Here are the image processing programs I looked at. Export that folder of raw images to “intermediate JPGs” for assembly into a movie.Įven so, not all these contenders are up to the task.Copy its settings to the hundreds of other raw files in the time-lapse set, then ….But as with Lightroom, layering of images – to stack, composite, and mask them – is beyond their ability.įor processing time-lapse sequences, however, we don’t need, nor can we use, the ability to layer and mask several images into one composite.

The others are better described as Adobe Lightroom competitors – programs that can catalog image libraries and develop raw image files, with some offering adjustment layers for correcting color, contrast, etc. However, a number of contenders offer excellent features and might replace at least one member of Adobe’s image processing suite.įor example, only four of these programs can truly serve as a layer-based editing program replacing Photoshop. If you are hoping there’s a clear winner in the battle against Adobe, one program I can say does it all and for less cost and commitment, I didn’t find one. This review expands upon and updates mini-reviews I included in my Nightscapes and Time-Lapses eBook, shown at right. Even so, I think you will find there’s plenty to pick from! So sorry, fans of Paintshop Pro (though see my note at the end), Photoline, Picture Window Pro, or Xara Photo & Graphic Designer. I’ve indicated these.īut I did not test any Windows-only programs. I did not test these programs for other more “normal” types of images.Īlso, please keep in mind, I am a Mac user and tested only programs available for MacOS, though many are also available for Windows. I tested more than ten contenders as alternatives to Adobe’s image processing software, evaluating them ONLY for the specialized task of editing demanding nightscape images taken under the Milky Way, both for single still images and for time-lapses of the moving sky. That is the question many photographers are asking with the spate of new image processing programs vying to “kill Photoshop.”

Photodirector 8