Intensify Pro
There’s plenty of depth beyond the presets in this image-editing app
£35 Developer MacPhun Software, macphun.com/intensifypro
OS OS X 10.7 or later Requires 4GB RAM What might look like a preset-based image editor turns out to have a lot more depth, as Intensify Pro opens up into a layer-based editing system with plenty of manual adjustments.
Intensify Pro is a standalone app that can open common image formats as well as raw files, but it also hooks into Photoshop (CS5 or later), Lightroom (4 or later), Aperture (3.2 or later) and PS Elements (10 or later, but not the sandboxed App Store versions) to take your images on a round trip from one app to another, remembering the edits you’ve made.
Using a preset or creating your own as a starting point, dive into the Adjust palette for tweaks to contrast, exposure, sharpness and colour temperature. This doesn’t offer much over the likes of Aperture, although its Pro Contrast and Structure sections – offering control over highlights, midtones and shadows – are worth experimenting with.
A brush tool allows adjustments to be painted on selectively, and they can also be applied across gradients and on layers for a great deal of control over your final image. Once your image is tweaked to your liking, Apply takes you back to your original app if you’re round-tripping, or the Save & Share icon, then the icon of your preferred app, moves your image into, say, PS Elements. You can also export directly to the MacPhun Print Lab.
If you’ve already got Aperture or Lightroom, Intensify Pro won’t add too much to your workflow and the app doesn’t have any organisation features for a large library. But if you’re looking for an app to quickly touch up small batches of images, Intensify Pro is worth a look. Ian Evenden