Photograph Software

[Lil Simba]

I'm interested in getting some digital photography software, so that I can play around with my photo's e.g. make them look like they have been drawn or painted. What is the best software to get to do this. I'm very new to digital photography so I'm looking for something quite simple to use.

 

[jann1033]

i have photoshop elements, it's fairly easy to learn to use and has lots of features for a reasonable price...there is also the gimp( free) but i just downloaded it and so not really familiar with it..however you probably got some software with your camera so that is always a great place to start. also if you do a google search you'll come up with tons of free downloads you can use to see what you like ie paint shop, some microsoft ones, etc( that's what i did, downloaded every freebie/trial i could find)

 

[photo_chick]

I think Photoshop Elements is great software to get your feet wet. It has some great filters already there to get the effects you are describing. It does talke a little learning, but it is not hard. I have been teaching my 6 year old to use it becasue it has a lot of one click filters that give pretty interesting results fairly quickly. It also has more advanced features for when you get more proficient with it.

 

[Lil Simba]

Thanks Guys
I will have a look round for it.

 

[DueyDooDah]

I have to give a nod to Elements, also. Not only is it fairly easy, it also has good organizing capabilities, can be very powerful if you need that, and the editing portion is a subset of the industry standard, Photoshop. If you use Photoshop (any version) and have a question, people will normally respond by telling you the Photoshop commands. No need to later ask, "How can I do this Photoshop function in <insert imaging software name here>". Also, if you ever get the itch to upgrade, there is no new learning curve. You will already know how to use the pro version.

 

[BFL]

Photoshop Elements 5 is the "perfect" program - some learning but easy to use and has a great organizer within the program to categorize your pics. You can download a 30-day trial version from Abode.com to try before you buy (approx $99.99 from Adobe).
Barbara

 

[deletedpenguin]

I agree with everyone else here, Elements is a good entry program.

 

[souper]

Hi!
Just wanted to give another vote for photoshop elements. I have version 4.0I believe 5.0 is the most recent release. One thing I found helpful was to take out some photoshop elements books from the library. They helped me learn the program decide which book to buy~for keeps.

 

[Groucho]

If you want to play with effects like making it look like a painting, etc, you can give Irfanview a try - it's a free (and small) download - see the link in my signature. It has a bunch of built-in filters and effects. It can also use standard Photoshop 8BF filters, sometimes you can find some for free downloads on the net.

This might be a good way to get the feel for it before spending the money for Elements or similar, and even if you do buy one, Irfanview is IMHO much faster and easier for basic photo work like cropping, rotating, resizing, etc, while you'd use Elements for more serious editing like editing people out of backgrounds, touching up blemishes, etc.