chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

FastStone is free.

For a reasonable price, Zoner Photo Studio is a great program.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Lightroom is just as capable as Photoshop's camera raw processor - same core software, different user interface. Both have a limited set of commands which makes them easy to learn. Actually, 99% of the people who experience anxiety and frustration with Lightroom is because they can't/won't wrap their heads around the concept of a database-driven image management system. Once they get past the file system - which is very logical, consistent and thorough - the rest is a piece of cake.

Learning Photoshop is really not that awful - if it is your goal to teach it, of course you will have to know it frontwards and backwards. But for the rest of us mortals, you can make excellent use just learning what you need to know for a task at hand.

For example, use a google search for "HDR with Photoshop" and you will get lots of results -

The same goes for lightening shadows with Photoshop, changing white balance, converting from color to black and white, etc. Learning Photoshop is an ongoing process, but you don't have to learn it all to be able to enjoy its benefits.

MikeT9

You’re probably too lazy to read the replies. Unfortunately as a hobby, photography requires commitment, enthusiasm and as many will know, years of experience not to mention a fair bit of money. If you’re lazy at this stage maybe photography is not for you.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Check out Corel Paint Shop Pro, I found it far easier to learn than either Adobe product I tried, never looked back, plenty of online help,too, Bob.

photogeneralist Loc: Lopez Island Washington State

Wy in cheese post odes no one mention Luminar? Its has thins that Lightroom doesn't, is fairly intuitive and easy to learn and has tons of good instructional videos

plus it's pretty cheap

photogeneralist Loc: Lopez Island Washington State

Why in these post does no one mention Luminar? Its has things that Lightroom doesn't, is fairly intuitive and easy to learn and has tons of good instructional videos. It has "easy power"

plus it's pretty cheap

Bill P

I too have used PS for at lest 20 years. I know only a fraction of what it can do because I am smart enough to just pick out what I need and learn that.
ACR is not mind numbing, and you don't have to deal with all the image management crap.

But if you are truly lazy maybe you are not cut out for photography. There was a popular book several years ago by some guy that really knew his business, and his point was that to be good at something you needed to do it for a certain number of hours. It figured out to be about 10 years of 8 hour days.

bleirer

Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers