exposure X4.5 for those keys (they were previously assigned to “Toggle Pick Flag” and “Toggle Reject Flag”. I try to use keyboard shortcuts whenever possible to save time, and two that I constantly use in Lightroom are the “-” and “=” keys to make thumbnails larger or smaller in the Library Module. MODIFYING KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS – A Real World Example Copy Photos from Card tool adds visual browsing and selection of files to be copied.Configurable keyboard shortcuts (I also mentioned this above, but here’s a link to an excellent overview of the feature) and.User-requested workflow refinements that include new photo sizing options when exporting, new keyboard shortcuts.Support for additional cameras and lenses from a number of manufacturers:.Collection membership now appears the Metadata panel, enabling photographers to see a full list of the collections a photo belongs to.Additional freely moveable light leak overlays, including the new categories of Lens Flare and Haze.User Configurable Keyboard Shortcuts, including one option that makes it easier for Lightroom users to either use Exposure X4.5 as an additional editing tool (standalone or as a plug-in), or for those who want to make the transition from Lightroom Classic to Alien Skin Exposure X4.5.Īnd here are a few of the newest features that have been added to Exposure X4.5 (from the company’s press materials).Tethered Shooting and Non-destructive Layers: Here is a link to a tutorial that shows some of what Exposure X4.5 can do, especially when put in the hands of a skilled image maker:.The Bokeh tool (used to create creative blur effects) could be an application all by itself.As they say, you have to see it to believe it! This tool allows you to create different types of “glow effects” that simulate the look of infrared (or you can use them to just add a softer look) in your images. The “IR” tools are nothing short of amazing.This feature allows you to hover your mouse over a preset, and the image in the center window will temporarily apply that preset, making it very fast and easy to test out different looks. Hovering effect for presets is very fast (I tested it on a 2013 MacBook Pro with an i7 Processor).Like all of the panels, you can even customize where they are located. This is extremely helpful when choosing different looks. Preset thumbnails: (allow you to see and apply many different effects, such as film simulations), are able to be resized by dragging the panel where they are located.
This is an excellent article on the topic that shows a number of examples, with a link to some free downloadable LUTs from.