peddler Loc: West Monroe, La

I am thinking about purchasing editing software. Any suggestions for a not overly technology savvy person and something that want break the bank. Thanks in advance for your help.

dirtpusher Loc: tulsa oklahoma

Well you can review how use them. On Utube University. If you go Adobe, try Adobe TV. Some software have tutorials on thier website. After you watch a few tutorials, Adobe have 30 day free trials on thier stuff.

You can google free editing programs. To get a feel. Most all different except Adobe.

JR45 Loc: Montgomery County, TX

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I would suggest that with training, even complex software with 100s of commands will work. Without training and support, even simple programs will seem difficult. Many free options out there fall into two very broad categories - for beginners and casual users that only want to make minor adjustments to their images, and enthusiasts who don't wan to/can't afford software, but want lots of bells and whistles to be able to adjust their images as they wish - usually beyond the capabilities of the simple software.

The most capable software with the unquestionably highest level of support is Adobe Photoshop/Lightroom CC. It is also one of the least expensive at $120/yr and they let you pay $10/mo if you prefer. Everything else may have compromises that may or may not affect you. But this is what they teach in schools, what the professionals use, and what many enthusiasts also use. When they only sold retail boxed software, it was one of the most pirated products ever. The $10/mo has put an end to that for the most part.

JimMullinaux Loc: Austin, Texas

Take a look at PhotoPlus from Serif Software. It has tons of features you can grow into the more you use it. They also have lots of training videos on YouTube and a great users forum.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Adobe CC for $10/month your best investment But learn how to use it first Many books videos and more out there to help you Plush plenty of help here on UHH

Shakey Loc: Traveling again to Norway and other places.

Before you buy try Fotor, a Windows program, it's like a mini Photoshop but free. Here's the link:
http://www.fotor.com/windows/index.html

Collie lover Loc: St. Louis, MO

Check out Corel PaintShop Pro X9. Very user friendly and not expensive.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

There have been many UHH topics on this subject and a whole lot of different suggestions.

I found PS Elements to be perfect for my needs. It has tabs for quick, guided and expert, so you don't have to see all the stuff you aren't interested in at the moment. It is a cleaner looking interface than the Corel I had years ago, and as with Photoshop, there are a ton of books, videos and articles for support.

I purchased for about $50 on sale.

A handy feature is it is compatible with plug-ins (more editing stuff). Nik Collection is being offered free by Google now, so if you end up with a compatible "host" such as Elements (or Photoshop), and decide you really, really like editing, you have another whole world of fun available

bigwolf40 Loc: Effort, Pa.

I think what Linda from Maine said about PSE is good advice. I use it and found that the Enhance tab will do a lot for most photos plus you have a lot of other things that you will be able to do as you learn the program....Rich

selwyntdavid

Just the other day someone had posted about a editing software Luminar for Mac on this site. I read the reviews and it sounds very good and user friendly and I am planning to buy one some time in the near future.

Selwyn

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

I know a lot of people complain about the $10.00 a month that PhotoshopCC and LightroomCC costs but try to put it in perspective. For me it's just the cost of development, which is a heck of a lot less expensive than what I use to pay out monthly for film and having developing done by someone else or paying for the chemicals to do the developing myself. It's the best, most versatile and most written about development software out there. There is a whole world of free or very inexpensive video tutorials that you can learn from and free add-ons that you can get. You can't beat it.

Meives Loc: FORT LAUDERDALE

Photoshop Elements new is $99. Last years (just as good) $69. Most of us use some form of Photoshop so specific help is near by. It is only complex if you do the hundreds of things it does. To learn the basic it can take 15 minutes. Histogram, cropping, color intensity ect. David

StaneeRae Loc: Lincroft, NJ USA

I saw a special offer to get Adobe CC for $8 per month.
https://creative.adobe.com/promo/5DayDealCCPP

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

No matter what software you use, there will be a learning curve. As others have pointed out, the best regarded and most used is the Adobe CC subscription which includes both LightRoom and PhotoShop. You can get the 30-day free trial of each and then if you want to purchase the subscription, it is easy to continue, no hassle. You can also discontinue it any time if you change your mind. And even if you never use PS, just having LR is worth the money. You will always have the latest version of each at no additional charge, and Adobe lets you know about its updates and what they do. There are plenty of resources for learning how to use the programs, and Adobe has been improving their free tutorials as well. The manual is available online, but it is pretty hefty, not easy reading - perhaps as a reference, but otherwise can be too confusing.

The beauty of the Adobe CC plan is that you can learn it in small steps. And experimenting with how the different functions work (modules, sliders, and tools) is quite educational. In the develop module, you can make a virtual copy (also called a proof copy) on which to do your edits. This leaves the original unchanged. And because LR is a non-destructive program, if you forget and edit the original, you can always make a virtual copy and then go back to the original and "reset" (takes it back to the original). This way you do not lose access to your edited version!

You can use as much or as little of the programs as you are ready for. You can grow into it over time, and never have a program you will outgrow!