OSXcellence – ACDSee Photo Flash Review

ACDSee Photo Flash

Many of the apps I review in this column are stacked full of features  and, seemingly, developers seem to think that more really is more. ACDSee Photo Flash is as far from these do-it-all apps as it’s possible to be, but will the traditional adage of “less is more” ring true for this minimalist app?

The one-and-only function of Photo Flash is image brightening, the claim being that this app is an in-Mac flashgun. My initial thought was, “Why can’t I just use the exposure slider in Aperture/iPhoto?” ACDSee claim, however, that their special “Lighting and Contrast Enhancement (LCE)” technology is a superior option. This function is adjustable, using Flash Photo’s only control – a percentage slider.

After studying images outputted from Photo Flash, I would say that the exposure adjustment which this app provides is tempered by highlight reduction and shadow lifting. The images, as a result, have a slight HDR feel, but nothing too garish, or even noticeable. I have to admit, though, that the effect is quite similar to the illumination that flash gives.

When you lighten a photo in any image editor, you tend to reveal terrible noise grain in the shadows; Photo Flash, however, seems to control noise admirably. Whilst there is still significant grain in lightened images, the results of Photo Flash are relatively grain-free when compared with, for example, iPhoto’s exposure controls.

As ACDSee Photo Flash is such a simple app, there isn’t much to say about it other than “it works.”  Advanced-level photographers won’t be satisfied with the poorer image quality which lightened photos are lumbered with, regardless of which app they’re using. But for beginner-to-intermediate-level photographers who want to rescue good photos that are ruined by underexposure, ACDSee Photo Flash provides a dead-simple and quick way of rectifying such mistakes.

If you’re quick, you can download ACDSee Photo Flash for free (normal price $2.99), either from ACDSee’s website, or from the Mac App Store.

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