| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
OK all, we're on vacation in Key West right now, playing with our new (and much FUN) Canon 50D. 12MP translates to a GREAT photo!! Anyway, I have the programs that came with the Canon, but are there any photo editor software programs out there that really stand out? I just want to fiddle and play some, and ideally be able to transfer the shots to true black and white - that was my preferred medium in college and I'm finding myself taking pics specifically with b&w in mind. | ||
| Froggy |
If you can afford it, Photoshop cant be beat. Paint.net is a good free alternative. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
The best photo editor is Photoshop, of course. Problem is, it is very expensive, and really a professional app that takes years to master. Photoshop makes a consumer version called Elements that has most of what you need in Photoshop and cost less than a hundred buck. Lots of cameras an printers and scanners come with Elements for free, so ask your friends, and look on eBay. There are plenty of them around. If you are a MacPerson, you can use iPhoto which is very easy to use, and is part of the iLife suite. It cost $79 and includes iWeb, iMovie, iTunes and garage band, all cool apps. Make sure that you investigate the raw data mode of shooting your camera: it can increase photo quality, especially if you make large prints. www.photomorse.com | ||
| Hexangler |
Learn Digital Photo Professional (DPP) that came with your camera (free). It should be able to do everything you need to make stunning images (RAW, RGB, or grayscale). Photoshop Elements can do everything that Photoshop Professional can do. It's user interface is just "dumbed down" but it is a surprisingly complex software for the money. | ||
| B00stzx3 |
Gimp is an open-source alternative to Photoshop. I haven't used it much, but if its as good as Firefox or Songbird (other open source stuff) you can't go wrong. | ||
| Indybuell |
+1 on iPhoto! Aperture is also another great app for the Mac. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Yeah, the wife has a Mac...but I'm not allowed to touch it, LOL. I am shooting RAW, and the cam is storing both that and jpg versions of each shot. Side by side, I can *see* the difference between the 2, even on my little laptop screen. I'll keep digging, thanks all  | ||
| Sparky |
For a Mac user, $35 can get you GraphicConverter. It's great for batch processing to resize bunches of pix, converting one format to another, simple photo editing and previewing pix before editing. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Personally I think iPhoto is the worst piece of software Apple has ever released. And Photoshop is the best software ever. :-) | ||
| Greenlantern |
Learn Digital Photo Professional (DPP) that came with your camera (free). It should be able to do everything you need to make stunning images (RAW, RGB, or grayscale). +1 You will get the best results out of DPP. Interface could be a little more intuitive but it also is set for the Canon image algorithms which will get the best results, especially with the raw files. | ||
| Jb2 |
+ 1 Danger Dave | ||
| Greenlantern |
Personally I think iPhoto is the worst piece of software Apple has ever released. And Photoshop is the best software ever. :-) No that would be iMovie HD, But you were close. Photoshop is well....Photoshop, but at going street price it is not worth it for anybody but professionals or sadistic b***ards who like to play Jeebus with the pixels.That is unless you have a student or teacher in the family to make the purchase, then you can by the whole friggin Adobe suite for less than the price the rest of us pay for Photoshop alone. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Depends what version of iMovie HD. I still use the first one to make all my vids. V2 was utter bollocks. V3 just released has gone back to the original interface apparently - and should be quite usable. With iPhoto - when I edited and saved a file in psd - and then try to open in iphoto again later - it hung. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
As a professional photographer, I use Photoshop CS4 every day, on a G5 Power Mac with Leopard. Great system. However, I do use iPhoto for several things. Firstly I used it to load photos onto my web site which I made with iWeb. Secondly I use it to load photos on to my iPhone, which is a great portable photo album. Thirdly I use it for slide shows when I lecture on photography. It allows the instant display of appropriately sized pictures where slide shows made from large Photoshop files can clog even large caches, and slow down the show. So, as the English say, horses for courses. For most non professionals, the latest iPhoto run on Leopard is a sweet deal, and I believe it may even support raw files. Even for pros, the integration of iPhoto with iWeb and iPhone, make it a very useful tool. www.photomorse.com | ||
| Danger_dave |
Good thing is you can do all the integration to phone and web without using iPhoto too. :-) | ||
| Reepicheep |
I'm running an older version of photoshop elements, and it seems to do everything I want. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Nah - Surely everyone does 400mb layouts with psd?  | ||
| Hexangler |
For the Nikon enthusiast try Nikon Capture NX 2. .NEF and other image files can be edited using LCH (Luminosity, Chroma, Hue). This is very handy for adjusting the contrast (Luminosity channel) of an image without touching the color channels (Chroma and Hue). Something Photoshop can only do if you convert your RGB images to LAB. I like Nikon Capture even better than Photoshop for enhancing digital photos. Very fast and intuitive. It is NOT for colleges, layers, or graphic arts designs. For professional portrait work (school, wedding, events, etc) there is a software called Digital Darkroom which seems to integrate with quality output labs like Bay Photo. And Bay Photo also has web-based image editing/ordering software called ROES which can make final adjustments before prints are ordered. http://bayphoto.com/ Under $2 for an 8x10 "wet print" from a digital file. Funny thing is, they, like most pro labs only take RGB.jpg files in sRGB colorspace. So you will have to convert your .RAW or .NEF images before you upload the .jpg's to be printed! A wet print is traditional color negative print paper exposed by Red, Green, and Blue light by a computer and chemically processed RA4. I like these better than ink jet prints. | ||
| Ratbuell |
waitwait..."student"? "Adobe suite"? Hmm...wife's in school....and since she won't let me touch her Mac... | ||
| Greenlantern |
There you go... http://www.academicsuperstore.com/products/Adobe/P hotoshop+Extended/933475 http://www.academicsuperstore.com/products/Adobe/C reative+Suite+Master+Collection/933343 http://www.academicsuperstore.com/eligibility | ||
| Froggy |
Woot I work at a college, I must qualify!  | ||
| Joe_solo |
My primary camera is a Nikon D80 have a Fuji F50fd for point & shoot. I use Nikon NX2 and Gimp. Between the two I can do some great editing. http://www.flickr.com/photos/10729602@N05/2900111647/in/set-72157603752018531/ (Message edited by Joe_Solo on March 17, 2009) | ||
| Bjbauer |
You want to go with Adobe Lightroom. This was developed for photographers and has great modules and a great way to organize and find photos. I have Photoshop as well but rarely use it anymore. Also, shoot in RAW. Enjoy your camera. BB | ||
| Bjbauer |
Forgot to add that it is considered one of the best for conversion to Black and White. If you do make a purchase download and watch the tutorial from Luminous Landscape. http://www.luminous-landscape.com/ Worth every penny. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Wow. I'm using a fuji F31FD now... that F50fd is an impressive little point and shoot. All it needs is a 28mm effective lens (errr, the view I used to get with a 28mm on a 35mm SLR, however you say that) and it would be ***perfect***. I wish they would make a non clamshell F50FD with simple screw on interchangable lenses... Even if they weren't zoom. Think "the perfect modern Leica"... | ||
| Sanchez |
> I have the programs that came with the Canon Canon's Digital Photo Professional is actually really good. It isn't Lightroom, but it also isn't $300. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Maybe I just need to read the instructions then, but I can't seem to get it to change to a totally b&w image for me....me, Key West. Books, Maryland. I'll sort it out when I get home | ||
| Spiderman |
Just got this in an email from worth1000.com http://aviary.com/home?worth1000 | ||
| Danger_dave |
'create and edit with the world'. fat ferkin' chance. my way or highway. |
