ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2026 combines professional Digital Asset Management (DAM) with advanced photo editing tools to streamline your entire photography workflow. This Windows-exclusive software allows users to access files directly from their hard drive without time-consuming imports, utilizing local AI processing to ensure your images remain private and secure. By integrating RAW processing, layered editing, and organizational features into a single interface, it eliminates the need to switch between multiple applications for organizing and retouching.
Key Features
- AI Denoise: automatically identifies and removes granular noise from high-ISO images while preserving essential edge details, making it ideal for salvaging low-light shots.
- AI Hair Masking: creates precise selections of hair strands in portrait photography with a single click, allowing for targeted color and lighting adjustments without affecting the subject's skin or background.
- Direct Digital Asset Management: provides immediate access to folders and files on your computer, bypassing the need for catalog imports and allowing you to browse, rate, and tag images instantly.
- Layered Editor: offers a non-destructive workspace where you can combine images, apply masks, and utilize blending modes to create complex compositions similar to standalone graphic design software.
- Activity Manager: utilizes background processing to handle resource-intensive tasks like batch exporting or file conversion, enabling you to continue editing other photos without performance slowdowns.
- AI Face Edit: simplifies portrait retouching by allowing you to adjust facial features, smooth skin, and remove blemishes using intuitive sliders rather than manual brushing.
Use Cases
Wedding and event photographers can rapidly cull and organize thousands of images using the responsive DAM tools before applying batch edits to consistent lighting conditions. Portrait artists also benefit from the specialized AI tools that handle complex retouching tasks, such as masking flyaway hair or smoothing skin textures, in a fraction of the time required by manual methods.
With its ability to function as both a fast image viewer and a deep editing suite, ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2026 stands out as a privacy-conscious, perpetual-license alternative for creators who prefer to keep their workflow offline and subscription-free.
Version 2026 (Build 19.0.0.4295) — September 2025
Here are the release notes for ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate version 2026.
Version 2026 (Build 19.0.0.4295) — September 2025
- Added AI Denoise tool to automatically detect and reduce granular noise in high-ISO images while preserving fine details and textures.
- Added AI Hair Masking feature for one-click selection of hair in portraits, allowing for precise color and lighting adjustments in a dedicated group.
- Added AI Develop Presets, enabling users to apply content-aware adjustments and creative effects to RAW images instantly.
- Added AI Super-Resolution to upscale images and increase resolution without sacrificing quality.
- Added support for the JPEG XL (JXL) file format, including import, edit, save, and IPTC metadata capabilities.
- Added a new ACDSee Home Page hub for quick access to recent files, search presets, and database maintenance tools.
- Added comprehensive Video Metadata support, including auto-categories for video properties and the ability to view GPS and audio stream details.
- Added Splotch Removal tool to the AI Face Edit Skin Group for easier blemish blending.
- Added RAW support for over 150 new camera models and lenses, including the Canon EOS R50 V, Nikon Z5II, and Panasonic LUMIX GH7.
- Improved Activity Manager with multi-threading support, allowing background processing for exports, format conversions, and develop settings.
- Improved People Mode with new grouping options (by face count, name, or suggestions) and better thumbnail retention when switching modes.
- Improved Clone Tool to display a real-time preview of the source pixels before applying the stroke.
- Improved Dashboard Mode with customizable graphs and an updated layout for database statistics.
- Improved integration of external editors, now supporting video, audio, and document files.
- Fixed an issue where text in Metadata Presets would disappear upon selecting a new image.
- Fixed a bug that caused the Activity Manager to clear queued tasks when a second application window was closed.
- Fixed the SmugMug plugin to align with the latest API requirements.
- Fixed an issue where slideshows incorrectly included images from hidden "[Developed]" sub-folders.
- Fixed unresponsive keyboard shortcuts when loading directly into View, Develop, or Edit modes.
