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05-26-2011, 07:48 AM   #1
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Freeware alternative to Lightroom?

Hi there.

Is there a good freeware alternative to Lightroom? I can't afford to drop that kind of cash into a piece of software right now.

I've heard of BlueMarine... Anyone here used it?

Cheers,
Bobbo :-)

05-26-2011, 08:55 AM   #2
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Do you know any students or teachers? The student and teacher version of lightroom 3 is only $80 on amazon or newegg
05-26-2011, 09:31 AM   #3
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Hmmmmmm... one of my best friends is a college prof., though her field is history. And I work with a college gal, so that might be an option.

Does Lightroom offer any big advantages over Photoshop 7?

Cheers,
Bobbo :-)
05-26-2011, 10:22 AM   #4
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You can try this:
Phocus

It is slow compared to Lightroom.

05-26-2011, 11:07 AM   #5
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It's time or money.

You can do almost everything in PS Elements that you can do in Lightroom, if you are willing to spend the time learning how to jump through PSE's hoops... then jumping through them. Or, using LR (augmented by TOPAZ and NIK plug-ins, if needed), you can finish a K-5 image in as little as 2 minutes... certainly, less than 5.

What are your priorities? Taking photos, or sitting in front of your computer?

LR's low learning curve makes it a bargain. Get it and don't look back.

My 2 cents...
05-26-2011, 11:35 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by enoeske Quote
Do you know any students or teachers? The student and teacher version of lightroom 3 is only $80 on amazon or newegg
Just be aware that this isn't legal by Adobe. Education license is non-transferable.

You might be able to find an older version for cheaper.
05-26-2011, 12:38 PM   #7
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You don't say what OS you are on. But if you can consider Linux, check out the thread in this forum on applications for that platform.

05-26-2011, 02:05 PM   #8
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You could try Rawtherapee (version 3 is coming soon).
Regards,
Luis
05-26-2011, 02:10 PM   #9
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You can try GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program available for Mac and Windows.
05-26-2011, 05:42 PM   #10
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Faststone

I am not familiar with Lightroom, but have used Photoshop and Elements for many years. More recently I've found Faststone to be excellent for routine processing, and it makes for a fast workflow. For anything too advanced, I just shell out of Faststone and open the image in Elements, then drop back to Faststone to finish it. Faststone is free, and opens all file types equally well (including .pef and any other raw file). You can download it from FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer ... -- even though it says "FastStone Image Viewer" it is MUCH more than just a viewer or organizer. The recent release has cloning and healing which is especially great for those of us who shoot and scan film (OUT damn spot!).

-Joe-
05-26-2011, 06:27 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by lpfonseca Quote
You could try Rawtherapee (version 3 is coming soon).
Regards,
Luis
How soon? I use 2.4 and love it.
05-26-2011, 08:37 PM   #12
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Guess I shoulda mentioned I'm on Windows 7 Professional 64-bit...

I'll try Rawtherapee, GIMP & Phocus. Thanks for the tips.
=================================================
Michaelina2:

"What are your priorities? Taking photos, or sitting in front of your computer?"

Food & rent are pretty high on the list.

"LR's low learning curve makes it a bargain. Get it and don't look back."

It's a bargain if you have $300.

Cheers,
Bobbo :-)
05-26-2011, 09:55 PM   #13
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I've used Elements for the past 3 years and it did all I really needed. I recently bought Lightroom, mainly because Adobe offered it to Elements users for $99. I would never have paid full price for it. You still will need some other photo editing program to go along with Lightroom. I find the Elements/Lightroom a good combination and I have about $150 invested in the total package.
05-29-2011, 07:29 PM   #14
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For most uses, Lightroom/Elements is a great combo. Unless you're planning on going hard-core with your PP, Elements will do a great job.

FYI - FastStone is only free for home use. Any commercial use requires purchasing the license, which for $35 with a lifetime upgrade license, isn't a bad deal.
06-01-2011, 11:32 PM - 1 Like   #15
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It's not freeware but Cyberlink is offering a free version of their new PhotoDirector app on release if you test out the beta and return feedback before June 20th.

PhotoDirector 2011 Beta Version - Professional Quality Photo Editing Software

Trying it out now and it does import Pentax RAWs from my K100D and Adobe DNG files just fine. I have yet to test out more than that at the moment though.
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