JBA wrote:
For some years now my wife and I (both in our 80s) have been using Apple Photos to manage and edit our photos. When extra fine editing - layers, etc - and printing have been required for entry in various contests (and winning) we have used the services of a local custom editing facility. That facility is moving out of town and we will no longer be able to sit down with them to direct custom editing.
We have decided to bite the bullet and undertake editing ourselves. We both use Apple computers.
We are soliciting your input in the selection of software that will allow us to do a more sophisticated job of editing than is possible with Apple Photos. At the same time we do not need the power and complexity of Photoshop. Please help.
For some years now my wife and I (both in our 80s)... (
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2 products come quickly to mind...ACDSee Ultimate 2020 & also CorelDraw 2020. Both offer a 30 day free trial & copious amounts of online help & support groups
FiddleMaker wrote:
I use only Classic Lr CC but also have Ps as part of my monthly subscription ($10.61) but I don't use it. But Elements is just a scaled down version of Ps and I think that I could not edit my raw images in the same manner as I do in Lr. Is Elements a blend of both Lr and Ps but just a scaled down version ??
Elements shares features found in both LR and PS but it is most like PS. Elements has an image organizer like LR. Otherwise LR is a parametric editor while PS and Elements are both raster or pixel editors. That's a fundamental difference and why Elements is ultimately more like PS.
Parametric editors work with an image data file by creating an instruction list of what to do when the final output image is created. Raster or pixel editors actually push pixels around in the editing process which is something parametric editors can't do.
You might want to take a look at FastStone's ImageView to start with. If you have a newer Apple (with the x86 processor) it should work just fine. You can even try it out out yourselves for a few days before sending them a small amount of money (amount of $ recommended on the web site). WARNING: I've never used or even tried to with RAW pix.
It took me about a year to work out just where the editing functions were "hidden" but once I did that I was set and it does a whole lot of stuff that other software vendors just dream of. And they do it.without a lot of fluff.
The other suggestion I have is to try the image processing software that comes either standalone or as part of the Corel Draw package. It's extremely functional and I've never not been able to do anything I wanted to using it.
drjuice
I have used Capture One since Apple abandoned Aperture. (Captureone.com) I really like it for organization and photo editing. It is a very good RAW editor and has built in profiles for most cameras and lenses. They publish many free training webinars and you can try it for free for thirty days. Good luck.
FiddleMaker wrote:
what would be a good alternative to Lightroom, free or otherwise that would have similar features to Lightroom?
That's a tall order as LR is hard to equal. No other app is going to offer image management features as good as what LR provides. There are a few apps that rival LR editing ability and maybe exceed it.
Capture One is likely a superior editor than LR and does have cataloging ability.
ACDSee offers a complete package that includes parametric raw processor, image manager and raster editor.
On1 is a competitive parametric editor with so so image management.
DarkTable is a free open source parametric editor and pretty darn capable with light image management.
I mostly use Affinity, although I've kept my Adobe subscription and use LR every so often. I just purchased inPixio which allows quick and easy erase, clone, correction editing, and so far I like it.
Photoshop ELEMENTS is a fine bit of software and you don't have to 'subscribe' or rent it. You buy it outright and use it at your descretion. There are scads of helpful videos available on Youtube to demonstrate nearly every tool or process it's capable of. Also many sites where advanced users are happy to share their expertise.
You can use it as 'basic' as you choose, or delve slowly into all that it's capable of doing and in time you'll be doing to your photos all (and then some) that you've been paying others to do.
Good Luck,
God Bless,
Papa Joe
JBA wrote:
For some years now my wife and I (both in our 80s) have been using Apple Photos to manage and edit our photos. When extra fine editing - layers, etc - and printing have been required for entry in various contests (and winning) we have used the services of a local custom editing facility. That facility is moving out of town and we will no longer be able to sit down with them to direct custom editing.
We have decided to bite the bullet and undertake editing ourselves. We both use Apple computers.
We are soliciting your input in the selection of software that will allow us to do a more sophisticated job of editing than is possible with Apple Photos. At the same time we do not need the power and complexity of Photoshop. Please help.
For some years now my wife and I (both in our 80s)... (
show quote)
Adobe makes a more suitable less expensive and easier to learn program called Adobe Photoshop Elements. It's about $80 and you own it. They have a new update every year. Works on both Mac and PC platforms. Can organize your photos too. Does basic layering and has many of the features that the big brother "Photoshop" has.
Most camera makers have free software. I use Canon's Digital Photo Professional 4 (DPP4) and find it every bit as useful as Lightroom except for Lightroom's superior organizer. For difficult projects there is no match for Photoshop, but Photoshop Elements is quite good, too, and maybe easier to learn.
tomad
Loc: North Carolina
FiddleMaker wrote:
what would be a good alternative to Lightroom, free or otherwise that would have similar features to Lightroom?
Darktable probably comes closest. It's free and works on all platforms.
Also, as stated above, most camera companies now either provide free software or have a partnership with some software company to provide a free version to owners of their cameras.
ON1 Raw 2020.5 has a lot of presets and AI to make your post processing much easier. a free 30 trial. The cost is very similar to PSE( Photoshop Elements 2020).
Your computer maybe your limiting factor for selecting a software editing program. So make sure you read the requirements before you select or buy or try a given software editing program.
If you own a Canon camera, then DPP4 is free and will allow good basic post processing.
The same for Nikon also has a free post processing.
I would suggest going to You Tube and review all the above offers many have provided. This way you can see just each PP offers and how easy it is to use.
Good luck an have fun and remember you can always go back to youtube to relearn or to review again how to accomplish an edit.
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