targa75 Loc: san diego

Thanks guys, great info. Wasn’t aware of
subscription upgrade yearly costs! Will
check out Nikons program and Lightroom
plus free stuff. Checked out Alison and
Stanford software. Alison informative and
leaves you wanting more info($).
Stanford complete college course and
requires attention to detail.

bleirer

Lightroom and Photoshop together cost $10 a month, no extra charges no upgrade fees.

Photoshop elements costs $99 one time, upgrade only when you choose, $79.

It is worth a free trial, and try some of the other programs too, see what you think.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

FROM ONE BEGINNER TO ANOTHER:::: Don't make the mistakes I and so may others have done.

!st & Foremost : Read & Fully Understand the Manual that comes with Your Camera and Practice all the functions it provides to check it's operation to Verify its' correctness. If you didn't get a manual go on line and download it. If you don't know how to use your camera properly , all the software in the world will not make you a better photographer.

2nd: Getting the image Right within the camera before you take the shot will eliminate a lot of time wasted in Post Processing attempting to correct sloppy work. Not every mistake is correctable. Read-up on exposure & white balance and the basic triangle and watch YouTube Videos. Go to this site each day and read the posts & questions of others , like yourself , and follow the remedies & replies as recommended by the knowledgeable staff of regulars here who will direct your to specific websites for proper explanations to complex questions. Write Down your notes in a little booklet. Pay Attention.

Finally: Picking a Software is like choosing a Doctor for a problem you are having. Most are specialists and as such , can only fix certain-specific maladies.(not everything wrong with You).
The Doctor is only as good as the Subject he or she is given to work with at any given time , so Your Health becomes your responsibility and your existence (good or not) will be Self-Inflicted in the final analysis . If you have done your Do-Diligence early-on and established consistent work study & practices , you will know where to look , what to ask , and what to choose with ease and certainty .

Good Luck & Welcome to the Forum.........you have come to the Right Place Indeed.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

At this point in the game, you're probably not replacing people's heads and changing backgrounds. Exposure, contrast, sharpness, and cropping will probably be your main adjustments, and any processing program can do that.

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/

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/

ngrea Loc: Sandy Spring, Maryland

[quote (running Win 7)
d.[/quote]

Before you download any new program check to see if it will run on windows 7. Since windows doesn’t support 7 any more, you really should consider up grading to win 10, while it may require a newer computer there are fairly new (but used) machines available if cost is a factor.
GIMP is a good free photo processing software. While it has some learning curve the basics are easy.

Nikon1201

Lightroom And Photoshop. Almost all editing programs have 30 day free trials . Try them all.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

My recommendation is to use Nikon Capture NX-D.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

I agree. Either Nikon's free software or Photoshop Elements.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

What? I can’t copy it and rename it and sell it, or give it away as freeware? I’m shocked 😱. Guess I don’t own it, then...

Caveat emptor — and read the EULA.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Whatever you do, check the hardware and operating system requirements and be sure your setup can handle them, before you commit!

tdozier3 Loc: Northern Illinois

Go on Corel website and try the free 30 day trial of Aftershot Pro. It's what I use and is all I need. If you like it, you can purchase it with no monthly fees like Adobe products.

lsaguy Loc: Udall, KS, USA

Though it won't do RAW images Irfanview is still my goto PP program. It's free, easy to work with, and a great way to get started in PP.

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

Good advice! I learned that lesson with the latest interim release of ON1. In a maintenance release that was sorely needed, ON1 increased the graphics card memory recommendation from 1 to 4 gb.

xt2 Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Elements if you are a traditionalist, Luminar 3 if you prefer less expensive, easy and fun.

Cheers!

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Keep it simple and versatile - Adobe Elements - an older/used version is OK....
.