Cyberlink to bring out cut-price photo management tool

Cyberlink, the software company best known for its disc-playing software PowerDVD, is to bring out a photography management program that will rival more expensive products from Adobe and Apple.

Photodirector, to be released later this year, will focus on the management of the large collections of images with which many digital camera users end up. It is especially tailored for users of digital SLR cameras, with what Cyberlink said is 'complete' support for the high-quality Raw files produced by such cameras.

The program will cost $100 (£61) which is considerably cheaper than competing products. Adobe's well-established Lightroom 3 software for Windows and Mac computers, costs over £200, while Apple Aperture 3, for Macs only, costs £150.

Cyberlink is currently offering free copies of the full program to people who sign up to test the 'beta' pre-release version of the product. According to the company, anyone who signs up for the beta programme and provide feedback on their experience by June 20 will receive a full copy of the program when it is released.

Click here to see the terms and sign up for the Cyberlink Photodirector beta programme.

In addition to providing management tools, the program will allow users to touch up their pictures, with for example a utility to remove 'noise' from images, a straightening tool and an intelligent blemish remover. Cyberlink has licensed the Raw processing codes from Canon and Nikon which it says will provide Photodirector users with more accurate images from those cameras.

Cyberlink unveiled Photodirector at the Computex trade show in Taipei.

To read more of our coverage from Computex Taipei 2011, click here