What is the preferred photo editing program
Jun 4, 2014 17:30:19 #
I recently broke down and purchased the Nikon D 7100. It has two card slots which allows me to save a picture in JPEG on one and Raw on the other
I have been shooting JPEG up to recently. I understand the virtues of raw
And have been shooting Raw lately. I have been doing all my photographic editing in Picasa. Now shooting Raw I understand there's more information to work with so I am looking for a photo editing program that will allow me to take advantage of the additional information. I would appreciate any recommendations
I have been shooting JPEG up to recently. I understand the virtues of raw
And have been shooting Raw lately. I have been doing all my photographic editing in Picasa. Now shooting Raw I understand there's more information to work with so I am looking for a photo editing program that will allow me to take advantage of the additional information. I would appreciate any recommendations
Jun 4, 2014 17:35:35 #
Lightroom is a great program. I have my card slots set up both for raw, when one card is full the camera then begins to capture images on the other card.
Jun 4, 2014 17:39:26 #
mwoods222 wrote:
I recently broke down and purchased the Nikon D 71... (show quote)
There are a number of discussions on UHH on this topic. My take is that there are strong proponents of three Adobe programs (Lightroom, Elements 12, and Photoshop), and minority support for others such as Gimp.
You may want to search and read some of those threads. Some proponents are radically extreme in their preferences.
IMHO, for one starting out the best deal at present, if they are still offering it for $9.95 per month, is the Creative Cloud Lightroom/Photoshop offering by Adobe.
If you do that I recommend starting with Lightroom and getting Kelby's book to get to you going. Lightroom is MUCH easier to learn and will perform the catalog function better than the other choices.
Jun 4, 2014 17:46:40 #
amehta
Loc: Boston
mwoods222 wrote:
I recently broke down and purchased the Nikon D 71... (show quote)
The issue of choosing an editing program is not to "take advantage of the additional information", all editors can do this. The way to choose is which program operates like you want it to.
I have been using FastStone Image Viewer for several years, but mainly did simple things with the jpgs. I got Lightroom 4 over a year ago, and never really connected with it. In January, I got DxO Optics Pro 9, and it did exactly what I want, giving me four sliders (color temperature, overall exposure, highlights, and shadows) which adjust exactly what I want without worrying about anything else. DOP9 isn't better than LR4, it simply worked better for me.
You will hear lots of suggestions of different programs. My suggestion is to figure out what sorts of things you might want to do (color adjustments, exposure, noise reduction, sharpening, etc), and then try them with some of the editors which are suggested.
Jun 4, 2014 18:42:50 #
Have you tried the editing program that came with your d7100? Nikon's View nx2 editing program can get you started on what an edited photo looks like. It seems easy to use and does decent job of giving you some editing tools.
Jun 4, 2014 18:43:21 #
I spend most of my time in Lightroom 5 and a little in PSE 12 for more esoteric stuff. There are a lot of good videos on everything Lightroom at youtube, B&H, Adorama etc. And the Kelby book always comes up in any discussion. Lightroom, like other Adobe products, works with plugins and other programs well. I use Photomatix Pro for HDR merging, but do all of the tone mapping and other corrections in LR5. I'm a computer guy by trade and agree with others that the cataloging, tagging and search functions in LR are its really strong suits. Also, you can buy it standalone, you don't need the subscription like other Adobe offerings. I shoot RAW with a D5200. Hope this helps.
Jun 4, 2014 20:21:03 #
Thanks everyone. You all have given me plenty of options. I usually awake at 5:30 AM to ketch the sunrise . My wife likes to sleep till 9:30 so I have plenty of time to research the topic.
Jun 4, 2014 20:34:28 #
90% LR5 for my general workflow
5% PS CC for my serious photo work (cloning).
5% Photomatix Pro for HDR work
5% PS CC for my serious photo work (cloning).
5% Photomatix Pro for HDR work
Jun 4, 2014 21:35:17 #
If you do batch processing of images, then consider Lightroom; otherwise, consider Photoshop Creative Cloud.
In my view, LR suffers from a serious shortcoming in that it does not offer layers.
I use PCC and various plug-ins.
Note that once you get the hang of Adobe Camera Raw, you will find you can do the lion's share of your editing in it.
In my view, LR suffers from a serious shortcoming in that it does not offer layers.
I use PCC and various plug-ins.
Note that once you get the hang of Adobe Camera Raw, you will find you can do the lion's share of your editing in it.
mwoods222 wrote:
I recently broke down and purchased the Nikon D 71... (show quote)
Jun 4, 2014 21:47:05 #
Jun 4, 2014 21:47:51 #
amehta wrote:
I have been using FastStone Image Viewer for several years, but mainly did simple things with the jpgs. I got Lightroom 4 over a year ago, and never really connected with it. In January, I got DxO Optics Pro 9, and it did exactly what I want, giving me four sliders (color temperature, overall exposure, highlights, and shadows) which adjust exactly what I want without worrying about anything else. DOP9 isn't better than LR4, it simply worked better for me.
Very well put, amehta!
I had tried a couple of different programs and never felt good with them. Then my son and his family gave me PSE7 for a Christmas present, and suddenly "it fell into place".
I find some of the features easy to use, almost intuitive, others I had to find tutorials or someone to explain to me.
I've upgraded, now to version 12, and am still happy with it!
No, I don't think PSE is "the best" photo editing program out there, just like my Honda Fit isn't the best car out there - but they are the best for me!
Jun 4, 2014 23:12:21 #
A couple things:
When working with RAW different programs do produce different results. I found View nx2 produced the best looking images straight from import compared to Adobe products.
Lightroom doesn't use layers because it's not meant to do the things Photoshop does. It's not really an image editor, you could say it's a tweaker/processor.
Lightroom works like nothing else I've ever used. Other programs work like: Open image 1, adjust, save image 1, Open image 2, adjust, save image 2, Open image 3, adjust, save image 3, etc, etc, etc...
Lightroom is database driven, you click image 1, make adjustments, click image 2, make adjustments, click image make adjustments, etc, etc... No changes get saved to the images, Ever. Adjustments are applied to images you export to the printer or to shutterfly or whatever your destination is.
Lightroom us fundamentally different and I love it, but as someone else pointed out it may not work for you. You also need to have a photo editor like Photoshop or PSE as a companion app.
When working with RAW different programs do produce different results. I found View nx2 produced the best looking images straight from import compared to Adobe products.
Lightroom doesn't use layers because it's not meant to do the things Photoshop does. It's not really an image editor, you could say it's a tweaker/processor.
Lightroom works like nothing else I've ever used. Other programs work like: Open image 1, adjust, save image 1, Open image 2, adjust, save image 2, Open image 3, adjust, save image 3, etc, etc, etc...
Lightroom is database driven, you click image 1, make adjustments, click image 2, make adjustments, click image make adjustments, etc, etc... No changes get saved to the images, Ever. Adjustments are applied to images you export to the printer or to shutterfly or whatever your destination is.
Lightroom us fundamentally different and I love it, but as someone else pointed out it may not work for you. You also need to have a photo editor like Photoshop or PSE as a companion app.
Jun 5, 2014 05:57:33 #
mwoods222 wrote:
Thanks everyone. You all have given me plenty of options. I usually awake at 5:30 AM to ketch the sunrise . My wife likes to sleep till 9:30 so I have plenty of time to research the topic.
Paint Shop Pro X6
Jun 5, 2014 06:37:42 #
Lightroom hands down. I've tried probably 5 or 6 different photo editing software packages and didn't really like any of them until Lightroom just clicked with me. I'll admit that I didn't put a lot of effort into most of them with the exception of GIMP and RAW Therapy. This combination is powerful but very much lacking the polish of Lightroom.
I recently got assimilated by the Borg and went with Creative Cloud for Photographers. I hate subscription plans but.....I gotta admit.....for $10/month i get all of the tools I could imagine AND program updates when they come out.
Take a look at the Adobe website and look at creative cloud for photographers. There is a chat facility that will allow you to ask all of the questions you might have and get instant answers.
No.....I don't work for Adobe.
I recently got assimilated by the Borg and went with Creative Cloud for Photographers. I hate subscription plans but.....I gotta admit.....for $10/month i get all of the tools I could imagine AND program updates when they come out.
Take a look at the Adobe website and look at creative cloud for photographers. There is a chat facility that will allow you to ask all of the questions you might have and get instant answers.
No.....I don't work for Adobe.
Jun 5, 2014 06:39:34 #
mwoods222 wrote:
I recently broke down and purchased the Nikon D 71... (show quote)
Lightroom seems to be the most popular for a variety of reasons - and together with Photoshop CC, you have a complete photography suite - LR for corrections and light editing, CC for the more detailed and complex enhancements that are not possible in LR.
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