[the_snark]

My brother has recently bought a DSLR, having been a pretty decent film SLR photographer for decades. It may seem unusual, but he has managed to escape using computers up until now. He does have a Canon print/scan/copy machine, which he has previously used as a copier (getting great results enlarging photos etc), and is now using it to print images from his DSLR's memory card.

Obviously the time has come to progress his technical skills. I am setting up a PC for him, and am wondering what software to install for managing and editing photos.

His background is not technical but he is an intelligent person who likes to read the manual and learn every feature, and as he is now retired he has the time to work everything out. I fully expect him to teach me a thing or two after a while! I think a modest but not too limited set of features will be required in the software.

Any suggestions much appreciated!

[Wheatfield]

Start him on Photoshop Elements. When he masters it, he can upgrade to the full version if he feels the need.

[tybeck]

I'd download some demos and see what you think might make sense to him. There tons of options. Lightroom, Bible, and CaptureOne come to mind as programs that can handle large portions of the photographic workflow and allow you to work in one interface. If he's going to be shooting in RAW I'd recommend those. If you want to finer photo editing take a look at Photoshop Elements or GIMP. All of those except GIMP will cost $$.

For more general photo editing and an easier to use program lots of people like Picasa from Google, good cataloging program with basic editing functions. It also makes upload and management easy on the companion photo sharing website. The software that comes with the Pentax systems is decent (a repackage of SilkyPix). XnView and InfranView come to mind as well for basic photo editing and folder viewing. All of those programs are freeware.

Hope that gives you a start.

[creampuff]

Lightroom 2. Practically all that is needed to manage and process non-destructively is there.

[pingflood]

Lightroom 2 + Martin Evening's book on it. It can seem daunting and intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it it's fantastic. Storing and categorizing images seems to be the biggest hurdle for new digital photographers, and Lightroom will handle that as well as making RAW conversion and use about as seamless as it gets so he can maximize the benefit from shooting a decent camera.

[Clicker]

Album Shaper

[SpecialK]

Start him on Photoshop Elements. When he masters it, he can upgrade to the full version if he feels the need.

Plus a book on Elements, since he's the book type. There is not much printed information with the program, though there are a bunch of links to online help - it's not quite the same, and hard to look at in the can :-).

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Last edited by SpecialK; 01-28-2009 at 09:20 PM.

[the_snark]

Thanks all for the suggestions - some things for me to look into!

[jsherman999]

I gotta recommend Picasa (free download, software maintained by Google.)

[speedoo]

I gotta recommend Picasa (free download, software maintained by Google.)

I've just downloaded Picasa 3.. Is that all I need for cataloging and editing for starters? Will the Pentax Browser and PhotoLab add anything for me?

[jesalonen]

I'll vote either Lightroom 2 since it's a good way to start exploring the raw world (but pricey, though) or Elements 6, which is much cheaper but has more limited raw editing possibilites. Actually, those are two very different programs - I'd start with Lightroom.

[edit] Oh yes, and give him a Scott Kelby book with the program...

[mithrandir]

The nice thing about Lightroom 2.3 is you can start using it without a lot of instruction, it is just that intuitive. Add Martin Evening's or Scott Kelby's book and you can do 99% of everything you want in Lightroom without needing a degree in Graphic Arts.