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I am looking for a software to use for editing and enhancing my photos. I've used PhotoShop in school a few years ago and really enjoyed it, but I don't want to pay the price for it. I'm thinking of purchasing the PhotoShop Elements, but want to shop around first. What do you use and recommend?
My husband is a professional photographer and my BIL is in the publishing biz. We all have Photoshop. It is the industry standard of photo software. Sorry I can't tellyou anything different but remember: You get what you pay for. I CAN say that you won't regret getting Photoshop if you do.
I use Adope Photoshop that came with my computer. It's not very user friendly though. All I do is crop, reduce size, and sometimes change to b&w or something.
Adobe Photoshop 7. Very user friendly, however still have to call DD for help. She sent me a great book to go with the softare: Teach Yourself Visually, Photoshop 7. They have it for other software too. Highly recommend it.
Elements is a scaled down version of Photoshop. If you want to go the quick and easy route I would suggest using Elements and Elements is a lot cheaper.
We use Paint Shop Pro. It is my husband's but he has taught me how to copy pictures and scan my cards w/it to send to SCS here and it is so easy to use. It can get very technical if you like those things, but all I use it for is very simple stuff. I love it though. that's my 2 cents worth for the day...
__________________ Just Plain old "S/talkin' Pinky"/
I use Microsoft Picture It! Photo Premium 9. I just checked out the site where my DH bought it and it is sold out (sorry). You could check out www.pricegrabber.com .
__________________ Debbi~SU Demo~SCS#6378 ~My Gallery~My SUO Blog~ Mother to 6 and Grandmother to Katie- 7/31/09 & Kyle-12/6/12
I use Photoshop Elements 2.0 at work and at home. I LOVE it! I bought the "for Dummies" book too and it taught me how to use a LOT of features I never would've thought about.
I have been using Microsoft Picture It but am so frustrated! When I resize pictures to submit to the Gallery, it shrinks them too much (I resize to 640X480 and the program resizes to 430X312!!) I used to like Picture It but this little problem is inspiring me to use the Paint Shop and MGI products my daughter plays with all the time. I want a program that is as easy as Picture It but works better! :(
I am a Graphic Designer/Imaging Specialist and I use Photoshop CS, the version for MAC OSX. Photoshop is the best for photo manipulation. If you just want to crop, scale and convert to BW or jpg, you don't need a full program like Photoshop, but if you think you will someday like to play with your pictures and add effects then that is the way to go.
Jasc Paint Shop Pro has nearly all the features of Adobe Photoshop at a fraction of the price. We've been using PSP for years now. It can be a little tricky, but the newer versions are definitely easier to use.
I've used PaintShopPro (and Animation Pro) for many years. PhotoShop may be the industry standard, but I'm just an amateur photographer. PaintShopPro is a fraction of the price and well worth it. It does tons of stuff that you'll probably never use, but if you spend some time with it, you can create all kinds of graphics for web sites etc. as well as edit your photos. Again, all for a fraction of the price of PhotoShop.
HTH, I've been taking a Digital Imaging Course at a local college using Photoshop Elements. It definitely has a high learning curve and can be quite frustrating for beginners & intermediate users. Good Luck.
I have Photoshop Elements 2.0. It has 1million fun things you can do, I use just a handful of them but do like it. It didn't take me long to learn the basics--but heavy duty pic enhancement might take some effort. If you are not in a hurry to buy, keep your eyes open for deals. I got my version 2 years ago for just $10! Both Amazon AND Photoshop offered rebates! It was a great deal.
Elements, Elements, Elements!! I have Elements II, and Version III is now out. Has everything you need from Photo Shop at an affordable price. I am taking a class now at Community College in photo editing, but recently took a weekend class learning to do collage with Elements. This is fantastic to work with stamps for scrapbooking. Unlimited possibilities. Can you tell I am excited??
Wow, guys. I just downloaded Picasa, as recommended above, and actually really like it. For some standard photo manipulation, it's doing a great job for me. It organized all of my photos and I just started to play after that. I'm no computer guru, and it's easy and user friendly, as far as I'm concerned.
I had my son in for his graduation pics a month back and wasn't real impressed with how they came out. I've been wondering if I could manipulate and reprint the photos without having to get him ready and drag him in for a re-shoot. Well, that blah color photo is now a gorgeous black and white, that has been softened and had a glow added to it. It looks great! And it took me about 10 minutes after installing the program, to get it to where I wanted it and print it out.
Anyway, for free, I think it's really worth a shot. Try it out and if you don't like it, uninstall it. What have you got to lose?
For quick & EASY photo editing, you can't beat Picasa. I've used Adobe Photoshop (limited edition that came with computer) for years and for most tasks, it's just more program than I need.
On Monday, I purchased Microsoft Digital Image Suite 10. I am just learning how to use it. I do like the file organization that it has. I have to look at the manual to do things because it is not intuitive for me. It has a 30 day money back guarantee. I had been using Adobe Photoshop version that I had downloaded for free but my free use of that software had expired. I like the things that can be done with this software -- may be the same as others. But, you can retouch photos, take lines off the face, correct for a scratch or injury your child might have, restore old photos, straighten out photos, etc.
Comp USA has a sale on this product through Feb 6 with the cost (after rebates) at $49.99. If you have purchased or purchase a digital camera (non disposable) within 30 days of purchasing software you get another $30 rebate putting the cost at $19.99.
Costco may have this same software for about $45.
So, the price is good.
Glenda
Hope I like
Wow, thank you all for your help! terylz, I checked out the links you offered and bookmarked the article on the top ten software for Windows. Don't have time to check them all out right now (have to get the boys up for school) but will soon! And I did look into the Picasa 2 and am very intrigued! As for PhotoShop, someday I may break down and purchase it, but for now it is more than I really need.
Thanks again!
What photo editing software do you use?
