Exposure X5 released

As previously hinted, the company formerly known as AlienSkin has now launched the latest version of its closest-thing-to-Lightroom, buy-to-keep software.

Exposure follows the same workflow of having separate library and development modules as Lightroom, or, in simpler terms, including a DAM (digital asset management) as well as a raw converter.

The new version, X5, has an introductory video:

This latest version adds “complete lens corrections” for between one (Samyang) and 59 (Nikon) lenses per major manufacturer (other examples include Sony 27, Canon 25, Olympus 24, Sigma 17, Pentax 7, Tamron 4, Samsung 3, Zeiss 2, Leica 2) – in essence, many fewer than the open source lensfun.

X5 also has user supplied camera (but not lens?) profiles and additional controls for defringing.

The headlining feature, and one I haven’t seen much of so far, is “3D color masking”. Exposure says that this allows areas to be selected “by combinations of luminance, hue, and saturation”, and that presets can be created that “enable one-click selection of sky, foliage, skin tones, and more” – here’s a video:

Otherwise, X5 has the usual features characteristic of the software, such as preset previews (a feature that every such software should have) and a library of over 500 presets preinstalled, ranging from classic black and white films through Technicolor and Fujifilm in-camera film simulation simulation (you read that right) to bokeh effects.

I’ve run the standard test image through the software, and the default rendering appears identical, including the amount of fine detail.

As the introductory video states with some justification, Exposure emphasises creativity in a variety of ways that deserve an entire review of their own to give them justice.

Exposure X5 requires an Intel Core 2 processor with SSE4 support and macOS Yosemite (10.10) or higher, or alternatively a 64-bit Windows 7 or newer 64 bit Windows system.

Purchase price is 119 USD for new customers, or 149 USD with image enlargement and traditional art conversion software included (Blow Up and Snap Art, respectively). Upgraders would have to pay $89 or $99, correspondingly.