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Colorcinch Review

Colorcinch Review FI

Colorcinch’s web-based photo editing application is packed with automated effects and novel, social-media-friendly AI-powered tools, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking for attractive results quickly. However, its lack of photo management, discrete editing adjustments, and raw compatibility makes it less suitable for the traditional photography enthusiast. Jump to Conclusion | Try Colorcinch for Free

REVIEW CONTINUES BELOW


COLORCINCH

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US$6.99

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Table of Contents

What is Colorcinch

Adding a Photo Frame in Colorcinch
Browsing Colorcinch’s Photo Frames via the Firefox web browser

Colorcinch is a web-browser-based photo editing application featuring compound effects, layer-based editing, graphics design, and AI-powered tricks. Because it runs through your web browser, no installation is required. As a result, Colorcinch is compatible with Windows, MacOS, Linux, and a wide range of smartphones and tablets – ideal if your photography workflow is split across multiple devices.

When editing photos, you can use one of Colorcinch’s filters to process your image instantly or apply your edit using traditional adjustments such as exposure, white balance, and contrast. You can also add frames and drawings and apply text and stickers as separate layers, thus making Colorcinch a viable option for simple graphic design.

However, Colorcinch’s appeal may lie in its effects and AI tools. For instance, you can convert your image into a painting, cartoon, or digital artwork. Meanwhile, its AI feature-set includes eight tricks, ranging from automatic background removal and image upscaling to a novel prompt generator and a photo-to-anime converter.

How much does Colorcinch cost?

The basic version of Colorcinch is free but functionally limited and subject to on-screen ads. Therefore, you may wish to subscribe to Colorcinch Pro for US$6.99 monthly. Colorcinch Pro includes all pro tools and unlimited use of the background removal tools. Alternatively, subscribe to Colorcinch Total AI for $9.99 monthly and receive unlimited access to all AI features.

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Colorcinch Free Trial

You can use the basic version of Colorcinch for free. However, you must upgrade to remove ads and take advantage of all the features.

Try Colorcinch now – for Free

Colorcinch Features

Filters

Browsing Filters in Colorcinch
Colorcinch has hundreds of filters spread across 17 different categories

Colorcinch features a large and varied collection of attractive filters, enabling you to process your image with a single click. There are sixteen collections, including Matte, Skin Tone, HDR, and Vintage themes. Moreover, each collection contains many different filters, and you can manually adjust the filter’s parameters and intensity.

Photo Editing

Photo Editing in Colorcinch
Colorcinch features most essential photo editing adjustments

You can apply your adjustments to your photo via Colorcinch’s Edit tab. The tab includes familiar adjustments such as Crop, Exposure, Saturation, and Temperature but lacks enthusiast-level features such as masking, tone curves, LUTs, and Split Toning. Nor can Colorcinch process Raw files. Thus, while Colorcinch is capable enough for many, it is not a practical alternative to Lightroom, DxO PhotoLab, or ON1 Photo Raw.

Face Restoration AI

Face Restoration in Colorcinch
Colorcinch’s Face Restoration AI wipes away the years in just one click

You can use the Face Restoration tool to erase years off your subject. While such tools can be exploited for vanity’s sake, I find them helpful in countering the effect of poor lighting.

Face Retoration AI is pretty much an automated feature. However, you get the confusingly named ‘Codeformer Fidelity’ adjustment for tuning image quality, plus switches for Background Enhancement and Face Upsampling. Unfortunately, you cannot preview the effect of these adjustments in real time, resulting in a trial-and-improvement workflow.

Inpainting and Removal

AI Erase in Colorcinch
Colorcinch’s Inpainting and Removal tool delivers better results than many.

Colorcinch’s Inpainting and Removal tool is better described as an AI erase tool that seamlessly removes unwanted elements from your photo. Like all the other AI erase tools I have tested, it is a bit unpredictable, and results can vary.

However, I found Colorcinch’s erase tool more reliable than many and capable of delivering results on par with best-in-class alternatives. Bravo Colorcinch!

Background Removal tool

Removing background in Colorcinch
A juxtaposition illustrating the background removal tool.

Colorcinch’s suitably named background removal tool erases your subject’s background and appears on par with the best background removal tools I have tested thus far. This is fortunate, as there are no options to fine-tune the selection or result. Furthermore, save the processed image as a PNG, and the deleted background will be rendered transparent – ideal for inserting into a graphic.

Image Upscale

Upscaling in Colorcinch
I could only run one image from my battery of upscaling tests. The results were excellent.

With Colorcinch’s Image Upscale, you can enlarge your digital image while its AI interprets and interpolates additional detail, resulting in superior results compared to traditional photo enlargement methods.

While Colorcinch has presented me with some satisfactory results, I’ve been unable to process my usual batch of test images due to an error. Unfortunately, the error is generic and does not provide instructions on how to get around it.

Face to Sticker AI

Face to sticker AI in Colorcinch
I don’t need Face to Sticker AI. But I want it.

Colorcinch’s Face to Sticker AI can convert your portrait into a sticker. Only you can know whether this feature is worthwhile, but I enjoyed it, and the results deliver what they promise.

Face to Sticker AI is a one-click process; however, you can access advanced settings and tinker with cryptically named adjustments, such as Instant ID strength and Adapter Weight.

Prompt Generation

The Prompt Generator in Colorcinch
Colorcinch’s Prompt Generator gets some facts right but cannot produce a coherent narrative.

Prompt Generation reads the content of your photo and produces a written narrative to describe it. While I enjoyed experimenting with this feature, I never got a result I’d consider useable.

Effects

Cartoonize in Colorcinch
Cartoonize

With Colorcinch’s Effects tab, you can make your image look like a Cartoon, Sketch, Painting, or digital art. Each category features dozens of variants, and you can adjust the intensity of the effect to your taste.

Unfortunately, I ran into intermittent errors when testing this feature. On some occasions, it would take longer than usual or stall indefinitely. The only way I could reset the process was to refresh my browser and restart my edit from scratch.

Masks

Applying image masks in Colorcinch
Masks in Colorcinch

Masks in Colorcinch are not masks in the usual photo editing sense but rather stencil-like shapes that can be placed over your image. You can adjust the mask’s color, size, orientation, and transparency.

Overlays

Removing background in Colorcinch
Overlays offer a quick way to add eye-catching effects

Colorcinch’s Overlays include eleven visual effects collections, including Textures, Lightleaks, and Bokeh, each featuring many variants. As with Effects, you can adjust the overlay’s transparency, thus lowering or heightening its visual impact.

Other Features

You can add text and emoji/clipart-like graphics to your image. Furthermore, these elements are contained within their own image layer. This means you can adjust your text or graphic independently of the rest of the image and blend them with other layers to create compound effects. As a result, Colorcinch is somewhat capable of casual graphic design.

You can also use your mouse to scribble lines over your image and apply a stylish frame around your photo’s border. Unfortunately, neither your drawing nor frame is contained in its own layer.

What’s missing in Colorcinch

Colorcinch is primarily an editing tool and does not offer photo management. While a competent editor, it relies more on compound effects than micro adjustments and lacks traditional adjustments such as Tone Curves. It is also not compatible with Raw files.

It is impressive that Colorcinch uses layers. However, this functionality only extends to inserting new images, graphics, and text. It also would be good to have the option to insert Drawings, Overlays, and Masks as separate layers.

What is Colorcinch like to use

Colorcinch’s interface is concise, well-presented, attractive, and easy to navigate. Tools are usually well-named and feature tool-tips describing their purpose. However, Colorcinch does use some peculiar language on occasion. For example, the Face Restoration feature’s primary adjustment is called Codeformer Fidelity.

A minor but persistent frustration with Colorcinch is its set-and-apply workflow. For example, when you set exposure, you must confirm by clicking Apply, and the same is true for all the other Edit features. In other words, you’ll be clicking Apply an awful lot.

Colorcinch is responsive and reacts to minor adjustments in real time, thus delivering a smooth workflow. Likewise, there is only a minor delay as you move from previewing the effects of one filter to another. Of course, Colorcinch’s AI effects take a bit longer, yet the wait does not feel unreasonable given the result.

One exception is the Effects tab. Cartoonizing your image can take a moment, which is fair enough. However, it can take much longer and even stall completely. Unfortunately, there is no way to abort the process, and you must refresh your browser, thus losing your edit entirely.

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Conclusion

Colorcinch is a capable, well-presented, and responsive photo editing application with appealing features. Its web-based nature means you can use it on a mass of devices anywhere in the world where you can find a decent internet connection.

However, Colorcinch should not be considered an alternative to Lightroom-like photo editing applications as it lacks enthusiast-grade tools and adjustments, photo management, and compatibility with raw files. Yet, it is also fair to say that Lightroom lacks Colorcinch’s effects filters, portrait retouching, cartoonizer, and face-to-sticker features.

Therefore, Colorcinch is an excellent choice if you’re looking for an easy way to apply highly automated social media-friendly effects and edits. I can honestly say I’m not Colorcinch’s target audience, but I can confirm that much of what it does, it does well, and I had fun doing it.

Colorcinch does have some problems. For instance, you cannot always preview the effect of your settings until they are applied, resulting in some trial and error. This can be made more difficult as some adjustments have peculiar names, and it’s not always evident what they do. I also have consistent problems with some features, and I couldn’t count on Image Upscaler AI and the Cartoonizer to work every time, which is a shame as these are promising and appealing features.

Ultimately, Colorcinch offers a fresh, enjoyable, and unique web-powered alternative to the traditional photo editing experience and wraps it up in a fair price. If you’ve ever wondered what you’d look like as a sticker, Colorcinch is your ticket. Try Colorcinch Now – For Free


COLORCINCH

SUBSCRIBE FROM

US$6.99

PER MONTH



About the Author

Richard Adams

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