Which Photo Software ?

[Ridgeway]

I know that Photoshop is probably the global standard for Pros, but for home use what does anyone recommend ?

Currently using Picasa3, which is free and OK although a little limited and not that handy if you want to do something more advanced.

Someone has suggested Gimp, just down loaded it and will try this, but what do you all use and recommend ?

[Steve_bham]

you could always try photoshop elements.

[Ridgeway]

Is PS Elements just a basic version of the full blown PS version ?

[Alastair]

Lightroom 2.. and GIMP 2.. but I rarely find I want to do anything that I can't do with Lightroom (except for ventures into HDR for which I use FDRtools).

There's a 14-day free trial on LR2.

It really depends what you want to do.. Photoshop and GIMP are broadly comparable.. Photoshop Elements is a lite version.. but Lightroom is a different kind of product altogether. Which meets your needs depends on what those needs are.

[Zillion]

GIMP, as suggested above, is a superb free of charge alternative to Photoshop.

If you want 90% of the capability of the full blown Adobe product, GIMP is the only real choice without paying.

[craigg]

Lightroom 2

[Dreamsphere]

As a Photoshop user of many years I suppose I'm a little biased but Elements is a very powerful editing programme with a reasonably user friendly interface. If you have a half decent broadband connection then you could use Adobe's new free on-line Photoshop Express here (https://www.photoshop.com/express/landing.html) for basic editing (crop, resize, fix red eye etc) but if you want to perform manipulative/creative techniques using layers etc then Elements will be more appropriate.

[Ridgeway]

Ok,

So I have GIMP and PSE (30 day trial)now downloaded and now it's just a case of playing around with them to see which one meets my needs.

[Alastair]

It might help to know what your needs are?
General retouching, exposure, contrast, sharpness, etc..
Heavyweight photomanipulation
It would help to identify which software is best.

[Ridgeway]

More than the basic but without having to become a PS expert. So yes exposure, colour and general retouching but also some heavier manipulation.

I would not use this software too often so I wouldn't master it that well, hence I need something that is easy and logical to understand.

Thanks

[cardiff_gareth]

I use Photoshop CS and for HDR I use Photomatrix, although I may be getting Photoshop CS3 :thumbsup:

[periclimenes]

Another vote for Elements. Also the asset management is great: when I first installed Elements 6 it found and imported all my pix and within a couple of hours I'd got all 5k or so sorted and tagged. Awesome stuff and really nicely done IMHO

[Ridgeway]

I have been playing around with both PSE (trial version) and GIMP 2. I must admit that I am finding G2 easier for a novice like myself. I'm sure that PSE is as good if not better but it's just not as easy to follow.

Think I'd need a few hours (days) to get the hang of either to be honest, in fact both are much more complicated than the softwares that you get FOC with most Digital cameras these days or the usual MS pre-installed versions. Although G2 and PSE do seem more than capable of anything that I'd need from them.

I will try some more tomorrow with PSE just so that I can evaluate it better, not given up on it yet...