ACDSee Pro overhauled with new features

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ACDSee Pro 3 product packaging. Photo provided by ACD Systems International Inc.

ACDSee Pro overhauled with new features
By Mike Tomkins
(Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 18:53 EDT)

ACD Systems Inc. has announced the release of a major update to its flagship photo management application aimed at the pro market, ACDSee Pro 3.

The latest version of ACDSee Pro is based around a new workflow design with tabs for four different main operating modes - Manage, View, Process, and Online, with each mode offering only the tools and panes relevant to its function. The Manage mode caters for browsing, sorting and organizing image thumbnails, as well as rating, tagging, categorizing and adding keywords. Images are rated using radio buttons, while images are categorized using checkboxes. The Manage mode also includes several uploades, including Smugmug, Zenfolio, Email and FTP. Images can be automatically resized as part of the upload process.

The View mode allows viewing larger versions of images, with an optional filmstrip function and the ability to advance through the images automatically. Images can be captioned, tagged, rated, and keywords added as they're viewed, and a properties panel provides access to both EXIF and IPTC metadata. The View mode also provides access to red, green, blue and luminance histograms, image zoom / rotation, and a Magnifying Glass function which allows a specific area of the image to be viewed in a popup at higher magnification.

ACDSee Pro 3 in the new Manage mode.
Photo provided by ACD Systems International Inc.

ACDSee Pro 3's Process mode contains two panes - Develop, and Edit. In the Develop pane, ACDSee allows for non-destructive editing of supported file types including Raw and JPEG images (details of which specific Raw and other file types are listed on the ACD website). Adjustments made in the Develop pane are applied globally to the entire image, and include control of variables such as color profile, image geometry (cropping, rotation, lens corrections), detail (sharpening and noise reduction), as well as fine-tuning exposure, white balance, saturation, hue, brightness, vibrance and more. The Edit pane meanwhile allows pixel-level editing of certain image areas - for example to remove red-eye, or add borders / text / watermarks, etc. The Edit pane includes an Undo function, but once saved the changes made are permanently written to the saved file.

Finally, the Online mode allows users to upload images to their ACDSee Online account. ACDSee Pro 3 includes two gigabytes of free storage on ACDSee Online for two years, and the service provides privacy control of both individual images and album folders, including password protection capability. There's a hierarchical tree structure to albums, and individual album folders can be made public to allow viewing without any login credentials.

ACDSee Pro 3 in the new View mode.
Photo provided by ACD Systems International Inc.

ACDSee Pro 3 is available for users of the Windows XP or Vista operating systems only. The program license allows installation on two computers - a desktop and a notebook - allowing one machine to be used in the field, and a second back at home base. A time-limited 30-day free trial is available from the ACD Systems website, and the full program costs about US$170 including 2GB of online storage for two years. Existing ACD Systems customers can upgrade to ACDSee Pro 3 for a discounted price of US$119, and existing ACDSee Pro users will have a coupon in their ACD Systems website account entitling them to upgrade for less than $90. For more details, visit the ACD Systems website or read the press release below.

Original Source Press Release:

ACDSee Pro 3 Offers Photographers Triple Threat of Speed, Flexibility and Value

VICTORIA, British Columbia – Sept. 29, 2009 – ACD Systems International Inc today unveiled ACDSee™ Pro 3, a new version of its leading digital image management software that retains the same fast and flexible features photographers rely upon and incorporates an enhanced user experience that delivers professional level workflow tools at a tremendous value.

ACDSee Pro 3 builds on its reputation as a leading viewer, browser and organizer with new advanced speed capabilities in the editing and online stages. For example, the program’s unique process mode integrates two highly prized features – nondestructive image editing and precise pixel-level editing – into one seamless application.

“ACDSee Pro 3 is geared around saving time and offers photographers the ability to customize their own workflow and speed up the process of preparing and sharing their photos,” said Cam Carmichael, product manager for ACD Systems, who noted that more than 10,000 professional photographers worldwide participated in the beta test program. “The Pro 3 structure makes it easy for users to achieve their desired results quickly and efficiently.”

Introduced in early 2006, ACDSee Pro has historically been designed around mode-based operations, so this new, updated version will be familiar to current ACDSee Pro users. The software emphasizes four areas of activity – manage, view, process and online – that optimizes each step in the photography workflow in one application.

“I’m on assignment overseas often and the last thing I want to worry about is my workflow,” said Peter Pereira, a photojournalist and 4SEE Photo Agency photographer. “I’ve been a longtime ACDSee Pro user and the latest version is top-notch image software. I’ve tried them all and this is my favorite.”

ACDSee Pro 3 in the new Process mode.
Photo provided by ACD Systems International Inc.

Manage: Digital asset management
ACDSee Pro 3 provides photographers with the capability to manage digital assets to their own specifications using both folders and metadata. The manage mode speeds the process of browsing, cataloging, retrieving, and presenting collections with flexible time-saving tools. New additions to the robust sharing capabilities allow users to distribute their creative work effortlessly through SMTP-enabled e-mail applications such as Gmail™ and Yahoo!® Mail Plus, and publish images to their Web sites via a new FTP uploader.

As in previous versions of ACDSee Pro, ACDSee Pro 3 supports the management of more than 100 file types and will be regularly updated to support the latest RAW formats as new camera models are released.

View: Unparalleled image viewing
In view mode, images can be seen in full size at unparalleled speeds. Photographers can quickly scan through selected images with click advance or auto advance features, or flip between images using the new filmstrip window and remain oriented within a large group of files.

Process: Dynamic imaging processing
ACDSee Pro 3’s new process mode integrates nondestructive image editing and precise pixel-level editing into one seamless application. Users can take advantage of the new mode to dynamically adjust images of any format, from RAW files to TIFFs and JPEGs, and easily complete both global nondestructive adjustments and pixel-level editing on any image in one intuitive workflow. Unlike other programs that make users wait while changes apply, ACDSee Pro 3 allows users to see the outcome of their adjustments in real time.

Online: Photo sharing with free storage
Photographers can easily store and share images online without leaving the application in ACDSee Pro 3’s new online mode, which connects users to a free 2 GB account on the ACDSee Online Web site. The online mode is a convenient way to create, store, share and manage albums and access images when away from the desktop computer. ACDSee Pro 3 image folders can quickly and easily be dragged and dropped directly on the secure, password-protected online storage space. The ACDSee Online site, which is powered by Amazon Web Services™, the same secure infrastructure that backs Amazon.com and its affiliated sites, offers a hierarchical folder tree structure so images can be easily organized.

ACDSee Pro 3 in the new Online mode.
Photo provided by ACD Systems International Inc.

Availability
ACDSee Pro 3 is available for a free 30-day trial and for purchase at $169.99 (USD) by visiting www.acdsee.com. Registered owners of ACDSee Pro, Pro 2 and Pro 2.5 are eligible to upgrade for less than $90.00 (USD).

About ACD Systems International Inc.
Headquartered in British Columbia since 1993, ACD Systems International Inc. is one of the world’s leading developers and marketers of digital imaging software, including the renowned ACDSee image management tool and Canvas, an advanced technical illustration and graphics program. ACD Systems has millions of consumer and business users and more than 33,000 corporate customers, including many Fortune 500 companies. For further details, please visit www.acdsee.com.

ACD and ACDSee are trademarks of ACD Systems International Inc. and may be registered in Canada, the United States, the European Union, Japan or certain other jurisdictions. Canvas is a trademark of ACD Systems of America, Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Trademarks of ACD Systems of America, Inc. are used under license by ACD Systems International Inc. or its subsidiaries.

All other marks, products and company names are the property of their respective owners.

ACDSee Pro 3 product packaging.
Photo provided by ACD Systems International Inc.

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