"The tools are of a professional standard, yet it has a consumer level price tag."
Karim Beerahee
Serif has really pulled out all stops for their latest photo editing software, Serif PhotoPlus X5. This new version has filled in the gaps we found with PhotoPlus X4 and added a whole host of new features to make your edits quicker and easier with much improved results. This software aimed towards people who take their photography seriously, many of the tools are of a professional standard, yet it has a consumer level price tag.
What we like best
We’ll start with Serif PhotoPlus X5’s main feature the PhotoPlus Organiser. This is the central interface of the software it will collate all your images and allow you to label and organise into individual galleries making it easier for you to manage your work. It has an automated feature so similar pictures or those taken within select periods can be organised quickly for your perusal and speedy editing, it makes searching through your galleries a cinch.
One of the tools we enjoyed playing around with most was the ability to edit HDR images this is the process of combining images with varying degrees of light and dark, look around on the web there are some fantastic edits around and Serif PhotoPlus X5 will give the chance to make some of your own.
Some of the other tools include vibrance adjustment and clarity filter which tweak your photographs noticeably in a way that the deftest of hands could never accomplish with lesser software.
What we like least
There wasn’t actually anything missing with this software, which I think may be a first. The sheer volume of tools may mean it’ll take you a little while to get to grips with everything available from Serif PhotoPlus X5 but that’s certainly not a bad thing.
If you are upgrading then you’ll be up to speed in a matter of moments, if you’re new to this software then set aside a bit of time to have a play around and it’ll be a great asset to your software collection.
A professional could make excellent use of Serif PhotoPlus X5 but at the same time if photography is a passion it’s a brilliant tool for gathering images making some altercations to really make them shine and uploading them to the internet for your friends to admire.
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Features
16-bit Raw import and editing
Non-destructive photo adjustments
Powerful filters and effects
HDR photo merging
Layers and masks
Professional blend modes
Add On
No
Download or CD
CD
Compatible with
Windows
System Requirements
- Windows PC with DVD/CD drive and mouse
- Windows XP, Vista, 7
- 512MB RAM
- 833MB free hard drive
- 1024x768
Type of Software
Photo editing
Serif’s PhotoPlus X3 is an excellent tool for those of you looking for some good image editing software that’s robust without being hugely complicated.
It comes with lots of useful features that are sufficiently user friendly to appeal to beginners; while more experienced editors will appreciate the scope for advanced editing and optimisation.
The software works really well when it comes to restoring old images, resizing photographs, tidying flaws, adjusting exposure and colour levels, red eye removal and cropping. The Quick Fix Studio feature makes doing all of this relatively straightforward and enjoyable process thanks to its user friendly interface.
Beginners will appreciate the help features which give them access to 25 PhotoPlus X3 online tutorials and an excellent getting started guide.
In terms of ease of use, importing, editing and consumer support this is a good software package that, whilst not carrying the wealth and complexity of features that you will find in Photoshop, it remains a good value entry level image editor.
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