Radiant Photo is one of the most interesting AI-powered photo editing apps to have launched in 2022, and has some of the best photo editing software for editing your photos from bland to publishable images in just one click (see our Radiant Photo review, to see what we thought).
Now Radiant is back with a big update that adds advanced color grading options, as well as fixing and improving several other aspects of the software.
Radiant is very forthright in that they don't believe that existing color grading options on the market are fulfilling photographers' needs. They are launching a mission with this update to provide the most 'engaging color grading' available yet.
The new color grading is housed in a brand new panel in Radiant Photo, this is separate from your edit, and will be non-destructive. Radiant is very clear in the workflow they hope photographers use, intending color grading to be the final step in their editing process, taking inspiration from how movies are edited and applying that to the world of photography.
There are a number of color grading 'looks' available as a starting point, with varying styles and moods to suit your image. Radiant is very vocal about these new color grading pre-selections not being called a preset. Instead claiming that 'looks' completely remap the color, luminance, and saturation based on each individual image.
Flicking between these options looks fast and easy, so you can quickly change your mind as it is non-destructive to your original edit. There are a number of carefully crafted film stock simulations, which will undoubtedly be a very popular addition.
Once you have selected a preset, this will open up numerous other options and sliders to more precisely edit your image. Radiant Photo claims to have more control over color grading than any other photo editing software, whilst this claim remains to be verified, the options do look very broad, and on first inspection a much finer array of controls than big players like Adobe Lightroom or Capture One.
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There will also be more looks available in the Radiant Photo Marketplace for more creative options.
Another interesting-looking feature is the new graduated filters for color grading. Used as either a split top and bottom linear gradient or a radial gradient, this can offer the same amount of color grading control in the gradient as found in the main panel, which is a big win for Radiant Photo, as many rivals hold back their gradient editing options.
These new color grading options work in harmony with the existing AI editing options in Radiant Photo including scene detection, smart presets, and quick edits. They will also benefit from the Radiant's adaptive technology.
Other updates in the 'Update One' package will include:
• Enhanced support for working with RAW file formats and HEIF images
• Expanded export controls with more save options for different formats and sizes
• Improved filmstrip with better batch editing controls and a mix of portrait and landscape image ratios
• Marketplace upgrades to more easily find products
• Performance improvements, the software should run faster and be more stable.
This is a free update to all existing Radiant Photo users. Any users will see the update automatically when opening the Radiant Manager application starting at the end of the week (9th December).
Radiant Photo is available as a standalone app or plugin for Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop, and Corel Paintshop Pro for $129/£129, and is available on Windows and Mac. You can also buy both the standalone and plugin together for $159/£159.
We look forward to testing out this new update and seeing if it is really a step over the competition.
Read more of our best guides to the best photo editing software, the best photo organizing software, and the best laptops for photo editing.
