Favorite picture edit program on PC/mac ?

*tomypreach* · 11-03-2008, 08:56 PM

What do you use ? And why ?

Is the the speed of your computer that limits your choice or is the simple user menu that does it ? Or do you like the the big program ? How did you make the your choice ?

Im still looking - so links and other tips will be appreciated !

Venturi · 11-03-2008, 10:11 PM

I use two.

digiKam for photo management/organization. a) it's free and open source. b) it does the job very well. (Unfortunately I don't believe there is a Windows binary for this as yet, only linux)

LightZone for photo editing. It runs relatively fast. It has a photographer, as apposed to graphics guru, friendly interface. Has a comparable tool set to Adobe Lightroom (LZ does some things that LR doesn't and vice versa). Runs on Win, Mac & Linux.

If Adobe were to release a Linux build of Lightroom I might be swayed to either switch or to at least have both. I do like the fact that LR is a complete solution - management & processing.

Urmas R. · 11-04-2008, 03:01 AM

I use the full version of Silkypix for raw editing and conversion.
I tried all the possible raw editors (Bibble, RawTherapee, ACDSee Pro, Lightzone, etc.) and found the output resolution and color accuracy to be the best in Silkypix. I like the various color modes it offers as well as intuitive fine adjustment toolbar for colors (you can easily select only a specific color tone, for which to change hue, saturation or lightness. Sharpening is also excellent in Silkypix, as it is also very customizable. You can sharpen either the outlines or fine details or both.

My second choice would have been ACDSee Pro, as the resolution it offers is also good and it has a very nice shadow/highlight recovery tool (like an equaliser, where you can select a specific part of image, based on it's lightness).

For advanced Jpeg image editing I use the CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4. I used to have Photoshop before, but chose Corel now mainly due to price. It has more or less the same options as Photoshop has, but I still need to learn to use it properly. Fortunately Silkypix does such a good job that I do not need to use it much.

*woodworm* · 11-04-2008, 03:48 AM

I use Picasa for photo management, it's basic and there are a few features I would like adding, but it's very quick and simple to use and supports non-destructive editing. I highly recommend this.

I like Silkypix for RAW conversion, I just feel as though I get more natural results with it without having to spend a long time on each image. I don't really like the interface though, so I hope this is the one thing that will be improved in the new version (hopefully imminent).

Also have access to Photoshop CS3 at work. It's a massive application with sharp learning curve, but it is possible to achieve amazing results if you spend a little time working with it - there are a lot of useful 'How to' videos on the adobe web-site. I really like the 'photo merge' feature for creating panorama's!

The one application I haven't tried that does look good is Bibble 5 but as I am still learning how to use Silkypix and Photoshop effectively so I'm not going to be adding this any time soon.

I'm using 2 PC's (Laptop - Win XP, Intel 2.2Ghz Duo, 4Gb RAM / Desktop - Win XP, Intel P4 3Ghz, 4Gb RAM) and both run all the above without any issues at all. Photoshop really needs as much memory as possible.

newmikey · 11-04-2008, 04:21 AM

I use DigiKam for photomanagement and 16-bit operations that affect the whole file like levels, curves, NR, color/hue, brightness/contrast, sharpening, resizing, geometry adjustments etc. As Venturi noted, it is not (yet) available on Windows but a port is underway and it should not be long.

Gimp and CinePaint serve all of my pixel based editing needs like cloning, dodging and burning. (mostly Gimp because of the many plugins and scripts available)

Mike

Photo Tramp · 11-04-2008, 05:16 AM

It depends on the situation.
If I'm doing any editing or Post processing for my own personal use I use Picasa. If I do any work for other people I will start in Picasa and choose which shots I need and then edit and post process in Photoshop (Now in CS4) because I have all the apps I need and more choices and formats to work with. I find a higher quality and latitude in Photoshop.

*Wheatfield* · 11-04-2008, 06:51 AM

Originally Posted by tomypreach

What do you use ? And why ?

Is the the speed of your computer that limits your choice or is the simple user menu that does it ? Or do you like the the big program ? How did you make the your choice ?

Im still looking - so links and other tips will be appreciated !

No links, but I use Lightroom for the bulk of my work, and Photoshop CS3 (I'm still on the fence for CS4) for anything that needs post processing.
I tend to shoot what I want in camera, so I don't do much post processing beyond the raw conversions.

11-04-2008, 08:32 AM

Well, I use PSE 5.0.

Why?

When I bought my DSLR, I thought it would serve my needs.

Now, two years later, I'm still trying to figure out how to use it.

I downloaded the software which came with my camera. The instruction book could have been written in Klingon and it would have made as much sense to me.

patrickt · 11-04-2008, 08:55 AM

I have used quite a few and I'm using Lightroom2 now. My joy comes from taking the photos and not sitting in front of the computer and Lightroom2 does what I want with a minimum of fuss and bother.

stevebrot · 11-04-2008, 09:47 AM

Lightroom for most of my RAW conversion and PP

Picasa on my laptop for use on the road.

Paint Shop Pro for Orton and other out-right photo manipulation.

Steve

kurt · 11-04-2008, 10:42 AM

RAW & PP: Silkypix
Editing: PS CS3 (benefit from the job)

Planning to get LightZone because it includes some nice features.

rfortson · 11-04-2008, 10:44 AM

I've had Photoshop Elements 5 for a while, but I've mainly used the Pentax software as I like the raw conversion and it's quicker than PSE.

However, I've finally decided to dive into Adobe Lightroom 2. I'll keep the Pentax software for one shot here or there, and for my laptop. Otherwise, I'll use Lightroom.

I also took advantage of the Adobe educational program since my daughter in kindergarten just had to have it.

Seriously, you'll qualify for the discount with a report card and it's more than 50% off. I paid $115 shipped (with Texas state sales tax) from Academicsuperstore.com. Great service from them. I'd recommend them for other similar purchases.

Mindflux · 11-04-2008, 10:44 AM

Currently toying with Aperture 2 trial. Though I too have CS3 from the job. Though I have no idea how to go about post processing pictures yet so I'm still grasping those fundamentals.

*tybeck* · 11-04-2008, 12:56 PM

RAW Developer for conversion and whole pictures adjustment. Lightzone for conversion and adjustment where differences in regions is need. Noise clean up with NoiseNinja as needed. I'm still looking for a good photo management tool for Mac, Aperture or Lightroom seem to be the best, but I can't really run them well on my old Powerbook. Right now I just descriptive folder names.

Nico · 11-04-2008, 01:45 PM

I use Lightroom 2.1 and CS3. Lr's dual monitor support is great. After raw/jpeg processing you can export from Lr to CS3 with just a click. Lr will send a copy of the image with all the adjustments presets. After you close the CS3, the edited image goes straight back to Lr (PSD). Since a copy was edited you will have two images next to each other in the browser/catalog.