If you’ve been following our articles the last few months, you know that we’ve been testing Exposure to see how it stacks up against the likes of Lightroom and Photoshop.
Exposure X4 was certainly up to the task, and now that Exposure X5 is here, we’re excited to see just how good it is.
Spoiler alert - it’s really good!
Exposure X5 Features
Exposure X5 was released last week, and in that time span, we’ve had time to explore its new features.
One of the most exciting new features in Exposure X5 is 3D color masking (there’s a tutorial on how to use this tool later in this article).
Essentially, 3D color masking gives you ultra-precise control over where an adjustment is applied to an image. That fine level of control is thanks to definitions that allow the adjustment areas to be defined by specific color characteristics, like luminance, saturation, and hue.
This allows you to target things like skin tones, the sky, and other specific color ranges with just a few clicks.
Exposure X5 also has advanced chromatic aberration correction, which allows you to remove those unwanted artifacts lens profiles or by manual adjustments, if so desired. Paired with a new fringe removal tool, chromatic aberration is easier than ever to remove.
There’s also a new vignette correction tool that combats darkened areas around the edges of your photos. It can be applied via a lens profile or through manual controls, just like the chromatic aberration correction.
Furthermore, Exposure X5 has custom camera profiles that enable you to control how color is interpreted from RAW files. These camera profiles (created by X-Rite or other software) can be applied automatically by matching a camera model or serial number, and it can also be used to match to a specific lens or ISO range.
On top of all that, the folks at Exposure have included the following in Exposure X5:
- New complementary color presets
- New light and airy presets
- New season-inspired looks
- More black & white film options
- Support for grayscale TIFF and JPEG images
- New image flip options
- Multiple user interface language options, including English, French, and German
If you’ve never tried Exposure, now’s the time. You can download a free trial version to test out for 30 days to see if it’s the right editing program for you.
Learn More:
How to Fix Color Casts
YouTube Screenshot/Exposure Software
As I mentioned above, 3D color masking is a new and exciting feature in Exposure X5. This quick tutorial will show you how this tool works.
The control you get for applying effects to images with the 3D color masking feature is simply outstanding. We’re talking absolute pin-point application of the desired effect based on color properties like hue, saturation, and luminance.
You can apply masks in a variety of ways.
As shown above, you can use the brush tool to apply the mask to larger areas. While this works fine in many situations, it isn’t all that precise. If you look closely, the masked area extends into the clouds above the waterfall. It also misses some of the cliff face on to the left and right of the waterfall.
YouTube Screenshot/Exposure Software
A much more precise way of applying masks is with Exposure X5’s 3D color masking tool.
Setting the color mask is a straightforward process.
For example, you can use the hue range presets to select a specific range of colors in the image to which the mask will apply. As shown above, the 3D color mask has been applied to dark green hues.
To change the hue range of the mask, you simply rotate the color wheel.
YouTube Screenshot/Exposure Software
You can refine the control over the range of hues easily as well.
Just grab the arrows on either side of the hue range and extend it to include more tones in the mask or to feather the mask across a broader range of hues.
As you can see above, the mask now covers a much broader range of green hues than in the previous screenshot.
In either case, this method of defining the area to which an effect is applied is far more precise and will get you much better final results.
3D Color Masks are Reusable
YouTube Screenshot/Exposure Software
Another excellent feature of 3D color masks is that you can save them and reuse them on other images.
After the mask is defined, ensure the “show mask” option is turned on (indicated by the red arrow above). This will display the areas in the shot that are selected.
In this case, the mask can be copied from this portrait to another portrait, and Exposure X5 will automatically recalculate the boundaries of the mask to adhere to the content in the new image.
YouTube Screenshot/Exposure Software
So, if you’re shooting a series of portraits and the subject moves to a new position, the same mask can be applied to each image, even though you only tuned the mask to the first image in the sequence.
This works even if the images weren’t taken in sequence or even in the same environment!
The results you get are quite good, and in many cases fine-tuning is not needed. However, if you do need to refine the mask after you’ve pasted it into a new image, you can easily do so with the brush tool.
One of our most time-consuming tasks as photographers is editing our images, so any tools that come along to make that process smoother and more efficient are welcomed with open arms.
3D color masks are one such tool. You can streamline your workflow without losing any control over how your images look. Not only that, it’s an incredibly easy tool to use!
Get Exposure X5 and test out the 3D color mask on your own images. If you’re like me, you’ll be beyond impressed!
See the full 3D color mask tutorial in the video above.
Learn More: