John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Adobe changed to monthly licence a bit after PS CS4. So for the occasional user, is there a credible alternative for the more routine post processing operations. I generally set white point and bkack point in Curves using the set points suggested in Kelby's books. Sometimes I do Unsharp Mask. And always switch the color space to Adobe 1998. At some point my copies of CS3 and CS4 will be obsolet on some OSX version and Mac model.

CaltechNerd Loc: Whittier, CA, USA

You can pretty much do the things you describe using Lightroom. It is NOT a replacement for PS but it is much cheaper than even your CS4, it would have the latest ACR and is a very nice tool, making adjustments it does do, easier than PS. That includes white balance, exposure, Highlights/shadows/black/white (black and white are the extreme ends of highlights and shadows respectively), sharpening, noise reduction, correct lens distortion (if you shoot in raw), make vertical or square (to eliminate keystone) and some others, plus its a very good catalog that can easily handle over 100,000 files.

Picdude Loc: Ohio

John, actually you have several alternatives to Adobe's CC package.

First off, CC did not come out until after Photoshop CS6, which itself is still more than adequate for most photography needs. While it's still quite expensive to buy it new, you may be able to find someone reselling it for a reasonable price. The latest 'Elements' version of Photoshop, PSE12, can be picked up for well under $100.00, and will probably get cheaper once PSE13 releases in the near future. Elements, again, proves to be more than adequate for most photography needs. Lightroom is also a good alternative than can still be bought outright as well as part of the CC package. Finally, keep in mind, the CC package is only $10.00/month, which is a pretty good deal, and includes the full Photoshop package as well as Lightroom. Keep in mind - The Software resides on your Computer, NOT on the cloud . All your edits, pictures, EVERYTHING stays resident on your PC.

GIMP is a very full featured editing program and is open source software (in short, free). Some users have complained about it being somewhat clunky, but you definitely can't complain about the price, and there are many tutorials and plug-ins available for this package.

Along the same lines is paint.NET, another open source software package. It's not as well-known as GIMP, but supposed to be along the same lines.

Paintshop Pro (PSP) is another software package used successfully by many members here on UHH and is available for a reasonable price.

Finally, check out the UHH links below for a listing of other free software packages and software tutorials:

Free software list:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-168252-1.html

Tutorial list:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-156310-1.html

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

John F, you might also check out the free software program LightZone, does about everything you want to be done plus it is FREE!

http://lightzoneproject.org/

blackest Loc: Ireland

You might like to try out darktable for osx it is free and pretty good (similar to lightroom) and improving. It does like a 1gb or better graphics card and around 4 gb of ram. You will probably need to look through the documentation which is pretty good and has examples.

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

I would think you would find PS Elements more than adequate.
Cheers

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

John, I made the switch from PS to PS Elements, and am able to do anything I need, or have been used to doing in full blown Photoshop. I'm not a fan of the 'rent a program' plan.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

PSE 13 came out a week or two ago. I've seen PSE drop to $50 or $60 for a week or two during the Holiday buying frenzy.

MWojton Loc: Yardley, PA

I have Elements but I find myself using Smart Photo Editor more and more. It's powerful and a lot of fun.

Mike

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

You would probably be quite happy with a purchased version of lightroom, which you could continue to use the your old CS4 as long as it'll run on your machine.Lightroom will definitely allow you to set white and black points, use curves and sharpen, plus lots more. Photoshop Elements would also do these things.

That said, I will have to say I'm very happy with the $9.99 monthly CC subscription I've had for the past year.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

Look at Zoner Photo Studio 17.

Picdude Loc: Ohio

Thanks for the info. I thought it was still a week or so out.

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

:thumbup:

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

I also. am not a fan of rent.

authorizeduser Loc: Monroe, Michigan

Adobe Lightroom 5.6 was designed with the photographer in mind. Photoshop is an image manipulator, and while possibly the best there is, can be a real PITA to use if all you want to do is general photo correction. Kind of like having a Ferrari when all you really need is a Volkwagen LOL. Another option is Corel Paintshop Pro or Aftershot Pro.