When I started taking pictures, one of the hardest things for me was choosing the editing software I should use. Indeed, a lot of photographers face the same problem every day. Looking beyond the classic options, it can be said that there are much better software that you can choose from: ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12. It combines the functionality of several Adobe products into one affordable and intuitive software.
Finding software that both offers a lot of functionality and is easy to learn and navigate can be a challenge. While I have my own preference for editing software, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to a beginner photographer. Instead, I would aim for software geared toward beginner photographers, and capable of expanding and growing with the challenges photographers say they’ll face as they progress further in their careers. his career. At the start, the raw editor is more than enough to do most of the basic adjustments, while after a while more complex tools like layers and local adjustments will be needed. A software that can do both, cheap and intuitive to use is not necessarily Lightroom or Photoshop. Lightroom still lacks layer functionality, while Photoshop isn’t made for batch editing. At the same time, both are subscription-based, with no possibility to purchase a one-time license. If you want to use software that combines features from Lightroom and Photoshop, while being significantly cheaper, check out ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12.
Rough editing
Raw editor in ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 worth a separate article because there is so much to unpack. In a nutshell, there are dozens of tools at your disposal, from the most basic of adjustments, such as exposure and contracts, to complex curves and color pickers. ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 is compatible with over 600 different raw formats. There are tools that are similar to Adobe Camera Raw, meaning you won’t miss out on anything, but what makes it better than Adobe are the extra features you get for RAW processing. They will be unpacked later in the fragment. In the RAW editor, you get everything from local adjustments, to lens correction, and even copying tools. Here is an image I edited with ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12: 
Class
Let’s move on to the features that in my opinion make ACDSee Gemstone 12 better than Adobe. The first one is the classes. One of the things I was blown away by as a photographer was the ability to use layers. Whenever I coach photographers, they often don’t know about layers and find it hard to believe that parts of an image can be edited. Classes go beyond that. In ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12, you can use layers to edit your photos the way you want. The best thing is the possibilities are more extensible than what Adobe or Capture One can offer. Basically, you have Photoshop’s layering capabilities combined with Lightroom’s and Capture One’s Raw processing. 
The software is designed in a way that encourages the use of classes. This is especially great for non-destructive photo editing. Indeed, the whole concept of non-destruction is at the heart of ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12. Layers are what make ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 so great, at least in my opinion. Let’s talk about the features of the layers.
The reason I switched from Lightroom a while ago was that I didn’t like the absence of layers. What they allowed me to do was make local adjustments to different parts of the photo, add healing layers, and more. Layers are a necessity regardless of the genre you’re working on. In Capture One, I use layers for everything from gradient masks, to custom selections, healing, and adding color layers on top of another. To be fair, classes are an integral part of the workflow. When I switched to Photoshop, I continued to use layers, but this time I took advantage of the blending options available in layers. ACDSee blends, pardons the puns, layering capabilities of Capture One as well as Photoshop, making it a very capable piece of software.
The merge options allow you to change the way layers interact with each other. This is useful in adjusting colors and blending several photos together. Blend modes are an advanced tool in color grading that I use to create really unique spots on my images. Here’s an image I edited using some basic curves and level adjustments, but mixed the blend modes I used. It is a re-edit of an image that I previously published. Looking back, I liked this one better. The important thing is that there are no edits at all. 
AI-powered selection engine
Selecting a subject and then manually editing it can be a nightmare, which is why ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 has added AI-powered selection tools. Their quick actions provide AI-powered automated tasks. They automatically choose the theme or background. This is done using tools like Remove Background, Select Theme, Blur Background, and Black & White Background. Most of the time, these tools provide a great result and can isolate the subject in some rather difficult situations. 
Adjust skin
Editing is by far the most difficult part of photography. There’s an AI-powered quick retouch engine that takes care of retouched skins just fine. The Gemstone Editor has a Skin Adjustment tool that gives access to a number of easy-to-understand tools for skin retouching. If used properly, it can give a great result in a short time. While Capture One has a skin retouching tool, it’s not nearly as advanced with layering capabilities. At the same time, Photoshop is too complicated when it comes to skin retouching. Furthermore, they don’t have a quick skin retouching tool that works well. Here is a before/after portrait that I edited with the ACDSee skin retouch tool.
Multi-Document Interface
If you’ve used Photoshop before, this is nothing new to you. The ACDSee Gemstone 12’s multi-document interface allows me to work on several images, which is especially useful when trying to stitch several photos together. Another thing the multi-document interface allows me to do is take a break from one photo by switching to a new one.
Easy to use
What I find best about ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 is that it is designed to be easy to use. I remember when I downloaded my first editing software. The amount of controls blew me away. To be honest with you, I have yet to learn all of them and have asked my editor for a lot of help. ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 is designed to be intuitive and easy to use. This is great for people who are just getting started with photography and just want easy-to-use software with a very high-level usability potential similar to Photoshop. The GUI in ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 is made similar to Photoshop, with the tools on the left, the image tab on the top and layers and other adjustments on the right, and it has features that human Beginners will find Photoshop useful and features lacking. Overall, these features make ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 beginner-friendly, unlike some of Adobe’s more complex products.
Valuation
Let’s talk money for a moment. Unlike other editing software, ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 is affordable. What’s even better is that ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 is a one-time purchase, which means no monthly subscriptions like with Adobe. If you purchase ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 once, you can keep it forever and receive free updates. When a new version is released, you can choose to buy it using the special update price or keep using the old version if you wish. In any case, you can get a copy of ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 for $79.99. If you don’t like it, you can let the team behind ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 know and they will refund you 100% of the price. 
Close comment
I understand ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 is not your first choice for editing software. Honestly, I wish I knew about it when I started, as that would have been a much better option. Just think about it: you get a full raw processor, on top of you a full arsenal of classes and AI-powered stuff, with the cherry on top being a very hefty price tag. Friendship. ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12 is a pretty decent product on the market, that’s why I highly recommend you give it a try and see how you can fit into your photography workflow. It combines Adobe products into a very viable alternative to them. And remember, use classes, as they are some of the best in terms of ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 12.
