retouch

There are tons of photo-editing apps in the iTunes App Store, but a recent update to an old favorite might be one of the best yet. It's called Photogene 2 and it offers so many tools that it's almost like it does the job of multiple apps.

Photogene 2 (99 cents until November 17) is the successor of a favorite photo-editing app of ours on iOS, and this completely rebuilt version is definitely worth checking out. To start off, a redesigned interface offers intuitive controls for exploring Photogene2's many editing options.… Read more

The bottom line: Critical enhancements in areas like noise reduction, video handling, and printing make Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 a recommended upgrade for most current users.

For the uninitiated, Lightroom is Photoshop's specialized sibling; where Photoshop is an imaging Swiss Army Knife, Lightroom is a steak knife for photographers. Like its most well-known competitor, Apple Aperture, you use it to organize, process, nondestructively retouch, and output volumes of raw files. Now with version 3, Adobe enhances the product in some critical ways that make it a significant upgrade over version 2.x. There's pretty much something for everyone … Read more

The bottom line: Photoshop CS5 greatly expands the toolset that Adobe offers in its flagship product, charting new ways to make image manipulation easier while making older tools work better than before. Don't worry about the lack of a new interface, the new ways to get your project done make this version a must.

Photoshop has been in the English lexicon as a term to edit images for a long time, but the latest version of Adobe's flagship program stretches the canvas of manipulation much farther than ever before. The look of the program has changed so little … Read more

We've tested a lot of image editors lately, and most have been pretty disappointing, so we weren't expecting much from AKVIS MultiBrush. But we're happy to report that this program exceeded our expectations on a variety of levels.

AKVIS MultiBrush has a sleek user interface that is extremely straightforward and seems perfect for novice users. Five navigational commands run across the top of the window; these allow you to open new images, save, print, and undo and redo actions. A simple toolbox resides on the left side of the window, and hovering your mouse over each tool … Read more

Focus Photoeditor emphasizes digital photography but does just about everything other graphics packages can do, with a few twists of its own. It has automatic features for quick photo fixes, but it's also easy to use it to draw, paint, and create custom graphics. It includes an advanced image browser and a Web album wizard, too.

Focus Photoeditor's menu bar features clearly labeled functions that are logically and intuitively grouped, which makes them easy to find and understand. There's the usual File, Edit, and Help menus, but most controls are labeled descriptively, such as Color, Noise/Sharpness, … Read more

For novices, editing images can be a daunting task. That's why it's important to have a program that makes the whole process as friendly and effortless as possible. Unfortunately, Free Image Editor is not that kind of program.

The program's user interface is both unattractive and unintuitive. Three rows of tiny command buttons run across the top of the window. We had to hover our mouse over each one to find out what it's supposed to do. The only Help feature we could find was a link to the publisher's Web site, and even then, … Read more

Image Compressor 2008 Pro Edition is a full-featured digital image editor. Although it won't replace Photoshop or other top-of-the line editing software, it's a great choice for users seeking a fairly lightweight program that still delivers plenty of options.

The program's interface is quite sleek and intuitive, although we were dismayed that the Quick Start Guide, which seems to invite users to click on it for information about different topics, couldn't actually be clicked on at all. This was the only hiccup we encountered, though. The interface is fully configurable, allowing users to customize the layout … Read more

Retouch Pilot is a no-frills image editing program that lets users to remove scratches, blemishes, and other imperfections from their images. Although this program should meet the needs of the casual user, more advanced users will definitely want something more powerful.

The program's interface is basic but intuitive, with most of its important functions organized in a tool palette along the side. The way the program uses available workspace is not always optimal, especially when working with vertical images, but this is not a major drawback. Upon opening the program, users can access a series of short tutorials that … Read more

MagicEffect Photo Editor is an easy, breezy way to add style to your photos. Choose from effects such as Sketch, Star, Amazing, and Dream to make your photos stand out from the rest.

This simple application has a basic interface that includes buttons running down the left side of the program that apply the program's different effects. To the right, the program shows you the original source picture and a preview of what the picture will look like once the selected effect is applied. It shows you 10 versions of what the picture looks like with the effect, ranging … Read more