Photo Processing Software

[frayne]

I've been thinking about upgrading to Lightroom CC or LR6. I currently shoot in jpeg and edit using iPhoto or Picasa. I've been watching some Lightroom tutorials on U-tube and can see it opens up many more variables that can be adjusted. Just wonder if it is worth the cost, I am a semi serious hobbyist and shoot mainly grandkids and landscape.

Any thoughts, cost isn't really an issue just wondering if by shooting in jpeg I can get all the benefits of LR and if I will really use more of LR's capabilities as compared to iPhoto or Picasa.

Appreciate any and all comments and suggestions.

 

[meierlde]

I've been thinking about upgrading to Lightroom CC or LR6. I currently shoot in jpeg and edit using iPhoto or Picasa. I've been watching some Lightroom tutorials on U-tube and can see it opens up many more variables that can be adjusted. Just wonder if it is worth the cost, I am a semi serious hobbyist and shoot mainly grandkids and landscape.

Any thoughts, cost isn't really an issue just wondering if by shooting in jpeg I can get all the benefits of LR and if I will really use more of LR's capabilities as compared to iPhoto or Picasa.

Appreciate any and all comments and suggestions.

You could also try GIMP which is free and downloadable here:GIMP - Downloads The sole real risk is some time. (although I do use Photoshop elements I have tried gimp and it seems to work)

 

[walkinwood]

If you want to see what can be done with RAW files, you could start with the software that ships with your camera. Usually, it is a pared down version of some commercial software (though not LR). RawTherapee is another free program. Then there's GIMP mentioned above.

On the other hand, I find LR5 to be absolutely worth the $150 or so I paid for it (can't remember exactly) and I will be upgrading to LR6 at some point. Read up to know what you can and cannot do in LR.

A warning - post processing can be addictive

 

[audreyh1]

I really enjoy Lightroom, and the latest upgrades (6) have been worth it.

Since lightroom handles raw files so well I don't bother with software from the camera manufacturer which has always seemed very limited to me.

 

[FedExCourier]

I have been using LR for almost a year and love it! I took one of the courses on Creative Live from Jared Platt and learned how to use the amazing tools LR offers. I did work with Picasa and it does a little bit but LR opens a huge post processing world.

 

[Peter]

I used Picasa for a while; it's a very decent piece of software. And free! However, Lightroom has a lot more capability, without being hard to use for basic operations.

Photo sites are full of RAW vs jpeg arguments. I did find that using RAW allowed a little more flexibility than with jpeg, although even jpegs can often be significantly improved with the Lightroom tools.

Depending on your camera, you may find that the default RAW developing settings in Lightroom produce a starting image comparable with the in-camera jpegs. In that case, there's no point in shooting jpeg. That's certainly the case with my Olympus OMD E-M5.

 

[dirt_dobber]

I'm a newby here - but I recently started using Lightroom 5.
Fairly intuitive and tons of YouTube help videos.

 

[Ronstar]

I use LR6 and I believe that it's worth the price. You would really enjoy using it on your landscape photos - a pano routine that stitches photos together, and an HDR function also.


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[audreyh1]

I always shoot raw for full post-processing capability.

 

[Rustic23]

I use to use, Microsoft Digital Image Pro. They stopped making it about five years ago, but it still runs on Windows 8.1. I started looking for a new program. I tried to learn GIMP. After about six month, several books, and a lot of frustration, I gave up. I went with Corel Paintshop Pro. I think I paid $60 bucks or so for it. It works fine for everything I need to do when it comes t editing photos.

 

[donheff]

I have used GIMP and Photoshop off and on for years. I always come back to Photoshop because I prefer the interface to GIMP. But, digressing, I have been unhappy with what can be done in a smartphone since I often want to quickly tune a snapshot and email to someone or post it on Facebook. I recently discovered Snapseed, a free app for IOS (and I presume Android) that provides excellent sliders for simple tuning of brightness, shadows, levels, saturation, etc. right in the phone. You can "fix" dark shadows and use a copy of the photo immediately while saving the original for later fine tuning on your favorite full suite. Worth a look for those of you who have shared my frustration.

 

[W2R]

I use to use, Microsoft Digital Image Pro. They stopped making it about five years ago, but it still runs on Windows 8.1. I started looking for a new program. I tried to learn GIMP. After about six month, several books, and a lot of frustration, I gave up. I went with Corel Paintshop Pro. I think I paid $60 bucks or so for it. It works fine for everything I need to do when it comes t editing photos.

I have been using an ancient version of PaintShop Pro, that I bought back in the 1990's for $30 or so IIRC and it has served me well for almost 20 years. I like it and I am used to using it by now.

It still works in Windows 10 although there are registry issues and Windows 10 won't allow it to be the default for image file types any more, as it allowed in Windows 8.1.

So, I am thinking of upgrading to the latest version of PSP soon. It's time.

 

[Rustic23]

For my iPad/iPhone I use this https://t.co/ankN3bLvl7. It is called photo editor by axiem systems. Has just about all the quick editing functions you could want. I use the sharpening tool a lot on iPhone pics.


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[Gotadimple]

I have used Photoshop Elements, tried GIMP, and failed. I am currently using Serif PhotoPlus. This software has most of the same features as Photoshop CC, but no monthly subscription. Download for under $100. Good online tutorials.

I believe you can download a limited version of the software to try after you register on the site.

Rita

 

[target2019]

I used to play for many hours each day with Photoshop and then Photoshop Elements. I moved on to Picasa and found it could handle the minor adjustments and cropping very well. The key reason I use Picasa is that it can easily publish photos to external sources.

I only use it with JPEG, as I don't have a camera that can shoot raw files. I know if you have high expectations that is the way to go, and team the file with Lightroom or similar.

 

[Walt34]

I started out with Photoshop Elements several years ago and later started using Lightroom and then the full version of Photoshop. I'm now using LR cc and Photoshop cc and think they are worth the $10/month.

One of the nice things about LR is that it never alters the original image. You can make your adjustments to an image but then you have to "export" that image with those adjustments to a new file. I shoot RAW because you have so much more data to work with that you can get a good image out of a file that would be useless if shot in jpg. You have a lot more room to work in with RAW files.

I'd highly recommend Scott Kelby's books on LR and Photoshop. There is a learning curve and if you use them to their full capability it will take a while to learn them. I think the rewards make the investment in time worthwhile. I'll probably never learn all there is to Photoshop.

http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Lig...sr=1-1&keywords=scott+kelby+photoshop+cc+2015

The Adobe Photoshop CC Book for Digital Photographers (2014 release) (Voices That Matter): Scott Kelby: 9780133900859: Amazon.com: Books

 

[Ronstar]

I second Walt's recommendation for the Kelby books.

I like Gimp to do crazy stuff like this - taking a moon from one of my photos, blowing it up and sticking it in another photo.

 

[Jackanory]

I'll give a shout-out to IrfanView, which is less about editing, more about processing. It allows use of Adobe style 8BF filters, like the ones from Topaz Labs. It even handles one or two RAW formats, though nothing remotely comprehensive.

 

[Walt34]

I like Gimp to do crazy stuff like this - taking a moon from one of my photos, blowing it up and sticking it in another photo.

Or you can change the color of something. I did this in PS Elements a while back but I suppose Gimp will do it too. The neat thing to me was that it picked up on the reflections on the ground.

 

[Ronstar]

I haven't changed colors yet in Gimp. I find that Gimp has a large learning curve - at least for me. I have a small group of tasks that I use gimp for - mainly taking something unsightly out of a photo. Aside from that, I find it tough to master.

I keep thinking of switching to PS, but I don't need more than LR and an occasional gimp edit to do what I do now. I'll get there someday. Walt - you're truck looks just fine in blue.


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[38Chevy454]

I'll give a shout-out to IrfanView, which is less about editing, more about processing. It allows use of Adobe style 8BF filters, like the ones from Topaz Labs. It even handles one or two RAW formats, though nothing remotely comprehensive.

I also use Irfanview for my little point and shoot digital camera. Good for cropping and minor adjustments. I do not do anything serious, mostly posting pics on internet or for selling stuff. So no high quality or performance required. Price is right: free.

 

[Sunset]

I'm only a light user of photo editing, so I use GIMP because its free, and I've also liked using Irfanview for doing bulk actions on a directory of photos (like making thumbnail images).

 

[folivier]

I'm another RAW shooter. I use Lightroom 5 and occasionally Topaz Adjust for dramatic effects. Shooting RAW allows so much more adjustability than jpeg, especially being able to drop highlights and boost dark areas. Really brings out clouds on a bright day.

 

[donheff]

I'm another RAW shooter. I use Lightroom 5 and occasionally Topaz Adjust for dramatic effects. Shooting RAW allows so much more adjustability than jpeg, especially being able to drop highlights and boost dark areas. Really brings out clouds on a bright day.

I have never shot or processed RAW. The advanced edits I most appreciate in Photoshop include values, curves, setting neutral gray with a dropper, and the shadow and highlight controls. Those controls seem to work well with jpegs. Are they substantially more useful with RAW? In RAW editing can you click on a preview and see what you will get with modified vs original settings?

 

[Walt34]

I have never shot or processed RAW. The advanced edits I most appreciate in Photoshop include values, curves, setting neutral gray with a dropper, and the shadow and highlight controls. Those controls seem to work well with jpegs. Are they substantially more useful with RAW? In RAW editing can you click on a preview and see what you will get with modified vs original settings?

Yes, you will get a preview of the image as you adjust settings, at least in Photoshop and Lightroom. I've never used Gimp so can't speak for that one.

Shooting in RAW gives you much more adjustability than jpg. Two or three stops on exposure, bringing up dark areas or toning down highlights but especially bringing up underexposed areas because you have the full set of data to work with before graininess sets in. White balance is another area that gives RAW files the edge too.

In a jpg image the camera has thrown away most of the data to give you the final image. In RAW you still have it to work with. Now, in most cases the engineers who designed the camera have done a fine job anticipating what you're going to want the image to look like, and for most people that's good enough.

But not all. If you like tweaking your images, or you're especially fussy about what it should look like then you will want to shoot RAW.

Here's a good discussion of the differences: RAW vs JPEG