tomcadman Loc: SoCal USA

I just shot my first location, and I am loving this photography stuff! I took a couple hours on Sunday morning to shoot some nature photos at a park with a lake using a Nikon D3300 with both the 18-55mm and 55-200mm lenses.

[ See my favorite shots from the day at Flickr here... https://www.flickr.com/photos/160854297@N08/sets/72157667509392858/ ]

Now I need to learn about Post Processing these photos. I would appreciate any advise or useful tutorials to which you can link me in order to continue my education.

Thanks! -Tom

d3200prime

I would start with a simple PP program. I would suggest Adobe Photoshop Express. It's a free download. When you get the hang of basic PP then move on to more complicated programs. I use GIMP. It's a powerful PP program but has a steep learning curve but..............................it's FREE and no charge for the updates either. Here is a link that has excellent videos on GIMP: www.udemy.com. Most will steer you to Adobe Photoshop and related PP programs but I started with GIMP so I guess I'm biased. Glad you are passionate about photography and good shooting to you!

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

YouTube is your friend for good free tutorials on which ever PP software you choose.
I think they all have free trials so you don't need to commit right away.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Tom welcome to the forum. Looked at your images and you are off to a great start. My suggestion to you would be Adobe LightRoom 6. You can buy this as a standalone from B&H or from Adobe as a cloud purchase with Photoshop. You would pay a monthly fee.

Here is a link to give you a feel for what LR does. It also is my source to catalog my images and all adjustments are no destructive meaning it does not alter your original file. Being a forum you will be overloaded with members different views. That is good so you can decide for yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bECi0ZQAB34

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

If you take the plunge and get the photography bundle from Adobe (Lightroom, Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Adobe spark, and a few others for $10/Month. I can't suggest Phlearn highly enough, (free on youtube)

Once you get proficient, you can do Phlearn Pro tutorials for $10 a month unlimited, or purchase them individually.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

To start with go with the free stuff. You will quickly learn the basics of cropping and changing hue and saturation Curves etc. As said Gimp is free and will introduce you to layers (Changing part of an image rather than the whole image) Raw therapee or Ufraw is a Gimp plug in that should read Raw files (your camera software will do so).

Whilst Adobe Lightroom does some PP it is mainly used as an organiser. You will need to read a few tutorials on how to set it up right first time. It can come as a package with Photoshop.....another big programme. Look at some tutorials and see if you are ready to dive into those, before signing up.

Yes you need to post process....some people do a lot - some do a little.....Depends upon what you like and how happy you are with what you shot.

There are lots of tutorials for PhotoShop Elements (Cut down version of PS) and PS both on Utube (Video) and various websites (often written).
By translating the various tool names, Gimp and other programmes will do a similar job.

Whist you are looking - check out the different file formats that are available to you. Some are designed to accept large files without compression - others allow you to compress files so that they can quickly download and some allow animation etc. Look at social media and see what their specifications are for images.....how big / small. Check to see that the programme you choose allows you to work with your prefered file format and size.

Once you move on from your camera CD processing it is a 'can of worms'....The saving grace is that your images are kept in your filing system NOT the post processing programme.....so you can delete the programmes without losing your images and then try another one.!!

Have fun

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Good suggestions, but I do have to disagree about lightroom being basically an organizer that does "some" PP.
It's a very powerful Raw Processor, it's basically the same engine as Adobe Camera Raw.

Other than that, trying out the free versions may be just what you need. There are a lot of good tutorials on youtube for Gimp. If you decide to move from Gimp to Photoshop CC, it's actually an easier transition than going from Photoshop Elements to Photoshop CC, which makes little sense, but it is what it is.

Good luck

tomcadman Loc: SoCal USA

Thank you all for your helpful responses (and any coming ones)- it is a lot to digest. So now I have some "home work" to do...
-Tom

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Picasa 3 stand alone. Almost by the hand. ITS FREE

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

Sorry

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

Nice photos but a couple appeared to be back-lit. Maybe that was your intention but if not, try to make sure the sun is at your back. Then you will have less post-processing to do regardless of what program you choose. In that regard, I use the Adobe PS package for 9.99. But pre-processing is always better than post-processing and it's free.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

Lightroom is far from just and organizer. While LR has a startup education curve because of the powerful organizer it also has a powerful editor. The develop module in lightroom is Adobe Camera Raw with a different front door but the develop module is but one of about 6 other functions. Lots of other stuff it can do. The organizer alone will give you discipline to keep you stuff organized and a find photo by keywords in the drop of a hat.

Someone suggested LR 6. First off is it only LR and you only get fixes not new function. In addition it is just a matter of time it will ride off into the sunset and you have to move up. There will NOT be another Stand alone version of LR. If you decide LR is your tool of choice get LR Classic as it comes with Photoshop and only $10 a month. Between the two you can do just about anything you will ever need to do with a photograph.

anotherview Loc: California

Good advice: "I would start with a simple PP program. I would suggest Adobe Photoshop Express. It's a free download. When you get the hang of basic PP then move on to more complicated programs."

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Very nice. Now for the processing. Lightroom will cost you $120 a year - until they raise the price. There are alternatives.
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-lightroom-alternatives/

Affinity
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/software-review-affinity-photo-1-5-2
http://www.shutterbug.com/content/affinity-photo-software-review-has-photoshop-met-its-match#d1c5lY5EQ03QoLjh.97
http://www.diyphotography.net/affinity-photo-can-give-adobe-run-money/
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/affinity-photo-1.5,review-4257.htmlOthers

Others
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-lightroom-alternatives
http://digital-photography-school.com/a-beginners-guide-to-choosing-the-right-post-production-software/
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/photo-editing
https://www.reviews.com/photo-editing-software/
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-photo-editing-software,review-1972.html
http://www.redmondpie.com/best-adobe-photoshop-alternatives-for-windows-and-mac-list Affinity
http://www.shutterbug.com/content/affinity-photo-software-review-has-photoshop-met-its-match#d1c5lY5EQ03QoLjh.97
http://www.diyphotography.net/affinity-photo-can-give-adobe-run-money

Processing for free -
https://www.lightstalking.com/how-to-edit-rawtherapee/
https://www.lightstalking.com/free-photography-software/
http://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-free-photo-editor
http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/the-best-photoshop-alternatives-that-are-totally-free-5974500
http://lightzoneproject.org/

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

Organizing your photos is a very important aspect. Were I getting started now, I would be inclined to use Lightroom, for that reason. Which ever way you end up, you want to give the organizing problem good thought. I think processing is something you just grow into. You should do a lot of reading and youtubing to get the lay of the land so to speak. You already have very good advice here. I like the suggestions of free, and get your feet wet using something. You don't have to rush to a decision. There is an almost religious distain among some folks for using PP at all, but for most of us it is an integral part of the photographic process. As you settle in, you will identify things you are particularly interested in doing with your photos beyond the basics, and could find yourself adding an additional program from time to time for the way it handles a specific task. I use photoshop. Its what I got started with. I doubt that I would have had I not had a friend usher me into it. Its a program deep and vast. It can be confusing for sure. Im pretty sure you wouldn't call it intuitive, but once you get the hang of doing things with it, you wouldn't be willing to part with it. Thats my two cents worth.