Whats the best free photo editing software?

[Phot]

At present all I really want to do is blur the background of a picture, but I imagine that I will want to do more at some point.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

google GIMP

 

[Phot]

Hey, I got that. Where is the blur feature located?

 

[480sparky]

The teardrop icon in the Toolbox window.

Or, Tools > Paint Tools > Blur/Sharpen.

Or Shift + U.

 

[Phot]

I found this online. Thanks, I'm glad I didn't have to buy new software or download more stuff I don't need.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

yeah this forum is awesome

 

[ann]

try photoscape, my students love it

 

[SCraig]

I found this online. Thanks, I'm glad I didn't have to buy new software or download more stuff I don't need.

Be careful using that. Anyone who has looked at photographs for any amount of time can tell that it is just plain wrong since not everything should be out of focus.

 

[bobandcar]

i use photoscape currently but been tinkering with gimp

 

[dxqcanada]

You should take a look at GimpShop
http://gimpshop.com/

 

[Tstandiford]

Yeah gimp is pretty great once you learn how to use it. Some great gimp tutorials can be found here: Gimped! Gimp Tutorials

 

[jowensphoto]

Not trying to hijack or whatever, but this is one of those things that shouldn't have to be done in post. Using a wider aperture will acheive this in camera.

 

[KmH]

If the camera has a small image sensor (physical size), like so many Bridge and P&S cameras do, a wider aperture won't help much, if any.

 

[cathyhill]

I have to say I really love this forum cuz you can always find the answer that you want. But I have little suggestion that will it be more perfect if this forum allows people to mark the best as a solution:blushing:? Because it will save later readers a lot of time by reducing the time to read all these posts.
By they way, thanks for recommending GIMP. The only good image editor that I know is Photoshop.

At present all I really want to do is blur the background of a picture, but I imagine that I will want to do more image editing function at some point.

 

[Tailgunner]

Not trying to hijack or whatever, but this is one of those things that shouldn't have to be done in post. Using a wider aperture will acheive this in camera.

Yes ma'am, that technique takes some practice but produces really nice results.

Anyhow, my vote is on CS6. I've been playing with some old practice panning shots that didn't quite have enough motion blur. It's amazing what you can do in a few minutes once you figure it out.