Bojon1

Hello Visionaries.... I suppose photographers are at the very minimum that. I am a 72 year old man who during the fleeting Spring of youth and for the next 10 odd years snapped thousands of shots using a Nikon F2 Photomatic SLR. The Nikon went on the shelf many years ago. Last year while on EBay I noticed a Leica DLux 4 Point and Shoot and purchased. I have been snapping on "A" and some "P" modes but just scratching the surface of what lies ahead in the digital world. I know nothing, but will learn, of photo editing software but I want to ask this very prestigeius forum for some guidance concerning two issues.

1: What software should a new digital photo person purchase and educate his/her self with?

2: What laptop should I purchase? I am a Windows person but not adverse to purchasing a Mac. The laptop I purchase I would want to be powerful enough to take me, if the case may be, to an advanced level.

This is my first post. I look forward to your response.

Thank you

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I primarily use the RAW editor that came with my camera.
Followed by Elements and Photo Impact Pro sometimes.
I have a Toshiba laptop, albeit seven years old...

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

As an older photographer who cut my teeth on film I offer the following suggestions to your questions:

1. You will get a lot of advice on what program(s) is/are the best. If you read all of the advice, you'll be more confused than ever! Personally, I use Photoshop Elements and I bought Scott Kelby's book "Photoshop Elements 14 for Digital Photographers." The number will change with the version of Elements anyone buys. My advice: pick one and slowly learn it. I am still learning all the Elements can do.

2. As to a laptop purchase. Whenever I need a new laptop for photo editing (I am on my second one), I go to my local computer store (not the big box stores) and tell them what I'm looking for. The invariably point me in the right direction. Also, you will eventually want/need an external monitor for your editing.

Enjoy the process!

bleirer

I would go for a photoshop subscription. It is ten dollars a month and the standard everything gets compared to. It is paired with Lightroom no extra charge. You can do most everything in Lightroom without opening Photoshop, but if you need it you right click your picture in Lightroom and choose to edit it in Photoshop, then when you save it will save back in Lightroom again. Big learning curve but there is a lot of help online.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Just as in cameras, whomever uses what editor, it's the best.
The "best" is the one that meets your needs and works well for you.

JoAnneK01 Loc: Lahaina, Hawaii

Used to be a windows person for many years. Now I am an apple fan. For a laptop I use a MacBook Pro and I also have an iMac 27 for a desktop. 'Photos' comes with both computers. But I also use Affinity and Luminar for additional processing, if needed. Both are very reasonably priced and can be placed on both computers. I do primarily shoot RAW with my Nikon cameras. BTW, welcome and aloha to UHH.

Bojon1

So JoAnne.... I'm on the fence... Dell XPS 15.. MacBook Pro....why did you leave windows.... I need a nudge from someone like you who came from a Windows environment. What moved you into the Mac world.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

First off, Welcome to what I like to call the bulletin board in one of God’s waiting rooms.
For computer advice I ask, “What’s the budget?” Apple will be the priciest of them and will be the easiest to use and understand for a beginner, but since you’re used to windows, I would probably stick with it. I switched to Apple last year and am liking it a lot better than the Windows machine I have.
For software, do you want an outright purchase or would a subscription be ok?
Affinity is easy to learn (outright purchase) and Adobe is a good subscription product. Adobe also has an outright purchase product called Elements, but I’ve only been able to get it to work in 8bit, not 16bit like Affinity, and the learning curve is larger than Affinity.
It really all just depends on your preferences and budget.

Edit : I saw your post asking why the switch to Mac. For me, I was really tired of the constant updates that screwed up my programs and slowed down the computer. Then the occasional blue screen of death when an update would go horribly wrong. And the Norton Security program that had constant updates. So I switched and am very pleased with my IMAC. When the software does update, it takes only a few seconds because most of the work was done in the background and doesn’t affect performance while it happens.

Bob Mevis Loc: Plymouth, Indiana

Welcome. I use Photoshop and a toshiba running Windows 10. So far, so good.

bleirer

Yes elements is strictly 8 bit, but the tools are similar to Photoshop so it would be a good introduction, plus there is a beginner tab that holds your hand. Plus the price is right. Still I think Lightroom with Photoshop is a better overall chojce.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

I think being a better overall choice is true for many here. But not all. It comes down to how much time and money you are willing to invest. I have Elements 18 with the tutorial built in to the app, but I was not as happy with it as I am with Affinity. It really is a personal choice for the amateur and hobbyist.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Start simply, download FastStone Image Viewer, which is great for cataloging images with extensive thumbnail support and very minimal editing capabilities. When you are comfortable, ACDSee Pro or Photoshop Elements will fit. And when you're ready for the Bigs, Adobe Lightroom CC Classic and Photoshop CC.

For laptops, check on Dell's or HP's site for good deals. Whatever you do, get as much RAM as your budget allows, but a minimum of 16 Gb and make sure the mainboard allows you to expand.

Nikon1201

My suggestion would be get involved in a camera club. They can help with camera selection DSLR or mirrorless and also show you various editing programs and answer all your questions. I’m president of our club and that what we do our first meeting of the month . Show and answer any question you my have.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Whatever software you settle on, you'll have to learn how to use it, but that shouldn't be too difficult. Adjusting brightness, tint, and sharpness, in addition to some cropping, are basic functions. There is a lot of free software.

Free -
https://www.darktable.org/
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/59324818
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/

Not 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/

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Laptop -
You don't need a super computer to process photos.

Moderately priced -
http://www.popsci.com/choose-right-laptop-for-you
https://www.cnet.com/topics/laptops/best-laptops/budget-laptops/
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3097473/computers/best-budget-laptops-we-rate-the-best-selling-portables-on-amazon-and-best-buy.html
http://www.consumerreports.org/laptops/laptops-for-every-budget/
https://www.lifewire.com/best-laptops-under-500-4043278

Photo processing -
http://www.popsci.com/choose-right-laptop-for-you
https://www.photoworkout.com/best-laptop-photo-editing/
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/167185-best-laptops-for-photo-editing
https://sleeklens.com/top-ten-laptops-for-photo-editing/
http://www.techradar.com/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/best-laptops-for-image-editing-2016-1329234

Processor -
http://gizmodo.com/dont-waste-money-on-intels-top-processor-1791426602
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404674,00.asp
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-core-i5-vs-i7/
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/intel-core-i9-vs-i7-vs-i5-cpu/
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/intel-core-i5-vs-i7/
http://www.laptopmag.com/articles/core-i5-vs-i7
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/210703-intel-core-i5-vs-core-i7-which-processor-should-you-buy

Memory -
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-much-ram-does-your-pc-need-probably-less-than-you-think/
http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-much-ram-does-your-pc-need/