ACDSee Photo Studio Professional is a Windows application that combines a photo library manager with a RAW developer and a pixel editor. It is meant for photographers who want to sort, tag, search and process large collections in one program instead of moving files between a catalog and a separate editor. It is paid software, sold with a perpetual license, and a trial is available.
The program has several modes. Manage mode browses folders and handles organizing and batch work. Media mode shows the cataloged library, and People mode handles faces. Develop mode does non-destructive RAW and photo adjustments. Edit mode works directly on pixels with selections, repair tools and effects.
Browsing folders and the catalog
ACDSee Photo Studio Professional reads photos where they already sit on disk. Users do not need to import files before viewing or tagging them. Browser-style tabs keep several folders open in one window.
As users browse or catalog folders, the program adds their information to a database. Media mode works from that database only, showing previously browsed and cataloged folders with sorting, grouping and filtering. Users can create several databases and switch between them.
Tags, keywords and metadata
Each file can carry a rating, a customizable color label, a tag, categories and keywords.
ACDSee stores its own metadata in the database. It can sync keywords and categories with IPTC fields or embed them into the files so other programs can read them. Users can add location data to photos and show it on a map.
Quick Search finds files, and Advanced Search builds AND/OR queries across ACDSee metadata, EXIF and IPTC fields. A duplicate finder locates copies across folders.
AI sorting and faces
In ACDSee Photo Studio Professional, AI Keywords assigns searchable terms such as “wedding” or “pets” to photos. AI Image Similarity indexes pictures by appearance while the user browses. Reverse Image Search then finds shots related to a selected photo. Users can group similar images together.
Face detection finds faces in photos so users can name them. The program learns from confirmed names and suggests matches. Users manage named people in People mode.
Culling with stacks and rejects
Auto-Stack groups the photos in a folder by GPS location, capture time, visual similarity or a mix of these. Custom Stacking groups frames by hand, such as exposure brackets or burst series. Stacks only group files; nothing is merged or deleted.
During review, the Reject tag marks blinks, blurred frames and other unwanted shots.
RAW processing in Develop mode
Develop mode applies adjustments without changing the original file. ACDSee Photo Studio Professional reads RAW files from more than 750 camera models. Tone and color controls include Light EQ, which brightens dark areas and darkens bright areas separately. Other controls include exposure, curves, white balance, per-color adjustments, split-toning, black and white conversion and LUTs.
Local adjustments and masks
Users can limit adjustments to part of a photo with a brush, a linear gradient or a radial gradient. Color and luminance range masks select areas by hue or brightness. AI masks select the sky, the subject or the background automatically.
Built-in and custom presets are available. AI Develop Presets analyze each photo in a batch and adjust the settings for that image rather than applying identical values to every frame.
Pixel editing in Edit mode
Edit mode changes the image pixels directly. Selections come from shape tools, Pixel Targeting for tones, colors and skin tones, or one-click AI selection of the subject, sky, background or hair.
Repair tools include Heal, Clone, Smart Erase for brushing out objects, red-eye removal, Skin Tune for smoothing skin, and Liquify for warping. Creative tools add text, borders, vignettes and effects. Users can also load Photoshop plug-ins.
AI image tools
AI Denoise reduces noise while keeping detail. AI Super-Resolution enlarges images while reducing artifacts. Both can run on batches. AI Remove erases unwanted objects. Generative Fill fills missing areas of a photo. Generative Edit changes an image from a text description with optional reference images. AI Image Generation creates new pictures from a prompt, a preset or reference images for character, style and composition. These generative tools are cloud-based and use AI credits. Users can buy additional credit packs separately.
Merging and batch output
The Photomerge tools in ACDSee Photo Studio Professional combine several frames into one result, from either Manage or Edit mode. Panorama stitching joins overlapping shots. HDR merges different exposures to keep highlight and shadow detail. Focus stacking combines frames focused at different distances for greater depth of field.
Batch tools rename, resize, crop and watermark files.
Formats and moving from Lightroom
Besides common formats, the program edits JPEG XL, AVIF and GoPro RAW, reads WebP and HEIF, and views PDF files. Photographers moving from Lightroom or Photoshop can point ACDSee Photo Studio Professional at their existing photo folders. They can start working without a separate migration step.
