which program to get?

[john sharon]

hi all
its all new to me. the thing i'm learning is that as well as having a good camera you all so need a good photo editing program which to me is a little scary cause i'm also computer illiterate. so any advise for a user friendly programs for dummies would be great.

thanks john

[ricktas]

HI John,

Friendly programs..hmmmn

OK. I would suggest photoshop elements. It uses the software engine of Photoshop, but a much more consumer price bracket. There are a huge pile of tutorials on the internet for Elements to help you on your way. Youtube can be a great source of instructional videos. http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...beginners&aq=1

[bigdazzler]

Welcome to AP mate.

If you plan to take a LOT of pictures with that shiny new camera (and you will ), along with Photoshop Elements as Rick suggested above, you should check out Adobe Lightroom. It is an image cataloging program that allows you to organise your images and keep your collection all neat and tidy. It is also a RAW processor (which you will eventually need), and an image editor as well. This book is fantastic for someone new to Lightroom .. it will make life a whole lot easier for you if you do choose to buy.

Lightroom and Elements are both Adobe Software so they integrate and work seamlessly together. You wont go wrong with that combination for your editing

[nah1981h]

I am in the same boat and have been looking for a reasonably priced program - although I've only just got my computer back after not having it since the start of March so now I can get serious with it.

[ameerat42]

Cheap, eh? PaintShop used to be, and maybe still. Have a look at this page, and down the bottom for others. Am.
http://download.cnet.com/Corel-Paint...-10001995.html

BIG PSSSS! Whatever you do, DON'T run the "Free" scan at the top of the page.

[bigdazzler]

if you want ultimate cheap ..... like "free" cheap ..... The Gimp is a very capable editor. I used it for a long time before upgrading to PS + LR.

[Thomp]

+ 1 for gimp, I think its a great program to start on, does many things that photoshop can do and its free!

[Kym]

I like The GIMP but it is only an 8 bit program, but its free!

As a really simple start and handy quick editor... Paint.NET which is also free.
Its not related to Windows Paint other than name, it is the easiest photo editor and if you are at all cyberphobic this is the program for you.

If you process raw Lightroom + Elements are probably the best low cost option.

[pgbphotographytas]

I use the Gimp and Picasa which both suit me well.

[fisher]

Hi Everyone , I am much the same as John regarding computer and camera experience, has anyone had any involvement with the nikon capture NX2 program.

Cheers Glen (fisher)

[I @ M]

john sharon, try downloading any of the free programs that you can. Take time to understand the way they work (or don't) and assess what your main needs are -- photo editing or photo enhancement.

Glen (fisher) a fair bit of Capture NX2 experience here ( I have torn all my hair out ), what is it in particular that you wanted to know?

[fisher]

Hi Andrew,

just wanted to know how easy/hard it is to use, or is there a easier program to use.
Being a novice and looking at some of the photos here that have been processed they are pretty spectacular.

Cheers Glen

[I @ M]

Glen, (with apologies to john sharon for hijacking his thread) I find Capture NX quite easy to use and believe it is the best way to get a very good NEF to JPEG edited conversion in a relatively short time.

If you are wanting to create hollywood style processed to the max images it doesn't suit but as an easy to use image development tool it works very well in my opinion.

[nigo75]

A great program that is free and works better than a lot of exspensive ones is Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE) http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/...roups/ivm/ice/ used for photo stitching.........

[Thomp]

A great program that is free and works better than a lot of exspensive ones is Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE) http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/...roups/ivm/ice/ used for photo stitching.........

I've been using hugin ever since I started taking panos, just tried ICE and all I can say is WOW! Compared to hugin creating a panorama is just so simple, no need to place control points just drop the photos in and you're done. Auto crop is pretty cool tooHugin seems to give more control and options but for ease of use ICE is looking pretty awesome. That said, I think hugin is better if the pano is tricky, be much easier to fix any errors in the image.

[maccaroneski]

I will echo Andrew's endorsement of NX2 (as well as his apologies).

I would recommend Jason Odell's e-book on it. NX can be bought as a package with the Nik plugins (Color Efx) and both can be downloaded as a free 30 day trial.

[fillum]

Just to add to the above...

All of the major commercial software (Photoshop CS5, Elements, Lightroom, Capture NX2) are available as free trial downloads for 30 days. (Note that Capture NX2's primary use is for processing raw Nikon files). A quick google should locate the sources for downloading.

FWIW I use NX2 plus an old version (v4) of PS Elements.



Cheers.

[jeffde]

Start with a free one GiMP / Picassa or those mentioned above then move up later.

Concentrate on your photogrpahy first - Then play with the better programs as you need.
I've moved up to Lightroom and love it (used Picasa before that) but am still learning (and probably always will be with software LOL )...

Good luck

[jennyw]

I totally agree with Phil about downloading the free trials before purchasing, as that way you get an understanding of how each program works and you can decide which one best suits your needs.

Cheers,
Jenny

[Showipix]

HI guys - i have photoshop 6 with no user guide etc - it was installed free when I got my computer last year so had no choice when it was installed
Im trying to locate some sort of user manual or am i better to give up and upgrade to Lightroom or a more recent Adobe product? i dont even know when Photoshop 6 was brought out!!

Help!?

Thanks
Kellie