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ACD Systems Launches ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 16, Keeping Next-Generation AI Editing Tools Accessible

VICTORIA, BC (April 15th, 2026) – ACD Systems International Inc. is proud to announce the release of ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 16, the latest evolution of its acclaimed photo editing software. This new version delivers a powerful suite of artificial intelligence (AI) enhancements – including AI Denoise, AI Presets, and AI Hair Masking – alongside key improvements to portrait retouching, RAW editing, and file format support, designed to accelerate creative workflows for photographers, graphic designers, and digital content creators at every level.

Key New Features of ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 16:

• AI Denoise: Automatically eliminate unwanted noise from images while intelligently preserving fine details and textures, delivering cleaner results with a single click.
• AI Presets: Apply content-aware, non-destructive edits to an image with just a click, dramatically reducing time spent on tedious manual adjustments.
• AI Hair Masking: Precisely isolate hair in portraits with AI-powered accuracy, making complex selections around strands and flyaways fast and easy.
• JPEG XL Support: Open and edit files in JPEG XL format, a next-generation image standard offering superior compression, lossless quality, and wide color gamut support.
• Improved AI Face Edit – Splotch Removal Tool and AI Hair Group: The updated AI Face Edit panel now includes a Splotch Removal Tool in the Skin Group for seamlessly eliminating facial blemishes, and a new AI Hair group for quick, targeted hair adjustments within the portrait retouching workflow.
• Before/After Slider in ACDSee RAW: Instantly compare original and edited versions of RAW images side by side using a new interactive Before/After slider, giving editors a clear, real-time view of their adjustments.
• Improved Clone Tool: Enhanced clone tool functionality delivers greater control and accuracy when repeating texture or repairing imperfections, for cleaner, more natural-looking results.

“With ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 16, we’ve doubled down on AI to make sophisticated editing accessible to everyone,” said Frank Lin, COO and CTO at ACD Systems. “With the AI boom it’s become a personal mission to ensure creatives keep ownership over not just their art, but their data as well. All of Gemstone’s AI features are computed locally on the user’s device, never in the cloud.”

The new additions to ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 16 build on an already powerful toolset that includes:

• Multi-Document Interface (MDI) Layered Editing: Work on multiple layered files simultaneously with a flexible tabbed workspace designed for efficient, parallel editing.
• Non-Destructive RAW Editing: Edit RAW images with complete creative control and zero quality loss using Gemstone’s powerful non-destructive engine, ACDSee RAW.
• AI Filters: Truly accelerate your editing process with AI Face Edit for simplified portrait retouching, AI Super-Resolution for an instant pixel boost, and AI Sky Replacement for easy, natural-looking scene enhancements.
• Advanced Color Correction: Fine-tune colors with tools like the Color Wheel, Tone Wheels, and Color EQ for precise adjustments to hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast.
• Comprehensive Repair & Restoration: Enhance images with features such as Smart Erase, Skin Tune, Blended Clone, Heal, Dehaze, Noise Reduction, and Sharpen.

ACDSee Gemstone Photo Editor 16 is available now for Windows users. For more information and to download a free trial, click here.

About ACD Systems International Inc.:
Founded in 1993, ACD Systems is one of the world’s leading independent digital image editing and management companies. With a commitment to delivering innovative and user-friendly software solutions, ACD Systems serves millions of consumers, small businesses, and corporate customers worldwide.