editing software

[d3mckinl]

So I've been shooting for about a year with my D90 and finally upgraded my computer to one that will handle photo editing. My dilemma is which software package to buy/use. Currently I use ViewNX that came with the camera and Picasa but finding my self very limited to options. I don't want to do any crazy heavy editing but would like the ability to do HDR, cropping and general enhancements of my shots while I learn to perfect the process of capturing the picture. I don't generally like pictures that are obviously edited. I like the natural look.

Thanks for your recommendations on new software.

 

[photo_chick]

Lightroom is great for image management, light editing and RAW processing. Photoshop Elements is good for heavier editing, and Photoshop CS is good when you want to do it all editing wise. Neither of the versions of Photoshop are great for image management. They both use Bridge and it blows which is why a lot of us use both Photoshop and Lightroom. Go to Adobe's site and download the free trials and play with them. It's really the best way to figure out which one is best for you. While you're at it, visit Bibble Labs site and download Bibble. It's another great piece of editing software that's often overlooked. For HDR you may want to consider a plug in or stand alone app like Photomatix.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

I've recently been converted to Adobe Lightroom + Photoshop CS. I was stubborn and held onto my Microsoft Digital Image Pro years and years after Microsoft stopped supporting it. I just didn't want to learn new software.

I took the plunge and bought the Adobe products recently when I signed up for a photography class at my local community college. I can't believe what I was missing out on. I highly recommend both products. Check to see if you qualify for the education discounts for significant savings on both products.

Be sure to check out Adobe's You Tube channel for training videos on both products. You can also check out kelbytraining.com as another excellent learning resource.

 

[alloyd1170]

I use LR and Photoshop, but just started playing with Photoshop CS6 Beta. Love it! Will be buying it when it becomes available. There is an option to play around with HDR without having to take several exposures. Since I have yet to try HDR, I found this really easy. It might not qualify as true HDR though.

 

[Daisy14'sDH]

I use LR3, CS5 on occasion, and Photomatix for HDR

 

[krb2g]

I use photoshop cs5 with topaz filters and photomatix pro on my computer. When I'm at my parents' house and have to edit something for my mom (or even just print at a non-standard size) I've found that GIMP (free!) serves many of my purposes.

 

[SrisonS]

Lightroom will be able to handle most of what you probably want to do (unless you want to replace/remove things and get super creative), and with great ease. And Photomatix is great for HDR work.

And GIMP is free Photoshop-esque software that you might want to look into. But the last time i looked (a few years ago), it didn't support RAW files. That could've changed by now. But if you shoot in jpeg, you're set.

 

[wbeem]

I use Aperture as my DAM, Photomatix for HDR processing, Photoshop for most final processing.

The programs being recommended are all good. The trick is to understand how to use them and which ones to use for the best results. We haven't even really started to talk about plugins yet. You can end up spending a lot of money on post procession software. That doesn't mean you have to start off with a big expenditure, though.

I'd suggest starting with a program like Aperture or Lightroom to organize your photos and handle simple editing tasks. It'll probably do 80% of what you need. Once you start finding situations where you want to do something that isn't working in the program, then it's time to start looking for your next tool to supplement what you have.

 

[d3mckinl]

Thank you all for your input. It looks like I have more researching to do to find just what my needs are to figure the software tht matches the most. I think I'm leaning to lightroom.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Is there a big difference between Lightroom 3 and 4? I was interested in buying it, but we still have Windows xp and it looks like Lightroom 4 will not work for us?

 

[wbeem]

Is there a big difference between Lightroom 3 and 4? I was interested in buying it, but we still have Windows xp and it looks like Lightroom 4 will not work for us?

Yes, it's a major release. There are improvements in photo editing and added features for maps & books. From my perspective, this was mostly a "catch up with Aperture" release.

Check out this site from NAPP.

http://www.photoshopuser.com/lightroom4