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ACDSee and Lightroom are high-end photo editing applications that you can use to manage a large collection of real estate photos. This ACDSee vs Lightroom comparison reveals how the two applications relate in organizational features, compatibility, and ease of use.
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ACDSee and Ligtroom are versatile RAW file editors and image organization applications that you can use with a wide range of camera models. Since their respective releases, these applications have evolved in compatibility, organizational, and photo editing features.
ACDSee application is developed and owned by ACD systems International inc. Although it's not popular like Lightroom, ACDSee is stable and well-established software that has evolved since its initial release in 1994.
Lightroom software is a high-end photo organizational and editing application developed and owned by Adobe. Considering that Lightroom is now offered as a part of the Creative Cloud subscription, it's more popular due to the other Adobe products it comes with.
Although you can use ACDSee and Lightroom alternatively, they are different applications that have varying compatibility with other photo-editing applications such as Photoshop.
Understanding their similarities and differences in workflow, features, and photo manipulation capabilities will help you choose the most suitable one.
Although ACDSee and Lightroom are different applications, their overall design that aims at processing RAW files makes them share these similarities:
Since ACDSee works directly from the hard disk or SSD while Lightoom imports photos to create virtual copies, there are differences that can impact the overall workflow and results.
Regardless of your
Usually, you'll find more online tutorials and videos on carrying out photo manipulation in Lightroom than in ACDSee. Although the two applications support presets, there are more free photo editing presets available for Lightroom than for ACDSee, making Lightroom easier to use.
With the user interface of ACDSee prioritizing function over form, the ACDSee design is simplistic, making it more lightweight than Lightroom. Typically, your system hardware needs to meet the following requirements to run ACDSee:
On the other hand, your hardware needs to meet the following system requirements to run Lightroom:
That means ACDSee is more compatible with low-resource computers, making it the best option to use if your computer is old or low-end.
The major distinguishing factor between ACDSee and Lightroom is their pricing plans. The latest version of Lightroom is Lightroom CC, offered as a subscription plan of the Adobe Creative Cloud starting at $9.99/month.
On the other hand, ACDSee offers subscription plans when bundled with a video editing application or full version purchases for photographers. The latest full version of the ACDSee license for photographers costs $89.95.
The lightweight, simplistic design and pricing plans of ACDSee makes it ideal for use under the following circumstances:
The intuitive interface and popularity of Lightroom make it suitable for use in the following situations:
The advanced tools and customizability of ACDSee make it the best option for professional real estate photographers who don't want subscription plans. Lightroom is better for new real estate photographers who are looking for ease of use.
Both ACDSee and Lightroom are versatile applications you can use in photo management and processing. The ACDSee vs Lightroom comparison helps you evaluate which software is compatible with your system and budget.