DocDav Loc: IN

I have a very old ver of lightroom I never learned how to use. Also an old photoshop as well as the rental Adobe photoshop cc. I have to trash my hard drive and do not have the lic for the photoshop and phtoshop CC is a costly rental ( over time).

I am fair in photoshop, but not great. I am wondering between continueing photoshop cc, getting photoshop elements and paintshop pro ultimate....i know the best program is the one I can use well...but...any suggestions?

Thanks
David

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I have Elements 14 & 2019, and Photo Impact Pro (older version),
but most of my editing is done in the camera manufacture's RAW editor.
(I don't care for subscription services either if I can help it.)

(The best one really is the one that meets your needs,
but I suppose you have to try one to see if your needs are met by it
or you need another.)

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

If money is the issue, go to GIMP, which is lauded as the best free Photoshop alternative. There are even articles out there on how to use plugins originally intended for Photoshop. There are plenty of tutorials available including youtube tutorials. You might want to watch this 1/2 hour video to decide if you want to commit to the learning process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeABb8cwdUg .
Here's a download URL: https://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Personally, I'm going to stay with Adobe Creative Cloud including LR and PS. It's $10.61 / month (including state tax) here in Tx.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Adobe can get your Photoshop CC license info from their records so that you can continue using it. But perhaps your real desire is to change to something else? If that is the case, there are a bizzillion editing products you can choose - have at it.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Photoshop Elements has a free trial and I'm sure others do also. This question always results in dozens of suggestions, but there are so many factors involved, it's really best to try them for yourself.

I have been using Elements since 2013, but also have a cool little online app from https://www.befunky.com/ for when I want to do something while on my Chromebook.

The $35 annual fee gives you a ton of basic editing functions + some fun effects (there are no ads in the paid version). It does require your being online to use, however.

miked46 Loc: Winter Springs, Florida

When I upgraded my laptop, I switched out to using Luminar 2018 from Skylum and I also added Aurora for HDR.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

MY vote, Paint Shop Pro, easy to use does most everything, relatively intuitive.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Depending what you want to do with your images, almost any software package will make your images look better. Many will let you try them for free.

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.html

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/

Ted d Loc: Green Valley, AZ.

On1. Does everyth[ng that PS and LR do, and does it easier and faster.I just paid $78.00 for 2019. I think the sales is over and it has gone to $99.00, Updates are free, many instructional videos.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

Paint.net is a fine Windows program, not overly complicated but very capable, and free. Nobody on UHH seems to be aware of it. Here's the opening blurb on its homepage:

"Paint.NET is image and photo editing software for PCs that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. An active and growing online community provides friendly help, tutorials, and plugins.
It started development as an undergraduate college senior design project mentored by Microsoft, and is now maintained and developed by Rick Brewster. Originally intended as a free replacement for the Microsoft Paint software that comes with Windows, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has been compared to other digital photo editing software packages such as Adobe® Photoshop®, Corel® Paint Shop Pro®, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP."

Go to https://www.getpaint.net/

If you don't at least LOOK at it, you are missing something good!

kdogg Loc: Gallipolis Ferry WV

I use Paint Shop Pro and Luminar both have an easy learning curve and tons of tutorials and live workshops.

Bill_de Loc: US

What editing software?

I have three current ones on my computer, PhotoShop Elements, Corel Paintshop Pro, and On1.

Most of my PP is done on Elements (Elements+ is a good $12 add on) as it does all the basic editing plus a little more. It seems very intuitive, but that is a personal thing.

Paintshop Pro is a real competitor to PhotoShop. The interface/controls are a little different, so if switching from PS there is a bit of getting used to. They offer updates every year in the fall. They price it at $69.99, but if you watch the annoying pop-up ads you will get it for $25. And you can easily skip a year with no penalty. Another pop-up feature which can be turned on and off is a short tutorial for just about every action you can take. It will appear every time you go to use a tool, until you say no. When I got my Nikon Z6 recently Paintshop Pro was ready to handle the NEF files.

On1 is, for me, the toughest to learn but the most comprehensive of the three. I watch the videos which are being produced by a number of people and everything looks great with just a few clicks and a few brush strokes. When I try to apply what I should have learned it just doesn't seem to work. My issues will probably not be yours.

I do fool around with some of the free programs just to see what's going on. I have some older programs on the computer that I may choose to use for a feature or two, but as time goes on everything I need/want can be found in the three programs mentioned above.

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saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee, WA

I always fail to understand how people cannot find $10/month for the very best photo editing software on the market that is continually updated and improved. Frankly, I think it may be the best $10 I spend in a normal month, but then I use the software on a daily basis. I think I get more than my money's worth. I did the math. It's 32 cents a day.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

[quote=Ted d]On1. Does everyth[ng that PS and LR do, and does it easier and faster.I just paid $78.00 for 2019. I think the sales is over and it has gone to $99.00, Updates are free, many instructional videos.[/quote]
I occasionally use ON1 Photo Raw and recently updated to 2019 but I’m not sure why. The free updates only apply to the version you purchased. When ON1 2020 is released, there will be an update cost, probably $79.

Bill_de Loc: US

Adobe loves when people use the term very best. Very best for whom? There is not a product in the world that is the very best for everyone, at any price.

For many people having been told it is the best is enough to make them buy it. So for ten dollars a month they use all the presets on images from their eight year old camera. But they have the privilege of saying they have the best.

I do believe that PS is the best for people who learn to use a good percentage of its capabilities. My guess is that it is a low percentage of users. Typically on the forums the folks who rave the most about their equipment or software are the least likely to ever post an image.

UHH is fortunate that we have a few, I'll call them mentors, who not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk.

BTW - Folks should take a look at Saxman71's images.

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