So. Last April when I had to return to Canada because of the pandemic, I made the decision to fork out for the PS/Lightroom subscription for my 2012 MacBook Air. At that time I checked the alternatives to Adobe and soon realized that most were demanding on the resources of the computer and would not run or do that efficiently on my aging laptop. As well, none offered the ability at organizing that I was used to in Lightroom.
I received my Renewal notification a couple of days ago. Time flies quickly. But I also now have an established workstation based on the new Apple MacMini running on Silicone. And so I could now consider the other options.
I considered what I need out of my software, and came to the conclusion that Exposure X6 is the right choice for me out the leading 5 or 6 paid contenders. I am less interested in AI and all the fancy algorithms for replacing backgrounds and all the other cool stuff (I already have Affinity Photo for anything I would do in Photoshop) - than having a program that will effectively replace Lightroom for organizing of my vast array of images on my hard drives, as well as being able to do all basic editing of my pics without the need to open them in Photoshop.
I downloaded the 30 day Trial of Exposure x6 and soon realized that the preview thumbnails open so quickly compared to Lightroom (because it doesnt use a catalogue system). As well, the interface is almost identical to Lightroom, so I new exactly how to use use the adjustments. Even better for me, is that there is only one panel where everything is accomplished making the process of selecting and creating my images speedy.
And the real selling point for me is the unbelievable number of Presets, Film Emulations, and customizability that Lightroom or the other applications do not have. I am a huge supporter and user of Snapseed on my iPad, and this takes those features that I love about Snapseed to a whole new level of creativity. Years ago I used Nik software on my MacBook to get the same effect. I never replaced Nik after it became a paid product.
X6 does not get the highest level reviews marks of the top few Adobe replacements, mostly based on two things. Apparently it’s noise reduction is not up to the high ability of DXO, nor does it contain the high level of prestine image processing that is able to generate unrealistic landscapes like Luminar AI. The thing is that those features hold less value to me than the ability to play with amazing film style presets and introduce scratches and textures and light flares, and add borders to give sizzle to the grungy style that I prefer for most of my street and travel pics. I also appreciate that I can customize the layout to my liking. Bonus - Exposure X6 is made to work with Apple Silicone as well. Others will work well through Rosetta 2 though, and state that they are working on new versions for Silicone.
anyway - just some of my thoughts today. Needless to say, my one year subscription stint with Adobe, is over. LOL
been having fun reworking many of my images photographed in Central America between 2008 and 2020. Mostly looking for ones that I have never published before. Here are a few Processed in Exposure X6:
