What program can you recommend...

[photoguru]

..for editing pics..I am not familiar with any right now..I've heard of Photoshop, never used it..and want something that is very simple to use! Thanks

[kiley9806]

i use paint shop pro 9 for most of my post-processing. it does the trick, and it didnt cost me anything. its very user-friendly, with tips on how to use each tool when selected, and that kind of stuff. i think the more professional type photographer would maybe use photoshop, or something else im not aware of, but for what i need to do, this program has helped me out tons!

[Marko]

Photoshop elements is appreciated by many for its many features and lower price than full photoshop.
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/features/

[tirediron]

In my opinion, there are four main contenders in the image-editing software field. They are:

Adobe Photoshop CS3. Industry standard, more tools and capability than any one person is likely to use in a life time. Good help files, reasonably intuitive for most basic operations, but expensive at $700 and up depending on which package you get.

PaintShop Pro X2: About 80% of the functionality of CS3, inluding built in HDR merge functionality, and levels and curves. Uses most Photoshop plug-ins. Will do everything 99.9% of amateur and semi-pro users ever need. Must more wallet-friendly at around $90-110.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6: The "light" version of CS3, contains most of the important functions. IMHO, not as capable as PaintShop Pro, but very close. Price typically around $110.

GIMP (Download at http://www.gimp.org). Capability between that of CS3 and PSP X2, but as this program was originally developed for the Linux OS, the user interface will be a bit of a departure for Windows users; not quite as intuitative, but once you learn how to use it VERY powerful. Price? Free!

If you have $100ish dollars to spare, I recommend PSP X2, if you're budget concious, try the Gimp. PSP is also available as a free download (Ver 10 I believe, X2 = Ver 12) when you buy certain memory cards.

[tegan]

I agree with the assessment of Tired Iron but I would also suggest that a look should be taken at Viveza by Nik Software.

It is pricey but very fast and efficient to use. It is particularly good for selecting very complex shaped areas for adjustment or brightening by just one click. No layers, no masks,...instant results.

Tegan

[Travis]

I agree with the assessment of Tired Iron but I would also suggest that a look should be taken at Viveza by Nik Software.

It is pricey but very fast and efficient to use. It is particularly good for selecting very complex shaped areas for adjustment or brightening by just one click. No layers, no masks,...instant results.

Tegan


is Viveza stand alone software? or is it just plug in for other apps?

[tegan]

is Viveza stand alone software? or is it just plug in for other apps?

I use it as a plug-in to PaintShop Pro but there may be a standalone version as well.

Try the 30 day trial version and make up your own mind whether you like it or not.

Tegan

[Travis]

i was gonna try the viviza trial after my pspx2 trial ended..... but i was so happy with pspx2 I ended up buying it....

i thought the viviza was just a plug in for CS3... i didn't know it plugged into pspx2 as well... i'll download and try it for sure.....

it would seem funny buying a $250 plug in for a $79 piece of software.

[tegan]

I am sure Travis that you will be happy with PaintShop Pro X2. CS3 is a great program but rather time consuming to use, particularly when uploading large raw files. I am going for speed in postprocessing and PaintShop Pro X2 with Nik plug-ins often accomplishes that goal. Sony's Picture Motion Browser is also great at viewing large numbers of multiple photos at a fast rate while controlling preview size.

Tegan

[Travis]

I am sure Travis that you will be happy with PaintShop Pro X2. CS3 is a great program but rather time consuming to use, particularly when uploading large raw files. I am going for speed in postprocessing and PaintShop Pro X2 with Nik plug-ins often accomplishes that goal. Sony's Picture Motion Browser is also great at viewing large numbers of multiple photos at a fast rate while controlling preview size.

Tegan

Thanks for the tip about Sony's browser..... I'll give that a go....

I'm still using Google's Picasa2 for quick image viewing etc... I really can't believe the lack of thought and ease incorporated into the viewers of BOTH PSPX2 and Elements..... and Nikons software.... It just really seems like an afterthought.... I'm a fairly heavy image user... I'll take about 1200 a month and retain about 800.... I find Picasa's browser to be a rocket when scrolling through bulk images... Sometimes I'll use Picasa for quick cropping but it's adjustment tools are quite crude...

[tegan]

Thanks for the tip about Sony's browser..... I'll give that a go....

I'm still using Google's Picasa2 for quick image viewing etc... I really can't believe the lack of thought and ease incorporated into the viewers of BOTH PSPX2 and Elements..... and Nikons software.... It just really seems like an afterthought.... I'm a fairly heavy image user... I'll take about 1200 a month and retain about 800.... I find Picasa's browser to be a rocket when scrolling through bulk images... Sometimes I'll use Picasa for quick cropping but it's adjustment tools are quite crude...

I loaded 600 14 megapixel images into Sony's motion picture browser and the first time it took several minutes, but after that they loaded instantly and the size of the thumbnails can be adjusted in real time. Moreover you can easily drag and drop into another program so I often have the Sony browser and an editor open at the same time, although I have lots of ram.

Tegan

[pslove]

i have to say hands down Photoshop CS3 (i also liked my CS2) is my favorite editing program(hense my handle:P)...but not very intuitive if you've never used it. i know this first hand, being self taught, but the payout, i think vs. other editing programs once you've read tutorials, figured out basics,played around with it.. etc is great...it's like having a lab on your computer. try and find someone you know who can lend you a copy. as mentioned it's more expensive then some of the starter dslrs.

just my :twocents:
Jess

[JoeMezz]

..for editing pics..I am not familiar with any right now..I've heard of Photoshop, never used it..and want something that is very simple to use! Thanks

I use Photo Mechanic http://www.camerabits.com to edit my photos. "Edit" -- meaning to organize/delete/compare, apply metadata data, select the good/bad/better/best images. It is the industry standard in the world of photojournalists.

Then I use Capture NX2 (NX) to process 99% of my finished products. I think NX is very under rated and one reason is that people do not realize how the selection tools actually work until you learn how to work them, and another reason is that it's capabilities/functions are not obvious because of the simplicity of the user interface.

I suggest you go to CaptureNX.com and watch the videos. If you like it, they have a 60 day demo that is not crippled in anyway. NX is very unlike Photoshop and I think people shy away from it because of that that.

NX is very powerful and designed to save you time. It is meant to post process photos only - - not manipulate images.. so yes it is less powerful than Photoshop but very powerful at doing post processing.

If you plan on learning Photoshop at some point to a serious level ... then maybe Elements is a better way for you to go.

Since I only process images and do not alter images AND want to do that as fast as possible - I selected NX as my primary post processing software. I use Photoshop on rare occasions.

I hope that helps.

(File brower in NX sucks, but I use Photo Mechanic for that function)

[AcadieLibre]

If your on a Windows PC I would suggest Ulead Photo Impact, very easy to learn, small learning curve and until I moved to Mac it was my prefered photo editing program. Since PS went to CS2 and CS3 I use Lightroom and Photoshop CS3.