smosphoto Loc: Florida

I STRONGLY suggest Affinity Photo. I have used Photoshop for 20 years, I dropped them day one for Affinity. $50 one time charge for the program, almost exactly Photoshop and free updates. Plenty of room to grow with this program for beginners and won't break the bank. There are MANY free lessons on You Tube not to mention low cost training on UDEMY and others.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Take a serious look at Affinity Photo; very reasonably priced and just a good as Photoshop, maybe even a touch better!

bwa

GiGiMac103 Loc: Garden State

Total amateur here. I tried PS and struggled with all technical terms, etc. so I searched the www for some freeware. I found a program called PicMonkey. It has limited function for free. I pay $40 a year to use all functions. I really like it. Lots of tutorials and very user friendly. Good luck!

KiheiVillages

Isn't NIK software free now? For a few years?
Otherwise, for the price of one lunch at a chain Burger joint, you can have Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and....
Lightroom CC, <----(which you can install on Desktop, Laptop and Cellphone.) for a month.
Just sacrifice one burger meal a month.

btbg

Before you decide on software you need to make sure that you aren't going to be taking a class that requires specific software. A lot of college photo classes require photoshop for postprocessing. Make sure that isn't the case before spending money on something else.

I know that there are a lot of people who are opposed to the subscription model for photoshop and lightroom and there are others who say that there is too large of a learning curve, or that other software can do anything that photoshop and lightroom can do.

It's true that there are other programs that are getting closer and closer to photoshop, but it is still the industry standard. As far as a learning curve it isn't nearly as steep as its detractors would like to claim. The basic tools are easy to understand, the help functions work well and the tools are all explained with help boxes when scrolled over. Basic processing can be learned quickly.

At the same time it may take a lifetime to learn all of the capabilities of the program as it is constantly updating and has lots of functions that are primarily used for specialty functions.

I absolutely recommend photoshop.

ronaldwrightdallas

I agree that LR is a serious and complex program that allows for many ways of editing and cataloging your photos. most of that is not required to simply import photos, make basic edits, and export a jpg if desired. If you don't try to teach any of these features, the simple process of importing with no options, basic editing (mainly auto) and simple export to jpg is not particularly compex and can be explained with examples in a short period.
To fully utilize the tool requires much experience and there are many things I don't know how to do but don't use or require anyway.

Gilkar

GIMP is a Free program if no one has mentioned it, but you would do best to invest in Photoshop as it sets the standard for all the rest and no matter what others say if you are going to work professionally you WILL need it.

JohnG013

If you want a good FREE program for photo editing why not try Gimp.
https://www.gimp.org/

ialvarez50

Hello friend, I have been teaching photography at Truman College for the last 25 years and I can help you. The very first question that I ask my students is this; how many of you have installed the program that you received with your camera? Did you know that one of the CDs that come with your camera has a program that let you process your photos? If you have a Canon camera, the program is called Digital Photo Professional and it’s a very easy program to learn. Nikon also has a program that you get for free with a new camera.
If you want to use another program I recommend Lightroom because it’s for just photography and no, you don’t have to buy it, just signup with adobe and “rent” the programs (Photoshop and Lightroom) for $10.00 a month. If you have a student ID from the college where you taking classes, they will give you a brake for being a student.
If you prefer GIMP is free here: https://www.gimp.org/downloads/ the program can do the same as Photoshop and it’s free of cost forever!

Good luck to you.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

Several years ago I took several courses at a local community college. The professor was an accomplished photographer. He recommended unequivocally Lightroom. It's not as "complex" as some describe, but like any thing worthwhile it does take some effort to understand.

KiheiVillages

I agree! Any pro program like photoshop, does more than a single photographer will ever use in several lifetimes. I got the PS and Lr CC combo, for Lightroom. But if there's something I need to use in PS, I put the PS tutorial (YouTube) on one of my two monitors. Then I open PS up on the other. I pause the PS tutorial, to perform the operation on my PS. Then go back to the tutorial, and so on. So far, I've learned quite a few special effects and deeper operations.

So, with Photo Shop, just use it for whatever you want!
There is no reason to take a class and learn the whole shmear, unless you absolutely need, or want to.

pnittoly Loc: Mountainside, New Jersey

Thanks Toment !

rodder

With my limited experience I like Pixelmator and Afterlight on my ipad, because of my shooting raw with an old camera I’ve had a lot of problems and head scratching. There are people here better equipped to give you good advice. There are a lot of freebies out there but you get what you pay for.

photogeneralist Loc: Lopez Island Washington State

I'm surprised that no one has even mentioned Luminar.

photogeneralist Loc: Lopez Island Washington State

I'm surprised that no one has even mentioned Luminar.