UTEP65 Loc: Lake Royale, NC

I have just received my new Nikon D7200 with 18/140 mm lens. I want to purchase photo editing software. Do not want a subscription. Leaning toward Corel3. Suggestions and or recommendations?

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

Affinity.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Corel Paint Shop Pro is up to X9, go for it, Bob.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

You did not mention what you want the software be able to do.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

1. Lightroom 6
2. Photoshop Elements
3. Both

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I'd suggest looking into Light Zone. http://lightzoneproject.org/
It's free. All you have to do is provide an email address to register. I've never gotten any emails from them, not seen an increase in spam emails after I registered. It's actually quite a nice program.

If you are using a Mac, look into Phocus. It's a Hasselblad product, also free.
--Bob

lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle

I bought Corel X8 Home & Student version for the word processor and data base. It included Corel After Shot 2. While playing with that one night, an ad for a free version of Adobe Photo Shop Express popped up on my screen. Humm, Free, try it. I am by no means an expert. I don't have an expensive computer system. And I have very limited time in all my post processing efforts. That includes Canon, Picasa, the program included with Vista (yes, Windows Vista). Being newly retired and just really starting to PP, i am leaning towards the Adobe Photoshop Express. From one beginner to another. Take this advise with a grain of salt, and don't bet the house on it.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Don't forget about Faststone. It is free and will do all the basic things you might want. It will also process RAW files.

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

If you're using Mac, think about Aurora HDR, ON1 RAW, Luminar.

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

Affinity Photo is getting a lot of attention, might be worth a look.
I am seriously thinking about it.

CO

A pro photographer told me if you use third party software you're only utilizing about 75% to 85% of the information in the RAW files. This is because camera makers don't share their proprietary information with other companies. Software companies have to reverse engineer everything. He knows representatives at Adobe and Nikon. They both concur on that. If you use Nikon Capture NX-D you'll be using 100% of the information in the RAW files. He also uses Photoshop CC for things he can't do with Nikon's software. That's what I've been trying to do. I use Capture NX-D if possible. I use Photoshop Elements for things that aren't possible with NX-D.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

It is true that there are a lot of parameters in the raw file that are proprietary and software written by anyone other than the manufacturer will not know how to use those parameters. However, most of them are relatively unimportant to a competent editing program. If you're shooting raw, there are few parameters that are set in the camera that will really limit your ability to edit the file. The most obvious camera settings that will affect a raw file are focus, ISO, shutter speed and aperture. On a Nikon camera the only other setting I can think of at the moment that will affect the raw file is Active D-Lighting. I'm not familiar with Canon or Sony gear.

As far as the OP's question is concerned, it really depends on how much editing you want to do with your images. Basic stuff can be handled by simple (cheap or even free) programs. More capable editors will cost some money. The most capable editor (Photoshop, in my opinion) will not only cost some money (by subscription) but will cost you some time to learn. However, for many, it's a good investment.

It sounds like you're just starting out, so go for the cheap stuff first. When you find out how to do the basic stuff and eventually run into something you can't do without a more capable editor, that is the time to spend some money and time..

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Lots 'o Links.

Affinity
http://www.shutterbug.com/content/affinity-photo-software-review-has-photoshop-met-its-match#d1c5lY5EQ03QoLjh.97
http://www.diyphotography.net/affinity-photo-can-give-adobe-run-money/
Others
http://digital-photography-school.com/a-beginners-guide-to-choosing-the-right-post-production-software/
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2015/03/23/best-photo-editing-software-photoshop-cc-and-7-photoshop-alternatives-tested/1/
http://www.redmondpie.com/best-adobe-photoshop-alternatives-for-windows-and-mac-list/

Free -

http://www.download3.co/ic/picasa/index.php?kw=%2Bpicasa
http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/the-best-photoshop-alternatives-that-are-totally-free-5974500
http://lightzoneproject.org/

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Macphun Luminar, Macphun Creative Kit, Affinity Photo.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Another vote for Affinity Photo, from Serif. At $50 or less, it is very powerful, intuitively easy to use, and runs on both Macs and Windows PCs.

You will find that knowing what to do with your software is more important than which package you buy... same as with the camera.