Software

ScoobyRoo20 · Feb 20, 2006

I'm looking into getting a program for my photo editing. From what I've seen online, there are a lot of options. Just wondering what everyone else uses and why. I would lalso like to know price ranges please. I was just brousing eBay. I found Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 - PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE going for just over $2.00 with $5 shipping. Is this any good? And photoshop 3 is going for $5 with about $4 shipping. Should I be weary?
Thanks in advance for your comments

Johnboy2978 · Feb 20, 2006

Photoshop elements is now in its 4th version. It retails for about $99us and has a lot of useful features. You might also get it free with the purchase of a nice camera or scanner. It should serve the average user quite nicely. The other option is the full version - Photoshop CS2 which sells for something like $599 us. One option if you wanted the CS2 is to get an old version cheap and do an upgrade version of cs2. As for ebay software, I'd be very wary that you aren't just buying a burned cd of pirated software.

I've always stuck with the full photoshop and it can do anything you imagine. The other trade-off is more power usually equals less user friendliness. For me, this was the case with using photoshop the first time. I found it very hard to navigate unless you read a lot of tutorials and manuals.

Before buying any of the adobe options like elements or photoshop, I'd download a free trial version from their site. You can use it free for 30 days, and it isn't crippled in anyway like other trial software. One other option is GIMP which is completely free and is said to rival photoshop. Google it.

Lumix · Feb 21, 2006

I have been using Microsofts Digital Image 2006 for the last few weeks and have to say this is truly amazing software. At the price of only £28 (uk) you would not expect much, but it is so powerful yet easy to use that I'm sure it will do most of what Photoshop can do and you can start using it out of the box. It really is that easy. Download a trial and run the video demo and take it from there. I also have Painshop Pro. and Adobe Photoshop Light. They will not get much use now I have Digital Image.

bobaab · Feb 21, 2006

You can also try GIMP (with or without GIMPshop). It's basically like photoshop...except it's free and uses a different...something. I don't know the technical aspects of it, but it uses GDK and basically comes from Linux. It's always a good free alternative to Photoshop.

GIMP - http://www.gimp.org/
GIMPshop - http://plasticbugs.com/?p=241

D-50 · Feb 21, 2006

Depending on your camera and what you want to do to your photos Nikon Capture 4.4 is a decent program. Its a far cry from photoshop in that you can do much "artistic" editing and enhancing, however if you are looking enhance you photos through sharpening, bringing out colors etc. it is great. It allows you to process your RAW photos as well, no more regrets about poor exposure on what would otherwise be a great shot, you can easily fix under or overexposed photos. I use this in conjunction with PHotoshop 7 (which I am slowly learning through tutorials)