Post processing software??

[Sammie_Lou]

Hey everybody. I was reading the thread about shooting RAW vs. JPEG and it's making me wish that I hadn't lost the PS that I used to have. So, I'm looking to purchase some new PP software. Is there anything besides PS that is a little more budget-friendly?? Maybe somewhere to buy copies of old versions (but still legit) of PS?? It doesn't have to be amazing software. Just something to get myself started. Also, if I don't decide to go budget-friendly, is PS pretty self-sufficient or would I seriously benefit from having Lightroom, as well?? Thanks!

 

[myfotoguy]

Well, it all depends on your budget. PSE (Photoshop Elements) has a lot to offer, it's less than $100.00. You can do quite a bit with it, may not ever even need full blown photoshop. If you do, you will know when you need to upgrade and then just have to budget for it.

Lightroom is nice if you want to catalog your images and have editing functions. You can do more with PS or PSE but there ia quite a bit that can be done as far as most major ajdustments and some minor fixes in photoshop. You can also render some artistic effects right in LR, especially if you eventually get plug-ins.

I use something similar to Lightroom (ACDSee Pro 4) and it meets most of my needs, and allows for quick processing and tweaking of my images and cataloging and tagging them in an efficient workflow like LR does).

 

[Kerbouchard]

Download the free trial of Photoshop Elements 9 from adobe. You can use it with no restrictions for 30 days. In a month, download the trial version to CS5. You can use it with no restrictions for 30 days. At the end of two months, update this thread, let us know what, if anything you were missing, and we can probably give you some pointers. Oh, you can also download lightroom and use it with no restrictions for 30 days. I'm starting to sense a pattern here...

edit photos, photo editing software program | Adobe Photoshop Elements 9

The try button is at the top right.

 

[subscuck]

PSE, Paintshop Pro, and GIMP are all cheaper, or free. Light Room is not an editing Program. It's a data base/workflow management program with limited editing capability compared to CSx or PSE, that's meant to augment, not replace, photo editing software. At this point, Elements would probably serve you well, and as already stated, you can download a trial version for free. I don't know if there's a free trial for PSP or not, GIMP is always free.

Whatever you choose, I would recommend a "beginners book" for any of them, especially if you download a trial version, so you can get the most out of it for your 30 days.

As far as needing LR to go along with your editing SW, if you're a pro with a library of thousands and thousands of pics who needs them filed and organized in a way that allows quick, easy access, then yes, LR would be a god send. Or if you regularly do paid shoots and have to batch process dozens of photos at the same time. If not...

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I have Lightroom 3 and Photoshop Elements and its nice stuff on the cheap, would suggest them to anyone.

 

[BadPictures]

I have Lightroom 3 and PS... I'm also fairly noobish. I would suggest though from my experience so far, that you could consider starting out with Lightroom only. Get the free trial and try it out. Though as suggested, the editing capabilities are limited in comparison to full Photoshop, if you're a noob like me, you won't know what to do with all those other features for awhile and you can use Lightroom to explore while you learn more stuff. Then, when you have the budget and feel the need, you can get Photoshop Elements or Photoshop. And the nice thing will be that Lightroom can still continue to manage your images so you don't lose anything. Anyway, that's my suggestion from a fellow noob.

 

[itsbenniblack]

I just use camera raw though photoshop its basically a compact but powerful version of lightroom.

 

[KmH]

Camera Raw and the Develope module in Lightroom are the same edit rendering engine - ACR (Adobe Camera Raw).

The version of Camera Raw that is included with Elements 9 is de-featured compared to the complete version included in CS5 and Lightroom.

I recommend starting with Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 (Win/Mac)

and the book for learning how to use it: The Photoshop Elements 9 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

An alternative is Corel's Paintshop Photo Pro X3 Ultimate

and the book for learning how to use it: PaintShop Photo Pro X3 For Photographers

Or, download the open source application GIMP www.GIMP.org and get the book for learning how to use GIMP: GIMP 2.6 for Photographers: Image Editing with Open Source Software

One last note: Adobe offers student pricing of up to 80% off their retail price in their Education store: Adobe.com Site Requirements

 

[Oilersrock]

If you're running a Mac, what about Aperture? If Windows, good luck