
Still, if you only work with JPEGs, it's a dependable choice. PhotoPlus provides some stiff competition, but there's no area where it's significantly better. Photoshop Elements' superior RAW support is enough reason by itself to keep it as our favourite photo editor. Support for Fujifilm and Samsung RAW files was worse, with PhotoPlus failing to open RAW files from camera models that are many years’ old. We can forgive a few months' delay in supporting the latest cameras, but these models have been available for many months at the time of review. It had no problem with RAW files from a Nikon D5200 but colours were skewed in the D5300's RAW files, and it had similar problems with the Panasonic G-M1 and Canon G16. Our biggest concern regarding PhotoPlus's RAW processing is its limited camera support.
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It's also frustrating that the software doesn't remember RAW processing settings in case you want to re-tweak a photo at a later date.
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PhotoPlus's noise reduction struggled with very grainy images, and the preview was slow to update after making adjustments to noise reduction settings. We missed Adobe's Clarity control for accentuating contrast, although this is now available in the main PhotoPlus editor, and can be applied after RAW processing is complete. It wasn't as adept at rescuing over-exposed highlights without adversely affecting other parts of the image. However, PhotoPlus's RAW processing engine isn't in the same league as Adobe's. Support for 16-bit colour in the main application maintains the highest possible colour fidelity for RAW images, and is something Photoshop Elements doesn't offer. Otherwise, PhotoPlus's handling of RAW files is reasonably accomplished, with precise control over colours and the ability to adjust limited areas of the frame using brush strokes or a gradient mask. Noise reduction of RAW files is okay but not as effective as Photoshop Elements However, we appreciated having options to mask off areas to avoid them being warped, and also to Unwarp the entire image by a percentage value, two features that Photoshop Elements doesn't offer.

The brush size is limited to 1,000 pixels and it becomes slow to respond when using larger brush sizes. You can also Unwarp, returning pixels to their original position. There are brushes to warp, pinch, punch, twirl and push pixels around. One of our favourite features in Photoshop Elements is the Liquify editor, so it's great to see the uncannily similar Warp Studio make its debut in PhotoPlus X7. It's light on features and relatively slow to browse large libraries. We're not so keen on the accompanying Organiser module, though. Serif PhotoPlus is described as PhotoPlus is the free, feature-restricted image editing software by Serif that enables you to fix and enhance your digital photos paint and blend with brushes and export you photos for print, email, and the web and is a Image Editor in the photos & graphics category.

PhotoPlus's unified working environment is well laid out and encourages new users to explore the more advanced features.

PhotoPlus isn't split into beginner, intermediate and advanced modes as Photoshop Elements is, but this isn't a huge loss. There's a wide array of brush types, with the ability to randomise the position, colour and opacity
