Help the newby

seacapt · 12-13-2008, 07:34 PM

First let me state that I'm not the most computer savvy guy out there! I learned photography doing yearbook pics and B/W darkroom work in the 70's ( Y'know when the dinosaurs were around). I'm used to paying for a proof sheet and then having a lab do what I ask. So Now I've made the step to digital and know that all sorts of cool stuff can be done . I find the Pentax software tedious at best. I had hoped that when I bought a $1,500.00 camera outfit I'd get state of the art software but I'm not real crazy about it. So now I'm looking at spending more buckeroos on software . PLEASE TELL ME WHAT WORKS BEST AND IS IDIOT PROOF , USER FRIENDLY , AND A VALUE PURCHASE.

metroeloise · 12-13-2008, 08:00 PM

One route to take is using the 30 trials.

I did.

This is what I found out: I have a propensity to not use whatever "everyone" is using. I tried to avoid Adobe products. I cursed Pentax for being so lame with the software. I settled in on a program and then tried Lightroom again. Done.

Smooth workflow. Plenty of power to do darn good with your photos right there (and that will only get tighter and better). And I bit it and am getting PScs4x. The two with some extra plugins will do everything I will want for a long time to come.

Cost? Ouch. I am returning to college (love my agency) which makes me eligible for the educational, substantial discount. Got a kid? Know a Student? Sign up for a class at the local community college on... Yep: Photoshop! and you are there.

YMMV if course. Lr/PS combo has weaknesses. Other programs have strengths. try them.

mtngal · 12-13-2008, 11:25 PM

I really like Lightroom. It seemed pretty intuitive, once I looked on-line at Adobe's website and watched some of the tutorials out there on it.

How much time and effort are you going to put in to learn a new software program? How much time are you going to spend processing your pictures (are you like me and love playing around with things?). If you answered "not much" to those two question, then Photoshop probably isn't for you - Elements might be better (I've never actually used Elements, so I'm going by what others have said about it). I learned Photoshop when someone gave me a boot-leg copy of Photoshop 3 and I borrowed the tutorial that came with it from someone else. I had so much fun working through those exercises that I later bought Photoshop 4, upgraded to 6, bought CS2 and then CS4 when I switched to Mac computers recently, and don't want to be without it.

However, it's not intuitive. It's great fun, I'm constantly finding things it does that I don't know about, but it's not the easiest program to learn. It's easy to use once you have learned how to do things, but its not for everyone.

*christinelandon* · 12-14-2008, 02:14 AM

So, Seacapt, a couple of questions: do you use a Mac or a PC? If you're a Mac user with a fairly recent machine, check out the free trial of Apple's Aperture 2.0 as an alternative to the cross-platform Adobe Lightroom. Both are strong processing tools for the photographer into "straight" photography.

Which leads to the question of whether you prefer fairly "straight" photography, or do you perhaps like lots of creative potential for using photographs in artistic ways? If the latter, then there are quite a few alternatives (several are Windows-only), but none have the power, depth, and extensibility of the full version of Photoshop. I've been using this program since it was in version 1.0 (I, too, did B&W darkroom work professionally in the 1970s) and can do just about anything I want with it and a few choice plug-ins/filter packages (nik Software, onOne Software, and Flaming Pear are my favorite add-ins).

If the cost of the full version of Photoshop or its learning curve are daunting, I can recommend Photoshop Elements, which gives nearly all the PS goodies in a simpler interface, at one-sixth the price (retail).

I own perhaps a dozen other image editing software packages, but spend 98% of my digital photo processing, editing, and manipulation time in Photoshop, for what it's worth. That's my story; your mileage may vary. Try metroeloise's advice and check out some free trials to see what you like!

Photo Tramp · 12-14-2008, 05:30 AM

OK everyone has told you Photoshop is the best, and believe me their right. I have been a Photoshop user for many years and have upgraded a few times from CS2 to CS3, and now CS4, Yes it's a great product, but it is learning intense, and expensive. (your first born would just about cover the price tag.) As a new B to Post processing I would first Recommend something like Picasa (free download from GOOGLE) to get you started or Photoshop Elements (reasonably priced and easy to learn and then move on from there if you need to. Coral has Paintshop x2 out on the market (some where around $70.00 USD) It's a nice program and easy to learn with a lot of power and tools.
As was said before take the 30 trial challenge and find out which is right for you.

kerrowdown · 12-14-2008, 06:03 AM

Good wise words there from Photo Tramp, CS3 may be about cheaper now that CS4 is on the scene, keep your eyes peeled.