Raleigh, NC—Exposure Software, formerly known as Alien Skin Software, released its Exposure X6 image-editing software for Mac and Windows. It is the company’s newest version of their RAW photo editor for creative photographers.
Exposure is a stand-alone image editor that handles a full photography workflow. It also includes plug-in support that enables Exposure’s editing and creative effects in Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
New in Exposure X6 is advanced GPU optimization, which speeds up image processing. GPU support works in concert with Exposure’s existing multi-core optimization to leverage the full power of modern computer hardware. Many frequently used editing operations were also sped up by a factor of three on typical GPU hardware. Consequently, the upgraded performance permits editing at improved speeds. 
“The introduction of GPU support in Exposure X6 enabled us to achieve amazing speed and image processing quality improvements,” said Finley Lee, CEO of Exposure Software. “This further advances our goal of making Exposure the best available image editor for creative photography.”
Exposure X6 Image–Editing Software
Moreover, the program’s new automatic adjustments select optimized values for most frequently used controls in one click. Users can also apply them in batch to ease the time spent editing large photo shoots.
New automatic adjustments include auto white balance adjustment, which changes white balance based on camera metadata. It also auto corrects for tungsten, artificial, shade and sunlight illuminant scenes.
In addition, auto–exposure adjustment sets image exposure for under and overexposed images. Auto haze level changes the level of atmospheric haze present in the image. This is particularly useful for backlit subjects and images shot into the sun.
Other automatic adjustments include auto dynamic contrast, which lowers and raises the contrast without changing saturation or hue; and auto tone, which sets values for blacks, shadows, highlights as well as whites sliders that affect tone.
Furthermore, using a tonal-zone approach, Exposure’s redesigned shadows and highlights controls are more consistent and accurate. The intuitive controls are now more adept at recovering lost details in the highlight and shadow areas. The adjustments also are applied intelligently to prevent unwanted color casts or hue shifts.
What’s more, Exposure’s new profile guided noise reduction reduces noise based on camera sensor characteristics, ISO and estimated electronic noise. Users can also reduce luminance and chrominance noise independently. Plus, a smoothing option applies an adaptive noise-sensitive algorithm to preserve sharp edges while further reducing noise. 
Another new feature is an advanced color editor that builds on Exposure’s 3D color masking for greater control of color modifications. For example, photographers can change a model’s blue dress to red in a few clicks. They can also select source and target colors based on luminance, hue and saturation. It’s even possible to select multiple color replacement mappings and save them as a preset.
Additional Enhancements
In addition, a DNG converter integration enables conversion of RAW photos to DNG format using Adobe’s DNG Converter software. The program can automatically perform the conversion when copying photos from a camera card. Photographers may also manually invoke conversion from a photo’s thumbnail view.
Other enhancements include a new haze level slider for counteracting the decrease in contrast caused by atmospheric haze or adding haze as a creative effect; customization of the hue and opacity of the selection mask overlay; an optional black background for the mask to view selected pixels without distraction; and also an optional luminance or saturation background for the selection mask. The later helps visualize the mask region when adjusting luminance or saturation constraints.
Exposure X6 is available now for $119. Owners of previous versions of Exposure software can buy it for the upgrade price of $89. Additionally, anyone who purchased Exposure X5 on or after July 15, 2020 will automatically receive a free upgrade to Exposure X6.
The company also offers Exposure X6 in the Exposure X6 Bundle for $149. This integrated collection adds Exposure Software’s Blow Up and Snap Art tools. They provide upsizing and natural media special effects.
A 30-day full–featured free trial of Exposure is available here.
