Photo Software

[Torus34]

Like I said - you have to put in some time and learn.

 

[Your.Sweet.666]

Try googleing gimpshop its just like photo shop but free also fairly easy to use to

 

[c_mac]

one of the main things that will set elements/PS apart is the help menu. you can figure most anything out without going outside of the program.

i can't speak for other programs but i know that adobe is absolutely wonderful to use!

 

[xfloggingkylex]

The only reason GIMP is a little confusing to install is because the windows and mac installers werent part of the main plan, since GIMP was designed as open source for unix.

 

[stumpfoot]

Well I figured it out and it is now resting comfortably in my hard drive. Now I just need to learn to use it. Any tips from you experianced ones out there?

 

[Peacemaker636]

First download the runtime environment (NOT the actual program, the GIMP just uses this to enable itself to run). Install that. Then download the GIMP and install.

Now sit back, bring up Google, and search for some tutorials to get started. I'd say to begin, start with layers, levels, and curves.

Beat 'ya to it, stumpfoot!

 

[NavyJelly]

Any shouts for Google's Picassa ?

As a beginner I like if for 3 reasons:
1 -Its very easy to use, pretty much simple.
2 -Doubles as a pretty good (and fast performing) way to view your pictures.
3 -I'm not a big fan of post processing anyway, and it only has the very basic functions which allows me to not feel guilty for messing TOO much with the original photo.

edit: and...
4 -Its free !

 

[stumpfoot]

does gimp or photoshop have an auto fix feature? I cant seem to find one on gimp. I thought I would start the easy way and work my way up to the more advanced.

 

[ArmyOfNone]

Any shouts for Google's Picassa ?

As a beginner I like if for 3 reasons:
1 -Its very easy to use, pretty much simple.
2 -Doubles as a pretty good (and fast performing) way to view your pictures.
3 -I'm not a big fan of post processing anyway, and it only has the very basic functions which allows me to not feel guilty for messing TOO much with the original photo.

edit: and...
4 -Its free !

I use Picassa for viewing/basic stuff, and GIMP for anything I know I need done perfectly. Or anything thats complex.

 

[PetersCreek]

does gimp or photoshop have an auto fix feature?

It depends on what, exactly, you want to "autofix". Yes there are some automatic correction features available in Photoshop and they can help shorten the learning curve. They aren't always guaranteed to give you the results you want but there are ways to tweak them and there are other not-quite-so-automatic features that aren't all that difficult to learn.

For years...since their shareware days...I used Jasc's Paintshop Pro. But then Corel bought them out and I began having problems with the product. That's when I made the jump to Photoshop and never looked back. I was put off by the high price tag, too...but like others on this forum, I found a legal way to save a good chunk of change. I bought a legitimate copy of a previous, full version of Photoshop then bought the upgrade version, saving about 1/3 to 1/2 off the MSRP. Food for thought.

 

[NavyJelly]

I use Picassa for viewing/basic stuff, and GIMP for anything I know I need done perfectly. Or anything thats complex.

Yep, I can imagine that a lot of people would outgrow picassas basic functionality quite quickly.