Michael S

I Am looking for recommendations for a good editing program. I am a newbie and currently use a free primitive program. I am looking for a good fairly priced program. I also need a new computer that can adequately handle the program. Processer specs etc would really be helpful. Thanks in advance for responding.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

If you are not into the monthly charge thing, I’d suggest Luminar. It’s pretty powerful and relatively easy to use.

Stardust Loc: Central Illinois

You will get tons of suggestions for Photoshop here but I suggest Paintshop Pro 2019 Ultimate for under $50 (Amazon, etc) and you "own" the software versus monthly subscription. It does all the same things without paying for the fancy logo, and you can grow with it at your own pace but never out grow it. (There is now a 2020 version out but no real upgrade so save the bucks).

As for a computer need more info - pc or Apple, desktop or laptop, etc. To give you a shot in the dark get at least 16 Gb of RAM, at least 256 Gb solid-state hard drive to load all your software, a terabyte or two of hard drive for storage, and as fast CPU & graphics card you can afford and you will be set.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I’m happy with PS Elements, it’s about $80. Any new computer will work well. Be sure to get a minimum of 16 Gig of RAM and 1 TB of storage. I like my Dell desktop PC. A good monitor is important too.

hotglassguy Loc: Jeffersonville, IN

You might consider Corel's Paintshop Pro. The latest version is PSP 2020 includes an organizer, a new simplified photograph processing, or if you want a full post processing PSP is very similar to Photoshop but a little easier. A lot of value for $50 to $80 depending on the version (PSP Ultimate has more "extras").

wds0410 Loc: Nunya

I use a MacBook Pro with 16GB of memory and 256 GB of storage. I would recommend at least double of the amount of storage (512GB or better yet 1 TB) for future proofing. As to photo editing, I use Luminar but I would avoid Luminar 3 as it is very buggy in my experience. Go with Luminar Flex which is much more stable but lacks the Data Management feature.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

Paintshop Pro and AfterShot for RAW are a good place to start. I find that Nikon's NX-D and Olympus Workspace are good manufacturer's RAW development tools if you have these camera brands. Affinity Photo is very good but the learning curve seem a bit steeper.

jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

If you have a Sony or Fujifilm camera, you can download a free version of Capture One. If not, I recommend trying your camera manufacturer's software, which is also free. When you find you need more capable post-processing software and are willing to spend time learning to use it, consider Capture One Pro, Photoshop Elements, or Lightroom+Photoshop. Whatever you chose, there will be a learning curve that will take months to climb.

Since you are a relative beginner to post-processing, you don't need an "ultimate" system. Photo post-processing isn't nearly as resource intensive as video processing. All post-processing software vendors have minimum computer hardware and operating system requirements. Start there to define your minimum computer system requirements. I recommend at least 12 gigabytes of RAM. I have found Apple laptops to be well designed and relatively trouble-free, but they cost more. If you get a PC laptop, check on-line reviews and don't get a cheap one. The problems my family has had with PC laptops include screens that delaminated, screen hinges that broke, and power cord connections that broke on the motherboard. Since we moved to Apple laptops, we have had no mechanical problems and no software problems.

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

Except in order for what you were on the screen to match what you print you must transfer the file to another program and print it from there. Other than that Luminar3 is awesome.

bleirer

I 'graduated' ftom photoshop elements to subscription lightroom/Photoshop. Elements is about $80 and gives a great intro to the Adobe toolset, with a beginner mode that is useful. Lightoom/Photoshop is $10 A month every month. You get maybe 80% of Photoshop capability with Elements. When you are ready to 'graduate' you will know it by trying to do something Photoshop can do but elements can't. It is easy to import your elements catalog into Lightroom. You can try both for free for 30 days.

Michael S

Thanks to everyone who has replied. Today I found an HP desktop with an Intel 5 processor, 12 GB of memory and storage of 1T. I also found a Intel 7 with the same configuration. I haven't looked at any gaming models yet but their cost is very high. The monitor is a Dell 27 inch. I have until Saturday to buy before the sale price come off. Because of y tariff situation I expect prices to rise.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

Previously I used Picasa 3, LightRoom, Raw Therapee, and tried Gimp too. Now I use PhotoScapeX and it works very well for me, and it supports processing the Canon Raw files, except CR3, which they are in the process of updating. It can be used accurately with 3 or 4 clicks or you can REALLY get into serious editing. Here are a couple of sites for you, Enjoy. Be sure to select Mac/or Windows. Get the free version first (it never expires), and you can always upgrade. Also, please do yourself a favor and watch the following youtube video both to see if you would be interested and for training if you are interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWC-SAuYOzw&t=325s Instruction and download info http://x.photoscape.org/. May you always enjoy your photo journey!
Smile, JimmyT Sends

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

My vote is for Corel Paint Shop Pro, computer I5, Win 10, 12gig ram , 1 T internal HD, personally that's what I'm using on an HP all in one, Bob.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Michael, without being more specific, especially with respect to cost, it's going to be difficult. Personally, I prefer using a 27" iMac with Photoshop. You'll get lots of other suggestions, I'm sure. Most of those are products that compare themselves to Photoshop. That should tell you which is the best of the products.
--Bob

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

I'm a fan of the $10 monthly Lightroom/Photoshop bundle. Updates are fairly frequent and now that I'm getting into Photoshop, it's a bargain for me. I first started using Lightroom at the recommendation of a photographer friend of mine. I started with Picasa. I use a MacBook Pro and separate 1 and 4 terabyte external hard drives. I used on-line videos and a couple of classes.