any free EASY to use editing software ??

D

daftbugga

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Edit My Images
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o.k having spent way too much time screaming ,shouting ,swearing and bawling at photoshop elements 5 i've decided for the sake of my sanity to take it off my p.c and throw it out of the window .

why ?? i am out and out pig sick of it :bang::bang:

yes in case you havent already guessed i'm a complete p.c numpty and find that due to the complexity of said software i struggle with even the basics ,so what i need is something SIMPLE , any ideas ?

thank you.
 
I've never used PS or anything that cost any money.

I dont know how simple you want, but I use Picassa from google with some quite good results !!

Other than that, cant help you much...

edit: beaten to it
 
I'm not sure it gets much simpler than Photoshop Elements 5 with a decent amount of editing capabilities, the GIMP and Paint.NET come to my mind, PhotoFiltre - http://photofiltre.free.fr/utilitaires/photofiltre_en.htm might be good for you as well.

Then again, you can also read help files and search google for tutorials ;)
 
In my opinion, The easier it is to do the less unique your shots will be, Because:

1. The results will be predictable
2. Anyone can do it.

I'd take Steep's advice and start learning some more complex stuff. Head for programs like Photoshop as it has unlimited approaches to pretty much anything you throw at it.
 
Buy a monthly mag with a disc and tutorials in it then experiment with what you learn I am no expert but when I can I play with the tutorial and replace there image with one of my own Some things stick others don't but its fun trying any way :thumbs:
Bob
 
I use Corel paint Shop Pro X. Much chepaer than PS and I get some decent results. Obviously PS is the best but in my opinion it is very complicated. One day I may sit down and try and learn but for now Pro X is much easier.
 
I'd suggest Paint.Net if you're new to the scene (http://www.getpaint.net/)

If you're a fairly competent computer user, and have done some digital photo editing / graphic design before take a look at TheGIMP (http://www.gimp.org/).

Paint.Net is fairly basic, TheGIMP is more complex and has features equal to photoshop but isn't as user friendly.
 
very many thanks for the replies so far ,i'll certainly have a look at picassa .

i neglected to mention i have 1 book - elements 5 by scott kelby , it just confuses me even more :|

as for tutorials i've bought a dozen mags purely for the free discs

as i said i'm a total numpty with p.c s , more to the point i cant say as i enjoy using them .

i'm almost at the stage where i no longer enjoy photography , i still love using a camera but the p.c side of it i hate hence wanting some simple software .
 
He's not using PS, he's using elements, daftbugga if you really don't want to spend time working on your images, shoot in jpg and have photobox print them off for you m8.
 
How about visiting a local camera club to see what it's like. They often do tutorial sessions and if you "hit it off" with some of the members you may find someone to help / mentor you with image processing. I don't know where you are located in the Nottingham area but here are some links to clubs which could be in striking distance.
http://www.beestoncameraclub.co.uk/
http://www.keyworthcameraclub.org.uk/
http://www.arnoldanddistrictcameraclub.org.uk/home/
http://www.ivan.co.nz/photo-club-uk1.htm

I see from your profile that you are a nikon user. You could try the free "nikonview NX" programe which allows some basic editing or a 30 trial of nikoncapture NX both available from the nikon website.
 
If you really are fed up with Elements, then picassa is a good program for very simple edits, however, I am fairly computer literate and still found it a pain in the posterior for cataloging my folders, as most sit on an external hard drive ready catalogued the way I want, which seemed to confuse it somewhat. In fairness, I didnt give it a long enough trial to work out how to unconfuse it, and it does come highly recommended for people who dont want to spend hours at their pc, so definately give it a go

Alternatively, have a nosey around local schools and colleges for a evening/weekend class. If you are struggling to learn from a book, it may be that your learning style is more hands on [as mine is] and actualy sitting at a pc with someone showing you how to do it may help your understanding much more than trying to follow step by step instructions from text. I know colleges often do photoshop courses in 10 week stints, of beginner, intermediate and advanced, and arent usually horrendously expensive. I even knew one chap a couple of years ago in his sixties that had been a tog for years, spent a year learning photoshop full blown version, then started teaching elements at his local community centre to local people for a small fee just so they could do some basic editing.

And finally.... just enjoy your camera, afterall, if you get it right in camera, who needs editing? :naughty: :lol:
 
Hi Daft,

since you seem to be getting confused by just about anything (I wouldn't want to meet you in traffic!), chances are even Picasa may be a bridge too far for you.

Try http://snipshot.com/: FREE online editing!

If even snipshot.com confuses you, I advise you to forget the whole editing schpiel. Editing is not for you, then.

Good luck!
 
I am not suprised that Photoshop has caused frustration! :bonk:

If you only want to do simple things (e.g. cropping, rotating, resizing and basic colour improvement etc) try Irfan View (www.irfanview.com). It's free. It's basically a viewer but it does go beyond viewing, and if you get confused by computers, this less likely to confuse you.

PhotoFiltre has been mentioned. It has more power than Irfan View, but I think it's more complicated. I really like its batch processing facility that can put different shaped images all on the same shape canvas. Other than that I do not use it. But it is free (for non commercial use). Gimp is also free, but I don't think I would describe it as easy to use!

I know Photoshop is the industry standard for high-end manipulation, but it is very difficult to learn. Corel's Paint Shop Pro is much easier to learn. It has a learning centre that helps you get into the program. Once you are comfortable with using the tools, you can turn the learnign centre off. It's as simple as that. It has useful tools for example, a blemish remover that removes spots off a teenager's face with one click (or use it for any other blemishes; I used it last to remove rain drops from a car bonnet). There are a few of these automated tools that save time and give good results to those who do not understand the full features of other tools.

Paint Shop Pro compares very favourably with the full version of Photoshop, but the price compares to Elements. And it's easier to use, so there's no contest in my book.
 
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