ACD Systems International has been a world leader in photo management software since the early 1990s, when the company forecasted—and helped facilitate—the rise of digital photography. But within the last ten years, they’ve revolutionized the way photographers around the globe manage their daily workflow. The Ultimate product line, for example, is the first ever digital asset manager and RAW editor with layers.

Now, ACD Systems International has launched their much-anticipated program, Photo Studio Ultimate 2020. As a follow-up to last year’s edition, this program comes with an array of brand new features to blow its competitors out of the water. Here’s a look at just seven things that stood out to us right off the bat.

You can now use focus stacking for crystal clear images.

Photographers have strived for pin-sharp, clear photos since the 1930s—but it took a while for the technology to catch up with their vision. By popular demand, ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2020 comes with a powerful focus stacking feature so you can combine multiple images for one perfectly sharp picture.

As we’ve come to expect from ACDSee, Photo Studio Ultimate 2020 aligns and blends your images pretty quickly—so you won’t be sitting at your computer waiting, as you might with similar programs.

You can also speed up your workflow—significantly.

While we’re on the topic of speed, here’s a quick reminder that ACDSee is the fastest digital asset management software you can find. These days, most photographers spend much more time editing than they do shooting, but this program will help free up your days.

As with Photo Studio Ultimate 2019, you won’t have to import your photos, so you can get right to work indexing and editing them. A bunch of the tools are also GPU accelerated, so you can work quickly—even with many layers.

You can now benefit from a tool that combines the smart erase and clone effects.

Photo Studio Ultimate 2020 has a new feature called the “Blended Clone tool”—and you won’t find it anywhere else. Simply right-click the detail you’d like to clone, and left-click to blend it into another part of your photo. You can use it to erase elements you don’t like or multiply the ones you do.

Unlike your usual clones, there are no hard, annoying edges to smooth out—the Smart Erase aspect of the tool does that for you. What’s more, the program will adjust the exposure on your cloned detail to match its surroundings, so you won’t have light or dark areas that make no sense.

You can use the upgraded Facial Recognition tool to organize and index your photos.

Last year, ACD Systems International introduced us to their stellar Facial Recognition tool, and with Photo Studio Ultimate 2020, they’ve raised the bar even higher. The company has set itself the goal of creating the first compete AI Digital Asset Management system within the coming years—and we’d say they are well on their way.

The Face Detection tool isn’t new, but it’s been revamped: the program now recognizes people and provides suggested names, meaning you can find and tag friends and clients even more easily. While some might have found this intelligent tool a little aggressive in previous iterations, ACDSee has listened to user comments and made the experience even more flexible and intuitive.

Indexing your photos is essential, but it’s often a drag. Thankfully, Photo Studio Ultimate 2020 makes it relatively painless. Once you’re done, you can also browse your photos by name and bring up the ones you want without endless searching.

The cherry on top? You can now embed face data into your image files. Plus, you can import/export keyword hierarchies. Adding metadata has never been more convenient.

You can get picture-perfect exposure by using the new HDR feature.

Get the most out of your dynamic range by combining multiple exposures seamlessly in Photo Studio Ultimate 2020. It’s intuitive and easy to use, and best of all—it’ll save your shadows and highlights. Gone are the days of improperly exposed photos; this program helps you make the best of every shoot.

You can experiment with layers and expand your horizons.

The new version of Photo Studio Ultimate offers even better functionality when it comes to RAW editing, and it now gives you the power to add text layers to your images as well. With accurate ruler guidelines, canvas resizing, and layer alignment, photographers and graphic designers alike will be able to explore their full potential without technical roadblocks. The possibilities for creative composites alone seem endless.

You’ll find RAW support for even more cameras.

When it comes to post-processing, a RAW file gives you far more control over your final image, and Photo Studio Ultimate 2020 supports more than twenty new camera models from Fujifilm, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, and Hasselblad.

Photographers have always relied on ACD Systems International for speed and convenience, but they’re kicking it up a notch with Photo Studio Ultimate 2020. Not only does this all-in-one program help you get through your editing and back into the field faster than any other, but it also provides innovative tools for advanced post-processing, giving photographers the freedom to bring their creative visions to life.

The learning curve on Photo Studio Ultimate hits that perfect balance between entry-level and pro, making it well-suited to a wide range of levels. With that said, this program really shines in the pro market since it offers so many cutting-edge features all in one place.

For more than 25 years, photographers have trusted ACD Systems International to manage their photos, and it’s easy to see why they’ve kept a loyal fanbase—and attracted an entirely new one within the last decade. We’re thrilled to see how they’ve taken user feedback and made this product better than ever before.

When it comes to purchasing ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2020, you have options. You can get a perpetual license for $149.99, or you opt for an annual subscription plan ($69) for free updates. Because of its wide range of capabilities, it’s also the only program you need to manage and edit your photos—so you won’t have to waste the time and expense of juggling different applications.