Tech Tuesday—Alien Skin Exposure 5 Preview

From the wild and crazy Eye Candy to the photocentric Exposure, Alien Skin software can be found in the plug-ins folder of many designers’ and photographers’ computers. Exposure has been a personal favorite for a while, with its wide range of film-based (B&W, infrared, color) and alternative process effects. With the release of Exposure 5 (launched today), this pro-worthy, yet intuitive, application offers a number of important updates.

Exposure 5 not only works as a plug-in, but it’s the first Alien Skin plug-in that also functions as a standalone program. The UI has been redesigned with a darker interface, a visual preset browser with live previews has been added and editing and preset panels can be hidden and revealed with a single click. New textures have been added, broadening options for vintage and lo-fi looks and individual controls are now available for adding borders, dust/scratches and light leaks.

All in all, this is a major update that brings this program’s workflow and creative options to a whole new level, making Exposure 5 even more appealing to busy wedding and portrait photographers.This cross-platform software’s minimum standalone requirements are Windows 7 or newer and Mac OSX 10.7 or newer. Plug-in functionality requires Adobe Photoshop CS5/CS6/CC, Lightroom 4/5, Photoshop Elements 10/11 and now Apple Aperture 3.

A free trial can be downloaded here and can be purchased for $199. Upgrade from any version of Exposure for $99 and if you purchased Exposure 4 in March 2013 or later, the upgrade is free. Exposure 5 is also available as part of a bundle along with Blow Up, Snapart and Bokeh for $349. While you’re at it, be sure to check out Alien Skin’s free Alt Photo app, too!