Photoshop Alternatives (Page 2): I have seen several options shown already, and I just wanted to let you know that Serif offers a free version of Serif PhotoPlus that is very similar...

jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania

I have seen several options shown already, and I just wanted to let you know that Serif offers a free version of Serif PhotoPlus that is very similar to Photoshop and from what you are saying it should work fine for the processing you normally do and then some. You can check it out and download a copy here:

http://www.serif.com/free-photo-editing-software/

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

John_F wrote:

Adobe changed to monthly licence a bit after PS CS4. So for the occasional user, is there a credible alternative for the more routine post processing operations. I generally set white point and bkack point in Curves using the set points suggested in Kelby's books. Sometimes I do Unsharp Mask. And always switch the color space to Adobe 1998. At some point my copies of CS3 and CS4 will be obsolet on some OSX version and Mac model.

CS5 and CS6 can be bought regular and do not require a monthly fee, although I think a fee just under ten bucks is a good deal (all future upgrades are included)!

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

John_F wrote:

Adobe changed to monthly licence a bit after PS CS4. So for the occasional user, is there a credible alternative for the more routine post processing operations. I generally set white point and bkack point in Curves using the set points suggested in Kelby's books. Sometimes I do Unsharp Mask. And always switch the color space to Adobe 1998. At some point my copies of CS3 and CS4 will be obsolet on some OSX version and Mac model.

Wrong. It was after CS6.Lightroom and Photoshop Elements are both sold in DVD versions- Lightroom gets ACR updates, Elements does not. You can use LR with your versions of PS, but LR will do 90% of any PP you need to do, especially if you use the ColorChecker Pro to set your RAW Balance in LR.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

romanticf16 wrote:

.... Lightroom gets ACR updates, Elements does not....

Elements does, during it's version life cycle. Same with Lightroom.

For Elements, the life cycle is one year. I bought version 11 and it upgraded the ACR component a few times during the year it was "current". When version 12 came out, the ACR upgrades to version 11 stopped. Now that version 13 is out, the same will be true for version 12. None of this matters unless you buy a new camera model.

Lightroom is not that much different. As new camera models are added, the versions of Lightroom are also upgraded. Lightroom 5 has been upgraded, one step at a time, to Lightroom 5.6 to accommodate new camera model introductions. At some point (next spring?), Lightroom 6 will arrive. There will be only two reasons to upgrade. One is if you buy a camera so new that it's RAW recipe won't be included in LR 5. The other is for any new tools that show up.

If you don't buy new camera models you never have to worry about this!

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

romanticf16 wrote:

Wrong. It was after CS6.Lightroom and Photoshop Elements are both sold in DVD versions- Lightroom gets ACR updates, Elements does not. You can use LR with your versions of PS, but LR will do 90% of any PP you need to do, especially if you use the ColorChecker Pro to set your RAW Balance in LR.

Elements does get ACR updates , even though its a limited version, it still updates! If you used to PP in Photoshop, than LR can probably do 10-15 % (aah, make that 2 to 3%)!

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

Racmanaz wrote:

John F, you might also check out the free software program LightZone, does about everything you want to be done plus it is FREE!

http://lightzoneproject.org/

Just wanted to point out that these "free" programs really do need financial support. They do have expenses involved in distribution not to mention time and effort... If you use it you should pay in to help keep the project alive. Nothing is really free.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

sloscheider wrote:

Just wanted to point out that these "free" programs really do need financial support. They do have expenses involved in distribution not to mention time and effort... If you use it you should pay in to help keep the project alive. Nothing is really free.

Maybe that's why they call it an "open source" program rather than "free program" as I initially posted?

makane Loc: CLE/Tremont

No one has mentioned Aperture. Any reason for that?
Thanks.
makane

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

makane wrote:

No one has mentioned Aperture. Any reason for that?
Thanks.
makane

I believe Aperture is discontinued or will be soon.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

John_F wrote:

Adobe changed to monthly licence a bit after PS CS4. So for the occasional user, is there a credible alternative for the more routine post processing operations. I generally set white point and bkack point in Curves using the set points suggested in Kelby's books. Sometimes I do Unsharp Mask. And always switch the color space to Adobe 1998. At some point my copies of CS3 and CS4 will be obsolet on some OSX version and Mac model.

I assume you shoot in raw. I wonder why you even bother with Photoshop based on the the requirements you describe. If that's all you ever do, and pixel level object manipulation is not your goal, than Lightroom 5.6 would be a cheaper and easier to use alternative. Its uses the same version of Adobe Camera RAW as the most current version of Photoshop. Be aware that Lightroom is also a cataloging program and you would need to import all your images into the catalog so Lightroom will be aware of them. Lightroom will not "see" or allow you to modify any images not in its catalog. You do not have to move them to a different location on import unless you want to, in which case Lightroom will do it for you. If you delete, add or move images outside of Lightroom then Lightroom will no longer find those images and you will have to resync the catalog.

Nikon_DonB Loc: Chicago

Corel Paintshop Pro x6. It'll do just about everything PS will, plus it runs most of the plug-ins. Try it free for 30 days at corel.com

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Nikon_DonB wrote:

Corel Paintshop Pro x5. It'll do just about everything PS will, plus it runs most of the plug-ins. Try it free for 30 days at corel.com

Don, are you going to upgrade to X7?

Nikon_DonB Loc: Chicago

Racmanaz wrote:

Don, are you going to upgrade to X7?

No. There aren't enough improvements to justify the $$$ in my opinion. The x6 made the jump to 64 bit and I like it's speed. Most of this years upgrade seems to be with the creative stuff and I really don't get too crazy with that.
I'll get it "probably" next year with x8.

Nikon_DonB Loc: Chicago

Racmanaz wrote:

I believe Aperture is discontinued or will be soon.

I believe I heard that too.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Nikon_DonB wrote:

No. There aren't enough improvements to justify the $$$ in my opinion. The x6 made the jump to 64 bit and I like it's speed. Most of this years upgrade seems to be with the creative stuff and I really don't get too crazy with that.
I'll get it "probably" next year with x8.

Ya I will probably wait till X8 also :)