Editor's Choice 2007: Imaging Software

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The main users of this program have been artists and illustrators. Why would we include it here? Because photographers have been missing out on a powerful tool that lets them apply a range of painterly effects to their images that is far more extensive and varied than what you get from typical image editors. Just as important, Painter X integrates with Photoshop. And if you're a novice, you can have the Smart Stroke feature apply brushstrokes automatically in keeping with the photo's internal shapes, which it does with a surprisingly human touch. About $420.

Light Crafts LightZone

This unique image editor is a great fit for photographers who've migrated to digital from the traditional darkroom. Its simple, straightforward interface lets you easily identify the areas you want to fix based on their tonal value. Working with a grayscale version of your image (color or black-and-white) called a zone map, you lighten or darken the brightness of those areas with a slider on a gradient tool. If you want to alter the tone only in a specific part of the image, rather than everywhere that tone occurs, you can use one of LightZone's selection tools to quickly define the area. (Unlike Photoshop and much like Apple's Aperture, the tools you use stack up on a palette and can be edited without affecting original pixels.) However you make such selections, our experience is that they're very accurate, probably helped by the software's automatic tone-sensitive feathering. Basically, LightZone simulates an optical printer's thought process and approach. About $100.

Microsoft Windows Vista

An operating system isn't imaging software, we grant you. But Microsoft's long-promised OS is having a big impact on the post-production lives of PC-based photographers. You know how Windows XP ignores your RAW files if you use its photo importer? Not so with Vista. The new OS handles RAW just like any other kind of image file. Download the codec from your camera's manufacturer (to find it google "nikon vista codec," for example) and you'll be able to preview those files in Windows Explorer, import them as is into Microsoft Office 2007 apps, and sort them with the new Windows Photo Gallery feature. Gallery is a great supplement to a Photoshop-heavy workflow, because any tags and star ratings you add to its images' IPTC data will be visible in Adobe Bridge and searchable from anywhere in Windows. Gallery also lets you fix photos without changing the original data, good for times when you don't want to go into Photoshop for rush touch-ups. From $200.

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