 Jennifer A. Lambert |
Good User-Friendly Editing Software? I am looking for new editing software. Anyone have any suggestions on a reasonably priced user-friendly software program? I would like a lot of options but cannot afford some of the higher-priced ones I have seen. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you all so much, and I am so glad to be back! Hope to see you all in the gallery and I'll definitely be visiting yours! Many Blessings, Jenny
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- Carolyn M. Fletcher  Contact Carolyn M. Fletcher Carolyn M. Fletcher's Gallery |
Your best bet is probably the latest Photoshop Elements. It usually has a lot of the more popular things included. I was recently given the Corel Paintshop Photo Pro X3. It retails for under $100 and has a lot of cool stuff included also.
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Jennifer A. Lambert |
Thank you Carolyn ! The Corel is what I was using. I am going to check into Photoshop Elements. Thanks so much ! Blessings, Jenny
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- Usman M. Bajwa Contact Usman M. Bajwa Usman M. Bajwa's Gallery |
Carolyn's suggestion is good, Jennifer. However, you might also want to look into the FREE photo editing programs like Picasa (from Google) and GIMP. You did not mention your skill level in digital post-processing, but if you are just starting out, I would suggest to check the free ones too before you start spending the bucks on more advanced software like PS Elements. Good luck! UB.
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wildlifetrailphotography.com - Donald R. Curry Contact Donald R. Curry Donald R. Curry's Gallery |
Photoshop Elements 8
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- Ken Smith Contact Ken Smith Ken Smith's Gallery |
I would also recommend Photoshop Elements, but also get a companion book that talks about Elements. There's a bunch out there. Also, you can do Google or YouTube searches on PhotoShop Elements to see different video tutorials.
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Jennifer A. Lambert |
Thank You ALL SO MUCH !!!!! I am going to take a look at them all ! My skill level is ... from 1 to 10 I'm prob a 5. I love to play and figure stuff out too....so anything I can't use I'll figure it out. I am going to check all of your suggestins out and use a free one for now until I unpack Corel....THANK YOU SO MUCH !!! Photo Elements is what I was thinking about. Any downfalls to it ??
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- Dennis Flanagan Contact Dennis Flanagan Dennis Flanagan's Gallery |
Google Picassa is a free download. If you buy Photoshop Elements, go to your local bookstore and buy a Scott Kelby book on your version of PS Elements.
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Richard Lynch |
You can try to start with free software, but the complexity there will be that there is simply a lot more support for software you will purchase ... and, really, Adobe in my 20 years of experience is the way to go. Photoshop Elements is a powerful package that can do more than the manufacturer even suggests. Best to start there, rather than getting Photoshop for $700+. I have to say, however, I think my course Photoshop 101 here on BP is far more likely to get you started with confidence than any book - even mine!
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Jennifer A. Lambert |
Thank you so very much ! As soon as I can afford it I will be taking your course. I appreciate you taking the time to explain and offer great info. Many Blessings, Jenny
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Tiia Vissak |
I'd start from Gimp ( www.gimp.org ): it's completely free & legal, works in Windows, Mac etc & allows you to do lots of stuff: crop, rotate, set the perspective right, adjust curves, blend layers, clone, change tones, turn an image into a painting etc etc. Most of my images are done with it. Another thing you could download is Vicman's Light Artist ( http://www.vicman.net/lightartist/index.htm ): it's also completely free. With it, you can add light to your images (different tones, different intensities & angles). You can get some other freeware from that site, too.
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Keith Levkoff |
If you're serious about doing commercial photo editing, then you should really consider full Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop Elements is a very nice program. It's a very good choice for an amateur, and does much of what Photoshop can do, but Adobe made the menu structure and layout quite different from those in Photoshop. The will make transitioning to Photoshop itself later difficult (especially if you have trouble adjusting to new software). Photoshop Elements also does lack several features that a professional photo editor will find important - unfortunately Adobe really did a great job of making it "not quite good enough for a pro". Photoshop is also the industry standard, so knowing it counts as a valuable job skill if you ever end up working for anyone else. There are also a lot more books, courses, and Web sites specifically for Photoshop users. If you use Photoshop Elements you will find yourself continually wasting time adapting Photoshop instructions to work with it. It's always simpler to be using the program people are writing instructions for. You will also find that most books and such written for Photoshop Elements are, not surprisingly, targeted to amateur users rather than pros. I would not recommend Picasa at all, because it doesn't really do very much compared to a serious photo editing program. It's more of a photo organizer with some basic adjustment features thrown in.
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Paul D. |
Oh Jennifer, that question will get you SO many responses, as you already see! I would highly, HIGHLY suggest you bypass the free versions and get Photoshop Elements ASAP, BECAUSE, you are going to have questions and want to know how to do things, and let's face it, the amount of books and online tutorials and blogs and USER base for Photoshop is enormous. Plus, it may very well be that you will progress down the road to using the real Photoshop. And if you do, ALL of your Photoshop Elements files will open right up in Photoshop (they are actually Photoshop files!), and you will already know the PHOTO basics of editing from using Elements. The way you do Camera RAW and cropping and Levels and Saturation and Sharpening and all of the other basic functions are all the same, no relearning. You will have more options in Photoshop because Elements is obviously stripped down, but it isn't THAT stripped down for standard photo editing. For the price and the massive support system on this planet, there is no drawback to getting Photoshop Elements. I started there. I needed photoshop when graphic needs arose, i.e., someone wanted several of their images in the shape of puzzle pieces that were movable and would all fit together as a puzzle. Elements can't do THAT type of graphic work (you need a function called "Paths", only in the real Photoshop), but again, the photo editing is quite usable, no downsides when starting out at all. It's real Photoshop, just a mini version!
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Paul D. |
LOL! Keith posted just minutes before me saying the transition is difficult because the menus are different. He's right, the menus ARE different, but that to me is a doable speed bump. The more important thing to get under your belt are the tools (Levels, Curves, all other image adjustments). For that reason and given your tight budget right now, Elements is your best bet., Just don't memorize all the menus, lol!
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