[pentaxian_tmb]

So, I have not kept up with tech for the last 10 years. Untill tonight, I was running Windows 7 with a hard copy of Elements 11 and DxoOptics.

I am not interested in a subscription, web-based, or cloud-based photo editor.

I am just a hobbiest who shoots in RAW. So, I need a raw converter and a "decent" basic editor to mess with levels, layers, filters, and clone/repair, etc. I don't want something I need a 1000 page manual to figure out.

What are my options for opensource and actual purchase of a commercial product?

[boriscleto]

Commercial products

ON1 Photo RAW 2020 – ON1

Cutting-edge Photo Editor for Mac & PC | Skylum

The complete photo editing software solution | Capture One

DxO PhotoLab 3 - The Most Advanced Photo Editing Software

Affinity Photo ? Professional Image Editing Software

[jlstrawman]

Free basic editor:

www.faststone.org

[k0og]

Hello, & welcome to the world of modern tech!

I also shoot raw, 100%. For initial screening, I use Faststone Image Viewer (it's free): FastStone Image Viewer, Screen Capture, Photo Resizer ... -- I use Faststone to just browse through the images I download from the camera to cull the obviously-bad ones. Then I use the Pentax Digital Camera Utility (that comes with the camera) to process/tweak the exposure and white balance, exporting the images to a separate folder in high-quality .jpg format. Then I make another pass on the resulting .jpg images with Faststone to crop and resize, exporting to appropriately-sized .jpg images, depending on the intended end use (on-line viewing, printing, further rework). If I will do serious rework on an image, I'll export it as the highest-quality TIFF image and run it through Photoshop where I can work with layers, etc. The Photoshop was a free version of CS2 that was made available online by Adobe a few years ago. However, I rarely need to use Photoshop.

I have experimented with several of the free raw conversion/processing packages (e.g., Raw Therapee, Darktable), and they are good, but I always seem to more-easily get good results from the Pentax DCU.

I hope that helps.

-Joe-

[SpecialK]

I also recommend Faststone for many of its utility functions, and it's my primary viewer. I use Elements (from v6 to currently v13) for processing. V11 should work fine on W10, though I can not recall if it has layers - 13 does though I never use them.

[ilan]

1. I also use RawTherapee for converting the raw files. It does a good job and has some basic editing features too.
2. For more than basic editing I suggest Picture Window 8. It is free but hey have a suggested donation of 25$. I find it very good. There is a learning curve because it uses a different approach from Photoshop. The documentation is good and they have a user forum where you get quick answers to questions from the developer and from users.
3. You might consider also some software for organizing and finding your images. I use IMatch which is a commercial product.

[StiffLegged]

I can understand moving to Win 10, so the only question is whether your existing software will still run on it. I use much older software and it still runs, but if you need to, both Elements and Dxo are available and both are stand-alone products, not subscriptions. If they met your needs and you liked them, why change?

That said, if you have to upgrade you’ll probably find you only need one of them now, so why not start with the free trial for Dxo?

---

Last edited by StiffLegged; 02-22-2020 at 02:38 AM.

[WorksAsIntended]

So what is the problem? You stopped using Windows 7 because?

And what happened (assuming from your post title you migrated or upgraded to Windows 10) to your existing application software? Does Elements 11 not work? Or DXO Optics?


If so, can't you upgrade to a newer version of Elements which is non subscription?

BTW, CC is not Web based or cloud based. But yes, you do have to pay for it.

Leaving Win7 is indeed a necessary step and in basic functionality there are no big changes for users.

I would expect the old software to still function. If not try to right click the executable and use compatibility modes (just try out a few and see if they work).

[Not a Number]

How did you move to Windows 10? Did you (or are you going to) update your current system to Win 10? Or did you buy/build a new system with Windows 10 on it?

If you updated to Windows 10 there is an option to keep old programs and data. In which case as long as the old programs will work under Windows 10 they should still be installed and run as before.

If it is a "clean" install (new system or update option "keep nothing") you should be able to install the old programs - as long as they run under Windows 10. You might have to install and run them under compatibility mode or as "Administrator".

If you have a new system you would have to de-activate the license of Elements on the old system before you can activate it on the new. If you no longer have the old system contact Adobe to have it de-activated.

[pentaxian_tmb]

So, couple of clarifications. I had elements 9 NOT 11. I bought a new system because my 10 yr old computer had both memory slots maxed out and due to the lack of support for windows 7. Elements 9 will not install...it keeps getting identified as a threat by HPs security software.

[bwgv001]

turn off the HP software during install