Software Links for Photographers and Artists
This section offers software links to companies that produce solutions for the graphics and photographic industry. Each section includes a “clickable” link to take you to that product’s or company’s website for more information and, any discount codes for saving some cool cash if you decide to purchase the product described. Many of these are applications that we use now or have used in the past that will enhance your enjoyment and productivity. Enjoy!
Adobe
Although many browsers can read PDF files, you still want to have a version of Acrobat Reader on your system. You can download the latest version for free from Adobe.com. Want to try Photoshop or other Adobe software before you buy or purchase a subscription? Get fully functional versions of Adobe programs here for a limited trial period.
Learn more about PhotoShop!
Anthropics
Anthropics offers several software options specifically designed for working photographers.
Portrait Pro is perhaps their best-known product which provides the user with a powerful set of tools designed to make portrait retouching a snap. Features include smart “Skin-Smoothing” which reproduces your subject’s skin texture while subtly removing blemishes and shadows. There are “Makeup” tools where you can apply lipstick, eye-shadow, blusher, and more with comprehensive and intuitive controls. Choose from a wide range of colors, textures, and styles. Finally, here is an incredible “3-D re-lighting” tool that lets you apply different studio lighting effects to your portraits straight from your computer. Correct unflattering shadows add dimension, and more by moving the 3D light source around your image. Purchase online for as little as $44.95. Mention Code TNSJ-JXHM-VBGY-COHD and receive a 15% discount. Make sure you check out the online videos!
Portrait Pro Body is a new offering that can sculpt and enhance the body of a portrait subject to produce a more aesthetic appearance in much the same way as Portrait Pro does for faces. The key features of this product include:
- Automatic body selection — advanced image recognition technology lets you start editing quickly.
- Body contouring — specialized shape tools designed for full-body portraits.
- Adjust build & height — intelligent controls with extensive sliders for fine-tuning.
- Correct posture — natural fixes for camera distortions and unflattering posing.
- Smooth skin & remove blemishes — using “ClearSkin™” technology.
- Face editing controls — adjust expression, smooth skin, and re-light the face.
Landscape Pro is an intelligent and easy-to-use tool for outdoor photographers that provides an easy path to enhancing landscape images. You can easily improve an otherwise drab scene with a dramatic “sky replacement” and add “atmospheric” augmentations like rain, snow, and fog. You can also protect your work online by adding a watermark to your images.
Smart Photo Editor‘s ‘intelligent’ effects enable you to enhance the beauty and power of photos quickly and easily. These controls are carefully crafted to meet the real needs of professional photographers, so you can subtly improve your images or quickly add dramatic effects to bring your photographic vision to life, simply by moving sliders.
Each of these products is available for a free trial and is priced from as little as $29.95-$44.95 (with discounts applied) for the standard versions. Upgrades of each product are available that add additional functionality to each. Click the links above to check out these great “stand-alone” software products.
Carbonite
Carbonite is a must-have utility that backs up your files automatically, so you don’t have to. If something happens to your computer, Carbonite can restore backed-up files in just a few steps. Because your files are stored in the cloud, you can access them from any computer, smartphone, or tablet with the free Carbonite Mobile app.
DisplayCAL
DisplayCAL is a display calibration and profiling solution that excels in accuracy and versatility. At its core it relies on ArgyllCMS, an open-source color management system, to take measurements, create calibrations and profiles, and many other advanced color-related tasks. Calibrate and characterize your display devices using one of many supported measurement instruments, with support for multi-display setups and a variety of available options for advanced users, such as verification and reporting functionality to evaluate ICC profiles and display devices, creating video 3D LUTs, as well as optional CIECAM02 gamut mapping to take into account varying viewing conditions.
Filezilla
Download the FileZilla FTP client here. It works great, is free, and is available for both MAC and PCs. See our article on how to use this great utility. Click here to read more about FTP transfers.
GIMP
GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program and is available for Windows, Apple OS, and Linux. It is useful for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition, and image authoring. It has many capabilities similar to the Gold Standard of imaging, PhotoShop.
It can be used as a simple paint program, or as a pro-quality photo retouching program. It can also function as an online batch processing system, a mass production image renderer, an image format converter, etc.
This is a great alternative to PhotoShop and best of all, it’s free!
Photomatix
Photomatix Pro is a great stand-alone program that creates and processes HDR (High Dynamic Range) images and runs on Mac OS X and Windows. You can download a trial version for Windows and MAC OS to try before buying. A 15% discount off the regular price of $99 is available by entering this coupon code – “beforethecoffee” at checkout.
Shutterstock Free Virtual Backgrounds
Shutterstock free Zoom Backgrounds is a collection of free high-quality image files that lets you work from home in style with these virtual backgrounds. Whether you want to cheer up coworkers in your next meeting, look legit for an important teleconference, and enhance the way you work from home in your next Zoom or Skype call.
Topaz labs
Topaz Labs offers a vast product line of “AI” (Artificial Intelligence) based photography software products available as individual plugins or bundled collections at substantial savings. Their products are available with a free trial in both Windows and MAC downloads so you can try before you buy. The Topaz product line includes:
- Mask AI – Creating complex selections is greatly simplified! Mask AI allows you to create tricky masks in record time thanks to our machine learning technology and tri-map technique.
- Adjust AI – With one click, Adjust AI leverages the power of artificial intelligence to transform your photos into something incredible. Our AI-powered modes bring out colors, shadows, details, and more.
- De-Noise AI – Shoot anywhere in any light with no reservations. Eliminate noise and recover crisp detail in your images with the first AI-powered noise reduction tool. You may be surprised at the results you get.
- Sharpen AI – Sharpen AI is the first sharpening and shake reduction software that can tell the difference between real detail and noise. Create tack-sharp images even when you’re shooting handheld or at night.
- GigaPixel AI – Enlarging your image without losing detail has always been impossible… until now. Upscale your photos by up to 600% while perfectly preserving image quality with the power of AI.
- JPEG to RAW – Use machine learning to convert JPEG to high-quality RAW for better editing. Prevent banding, remove compression artifacts, recover detail, and enhance dynamic range.
- Topaz Studio 2 – Has only one purpose: creative photo editing. This starts after you select your image and ends when you export your finished work. It’s designed specifically around the artisanal post-processing workflow of carefully crafting a single image to your vision.
- Topaz Video Enhance AI – Until now, there was no way to perfectly recreate a high-resolution video from low-resolution footage. From old home movies to low-quality SD to DVD quality and more, Video Enhance AI will transform your videos into clean up-scaled footage up to 8K resolution.
More Web links!
- We have links for other organizations and companies you might benefit from exploring. These include:
