Hank Radt

I use it - I got a significant discount from Sony for buying a Sony Camera (they have a deal with C1) and I like it. You can see a couple of my recent photos here: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-486849-1.html, all processed with C1. I also bought it because it is a one-time purchase, v. a subscription fee and because it is pretty highly rated (wouldn't have bought it just for the price though, that, with the high ratings, made the decision):

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phase-one-capture-one-pro-10
http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-photo-editing-software-1284627
http://4bcokm12bvu948gi7312gnab-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/Lightroom%20vs%20Capture%20One%20Pro.pdf (good comparison in Photoshop User magazine).

I've been pleased with the support - they are quick to answer my questions (fair warning, I'm a digital newbie recently having re-taken up photography after several decades, with my prior experience in the darkroom with film).

All that said, I have friends who use Lightroom and are quite pleased with that as well.

You can try it out for 30 days for free, to see if it meets your needs, here: https://www.phaseone.com/en/Download.aspx

wapiti Loc: round rock, texas

Edia Loc: Central New Jersey

The best PP software is the one that does what you need to do, that you know how to use it and costs what you can afford to pay. Everyone here has a favorite program that he swears is the best but that is so subjective that the ranking has no value. As for the so called "big 2", they are the big 2 because they were there first and more people know how to use them. It doesn't mean that they are better than anyone else out there. All the major players will do an admiral job of PP. Find one that you like and learn how to use it and you will be fine.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Great reply and I Love the desktop!

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

I do not know anything about any of those programs, I use LR and PS [Adobe CC Subscription, $9.99 per month]. On this site you will get a lot of varying opinions, and links to websites for information. There have been plenty of threads on this topic, which it may help you to investigate. There are some free programs that come highly recommended, but you will have to research the threads to find them - I don't remember!

Good luck finding the one that fits your needs. Also, don't forget to look for free trials which are often the BEST way to decide if this program will work for you.

Susan

JD750 Loc: SoCal

I used it for a while while I was evaluating a replacement for Aperture in 2014. I had a trial version, Ver 7 I think was the number, and was also evaluating the Adobe CC. I liked Cap1 because it had a nice bright rendering engine. I liked Adobe because of all the community support that was available.

After 30 days I was still undecided, so I bought both Cap1 ver7 and a CC subscription. A few months later, I purchased a new camera. There was no support in Cap1 version 7 for my new camera. No problem, they will send an update, right? No. I contacted them, they replied if I wanted support for my new camera, I had to buy Version 8. This was only a couple months after I had purchased version 7, which was the only one available at the time. About that same time Adobe pushed out a (free) update on the CC, that added my new camera to ACR. I have not used Cap1 since.

poppizel

I use and recommend it. In my opinion, it produces a superior output on raw conversion, the tools fall easy to hand, and dm is quite flexible and easy to use. The upfront investment is worth it in terms of use. But it is a tool and has not made me better at making pictures but it always more than keeps pace as I try. For me it has been ranked number one. Other tools, such as light room are fine but for me did not work out as well nor satisfy as much a capture one pro.

MidnightManiac

When I started out used the software that came with my camera, it served me well. Wanted more so started using the free versions of many other programs, just to give them a test ride, some were good and some not so good. Next up I purchased Lightroom 2.7, loved that program, seemed to do all of what I needed to do. Next up wanted more so I got Gimp, it's open source GREAT a free Photoshop, what a learning curve that sucker was. Years ago Adobe offered an old version of Photoshop for free, not sure if they still do that. Used that until I got a new computer and it was not compatible with it. Picasa I believe has a free program,which is OK. Today use Adobe CC, Lightroom, Photoshop and never have to worry about updating as the updates come automatically. New camera comes out and BANG updated. For $9.99 a month in my opinion it's a great deal as you will never have to upgrade and will have the latest a greatest. The cost of this for a month is what a 6 pack of Stella costs LOL...Good luck on your hunt, research and free trials are always a great option to test drive a program.

4OX

Thanks for all the input!

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

As stated the tight integration of LR & PS hooked me. There are still some things I prefer in Paint Shop Pro - their version of splitting a single RAW file to achieve an HDR type look when you didn't shoot bracketed shots for doing pure HDR is at the top of my list.
You can do pretty much everything in PSP that you can do in PS. It is just different, and a few PSP features are not in PS at all and the other way around. Now the latest version I have is PSP X8, 2 versions out of date. I understand the new versions are better with more features and faster, they claim faster than PS. Corel has a huge list of programs in the photo/graphic/video realm: http://www.corel.com/en/all-products/ and in general they are less expensive than Adobe. The latest ones come in a choice of perpetual license purchase or subscription. PSP integrates with AfterShot* (Corel's answer to LR) just like LR-PS integrate. But again "different". On Corel's site there is a tab at the top that says "learning" that leads to two tabs 1)"Discovery Center" with guided tutorials to learn Corel products, and 2)"tutorial" tab if you prefer to browse on your own and a great number of videos etc on line. Here is the Corel Photo Editing page without the other stuff: http://www.paintshoppro.com/en/products/?hptrack=mmpsp&_ga=2.59099181.1464092414.1506275774-113289927.1506275774

They have free trials of all the programs

*I haven't learned AfterShot so can't testify to how it works, but reviews seem to show that when compared to LR it is just "different" with some advantages and some disadvantages. Why haven't I learned it, well I had been using LR for a couple years when I got AfterShot as a bundle with PSP X8 and over 30,000 images in LR just looked like too big a hassle to convert.

cyclespeed Loc: Calgary, Alberta Canada

I bought it, since it would let me tether my Sony a6000. I could not for the life of me get to first base with it. Even the file system was bewildering. I bought the only book for it by a Swiss gentleman but it dealt with pro's precessing sequences and started way over my head.
Now I use Luminar and love it.
This winter some cold day I'll go into Lynda.com and try a second time to get a handle on Capture One. I have version 8.3 I was impressed with how my few tethered shots came out with no adjustments. Someone here told me it is because Sony and Phase One are tightly aligned.
I'd like to say yes to your question but not there yet.

Dennis833 Loc: Australia

Capture One Pro. But it's expensive. If you shoot with a Sony camera get the for Sony version.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

When you try to define "best" you run into trouble. The "Best" is the one that works best for you and what you want to do with it. I have several photo editing programs and the one that is still "best" for me is one I have been using for years, called "Photoimpact 10". If it does everything you need and it is easy for you to handle, then it is the "best".

blackest Loc: Ireland

With a 157,000 photo's to sort, you might use a 30 day trial of lightroom and let it build a folder structure for you it will organise by year and date.
If you have a number of versions of the same file they will end up in the same folder together if they are an exact duplicate then just one would be brought in. Personally I like my stand alone copy of lightroom but even a trial copy should help a lot with the initial gathering and sorting.

frjack Loc: Boston, MA

Trying to use it. Like the post-processing but the cataloging is not easy. Some stuff downloaded into the folders I wanted and is accessible. Other stuff is not. Frustration levels are zooming. The You Tube instructional videos are confusing and don't give the basic info. Some of the presenters are too self-involved with cute asides. Instruction book is not helpful. Again no good basic instruction in how to set up a catalog and/or session. Most problematic is it is unclear how to use on an external hard drive. Once I can reliably download and catalog I will like it. Very happy with the filters etc.