Tech: Photo Editing Software

Subject: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 01:34 AM

Can anyone recommend a freeware, shareware, or inexpensive photo editing program that will serve an amateur well? I can do cropping and brightness control in any number of free products, but I'd like to be a little more sophisticated without paying hundreds of bucks for Photoshop or the like. $100 is my price limit.
Any suggestions?
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 05:34 AM

I am using RawTherapee and up to now it has done everything I need.

Cheers

Dave

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: DMcG
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 05:50 AM

You could look at the Nik Collection. It is marketed as plug ins to Photoshop etc but in the older versions at least you could run the various facilities stand-alone. They are not a complete editing suite but give incredibly fine correction facilities to, for example, minutely adjust the contrast in one tiny part of the photo.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Will Fly
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 11:27 AM

Gimp is open source and free but, after trying to use it several times, I just find it too complex and impenetrable. I stick to Lightroom and pay my dues.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 11:49 AM

Lightroom is a program from Adobe that I use all of the time, though I don't have a freestanding version, I start it from Adobe Bridge (if I have Photoshop open and I click on a DNG file, it also automatically opens Lightroom). That program is excellent.

Some time ago Google bought a photo processing company and for a while made it free. The Nik Collection was sold to a new company and they still let you download the earlier software for free. I've never tried it, but heard good reports. Here's an article: Google’s Free Photo Editing Software, the Nik Collection, Has Been Acquired by DxO & Will Live Another Day

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: DaveRo
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 12:04 PM

I agree that GIMP is complex and impenetrable. I find I often have to resort to the documentation, of which there's quite a lot.
https://www.gimp.org/docs/

However, I don't use it much, and rarely for editing photos, so I've no idea how it compares with commercial products for that purpose.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: MMario
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 12:23 PM

I use irfanview; but do not do much, so really can't say how it compares.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 10 Jun 18 - 12:48 PM

Inpixio is currently advertising on Twitter which costs £9, I downloaded it but my spare PC is not connected at the moment.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 03:23 AM

If I find my cracked Photoshop CC I'll put it in my dropbox.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 08:39 AM

It's well over a decade since I last bought a computer magazine,
but the CD roms stuck on the front cover regularly gave away free fully functional previous versions
of Paint Shop and similar Photo software...

Any chance they still do...???

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 12:37 PM

"Paint Shop"
I rely totally on an ancient version of Paint Shop Pro (happy to pass it on) - it may be limited but it does me fine (even to the extent of placing to pints on the plinth next to Willie Clancy on our main street A VERY SAD OMISSION
I once put signs advertising nightly lap-dancing on the front of one of our oldest and smallest bars - the elderly lady owner proudly displayed my work on her wall as a poster until the day she retired and closed the bar down
I acquired a good Photoshop programme mnay years ago but I could never manage the learning curve, so I've stuck with what I know
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: MikeL2
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 02:51 PM

Hi Joe

I have been using Photoshop Elements for years. I find relatively straight forward to use. I have gone through two or three versions as they Have improved versions. I am now on Elements version 14. They have moved on to 18 but I see no advantage in moving.

Amazon are doing version 14 for £70, I think it is worth it but you can try it and if it's not what you want leave it alone. If you have any questions please contact me.

Cheers

Mike L2

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 03:34 PM

Magix regularly send me emails about cut price offers for their photo software...

maybe worth a look...???

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 05:35 PM

I found my Photoshop CC set up file and activation replacement file, but it's 1.5 Gb.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 11 Jun 18 - 05:55 PM

A few years back, didn't adobe open their servers up for free downloads
with legit authorisation codes - no need for cracks...???

If I remember, debate at the time was if it was intentional or accidental
and, if the latter, what the legality of taking advantage was...???

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Will Fly
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 04:05 PM

I got Adobe Photoshop CS2, officially and legally, for free from an Adobe server last year - Mac OS 10.6.8. Old but perfectly serviceable.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 08:25 PM

Adobe these days is only interested in monthly fees. You might look at eBay to find an older version on disk that still has the activation codes. New Egg used to carry OEM software for lots of things, but it's harder to find now.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 10:26 PM

I heard that Gimp was freeware that worked just like Photoshop and just as well, but I never could figure the damn thing out. I got Photoshop Elements with a new camera years ago; but I didn't get very sophisticated with that, either.
There was a time when Lightroom was free, and I had reasonably good results with it; but not good enough results to want me to pay a hundred bucks once they started charging for it.
So, I've been using Microsoft Office Picture Manager, which has some modest tools for tweaking and cropping and adjusting and such. I have tools for adjusting color; but I haven't been able to get the sky to "pop" on a lot of photos, and it just turns out white or monotone grey instead of the pretty color it had in nature.
Take a look at my latest trip. You'll see that I WAS able to get the color to "pop" on a good number of photos, usually without adjustment. If you take photos in the golden hours of early morning and late afternoon, the colors can be wonderful.
I just bought three filters to supplement the UV filter I already had. I'm looking forward to experimenting with them.
-Joe-

The Colorado Plateau (click)

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 05:38 AM

Off topic somewhat
I have always fund Adobe Audition the best desktop sound editing system available - that was being handed around as a feebie not so long ago
If it's still around, grab it and give it a try if you haven't already
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 05:52 AM

I agree Jim, a feature I discovered only last week was the ability to create a delay on one channel only which can create pseudo binaurial stereo from a mono recording.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 07:27 AM

Bonz - you just reminded me of those cack 'electronically processed' mono to fake stereo LPs from the early 70s...

My "The Move" LPs on budget MFP label spring to mind...

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 08:11 AM

Yes, I think that's how they did it and then adjusted the stereo spread.

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 09:34 AM

It may have been a crude separation of bass and treble frequencies into 2 stereo channels with a reverb sweetener...???


Funnily enough, I think some of these bodged fake stereo tracks appeared on recent Move CD reissues as 'rare' alternative mixes...???

Subject: RE: Tech: Photo Editing Software
From: Will Fly
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 05:36 PM

I bought a new camera recently- a Canon M5 with an excellent 18-150mm lens. I realised that my versions of Canon's EOS import software and Adobe DNG Converter - mounted on Mac OS 10.6.8 - couldn't import/convert the RAW format that I shoot in.

This nailed my nine year old Mac, as I'd already been getting messages that I couldn't use the latest versions of Firefox and other bits of software with 10.6.8. So, having dithered for some time about buying a new Mac, I made the decision to get a new one - with OS10.13 (High Sierra).

I also installed the latest (free) versions of EOS and DNG Converter software - then thought, what the hell, and paid £100 for a year's worth of Lightoom CC. I've shot in RAW for some years now and won't shoot in JPG if I can help it. And I really like Lightroom.

Anyway, all is working very well. The new Canon lens is as clear as a bell, with superb colour capture, and the processed pictures look fine. I'm getting more and more requests for photography - postcards, prints, websites and the local press - so it's all worth it. I don't use crappy gear for my music gigs, so why should I use crappy gear for good photo gigs...

And the gigs pay for it all!