Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Practice, Practice and Practice, you can't be a good brain surgeon till you have cracked a few skulls and after that you can hang your shingle which states you are still practicing. What do they call a doctor that graduates at the bottom of his class? (doctor)

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Indeed there is a big difference between enhancing and editing softwares. Photoshop Elements seems to be a very nice editor.
Enhancing softwares can wait.

drmike99 Loc: Fairfield Connecticut

And… what do they call a LAWYER who graduates at the bottom of HIS class? — “Your Honor”

johntaylor333

Lightroom CC has quite a few useful features that LR6 does not. Suggest you compare them and see which fits you needs the best. I Don't like paying Adobe $10/month for Lr and Ps, but you get the latest versions with new features, so I pay them their money.

achesley Loc: SW Louisiana

Amazingly I've been using more and more of Faststone image viewer. Does a good job for just a bit of enhancement. Just did down load Rawtherapee and still learning it. But, still have the old Lightroom 6 for getting excited. Both Faststone and Rawtherapee are free.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Thank's for adding levity to this dry subject, it gave me a laugh.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

Do you mean Lightroom CC Classic, the computer-based application, or Lightroom CC, the cloud-based application? Adobe's naming of these two separate Lightroom applications has everyone confused.

car buff

I have been using Onl, great program, easy to learn-lots of tutorials.

They are based out of Portland




















I have been using Onl.There are in Portland. Not very expensive, does amazing things. Check them out.
Dennis Longview Wa.

don26812 Loc: South Bay of Los Angeles, CA

Why not go to YouTube and search there for Photoshop Elements 2018 (latest version by Adobe). You will find scores of videos describing how to use the program, which will give you a sense on its difficulty to use (mostly pretty easy) and its capabilities - obviously less than Photoshop CC, but not bad for $80. It includes Guided Edits that lead you step-by-step through some basic, fun, and special effects. It also comes with an Organizer, which is built on the same technology as Lightroom but much friendlier. Finally go to Adobe.com and download a free trial to really get a sense of the program. By the way, software like On1 can be run as plug-ins in PSE when and if you ever want to take a deeper dive into photo editing/enhancing. FWIW

Just Shoot Me Loc: Ithaca, NY

Corel After Shot Pro 3. Around $70.00 and you own it. Easy to learn with lots of tutorials.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Only for Windows machines unfortunately.

PGHphoto Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

As long as you are using a PC, Faststone is the answer - its free and can do most things the average or even more advanced photographer will need to do. The learning curve is quite easy and extremely intuitive. http://www.faststone.org/FSViewerDetail.htm

Sure, Lightroom is the premiere software but at $120 a year, every year you use it, you are better off starting with Faststone and seeing if that will do the job you need. People think that higher cost always means better product. I appreciate value, not cost. For quick turnaround you can't beat faststone. I also use lightroom for those things that are going to be put up for sale but only because there are more features available to make it 'perfect'. For the average shooter who is not looking to sell everything, I would bet Faststone is more than adequate.

lloydl2 Loc: Gilbert, AZ

Cold hard facts -
1. post processing is necessary if you want the best from your photos.
2. Regardless of which one you pick you will need to "learn" it so face that head on and take a course and learn it. that will save you time and aggravation in the long run.
3. Determine how you best learn - because there are books, videos, classroom learning via an arts center or adult education or community college. I personally do best with videos.
4. when you pick, find one that works on your computer platform (windows? Mac? etc.) for example Luminar works better on Mac and is behind on Windows but will likely soon catch up
5. Most of the post processing tools require some beef on your computer - reasonably fast processor (multi - core), a lot of memory and a good video card and of course plenty of storage space to store your photos.
6. So going down this road will involve an investment to buy a product, training and time to learn, possible computer upgrades.

Personally I use Adobe CC both Lightroom classic and photoshop. It is on a subscription plan for $10 per month-- some people like that and others would rather pay once and own...

DavidJon Loc: Ada, Oklahoma

Very interesting and informative e-book. Thanks. I also use Affinity and find it to be a great and inexpensive editing program.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Is $50 reasonable? Try Affinity Photo for free for 30 days. If you don't like it, there are plenty of alternatives.

Scroll all the way to the very bottom of this page:

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/photo/

Look for 'Free Trial'.