Software Advice

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Riki

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Richard
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm after a bit of software advice. I'm really starting to get into my photography and although I'm not a huge fan of post editing (mainly because I don't know where to start) it really bugs me when I want to crop or tweak a photo. Currently I've no software that'll allow me to do this.

Ok so here's my question, what kind of software will I need? I've read a bit about Lightroom and Photoshop. Do I need both, I see some people use both? Will Lightroom be good enough at the moment for light touch-ups? Should I invest in Photoshop?

I should also state that I don't have a Mac (although I've a feeling this might change soon :lol:)

Also will Lightroom, or PS for that matter, also let me download photos from my camera in a better fashion? Currently I'm literally copying and pasting from my memory card which doesn't let me bulk name the photos...ggrrr!

Any advice would be appreciated. Apologies if I've missed a thread which explains all this!
 
You could start off by using GIMP as a free alernative to PS, does pretty much everything PS does and will let you see how you get on with it :D
 
You could also download lightroom 3 beta 2 which is free to use at the moment.
 
there's a number of options open to you, some of which have been mentioned already. You could always use Canons own DPP, which if you don't have it on disk you can download from here.

Other choices include amongst others:
Helicon filters, version 4.93.2 is available for free download.
Rawtherapee which is also free.

If you just want something to do basic editing even Irfanview will probably be able to do what you want, its tiny and free.

If you're looking at buying something then I'd get a trial of Lightroom, Bibble 5 or Lightzone (or Aperture if you decide to go for a Mac) and see which one you prefer.
 
have a look at Picassa. It's free and should help you do what you want.

After that I'd look at Photoshop Elements. It's not free but you can get a download from the Adobe web site and see if you think it's worth it. . It's a lot cheaper than Lightroom, which if you don't have a lot of images could be overkill.
 
For someone starting out, I'd suggest either GIMP or Elements.

GIMP is free, and is comparable to Photoshop in terms of what can be done with it. However it's a steep learning curve and it doesn't manage your photos. You'd need to combine this with Canon DPP (free to Canon users) and/or Lightroom for photo management. I'm running a dual booted Linux setup with GIMP and I've yet to find a decent management solution although F-Spot and DigiKam are fairly good. The problem is that when you get used to Lightroom, everything else seems to fall short.

Elements however is the best of both worlds. It's a cut down Photoshop, allowing a lot of image manipulation/post processing work, as well as handling photo management relatively well. Best news is it's affordable. A lot of the photo magazines also have tutorials on how to do x, y & z in Elements/Photoshop. GIMP tutorials are pretty much web based.

So what's your budget?

Hundreds of £'s? - Go photoshop + Lightroom. It's probably the best you'll ever need. Education/Student versions will dramatically reduce the cost assuming you have a student in your household.
Tens of £'s - Go for Elements. A good compromise.
No £'s - Go for GIMP and swallow the learning curve. Hunt around for a good free Photo Manager.

Hope this helps!

Ian.
 
Riki said:
I'm after a bit of software advice. I'm really starting to get into my photography and although I'm not a huge fan of post editing (mainly because I don't know where to start) it really bugs me when I want to crop or tweak a photo. Currently I've no software that'll allow me to do this.

Ok so here's my question, what kind of software will I need? I've read a bit about Lightroom and Photoshop. Do I need both
Click to expand...

Not really, but they do different things. Lightroom is about Image management and RAW development, Photoshop is for detailed image manipulation.

Riki said:
I see some people use both? Will Lightroom be good enough at the moment for light touch-ups?
Click to expand...

That depends on what you consider a touchup. Lightroom can do many things, but there's an awful lot it can't do which is available in Photoshop, layers being a critical differentiator, and one which would make me choose Photoshop Elements first, then add Lightroom later.

Riki said:
Should I invest in Photoshop?
Click to expand...

Certainly not the full blown CS5, but Elements is a worthwhile choice. Unless you're getting into some serious retouching or compositing it's not worth buying the full version.

Elements 8 £32.00
http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/shop/detail.asp?ProductID=6111&CategoryID=452&SubCategoryID=529

Riki said:
Also will Lightroom, or PS for that matter, also let me download photos from my camera in a better fashion?
Click to expand...

Yes. Both have import mechanisms and can do batch renaming. Photoshop uses Bridge (even in Elements) for image management.


If I were in your position, the route I'd take would be

1. Buy Elements 8
- This gives all the editing functionality that you need, and the image management features of Bridge

Next bit is a bit trickier

2a - If you buy a Mac, use iPhoto initially for image management and RAW development.

2b - If you stay on a PC, consider buying Lightroom IF you feel you need to spend £200 on an image management solution. If you find Bridge does everything you want, or you have a better system, spend the money on a Lens instead.

3. If you've bought Lightroom on your PC, then decide to move to a Mac, the license is portable. 10 mins on the phone to Adobe and you're sorted.

4. If you find you're hitting the limits of Elements, and really need it, move up to CS5
 
Great advice guys - I think I can part with 30 odd quid so reckon I'll purchase Elements to start with and see how I get on with that.

GIMP looks good tempting with it being free but I've read a few reviews which say it's not that user friendly, flicking through some magazines I've got it seems that they are all geared towards Adobe software. I'm also thinking that if I upgrade to Lightroom then it won't be too daunting if I've some experience with Elements.

Thanks for the advice!

Oh and a Mac is just a pipedream at the moment.
 
Don't forget as had been said above, Canon's own DPP and Zoombrowser which you should have with your Camera - which you can upgrade for free via Canon site, is not a bad piece of software to use :thumbs:
 
download the free trial of CS5 (photoshop and the lark)
See how you get on and see if its worth the £££.
Should be getting cs5 soon myself:)
 
Hi Richard and welcome! :)

I'm pretty much a beginner, and have lightroom and elements 8....

to start off with, lightroom is a doddle to use - everything about it is fairly obvious and simple, and you can get really nice results with it - adjust exposure, increase fill light (which is great if you get dark patches in your photos where you've not exposed correctly) adjust the colours individually, a bit of sharpening, cropping & rotating, vignetting (that darker or lighter border) and really superb file management.

Elements 8 is not so simple or straightforward to use - I had it a month before I could even import a picture!!! (yes, I KNOW I should have looked at the 'help/tutorial section! :lol:) and it's sometimes difficult to know all the things it can actually do without seeing someone elses results....

However, if you get either (or both) please consider getting the Scott Kelby books about lightroom & elements - they're a godsend for a beginner, and it's kind of like following a recipie as he assumes you know nothing at all about either program.

good luck with your choice, and as someones already mentioned, if you can get the 'education' version (you need to prove you're working in education - or get someone you know who is to buy it ;)) is much cheaper and will save you loads.

I hope that helps a bit :)
 
Agree with the comments about GIMP, but I am still finding it beyond my capabilitites, and available time, just now.

Silkypix is also good and a bit less complicated that GIMP

Photoscape is my current favourite for a quick and easy to use editor - not in the league of GIMP, but quick.

All these are free

Dave
 
If you're new to post processing, GIMP really isn't the thing to be trying to learn for starters, free or not.... :nono:
 
JasonRS said:
Elements 8 £32.00
http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/shop/detail.asp?ProductID=6111&CategoryID=452&SubCategoryID=529
Click to expand...

Be aware that the version they're selling on this site is out of a bundle, all you get is the disk, nothing else... slightly doggy, but at 1/2 the price of this version else where worth a punt....

Picasa from google is great, very basic editing functions, but has a good gallery for your images.

Photoshop Elements or Paintshop (Corel) ain't bad cut down versions, personally, think the full version of Photoshop is wasted on most people who just do the basic PP on there photo's, that software is so powerful as a graphic design editing tool, to use only 5-10% of its capability for £600-700 isn't a worthy investment, stick with Elements, it will do everything you need and abit more.....
 
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