ACDSee Pro

Back in the mid 90s, my older brother installed ACDSee on our Windows 98 Packard Bell PC. Their software was popular back in the day because it allowed you to right click on an image and it would show you the preview. This is a great app. If they marketed the app like how VSCO does, people would use this instead of slapping on filters. You literally set the “filter” by tweaking every setting before or after the photo is taken.

I've used this software for several years and just added it to the numerous photo editing and retouching tools on my iPad Pro. They self-describe it as a pro app but that word has lost all meaning in recent years. My definition of a pro is someone like me who earns most or all of their income from being a photographer. It has nothing to do with what equipment or software I use. I wouldn't have a lot of confidence in anyone who limits themselves to only using one brand of either hardware or software, I use the right tool for the job. ACDSee Pro is by no means a Swiss Army knife app that does everything - there are some things about it that are useful however and for those things it's worth having. The main reason I would recommend it would be to add a quick filter, effect or text when I'm not near my studio workstation. For that it's useful, helpful and effective.

This app does so many things and does them well but unless it is well hidden it has 1 fatal flaw. It only allows you to save over the original. It does not allow you to “save a copy”. I often will create multiple versions of a base image and want to keep my original intact and save versions as copies. Hence only 4 stars for excellent effort but deduct 2 stars For lack of ability to save copies. I know it can be done because because apps like Darkroom, Polarr, and Photoshop Express ca do it. UPDATE: Thought it couldn’t save versions but then discovered that can do that as an export to file. Very awkward and not obvious. Should do like other apps and when hitting save offer a straight save over the active image or a “save as” command which ever meets the users need. So much done so well, only to leave out a few core features essential to serious photogs.