Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

I have searched this topic on here . . . but found results were quite old and probably out dated.

I have a class of seniors (over 55) that would like me to teach them post processing. I personally use LR and PS, but needless to say that could be price prohibitive for a good number of the members of this enthusiastic photo group. I was hoping to find a free program that everyone could afford to download at home, do a fast learning job on myself, and teach the essential post processing.

I have been working on GIMP, but find it really not that user friendly, for simple things like cropping to specific sizes, and manipulation of the layers. Maybe I haven't spent enough time with it myself, but I figure if I am struggling, what are they to do?

Essentials that I am looking for are . . . easy cropping and image sizing . . . easy resolution adjustments . . . layers . . . white balance correction . . . curves and levels.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

Do a Google search for Paint.net. It's free, has all the basics, and will even let you install plugins (like NIK which Free and some of the ON1 Filters, also free). To see a more comprehensive review, go to the article http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-408811-1.html In it, I showed how I used free software to edit an image from start to finish.

Bob Yankle

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Thanks Bob . . . I'll check it out.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

How about Microsoft Photos, the default viewer and editor in Windows 10? www.google.com%2F" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.pcmag.com/g00/review/344385/microsoft-photos-for-windows-10?i10c.referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

If you're taking the effort to teach post processing, give them a tool that's worth the effort, yours and theirs. If they want to learn a free software, GIMP is the answer. If they want to pay for software, introduce them to the market leading software and the easier of the two: LR via the CC subscription. Leverage the wealth of free tutorials available from utube and focus your efforts on supplimenting and / or demonstrating individual topics in live Q&A sessions. A 3rd party product also frees you of issues of their computer's operating system and whether a more limited tool is even available to them ...

Tikva Loc: Waukesha, WI

Please don't assume that Seniors (over 55) can't learn and use more complex software. I use Photoshop CC and have used Photoshop for some time. It may take me a little longer to do things and I may forget how I did something, but I still do a lot of things in Photoshop. I have never learned Lightroom. I have it, but I have my own way of cataloging my photos so I haven't decided if it is worth it to use Lightroom. ACR in Bridge seems to do all the preliminary work and then I do my final editing in Photoshop. Works for me - I'm 74 years old. I'm still learning and it may take a little longer for me to pick up something but I'm still capable of learning the software and my D500 camera in manual mode.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Let's assume most novices at post processing will benefit from "how to" knowledge of the following areas:

adjusting exposure & contrast
adjusting saturation
cropping and leveling
noise reduction
sharpening
image library management (keep this very basic: where are my files? those captured? those edited? and those ready for sharing?)
creating images sized appropriate for sharing via social media

I'm not sure what else a novice would need. Assess candidate (free and fee) tools and their support of these "basics". Add or remove topics to arrive at the inventory of "basics" a tool and a digital novice will need to learn.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

Thanks . . . that's great advice.

Weddingguy Loc: British Columbia - Canada

I'm not suggesting that the challenge is age. I'm concerned with the fact that some are more into it than others and that the cost of PS and LR would be beyond the interest and the financial means of many of the members of the group. I can't begin to start teaching several different programs. Last year I tried to start the teaching program with PS Elements. Many of the members had copies of different vintages. Elements has changed so drastically over the years that one version was too different than the others. Need something where I put everyone on the same page, without the challenge of cost.
For myself . . . I am quite proficient with PS and LR, so that would be my choice if cost was not an issue.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Cost - let the majority determine via vote, whether they desire to learn free software or learn widely popular software they'll need to purchase? Another approach, take a survey of the start-point of the various individuals. What brand and OS version of computer do they own? You'll find some (many? most?) have equipment too old to be effective with any of the fee-based software. Find out what brand, model of camera they use. Is it a population of cellphone shooters, point n shoots, superzooms, DSLRs and mirrorless?

You might need to establish some baseline entry criteria. Do they all have broadband as needed to enjoy the utube training experience? Do they have the baseline equipment needed for the Adobe CC or GIMP or even the other tools suggested?

Unless you're being paid for this effort, I wouldn't pre-judge the market for your training. Some candidates may simply need a demonstration of the power of a tool such as LR to get onboard. They can make images just fine with their phone where editing tools are quite limited and difficult, particularly the free tools that were packaged on the phone. If you find a large population of DSLRs with little PP experience, you have a "market" for the training topics itemized above. All of the actions above are applied, to some extent, to all professional work from even the top line $6000 cameras. You might use some demonstration examples of your own work showing output 'x' processed from input 'y'. You might even invite candidates to provide original sample images for editing to demontrate your editing capabilities to 'add polish' via processing.

Here's some fuel / content for the PP need of images : http://digital-photography-school.com/dont-fear-photo-post-processing-creation-process/

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Try Faststone. Has everything you need less layering and white balance adjustments. This can be somewhat overcome using other adjustments. It will load RAW files created by most cameras and is a wonderful starting point for beginners. Also, Irfanview, also free, will do the same.

Erdos2 Loc: Vancouver, WA

A couple years ago, I personally tried all the free programs I could to see what I wanted to use. I had a few requirements (including but limited to be able to edit raw files, ease of use, a good range of tools, non-destructive regarding original files, etc.). The one I prefer by a long shot was LightZone (http://www.lightzoneproject.org/). It is similar to LightRoom in looks and the way many of the tools work and far easier to use than programs like Gimp. There are also some tutorials on YouTube that help with the learning curve which is not all that difficult to begin with. I have never regretted this choice.

Jerry (well over 55 years old)

pixbyjnjphotos Loc: Apache Junction,AZ

I agree with kpmac above. Faststone Image Viewer is worth a look. It is an image viewer with a lot of capability. Viewing images, copy/paste images, copy/move images to a different folder, and many more. It has many simple adjustments to improve images. I think the clone and heal function is one of the best I have seen. Cropping and resizing, sharpening, work great. You can make a slide show with Faststone. You can view EXIF properties. You can make borders and apply watermarks. You can add text and do some drawing. Faststone image viewer does not support layers. That may be the only drawback. But, by the time those folks need to use some layers they may be ready for something like Photoshop or Paintshop Pro. Faststone Image viewer also facilitates passing your selected image to another external post-processing program. I have used the Faststone Image viewer for years and have seen some major improvements over time. I like the program a lot and would recommend it for a starter program. And it is free. Good luck with your project and have a GREAT DAY!

dpullum Loc: Tampa Florida

You are well covered regarding programs by the above. Are they i-phone, P&S, ZuperZum [Super Zoom], or Digital Multi Lens Reflex [ DSLR S for single lens?? Always puzzled me?] If they want to upgrade cameras ... please forget fancy stuff... I have a Sony A65 with a stable of Minolta AF lenses! What do I carry? a Sony HS50 ZuperZum set on auto for quick fire... but can expertly adjust that small camera manually like in the ol' days with my first love...a Belca Beltica 1 [Dresden Gr] folding 35mm. Seniors... the world is often grandchildren and corpses of ol' friends looking better than in life!! A similar model with a view finder is better than the HS50.
http://retinarescue.com/beltica.html

Regardless, Crop is the worlds most important tool. Crop to the story is difficult in their speech and in photography. Composition is the making of a photo even if the focus and exposure is not perfect. So, teaching composition is a preliminary must. Examples are important... plenty for FREE in a wonderful huge scan read book by psychology and art departments... John Suler's Photographic Psychology: Image and Psyche :
http://truecenterpublishing.com/photopsy/article_index.htm

PS; I am 81

ejrmaine Loc: South Carolina

I'd also suggest looking at Topaz Studio, it's free and does many basic and advanced PP.