bbradford Loc: Wake Forest NC

Thought I would ask the community what there thoughts were on free editing apps as opposed to buying one. Any recommendations about free that would be good for a beginner. Thanks Bryan

Bill_de Loc: US

There are free programs that will do more than many will ever need. Read the descriptions and pick one that will suit your needs.

https://www.techradar.com/news/the-best-free-photo-editor

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louparker Loc: Scottsdale, AZ

How many times is this question going to be asked? If you research prior topics, you will see many, many answers.

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

As many times as we have new comers to the sight. They are here to learn and we are here to teach, even when it becomes tedious.

Linary Loc: UK

Things (software) is always changing so it is just possible that something new will turn up in this thread.

Most questions asked are repeats of old, if no one asks there would be fewer threads on the Hog to while away the hours.

Just saw Photo Pos Pro in Bill De's link - new to me - looks interesting.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

Usually one gets what one pays for.
I have a subscription to Lightroom--it's a deal in my mind.

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

My advice is that once you use an app, you are no longer a beginner.

There are benefits to using a widely used pair of products like Photoshop and Lightroom. If you envision yourself taking lots of pictures in the future, then it might make sense to invest the time to learn both. Lightroom has a very easy raw editor, but the catalog befuddles most people because it does not behave like an image browser which is what they are expecting. The image must be part of the catalog in order to be able to edit it. It's no big deal. Put the card in the card reader, open LR, Library module, click the first import box - decide what you want to do (copy, add, move, or copy as dng), then tell it where you want to put your files (folder location), and press the second import button and in a few minutes the images are where they are supposed to be and your previews are built. The editor is organized for speed and efficiency so you can make changes to one or more files at the same time, which comes in handy.

Photoshop is, well, Photoshop - complex, capable of doing just about anything you'll need to do to an image or graphic and even light video editing. If you want to learn it before you start editing, good luck, I am on year 20, and I still don't use more than 30% of what it has to offer. But I know that when I need to do something unusual, a)Photoshop can do it, b)someone has probably done it already and has either posted a step by step guide or a video on it, c)there is likely a third party plugin that can handle the task, and d)I can draw on the expertise from a number of highly skilled individuals in forums like this one and others, as well as the Adobe community forums. It's the reason it is an industry leader, and used by over 9,000,000 users - academically, professionally, and by photo enthusiasts. The price of admission is $10/mo.

You can likely duplicate or in some cases even exceed PS/LR's capabilities. But none are as complete. If you are concerned about learning curve, what could be worse than needing to learn 3 or more software products? The free one you are looking for and ultimately Ligthroom and Photoshop?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You find information about free processing here -

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/

kenievans Loc: Dallas

My research a year ago led me to Photoscape. It was a great beginner start for me and very easy to use. I have moved on to Lightroom but I still go back to Photoscape for some fun filters I can't do in Lightroom without purchasing presets like converting the image to a watercolor or impressionistic painting. It is included in the "best of" link from a previous poster. I did this in Photoscape from a RAW file by combining two different effects. If you are not interested in this type of "playful processing" it is still great for simple tasks like cloning, cropping, sharpening, color adjustments etc. My main issue with it is that some of the filters can only be applied to the whole image not just parts of it, particularly sharpening, but by the time you get to that point you will probably be ready to upgrade anyway. Good luck!

(Download)

Wanderer2 Loc: Colorado Rocky Mountains

Faststone has been a popular free editing program and is a good starter program, IMHO. It's only for Windows. Not much to lose giving it a try.

http://www.faststone.org/

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

Based on a recommendation from my instructor in digital photography, I started out years ago with Lightroom and have been using that ever since. I took more tutorials on the internet plus Lynda free instruction via the local library. Glad I didn't go through the myriad of free and other programs, each of which requires time for learning. Now have the Lightroom Classic/Photoshop combinations and and happy not to have to be always on the lookout for a better PP program. The Adobe programs work just fine for me and I feel they are the top of the line for processing. Just my two cents.

Largobob

We must show patience, grasshopper.

(How would you like to teach the same subject, 5 periods a day, for 35 years?)

ppkwhat Loc: Gibsonton, FL

Well said orrie smith. In fact many of us have learned a lot on this site and as for myself I almost feel obligated in sharing with others, no matter how stupid the question is (rather ask a stupid question than make a stupid mistake).

NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

Not to sound snarky, but you are not required to answer a request for info. There are many times I either read others suggestions. Perhaps learning something new or just move on.

tomad Loc: North Carolina

If you're really a beginner start with the free Adobe Photoshop Express. It doesn't do layers but you can do most everything else and it's easy to learn/use. It's a good starting point until you need something more sophisticated.