( Click on all images to see larger versions.) The first step is to specify the subject’s gender.įigure 1. To test Portrait Professional, I used a photograph of a woman who is not model and is without makeup. Three-quarter views work just fine, with the program correctly interpreting the position of the eyes relative to the nose and showing a sample image from the correct angle for subsequent placement indications When working with profiles, however, it can have some difficulty aligning the feature elements: guidelines indicating the position of the nose and chin are sometimes off, with no obvious way to adjust them to their correct position. The program doesn’t just work for straight-on portraits, it also detects three-quarter and even profile views. Version 10 now has optimizations specifically for pictures of children, activated by a Child button. This is a key step: Portrait Professional doesn’t just clear blemishes, it modifies the face based on a programmed appreciation of human beauty. When you open the program, you’re first asked to load an image, and then to tell the program whether the face is female or male. Normally $89.95, the Standard edition is on sale for $39.95. Now in version 10, it’s notable both for the high quality of its results and for its extraordinary ease of use: a wizard guides the user through each step of the setup process, and then straightforward, intuitive sliders allow us to control every aspect of the subject’s appearance. Portrait Professional is a powerful application for enhancing and beautifying portraits of people. While the program works perfectly for straight-on and three-quarter views, it has more difficulty with profiles. But this is ultimately down to the operator, not the program: It can be as subtle as you want it to be. However, there are enough controls there to keep compulsive fiddlers happy for hours.Ĭons: It’s too easy to get carried away and produce over-smoothed results. Just mark out the position of the features, and the program will do its job. Pros: Easy to use, elegant program that enhances photographic portraits with skill and sensitivity.

Portrait professional studio 64 review