For almost photographers, the digital darkroom is based around payware or subscription software from the likes of Adobe, Capture Ane, DxO or one of their many rivals. But if you lot're a Sony shooter, there's an pick which is available entirely costless of charge forth with your photographic camera purchase: Sony Imaging Edge Desktop.*

Sony Imaging Edge Desktop version three.0'southward user interface.

In this article, nosotros'll take a expect at how Imaging Border Desktop compares with the 800-pound gorilla in the room, Adobe Photographic camera Raw, whose algorithms likewise underpin the company'due south popular Lightroom Classic application. As with previous manufactures in this serial, I'm limiting myself only to still image editing in the interests of keeping things to a readable length, and won't address features like image direction, tethering or press.

*Sony does include a version of Capture One, called 'Limited,' with photographic camera purchases, which we'll investigate in a future article.

The basis rules

This comparing is based upon the near contempo versions of each application at the fourth dimension of writing. For Adobe, that'southward Photographic camera Raw xiii.0 and Span 11.0. For Sony, information technology's Imaging Edge Desktop iii.0. My computer is a 2018 Dell XPS 15 9570 laptop running Windows 10 version 1909.

To ensure neither Adobe nor Sony had whatever advantage out of the gate, I've aimed to reproduce, as closely every bit possible, the look of already-processed images from our galleries, without any prior cognition as to the recipes behind them.

Adobe Photographic camera Raw version 13.0'southward user interface.

I've called images from the Sony A7 Three (ILCE-7M3) for apply in this comparison, as its been available for long enough for Adobe to fine-melody its rendering, while its price tag and resolution are broadly similar to those of the Canon EOS R and Nikon Z6 used in my previous manufacturer software comparisons.

Sharpness and noise reduction were left at their default settings to avoid overcomplicating things, while lens corrections were enabled for both applications. Images processed in ACR were saved at JPEG quality 11, merely as used in our galleries. For Imaging Edge Desktop, which offers a choice of just iv unlike compression levels, I used the maximum quality.

The main differences

Of course, the near immediately obvious differences between ACR and Sony's Imaging Edge are their camera support and price tag. You already paid for Imaging Edge when you bought your Sony photographic camera, and then information technology's effectively costless. While information technology but supports Raws shot by the visitor's own cameras, you can expect total Raw support for every Sony camera to be available pretty much immediately upon release.

Imaging Border'south shadow and highlight sliders don't requite you as much latitude as the same sliders in Adobe Photographic camera Raw, and then shadows tin can only be lifted and so far – even with D-Range Optimizer enabled.
Download the full ACR prototype here; the full Imaging Edge image here.

By contrast, ACR requires a recurring subscription fee. It supports a vast range of cameras from many manufacturers – including every unmarried interchangeable-lens or big-sensor Sony camera fabricated to date – but that support can sometimes take a while to arrive after the release of new models. Information technology's besides sometimes more express than that in get-go-party software, especially for older models.

For example, while Adobe offers 'camera matching' profiles for most recent Sony cameras, information technology'southward not nevertheless available for the recently-launched A7C. Nor has it been provided for whatever Translucent Mirror model made earlier 2014, or any Sony DSLR model at all.

A clean, modern interface with good multi-monitor support

Imaging Edge Desktop offers a twist on a modal interface. The initial install is merely a launcher which in plow installs and so launches separate viewer, editor and tethering apps. These can run separately or simultaneously, and can bridge multiple monitors. The editor app can't browse entire folders of images, just you tin can open individual shots directly from within and stay out of the viewer app entirely, should you cull. Web help is bachelor through the menu system, but it'south quite abbreviated.

We've plant that Imaging Edge uses a bit stronger noise reduction by default, though in some cases its finer-radius sharpening will tease out the finest details a bit better; just ACR has a 'punchier' look.
Download the full ACR image here; the full Imaging Edge image here.

The user interface is really quite straightforward and very clean, although it does involve a lot of scrolling. Buttons in Imaging Border and the individual apps launch the other apps, and the editor sports a unmarried scrollable toolbar whose xiv sections can be rearranged or hidden. Thumbnails of currently-opened images line the bottom of the screen, but they're tiny and not terribly useful even at Full Hd resolution, and lots of space is wasted on the filenames. Nor can you move them to the side of the screen, unfortunately.

Unlike most rivals, Imaging Border doesn't treat your Raw files equally sacrosanct

Sliders motion smoothly, but some control names are a bit unintuitive like "overshoot" / "undershoot" for the sharpness control, or "magnification chromatic aberration correction", neither of which are explained in help. There are also no automatic controls other than those for white balance, dynamic range and noise reduction.

A risky information strategy and not the all-time standards compliance

Sadly, while Imaging Edge plays nicely with pens and touch screens, it doesn't back up 4K monitors terribly well. Many user interface elements are as well modest for comfy utilise, and Windows' scaling setting is mostly ignored. Imaging Edge also doesn't follow Windows keyboard conventions like tabbing between controls, and you lot can't customize the keyboard shortcuts at all. And there are some occasional bugs; for example on canceling processing of a brief six-paradigm batch, the program stopped functioning for multiple minutes and had to exist force-closed.

Overall, I did find it easier to get more pleasant foliage and sky color out of Imaging Border than Adobe Camera Raw.
Download the full ACR epitome hither; the full Imaging Edge image here.

That's doubly worrisome because unlike almost rivals, Imaging Edge doesn't treat your Raw files as sacrosanct. Instead of using a database to store its edits, or putting them in sidecar files in the same binder, Sony instead saves them in the headers of the original raw file.

The company has already been bitten by this approach once in the past with a separate application, PlayMemories Home, and in 2018 had to release a tool to correct that app'southward corruption of Raw files. To avert this issue, I recommend using Imaging Edge solely with copies of backed-up images.

Curiously, batch processing is not available in Edit fashion, even if you have multiple images open. Information technology'south bachelor simply from the Viewer window, and provides adequately limited possibilities for renaming your output images. Imaging Edge besides only has a option of iv compression levels, and in that location'south a huge gap in quality between the highest (~15MB/image) and second-highest (~5MB/prototype) levels.

Reasonable if pedestrian performance

Compared to ACR, Sony Imaging Edge'southward performance is reasonable, but it'south not going to light any fires. Where ACR takes but 12 seconds to procedure six images, Imaging Edge takes around 21.5 seconds when saving highest-quality JPEGs. Admittedly, dropping the quality level one pace reduces this to only a hair under twenty seconds, just it also slashes files sizes by two-thirds.

You lot can come across hither how much more than highlight detail Adobe Camera Raw is able to relieve in the windows, though the softer overall tonality of the Imaging Edge version isn't unpleasant.
Download the total ACR image hither; the full Imaging Edge image hither.

While previews are 2-laissez passer, they update fairly quickly, usually within a second or ii of releasing the control. This is nevertheless nowhere near every bit quick as Adobe's virtually-real time previews, yet. And they sometimes don't update the whole screen at one time, with a tile or two of the overall upshot occasionally needing a few additional seconds to finally make full in.

Very similar controls to ACR, but not all equally effective

Sony Imaging Edge Desktop's editing controls are broadly similar to those on offer in Adobe Camera Raw, including the highlight and shadow sliders that many other apps lack. It also allows display not just of clipped highlights and shadows, but out-of-gamut colors. It foregoes ACR's texture and vibrance controls, but adds a D-Range Optimizer slider with auto mode.

In many cases, information technology'due south merely hard to residual dynamic range and contrast in Imaging Edge.
Download the full ACR image here; the full Imaging Edge image here.

D-Range Optimizer does a pretty skilful chore of lifting shadows, but the highlight and shadow sliders are nowhere near every bit effective as their Adobe equivalents, and the highlight slider in particular didn't seem capable of recovering much detail at all from blown highlights, even when ACR could do so with ease. I found the best results with more difficult images tended to send me to the curves tool, whereas Adobe could get the results without needing to fiddle with curves.

Sony's noise reduction is rather more heavy-handed

By default, Imaging Border uses higher levels of noise reduction than Camera Raw, and Adobe produces crisper results out of the box. With that said, you lot likely won't notice the difference unless yous're pixel peeping or making large prints, where Adobe'southward NR has a finer-grained look.

Dissonance reduction levels in both apps can be dialed dorsum from that default. Imaging Edge also offers an "off" setting, but Sony's app still applies more noise reduction than Adobe's, even when that'due south used. Setting NR to off definitely applies less noise reduction than simply zeroing out the sliders in manual fashion, though, especially when it comes to blush dissonance.

I institute ACR to practise a better chore with skin tones. Imaging Edge tended a bit towards the magenta, but in turn delivered more disarming skies and leaf than ACR. Of grade, you lot can meliorate color in either app past picayune with the sliders, just ACR has an machine mode to become you in the ballpark, whereas Imaging Edge requires you lot make corrections manually.

Some other instance where Adobe Camera Raw is able to accept advantage of remaining highlight data better than Imaging Edge.
Download the full ACR image here; the total Imaging Edge image hither.

Concluding thoughts

Sony Imaging Edge Desktop looks and feels more modernistic than some of its rivals from other camera manufacturers, only I still found Adobe Camera Raw more than pleasant to use. And Adobe also wins in terms of performance, although Sony certainly doesn't trail in this respect as badly as some of its rivals.

In terms of image quality, things were rather closer, all the same. Imaging Edge is capable of delivering skilful results with well-nigh images, although Adobe conspicuously still has an edge when it comes to recovering blown highlights and blocked-up shadows. And Sony'due south highlight slider, in particular, proved rather less effective than I'd hoped.

Just if yous're trying to slash your budget to a minimum, Imaging Edge Desktop delivers pretty decent image quality for nigh shots, and does so with reasonable performance and versatility. There'southward definitely money to be saved by switching abroad from a monthly subscription, especially if you tend to stick with but the basic tweaks and don't oft make major edits to your photos.

Sony Imaging Edge Desktop

Pros Cons
  • Available complimentary with a Sony camera
  • Excellent back up for Sony'due south cameras from launch twenty-four hour period
  • Good foliage and heaven color with minimal endeavor
  • Tames noise well
  • Good lens corrections
  • D-Range Optimizer makes it piece of cake to elevator shadows
  • But supports Sony cameras
  • Doesn't treat Raw files as sacrosanct
  • UI requires lots of scrolling
  • Doesn't follow Windows standards
  • Doesn't support 4K monitors well
  • Minimal help documentation available
  • Highlight / shadow sliders aren't very effective
  • Skin tones tend towards magenta
  • Denoising robs some fine detail even if switched "off"

Adobe Camera Raw

Pros Cons
  • Clean, clear and modern interface
  • Supports a vast range of cameras from many brands
  • Great functioning
  • Allows fine-grained adjustments with authentic real-time preview
  • Great image quality
  • Extracts more fine item than Imaging Edge with minimal fuss
  • Does a neat task with highlights/shadows
  • Recurring subscription fee with no perpetual license option
  • Camera support can take a while to arrive for more than obscure features or even adequately big ones like camera matching profiles
  • One-click motorcar control produces overly contrasty, saturated results
  • Tends to exit more noise in images by default