Lightroom is probably the automatic go-to program for enthusiasts and experts looking for an all-in-one photo organising and editing program, but it’s not necessarily the best and it’s not popular with everyone, so many will be looking for Lightroom alternatives.
Alien Skin Exposure X
Alien Skin Exposure X is an all-in-one photo browsing, organising and editing tool that concentrates on replicating classic film and darkroom effects but is also a very effective everyday image-editor, with fully non-destructive editing tools and support for virtual copies.
Preset picks: Alien Skin Border – Negative (Kodalith)
Preset Picks: This time, Alien Skin’s Border – Negative (Kodalith) preset goes under the microscope. Using just three tools it transforms regular images into super-strong graphic black and white.
How to use LUTs in Alien Skin Exposure X4.5
The new LUTs feature introduced in Exposure X4.5 supports one of the newest trends in photography. LUTs (lookup tables) started out in cinematography as a way to apply a specific ‘look’ to a movie or scene, but they’re now catching on in stills photography too. They are like a basic conversion profile, or film simulation […]
The power of adjustment layers and masks
Adjustment layers started out in Photoshop as a way of altering the look of an image without actually changing its pixels. It was the start of non-destructive editing. Now, adjustment layers are everywhere, not just in Photoshop, and for me they are the key to successful image enhancements. There’s a second factor, though – layer […]
Try a black and white high contrast Lith effect
One of the reasons I rate image effects programs so highly compared to traditional image editors is the way they open your eyes to effects you wouldn’t have thought of. Like applying the Lith Border effect in Alien Skin Exposure X3 to this early morning shot of a country church. There’s already a lot of […]
Top 5 Google Nik Collection alternatives
Google has decided it will no longer develop the Google Nik Collection, so what do we all do when it’s gone? Here are five Nik Collection alternatives that could fill the void. Alien Skin Exposure X2 Once a film simulation plug-in, now a full-blown standalone image-editor with file browsing and non-destructive adjustment layers and masks, […]