With so many “photo editors” available for Android, many promising to magically turn your photos into something you imagined but did not achieve, thanks to AI, I recently came across a new one to try: Radiant Photo Mobile. Before we continue, let me say that Radiant Photo Mobile comes with baggage, as the software is always associated with names as Perfect Clear or Lucid – which I was not aware of – but has recently been made part of the portfolio from a company, Radiant Imaging Labs, which claims to be the first photo editing company that is managed entirely by photographers to create smart editing tools.
Despite its connections to previous software, Radiant Photo Mobile is a completely new app that follows the company’s first piece of software, Radiant Photo for desktop, that runs as standalone software on Windows and macOS, or can be used as a native plugin inside Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom Classic, and Corel Paintshop Pro. The company decided to create a version for smartphones, and for months a team of developers worked with photographers to make it happen.
Elia Locardi, professional photographer and CEO of Radiant Imaging Labs, says: “As we began working on our app, it became evident where our focus should be. While plenty of apps produce over-cooked and flashy results and enough tools require you to adjust settings manually for each image, Radiant Photo takes a different approach. Our software intelligently and reliably handles all of those adjustments while prioritizing precise color rendition. Focusing on the authentic image, the picture how we imagined it when pressing the shutter button – that’s Radiant Photo.”
Pixel-perfect, print-ready results in seconds
Radiant Imaging Labs claims that the app shatters the old myth of “time-intensive equals quality”, as it instantaneously elevates images. Just by opening them in the app, users are introduced to an optimized version of their photo – sometimes to a level that they might have thought impossible. The app is trained to work with all kinds of photos, landscapes, portraits, a photo of your pet or even an underwater shot. While it picks what it believes to be right, you’re free to chose another option and take control of the result, even within the limitations of the free version.
Radiant Imaging Labs adds that “by understanding the intricate details within every photo, Radiant Photo presents pixel-perfect, print-ready results in seconds. The app stands out from the crowd, not just in its impeccable ability to transform photos but also in its user-friendly approach. Unlike most of its counterparts, users don’t need to create an account or even start a trial to witness its magic. The free version, fully usable, truly promises to enhance every photo you open instantly.”
Radiant Photo uses industry-proven technology from Perfectly Clear – that explains the connection mentioned above – and FotoNation in its architecture, according to Radiant Imaging Labs, and the company says that “with photographers from all walks of life in mind, Radiant Photo was designed to be extremely accurate, easy to use, fast and completely customizable.“
I don’t know if it’s AI, but it’s a smart app
With AI being used, nowadays, as a marketing crutch for everything but the kitchen sink (correct me if I am wrong), there is an ongoing discussion about the merits of AI and how much is too much when applying it to photography. Although the complete name of the mobile app from Radiant Imaging Labs, as it appears on Google’s store, is Radiant: AI Photo&Video Editor, I will steer away from the AI discussion, saying that whatever the app does to automatically edit the photos is… smart. After all, it’s the company that announces it as “the world’s smartest automatic photo editor, now in your pocket.”
Radiant Imaging Labs says that the app has “intelligent scene detection” and that translates in one thing: users can “say goodbye to the hassle of manually adjusting settings for different environments. The app automatically detects the scene and optimizes your photo accordingly. It is trained to work with all kinds of photos: Whether it’s a landscape, a portrait, a pet photo or an underwater shot, the app comprehends the elements in the picture and adjusts exposure, color, tone and more pixel by pixel.” Furthermore, the company explains that the app has an “automatic AI editor” that “quickly enhances photos right on your device with no need to transfer to the cloud first. Plus, you can still fine-tune or get even more creative; the app allows you to adjust all settings manually.”
The results achievable with the app were shared on a recent online presentation, over two hours of exciting revelation that showed participants what the software can do. I could not wait to put my hands on the app, which was made available, for Android users, through the Google Play Store. Apple users will find their version on Apple’s store. I am impressed, and that’s the reason why I decided to write this “first contact”, which is based on my initial experiences with the free version of the software.
Radiant Photo can be part of any workflow
A free version has, as expected, limitations, and they are there, clearly visible: a “lock” icon showing on the controls for the more advanced features. But the free version, which is not limited in time, will be enough photo editing tool for many users, simply because, from my experience, it does a fantastic job picking images of all sorts and optimizing them. Still, it may well convince you that want to see the other functions…
There will be times when the results will not be the best – like everything else in the world, I guess – and you’ll have to find another solution for editing your photo. But hey, even the free version of Radiant: AI Photo&Video Editor works with any other photo editing tool you may have, meaning you can use the “smart” adjustment it offers at any moment during the editing stage in another app, like Lightroom, for example.
In fact, Radiant: AI Photo&Video Editor allows you to jump to and from other photo editing apps without limitations. I tried sharing images from both Lightroom and Snapseed to the app and back again, without any problems, a clear confirmation that it works as a “bridge” and part of your workflow, instead of trying to be “the app to do all things”.
Is the lifetime license price steep?
I want to write a full review of the Pro version, which opens all the locks and offers manual adjustments of all settings, unlimited batch processing and a palette of unique LOOKs, adding a creative edge to your images. The Pro version of the app also extends its powerful auto-enhancement capabilities to video files. One feature that should attract photographers – and that work on the free version as well – is that the app can read from camera memory cards and SSD drives, meaning you can open your photos and videos directly from your camera’s memory card or an SSD disk using the convenience and speed of USB-C.
On iPhone, you can even save right back to your USB device… thanks to USB-C. This allows you to easily edit photos from conventional cameras wherever you are, and send them through the Internet or share them online. Working with the app on a tablet, which offers a larger screen, is something you’ll probably want to try.
I could continue, as there are so many other things the app offers that make it appealing, but I will cover those in a full review. Pricewise, you’ve three options: $3.99 monthly, $29.99 per year… or $49.99 for a lifetime license. The lifetime price may seem steep to some, but if you compare it with the yearly cost and add to this the information that the lifetime version will receive all updates too, it’s probably a good choice, especially if you intend to use the app to edit your photography, and do so regularly.
Installed on two phones and a tablet
According to Radiant Imaging Labs there are updates coming, with adjustments to the app, correcting eventual bugs and adding new features, and a cycle of a couple of years or more is expected until a new version is introduced. Then, lifetime users will have the option to upgrade or pay for a totally new version. If they don’t, they will be able to continue using the app, for as long as it works.
One final note: I am really impressed with the Radiant Mobile app. I must have gone through tens of images since the day I got the free version downloaded. I installed the app on my two smartphones and a tablet, and I’ve been trying everything imaginable, playing with only the options available for free. Either on my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra or my Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro (which I keep for its macro options), the app worked flawlessly, surprising me with the results.
Having software that does “magically” adjust photos, on both smartphones, without the need to do precision work with layers, masking or other functions that are not well suited for small screens, is an asset, I believe. On my tablet it was a joy to have a larger screen to work with images, and it is a workflow solution that may appeal to photographers who want a solution to edit the photos from their DSLR or mirrorless on the go… without having to fiddle much with controls on their photo editor.
Feel like a kid playing with a new toy
I’ve not yet stopped playing with photos on my three screens. I keep picking them and exploring what can be done with images, either from my conventional cameras, taken with the smartphones, original RAWs, final edits. The Radiant Mobile app continues to impress me, to the point that I feel like a kid playing with a new toy, compulsively trying image after image and saying “just one more”.
I’ve not felt this kind of excitement for a long time when trying a new app for smartphones, something I do regularly, as I’ve been searching for an alternative to the ageing Snapseed, which somehow seems to not work well with the RAWs from my S22 Ultra, and Adobe’s Lightroom. Your mileage may vary, and while I do understand that the app may not be the ideal solution for everybody, Radiant Photo Mobile appears to be the solution I need. More about this when I write the full review.