Moving across to the Guided Edits, these tasks provide a quick and easy way to create effects that would be much more difficult if performed manually. The new Motion Blur Effect featured in PhotoDirector 12 Ultra enables you to add stunning blurring effects to your images (opens in new tab) This makes the software less daunting for beginners, but also feature-packed enough to keep more experienced users happy, which is a logical approach to catering to as many users as possible in a single package. The software overall is extremely easy to use and the separation of the software into Full and Express Modes. The Guided section is where you’ll find Guided Edits, which make traditionally complex effects unbelievably easy to apply the Edit section is for standard image editing with Layers, Tools and Layer Masks and the Create section enables you to make slideshows, animated GIFs and Motion Stills which are two or more similar images that are used to create an animated effect. The full PhotoDirector interface provides access to all controls and is well laid out, conforming to the common editing software grey design with the main menu at the top, tools and controls situated on the left and right of the image window and tabs to access different sections of the interface for performing a variety of tasks Library is for image organization Adjustment is where Raw files are processed, and this section can also be used to process JPEGs and TIFFs.

This section is for absolute beginners wishing to make quick and easy edits, but the limitations of what can be done here including the absence of Guided Edits means that it’s likely that beginners will quickly outgrow this mode. To help make the software work for you, the splash screen offers to open the software in Full Mode with the full interface, or Express Mode where PhotoDirector opens in a simplified interface with just Presets, Layer Templates for adding effects and AI Style Transfer for applying painterly effects to images.

New to PhotoDirector 12 Ultra is the Glitch Art feature, which enables you to add a multi-colored effect to your image (opens in new tab) Interface and usability

Photo director