editing software? what do you use?

[kapaah]

I've edited thousands of NEF files with Lightroom.
Absolutely no problems.

Cheers

x2 but Capture One seem to have better color rendering in my NEF files.

 

[dennybeall]

Lightroom CC Ver 6.2.1 wit CR 9.2 on a Windows 10 computer will NOT even acknowledge .nef files in a folder on the desktop. Will not even indicate that there are files there if you try to do an IMPORT.
Adobe provides a free converter that will convert the files to .dng and then Lightroom will IMPORT them.

 

[Scatterbrained]

Lightroom CC Ver 6.2.1 wit CR 9.2 on a Windows 10 computer will NOT even acknowledge .nef files in a folder on the desktop. Will not even indicate that there are files there if you try to do an IMPORT.
Adobe provides a free converter that will convert the files to .dng and then Lightroom will IMPORT them.

Lightroom 6 should work with files from any Canon or Nikon on the market right now.

 

[Emanuel M]

I have Lightroom CC 2015 with CR 9.1 on a windows 10 and I have two nikons and can import the Nefs everyday

 

[PhotoriousMe]

I don't see anyone using Corel AfterShot Pro 2, has anyone tried it?

dave

 

[dennybeall]

The complexities of modern pc's are no fun. I've tested this laptop 4 different times and it just refuses to acknowledge .nef files either still on the memory card or in a folder on the pc. Can't find any settings in Lightroom to account for it. I do wonder why Adobe is offering the free conversion program when so many folks don't need it. Oh, well I do need, it so problem solved.

 

[Ysarex]

I don't see anyone using Corel AfterShot Pro 2, has anyone tried it?

dave

I have AfterShot Pro 2 but don't use it much.

Joe

 

[soufiej]

What does everyone use? I use photoshop a lot with my underwater photos, great at fixing blemishes, etc, but I am still learning topside to adjust color, etc. What do you all use?

I thought in the past I heard most people used lightroom.

I've been playing around with few editors lately trying to find something I like for mid-level use that is above Picasa but with a more shallow learning curve than, say, full blown Photoshop. My uses are only as a hobbyist so I'm looking to not spend a lot of time at the computer either learning or doing.

It seems for my level of use a lot depends on the format used to capture the image. I shoot almost exclusively in RAW which means many of my trials have run into issues of loading the image into the editor. Paint.NET gets great reviews, looks like it could do everything the hobbyist would want but you may run into problems with the plug ins required to get your RAW image into the editor. If you are shooting in jPeg, then either Paint.NET or Pixlr seem to be good tools at no cost to the user. More complete than the free version of Picasa but neither so busy it will take you a large amount of time to learn.

This AM I loaded the trail version of Photoshop Elements. Elements seems to be the forgotten member of the Adobe choices. As I can see, it offers many of the features of full blown Photoshop somewhat dumbed down for the average user's abilities, which can neatly fit into the "Quick" editing format to provide simple tools which are quite effective. This is software you can use once weekly and still know how to get good results. It is "non-destructive" from everything I read so edited files can be saved to your hard drive for later use alongside the original file.

It comes with a basic version of RAW Reader that allows you to open most RAW Capture files. Plus it has camera/lens corrections for most of the commonly used gear. It is a purchase as opposed to a lease yet can - and will - be updated.

It's "expert" mode will offer more features and more control without the steep learning curve of many other editors. In this mode it seems to fall somewhere in between the freeware Picasa for the most basic use and (still free) LightZone for more complex work. Actually, several of my edits in Elements have shown a more interesting end result than I could achieve with LZ.

I'll try Lightroom before I decide (not too keen on the monthly payment vs the one time buy) but Elements seems to be worth the cost for the average user with a very shallow learning curve which leads to very good results. As of now, it seems like a good addition to any mid-level editing process.

I'm quite happy with my results using Elements with no real learning curve involved. I'm sure Elements wouldn't do for the pros on the forum but for the hobbyist, I'd strongly suggest you give it a try.

 

[SquarePeg]

Another Elements (11) user here, also a hobbyist only. I find it easy to use and I love that it's paid for in one shot and the price was very reasonable. Great tutorials on using Elements on lynda.com. I also have the Topaz filter plug ins which I love love love. Got a very sweet deal on those during a Black Friday sale a few years ago.

 

[soufiej]

Which plug ins did you add to Elements?

 

[SquarePeg]

Which plug ins did you add to Elements?

I got the whole Topaz bundle because it was a great price when on sale. I think I paid $199 in 2013 on Black Friday - Merry Christmas to me! The ones I use the most are Adjust, Denoise and B&W Effects.

 

[Dagwood56]

I use Photoshop Elements 10 along with Topaz plug ins, Adjust and Simplify.

 

[PattyR.]

I start with Lightroom for RAW conversion and global edits, then move on to Photoshop for final edits which, for me, can be quite extensive and involved, or just re-size, sharpen and output to whichever medium is warranted, depending.

Thank you Buckster for your imput - I notice you are in Northern Michigan do you mind sharing where? I live the UP between Manistique and Munising -Thunder Lake area.

 

[Peeb]

Elements 13.

 

[Buckster]

Thank you Buckster for your imput - I notice you are in Northern Michigan do you mind sharing where? I live the UP between Manistique and Munising -Thunder Lake area.

I live in the Village of Alanson, between Big Mac and Petoskey.