Performance

Of course, it is how quick and effective that software applies image edits that really counts.

As for speed, Picktorial 3 is really, really fast. It’s an aspect that’s often lets low cost editors down, but not Picktorial 3. 

Viewing a single image is quick and simple. Magnify to 100% and there is no loading time, even when moving around the image. Impressive. 

It is possible to switch between the 100% magnified view and fitting the entire image on screen by hitting the spacebar. (Though you will need to zoom in to 100% through the usual increments first.) Crisp viewing is instant. Again, impressive.

In addition to quick image viewing, there is no real waiting time to see the effect of edits made to an image. Whether it is changes to the exposure sliders, applying a preset or using the Retouch tool for selective adjustments, everything is fast. 

When asking the software creators about the speed of Picktorial 3, their response was that it has been designed from the ground up to utilise the GPU, including the selective adjustment tools. It could also be because this is a catalogue-less workflow. 

To assess how well Picktorial 3 applies image edits, I made like for like edits to the same images using Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and Picktorial 3. Edited files were Nikon NEF, Sony ARW and Olympus ORF raw files. 

The jury is out.

In one comparison I edited a high contrast image, pushing shadows (brighter), highlights (darker) and clarity, all to the maximum possible settings. In addition, a +1EV exposure increase was preferred. 

It was a revealing test, with the end results being wildly different. 

These particular edits were made in order to check Picktorial 3’s editing prowess, clearly not what I would desire for a final result. So in one context, this is not a ‘real world’ example, but a test.  

However, ACR is clearly much more capable than Picktorial 3 in revealing tonal detail. There is additional highlight and shadow detail contained in original raw images than what Picktorial 3 is able to recover. 

When increasing or decreasing the exposure slider, tonal detail in bright highlights and deepest shadows is lost much more quickly. 

Change exposure more than ±1EV and the results begin to look a little high contrast and overly saturated. 

For me, at times the behaviour of the editor is similar to what I would expect when editing JPEG images using Adobe Camera Raw, not what I would expect when editing raw pictures.

Original

Processed in ACR

Processed in Picktorial 3

When asking the team behind Picktorial 3 about this experience, the response was that improvements need to be made to the highlight and shadow adjustment sliders. In addition, there is a raw file format compatibility issue with Olympus .orf files. 

Improvements to these sliders are claimed to be in the pipeline in Picktorial 3.1, but I’m reviewing and sharing experience of Picktorial 3 here, not a future product. 

There are workarounds for certain images, through the Retouch tool. The ‘Tone’ feature in Retouch offers selective adjustments to exposure, with tools such as brush, linear and radial gradients and luma mask. For example, if the sky is too bright, one can use these tools selectively darken just that area.

In other examples where changes to exposure and so on are more subtle, then Picktorial 3 handles itself fine. It is possible to get well exposed images quickly, though I wouldn’t apply changes much beyond ±2EV.

Another key feature in Picktorial 3 is the Retouch tool. As mentioned, the brush used for adjustments can be altered in size, feather, flow and edge. 

Selective adjustments for sharpening and smoothing in particular work really well. 

Smoothing skin in portraits is quick and manual adjustments to texture, structure and separation ensure results can be made to taste. 

Likewise, with manual control over the radius, fine and coarse adjustments in selective sharpening, it is easy to make details in landscapes pop. 

Like all aspects of Picktorial 3, the Patch tool in Retouch is applied really fast, but to get good results a little time needs to be put in.

You paint over the area of the image that needs working on, such as covering up a distracting object. The editing area is highlighted in a semi opaque red and then information is taken from another manually selected part of the image. 

It’s not immediately obvious, but the ‘healing’ slider switches from clone at one end, to heal at the other. For the best part, I did not find a great difference between the two. I prefer the results using ACR’s spot removal tool set to heal, but you can get decent result with Picktorial 3.

With editing complete, it’s time to export the images. The progress of image export is not displayed within Picktorial 3, so I observed the destination folder to assess how long an export took. 

When exporting to desktop it took about 90 seconds to export 20 JPEG images (totalling around 100MB), which is respectable. 

Presets

Conclusion

Picktorial 3 appears simple and straight forward to use, but taking the time to root around reveals some sophisticated editing functions.

The level of control, especially over selective adjustments is particularly impressive.

Perhaps the most enjoyable aspect of Picktorial 3 is how quick it operates, from start to finish. Importing images, viewing images, applying edits and exporting. It is fast and it is easy.

I like the file management method, taking the images from their source folder, with non-destructive edits saved in the accompanying .xmp file. 

There are some let downs, especially regarding major exposure adjustments and limitations in recovering tonal detail. These adjustment sliders at times behave in a way I would expect from JPEG editing. 

In such cases, the impressive speed and function of Picktorial 3 is not backed up in relative terms by the end results. I hope that these issues can be ironed out in future Picktorial versions, without compromising the impressive operational speed.

Batch applications are a tad limited in some areas. Also, it would be useful to have more metadata for reference in the Info panel, such as aperture, shutter speed and focal length settings. 

All being said, at this price point Picktorial 3 is very good indeed. If you are looking for a simple and low cost raw editor, you’d be hard pressed to beat Picktorial 3. 

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	3.5
Features	2.5
Ease-of-use	4
Value for money	5

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