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Starting to use RAW
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Sep 14, 2018 08:13:51   #
mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA
 
donrent wrote:
Thanks Shellback. Appreciate the info, but to put all that effort into trying to use it , is in my opinion ridiculous.


Geez, how much effort do you put into using the camera? If you are going to use RAW, then this is the next step. Otherwise you may be happier shooting jpegs. LR is actually pretty intuitive once you understand it is a catalog system and a few RAW adjustments. The rest is just practice. And Adobe now has added so many shortcuts, you can just hit the Auto button on the Basic tab and get an acceptable image done for you.

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Sep 14, 2018 08:20:08   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
donrent wrote:
And I downloaded Lighroom to use it and absolutely hate it. I can find no instructions to start out with - what I do find seems to be so confusing.

Anyone have a suggestion of a good program ?


What you can do with LR is go to the Develop module and then work down the right column, making adjustments. When you're comfortable with that, you can try more advanced features.

Other programs -

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/
https://photographypro.com/photo-editing/

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/

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Sep 14, 2018 08:33:57   #
Nikon1201
 
Go to YouTube find a all tutorials by Julianne Kost , Laura Shoe and they will help . LR is powerful and the best . Have patients it does take time.

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Sep 14, 2018 08:36:56   #
AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire
 
ELNikkor wrote:
in 5 minutes, my son cleared up all of my first frustrations; now, I love it!


Reason #1 to procreate, technology. Reason #2, they'll get to pick your nursing home.

Andy

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Sep 14, 2018 08:42:43   #
redhogbill Loc: antelope, calif
 
I have had lightroom for a long time, and had a hard time figuring it out, I did all the links and youtube , it never clicked. it never was more than a 3 year old trying to fly an F16.. I tried several times {there are a lot of components to LR} finally quit jacking around and signed up for www.creativelive.com and bought a couple lightroom tutorials, lightroom 101 etc. they helped me to actually understand lightroom {still can't fly the F16, but can taxi it!!} this is what worked for me. good luck

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Sep 14, 2018 08:48:48   #
camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.
 
When using RAW as you have already noticed, especial software is needed since RAW files are not universal like a JPEG.
I use Affinity Photo but understand there is a learning curve to the software, this or any other one.

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Sep 14, 2018 09:11:00   #
dbjazz Loc: Long Island, NY
 
Photoshop Elements - most of the same editing features with far less angst.

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Sep 14, 2018 09:13:08   #
mborn Loc: Massachusetts
 
donrent wrote:
Thanks Shellback. Appreciate the info, but to put all that effort into trying to use it , is in my opinion ridiculous.


When I first got LR, I did not understand it. Then,, I attended a Matt K day long program that cleared things up. Started using the program and have continued to learn more . Now cannot live without it. Have ove 100000 images cataloged and easy to find plus the original raw files are available for re-processing as I learn more!

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Sep 14, 2018 09:16:04   #
lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA
 
donrent wrote:
And I downloaded Lightroom to use it and absolutely hate it. I can find no instructions to start out with - what I do find seems to be so confusing.

Anyone have a suggestion of a good program ?


There are a huge number of free YouTube and text instruction on the Web. And there are many books about Lightroom. I personally did not like it because I already knew how to use Photoshop CS5 & CS6. But Lightroom should be easy if you take it in slowly.

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Sep 14, 2018 09:16:20   #
tomad Loc: North Carolina
 
I have a bunch of editors, and the easiest to learn (and to start) to use that is also a very powerful editor is Luminar in my opinion. It's fairly cheap and it handles (develops) most raw files to a point that they are usable. There are also many free Youtube tutorials for it out there, the best ones being by Jim Nix, again in my opinion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wE_29h7K-c

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Sep 14, 2018 09:23:19   #
mkiegold86 Loc: New York, NY. U.S.A.
 
I am not sure which version of Lightroom you downloaded but there are two versions of Lightroom.
I would recommend you check out this link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=cLpOHt9f-x8

It will explain the difference between the two versions and provide basic training.

I totally understand that you may choose another program for your purposes but I hope you will check this out and make an informed decision before you give up on a long standing industry standard.

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Sep 14, 2018 10:10:22   #
GeoffYoung Loc: Crystal River, FL.
 
I have been using Luminar for a week or so and find it very user friendly - you can download the user manual to see all the features

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Sep 14, 2018 10:22:45   #
mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey
 
donrent wrote:
And I downloaded Lighroom to use it and absolutely hate it. I can find no instructions to start out with - what I do find seems to be so confusing.

Anyone have a suggestion of a good program ?

Lightroom is a professional level program. There is a fairly steep learning curve to use it properly. There are plenty of books and videos to help you but mastering it takes considerable time and effort. If you want something quick and easy to use which does not require a significant investment of your time then Lightroom is probably not the best choice.

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Sep 14, 2018 10:23:53   #
frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.
 
Every program had a learning curve... to get started. LR isn't that hard... if you do not want take the time to learn a program, then maybe RAW is not for you.

Why do you want to shoot raw. If it is to get better photographs in the end, then take the time to learn. All RAW files need to be processed in some way. Adobe has plenty of videos and written help files, from getting started up to the more complex.


donrent wrote:
And I downloaded Lighroom to use it and absolutely hate it. I can find no instructions to start out with - what I do find seems to be so confusing.

Anyone have a suggestion of a good program ?

Reply
Sep 14, 2018 10:30:15   #
NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC
 
donrent wrote:
Thanks Shellback. Appreciate the info, but to put all that effort into trying to use it , is in my opinion ridiculous.


Understand your frustration, but it only stands to reason that in order for a software to be capable of performing significant post processing of your photos it will have to be very sophisticated and not a simple point and click. Anyone who has only used a cell phone camera would think the same thing about your camera equipment. Very capable cameras and PP software have a real learning curve.

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