PortraitPro Studio Max 12 Review

All-round graphic editors give users all the necessary tools for modifying and embellishing all kinds of pictures. However, the best ones are quite complex and usually have a steep learning curve.

On the other hand, there are photo editors specializing in a particular type of images to help users better focus on figuring out their inner workings. PortraitPro is such an application and it deals with portrait adjustments.

The program is available in three flavors: Standard ($49.95 / €36.14), Studio ($79.95 / €57.84) and Studio Max ($149.95 / €108.49). Compared to the Standard version, Studio and Studio Max feature plugins for Photoshop, Aperture and Lightroom.

They also come with support for reading Adobe DNG format and RAW images from digital cameras, reading and writing TIFFs with 48 bits per color, JPEG and TIFF embedded color profiles, conversion between different color spaces, along with monitor and color space customization. Additionally, Studio includes a batch dialog to speed up the workflow, while Studio Max provides full batch mode for the same purpose.

However, all three editions share the essential traits which define PortraitPro, namely highly intuitive options for enhancing portraits in detail when it comes to lighting, the skin, face, eyes, mouth, hair, and so on, whether the one performing customizations is a casual user looking for quick touch-ups, or a professional photographer looking for post-processing techniques.

Studio Max is installed very quickly. As far as the interface is concerned, it adopts a professional look that is easy to navigate. Once a new project starts, the original and customized picture are displayed side-by-side, enabling users to evaluate changes in real time. This display mode can be replaced with viewing the new picture only (Studio Max also integrates a button that flips the new image with the original one).

Showing PortraitPro Studio Max – the display of the original and new portrait side-by-side

Showing the PortraitPro Studio Max control panel

The original/new portrait side-by-side, along with the Control PanelThe control panel responsible for photo enhancement using preset profiles and adjustable sliders is placed on the right side, and it can be undocked from the workspace. Activating faster rendering applies modifications quicker to the new portrait.

Apart from the previously mentioned DNGs, 48-bit TIFFs and RAW images, the utility offers support for JPG, JPEG, JPE, JFIF, TIF and PNG formats. Photographs can be exported as JPEG, TIFF or PNG, or published on Facebook directly by showing only the enhanced image or both versions, with or without before/after labels. Meanwhile, ongoing projects (including batch projects) can be saved to file for later modifications.

Once one or multiple images have been inserted into the project, Studio Max automatically identifies the person's gender to apply optimized settings. The next step is adjusting points for the eyes, eyebrows, nose, lips, and face shape, in order to apply effects with precision. The image's size can be established for the workspace via zooming.

Showing the PortraitPro Studio Max intuitive points adjustment system for facial features

Intuitive points adjustment system for facial featuresThe software program integrates ready profiles with predefined settings for instantly reshaping portraits. They are separately built for men and women while taking into account the age, lighting, style (e.g. natural, glamorous) or particular traits (e.g. skin coloring, darken hair). These presets are manageable by changing their order in the list, removing them, or setting default characteristics for males or females.

Studio Max's true power lies in its adjustable sliders for improving portraits in matter of face sculpting, skin smoothing, lighting and coloring, eyes, mouse and nose, hair, and the whole picture. Each feature comes with its own set of adjustable controls, and most of them include a master fade that keeps all facial elements balanced while tweaking them.

Showing the PortraitPro Studio Max face sculpting controls

Adjustable controls for sculpting the faceFor example, face sculpting controls focus on the face shape, eyes, eye widening, mouth shape, plump lips, nose and neck. Users may modify these aspects or go even deeper and personalize the forehead, jaw, left and right eye shapes, positions and widths, smile, upper and lower lip position and plumping, expression, lip line blurring, noise and philtrum size, along with nose width and tip size.

Showing the PortraitPro Studio Max picture controls

Adjustments can be made for the entire pictureSimilar adjustments are applicable to all remaining facial features, in addition to brushes for accurately defining the areas for hair coloring, together with skin lighting and coloring. As far as the entire picture is concerned, it is possible to modify familiar settings like temperature, tint, brightness, contrast and vibrance, as well as to crop the image. Any of these control modules may be deactivated with the click of a button.

Showing the PortraitPro Studio Max TouchUp brush

Manually fix imperfections with touch-up and restore brushesTouch-up and restore brushes are available on the upper part of the portrait, enabling users to quickly cover imperfections such as wrinkles, blemishes or greasy spots (and revert changes if necessary), in case they were so prominent that Studio Max's filters missed them. It is also possible to undo and redo actions.

The graphic editor is not restricted to working with one portrait at a time. Apart from the batch processing mode mentioned earlier, Studio Max allows users to enhance other faces that exist in the current photo, by adjusting the outlines and following the same steps.

Showing the PortraitPro Studio Max batch mode

Enter batch mode to apply effects to multiple portraitsStarting a batch project makes room for specifying saving options when it comes to the output location, file name, image type, gender and age of all faces, along with the default presets for males and females. In batch mode, all filters and tweaked settings are applicable to all portraits, thus enabling users to reduce overall time for a complex project.

Showing the PortraitPro Studio Max plugin for Photoshop

PortraitPro's plugin in Photoshop ElementsAs far as program configuration is concerned, Studio Max is capable of overwriting the original files and automatically adding a user-defined suffix to the file names. It features a light and dark style for the interface, multiple UI languages, and automatically checks for updates. The plugins for Photoshop, Aperture and Lightroom can be installed separately (built-in installer).

The Good

The program is cross-platform (32- and 64-bit Windows, Mac OS X), multilingual, and provides plugins for Photoshop, Aperture and Lightroom. It worked smoothly on Windows 8.1 Pro during our evaluation and had no stability issues (Intel Core i5-3470 CPU @ 3.20GHz with 12GB RAM). CPU and RAM consumption was generally low.

The interface is both attractive and neatly organized, presenting preset filters for instant portrait makeovers, as well as in-depth tweaks for all facial feature and the entire photo. Meanwhile, Studio Max does a very good job at automatically detecting facial points on its own, so users have to make only minimal adjustments.

Previous experience with graphic editors is not necessarily required. Nevertheless, Studio Max comes to users' aid by implementing thorough help documentation without a complicated technical language, in addition to displaying hints across the interface.

The Bad

Less experienced users might not always obtain the desired effects outside the preset filters, since they have to dedicate plenty of their time to get familiarized with the app. Although Studio Max is pretty versatile in its skill set, it works best with full-frontal portraits.

The Truth

It's very easy to get lost in PortraitPro Studio Max's fun and rich environment. The portrait enhancer seems to maintain the balance between playfulness and professionalism where other similar apps fail.

NOTE: Softpedia and Anthropics Technology are giving away 30 free licenses for PortraitPro Studio Max 12. Each key has a lifetime availability, works for 1 PC and can be activated anytime. One license costs $149.95 / €108.49. In order to join the contest, all you have to do is drop us a comment in the section below and don't forget to leave a valid email address for contacting purposes. Make the comment interesting to double your winning chances. We will pick 30 winners 7 days from now and post their names on this page. The deadline is Monday, May 5 at 15:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. PDT/PST).

PortraitPro Studio Max 12 Review

key review info

application features

The Good

The Bad

The Truth