Simple Photo Editing Advise

[Heywood]

Hi
Now, I know its old and basic but for many years I used Microsoft Picture It 99. Recently my computer had major problems and I lost the software. I used it mainly for cutting around objects to put on plain white / coloured backgrounds, I found it easy to use and able to feather the edges to make them look smooth and add text.
I would like to find something similar, not subscription though, and possibly to trial it first, anyone have any suggestions please.

 

[Box Brownie]

Hi and welcome to TP

Purely a couple of suggestions to consider:-

Photoshop Elements
Paintshop Pro
Affinity Photo (maybe Affinity Designer?)

Though for the simplicity and feature that you mention, you may find that all current software is that little bit more complex?

Others along soon with more insights for you?

 

[ancient_mariner]

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Package - like photoshop but FOC) would do it, but may be too complex. OTOH it's free so won't cost more than time to try it.

On1 Photoraw is a paid application (not subscription) that has tools to select parts of an image and control edges etc, blend, merge, add text etc.

Welcome to TP.

 

[Heywood]

Thank you, will have a look

 

[Mintchocs]

Paint.NET - Download

Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for computers that run Windows.

www.getpaint.net

I haven’t used it but you might want to see if suits your needs.

 

[SFTPhotography]

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Package - like photoshop but FOC) would do it, but may be too complex. OTOH it's free so won't cost more than time to try it.

On1 Photoraw is a paid application (not subscription) that has tools to select parts of an image and control edges etc, blend, merge, add text etc.

Welcome to TP.

I was going to PM you about On1 RAW - since capture 1 won't work on 645z files I won't go back to LR but this is probably best out in the open/

Can you customize it's work space. I wouldn't use a lot of the "effects" as I prefer to do it all in curves - which comes under effects rather than in the basic develop tab. It's not an effect like a colour swap but a fundamental all in one way to set tone, contrast and colour in one.

What I'd want in the develop tab would be tone (blacks, contrast, whites etc, mid tones) - curves, retouching, saturation for individual colours and sharpen plus crop. Can you customer this tab to be like this so you've not got to go through so many menus to get to something so commonly used.

Is there a way to configure it this way. I like the way on1 doesn't have a catalogue - i prefer to arrange my files manually and the side car can sit alongside it - makes backing up easy. On1 RAW has this over C1pro and LR.

Otherwise it will be DXO lab as that can be configured manually and it works off sidecar files. Simply copy/paste the folder to another drive and job done.

 

[ancient_mariner]

I was going to PM you about On1 RAW - since capture 1 won't work on 645z files I won't go back to LR but this is probably best out in the open/

Can you customize it's work space. I wouldn't use a lot of the "effects" as I prefer to do it all in curves - which comes under effects rather than in the basic develop tab. It's not an effect like a colour swap but a fundamental all in one way to set tone, contrast and colour in one.

What I'd want in the develop tab would be tone (blacks, contrast, whites etc, mid tones) - curves, retouching, saturation for individual colours and sharpen plus crop. Can you customer this tab to be like this so you've not got to go through so many menus to get to something so commonly used.

Is there a way to configure it this way. I like the way on1 doesn't have a catalogue - i prefer to arrange my files manually and the side car can sit alongside it - makes backing up easy. On1 RAW has this over C1pro and LR.

Otherwise it will be DXO lab as that can be configured manually and it works off sidecar files. Simply copy/paste the folder to another drive and job done.

AFAICS On1 have tried to set up their software so people imagine there is a set of development tools, a set of effects, a set of local adjustment tools etc etc. all kept separately. However in prcatice they're all just a bunch of different filters & masks, exactly like Lightroom.

To work the way I *think* you want to work, I would use the effects module alone because that's where all the best image development tools are anyway. I would then make a 'preset' containing tone adjustment, colour enhancement, dynamic contrast, curves and sharpening, leaving all the settings either on zero as a starting point, or set to 'typical' default values in the way Lightroom, Capture One etc do. After importing I would apply the pre-set to all images and you would then have all the usual tools you need in a customised order, ready to go.

FWIW I don't really touch the develop module when I use it. The effects tone adjustment filter works much more like the controls in Lightroom, and is more powerful & useful than the tone adjustment in the develop module anyway. At some stage I'm going to have to leave LR, and I'll almost certainly adopt On1 for all image development - but just not yet.

 

[SFTPhotography]

To work the way I *think* you want to work, I would use the effects module alone because that's where all the best image development tools are anyway. I would then make a 'preset' containing tone adjustment, colour enhancement, dynamic contrast, curves and sharpening, leaving all the settings either on zero as a starting point, or set to 'typical' default values in the way Lightroom, Capture One etc do. After importing I would apply the pre-set to all images and you would then have all the usual tools you need in a customised order, ready to go.

I could make that work actually - thanks. When the new machine arrives I'll trial DXO photolabs and on1 RAW