ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2027 Prioritizes Local AI

ACD Systems has launched ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2027. The company's primary focus is on where the artificial intelligence processes run, keeping most tasks on a photographer's own machine.

Frank Lin, CTO of ACD Systems, stated the rationale. "Photographers want the creative freedom generative AI offers without giving up control of their images," Lin said. "That's why every other AI feature in ACDSee Photo Studio runs locally, on-device-from face detection to image similarity."

Core Local AI Features

Key organizational and editing functions process entirely on a user's computer. This local operation means no images or facial data are sent externally. The features handled this way include face detection, automatic keywording, masking tools, super-resolution upscaling, and an image similarity engine.

The software's new AI Reverse Image Search use this local similarity engine. It indexes a photo library in the background to find visually related shots. An enhanced Group By function also clusters near-duplicate images across different folders or search results.

New Cloud-Based Generative Tools

Four new features require an internet connection. These generative AI tools send encrypted prompts and images to servers controlled by ACD Systems. The company claims this data is deleted after one week.

The generative suite includes AI Image Generation, which can create new imagery from text prompts or reference photos. Generative Fill expands a photo's frame into empty space. Generative Edit follows natural-language instructions for adjustments, and AI Remove erases unwanted objects from a scene.

The $179.99 perpetual license includes 20,000 credits to use these generative tools. It also comes with 200 GB of cloud storage, free for the first year.

Enhanced Organization and Editing

For photographers managing large libraries, several updates aim to streamline workflow. The new Auto-Stack function can group photos automatically using criteria like GPS location, capture time, or visual similarity. Users can adjust the thresholds for grouping and save their preferred settings as presets.

Manual grouping is possible with Custom Stacking. A new Reject Tag helps during culling by marking images for later deletion.

Portrait retouching has been refined. It now offers more precise control over eyes, eyebrows, skin texture, shadows, and lips. A one-click hair editing tool is also included.

Other general improvements cover the Activity Manager, Develop presets, and export options. The software supports newer raw camera formats and includes tools for auto-migrating catalogs. All these updates build upon the existing cataloging, raw processing, and layer-based editing foundation.

The software is available now. Alongside the perpetual license, ACD Systems offers subscription plans and loyalty pricing for existing users of older Ultimate versions.