Grumpy Old Photographer: Replacing Adobe...

I have been looking for alternatives to Adobe software for a few years. I’m not a fan of their subscription service and their plans to stop further development of the standalone versions of Photoshop and Lightroom.

Last year I discovered Affinity Photo. Originally it was on the Mac platform only. But last year they released a Windows version and an iPad version. The Windows version costs $49.99 and the iPad version costs $19.99. The iPad version is not a limited version, it has all the features of the desktop version. So long Photoshop.

I recently discovered Alien Skin Exposure X3. It’s very similar to Lightroom but without the catalog and some of the other modules that most people never use.

If you’re looking for a Lightroom replacement, Alien Skin’s Exposure X3 may be for you.

Exposure X3 is a non-destructive RAW editor. You can download a free 30 day trial. It’s not cheap, but in my afternoon of working with it, I think it might be worth the price.

Alien Skin Exposure X3

Exposure X# Bundle

Exposure X3 non-destructive RAW photo editor
Integrated Snap Art natural media
Integrated Blow Up high-quality photo enlargement
Exposure X3, Snap Art, and Blow Up plug-ins for Lightroom and Photoshop
Fast technical support
30-day money back guarantee
No subscription required

$199 (Upgrade $119)

Exposure X3

Exposure X3 non-destructive RAW photo editor
Exposure X3 plug-in for Lightroom and Photoshop
Fast technical support
30-day money back guarantee
No subscription required

$149 (Upgrade $99)

Here’s their web site link: https://www.alienskin.com/

It looks a lot like Lightroom but is not based on a catalog like Lightroom. You can bookmark your folders full of images that are stored either on your local hard drive or external hard drive. I think I’m going to like this application. Download the trial, watch the tutorials, and try it out.

Pictured above is a screen shot of the interface. On the left are the folders I’ve bookmarked and below that are the presets that ship with the product. I am amazed at the number of presets. Endless possibilities.