What is PhotoDirector 10 Essential

CyberLink has just released a newer version of its photo editing software: PhotoDirector 10. It comes with a wide range of tools that allow you to convert normal photos into stunning works of art. This makes it ideal for users of all levels.

Find out more about this software in this PhotoDirector 10 Essential review.

More About PhotoDirector 10 Essential

Unlike its predecessors, PhotoDirector10 Essential offers a multitude of enhancements, including the new and improved layering system that encourages creative flexibility. It also has cropping masks that allow you to add new layers to projects.

With its easy to navigate interface and clearly labeled features, users can easily identify what tool to use. There are practical tips on some icons, explaining when and how to use them.

The Pros and Cons of PhotoDirector 10 Essential

Here are some of the pros and cons of using PhotoDirector 10 Essential:

PROS

• It has new AI style tools that are pretty impressive.
• It has updated layers that make it stand out from its competitors.
• It’s a feature-packed program.
• Soft-proofing and tethered shooting enable the use of printing techniques that streamline tasks.
• It has a vast online inventory of free styles and some paid style packages.
• It comes with a generous amount of server storage space.

CONS

• It’s a bit slower on outdated PCs.
• Some operations and tasks are time-consuming.
• There is no tethered shooting option for iPhones.
• The soft-proofing feature is not compatible with all printer types.

How to Use PhotoDirector 10 Essential

There are many things you can do with PhotoDirector 10 Essential. We’ll teach you below.

Importing and Adding Tags to Manage Photos

You can import photos into the software from an external source, such as your external drive, digital camera, or memory cards. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Library module.
2. Click the Import button to start importing photos from your source.
3. Choose Photos to import an individual photo file or select all.
4. Click Open.
5. Select Folder if you want to import an entire photo folder.
6. You can now begin organizing your photos and adding keyword tags. Do this by going to the Photo Import window and clicking the Advanced button. Once you are done, click Apply During Import.
7. To add multiple tags to your photos, separate them with a semi-colon.
8. Hit Import to import all the photos of your choice into your library.

Resizing Photos to Share on Social Media

Ever wondered why some photos look so much better on your desktop than they do on Facebook? There are many reasons behind that. Some of them are as follows:

Compression – Social media sites don’t want photos that take up too much space on their servers. So, even if you choose the high-resolution option, these sites will still compress your photos, removing pixels that result in poorer image quality.

Color Space – The web space mainly uses sRGB. This color space allows you to see more color variations that browsers cannot.

Sharpness – Once a photo is resized, some details are thrown out. To make photos look better, you have to export your photos for social media.

To export a photo for social media, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on Export Selected Photo.
2. Go to the Export menu.
3. Choose a location where you want to save the file.
4. Select JPEG for file format, 100% for image quality, and sRGB for color space.
5. Navigate to the Image Sizing section.
6. Choose Resize to Fit.
7. Change the value under Long Edge to 2048. It is the recommended size for Facebook photos.
8. Be sure that the Sharpen After Resize and Don’t Increase Photo Resolution options are ticked.
9. Save the file.

Our Verdict

CyberLink’s PhotoDirector 10 Essential is a program that is great for average computer users. It can be used to learn how to edit photos or perhaps to step up one’s photography game, thanks to its creative editing options.

Do you know other photo editing apps that work for mobile or desktops? Let us know in the comments and we’ll have them reviewed for you.