good photo editing software for beginner: hi, all am a newbie here. what recommendations for a good photo editing software for beginner I am using a Canon 70D with a EF 70-300mm...

ike129

hi, all

am a newbie here. what recommendations for a good photo editing software for beginner

I am using a Canon 70D with a EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM.
currently taking landscape, bird and wildlife shots as I learn how to use the camera

thanks for any advice.

Ike

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

There are many of them but first you have to understand that regardless of what you get there will be a learning curve.
Photoshop Elements is pretty close to its big brother but easier.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Welcome to UHH. I would suggest Adobe Lightroom. It is a great filing, and Non Destructive photo editing program. This is the latest version available on Disk before they went to the Cloud monthly charge system.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1132136-REG/adobe_65237578_photoshop_lightroom_6_download.html

ReedEmbley

Though you may want to start out simple (Elements), you're going to have to learn either way. I use Elements and it does do a pretty good job. But . . . Lightroom is a far superior product with a lot more editing capability. For $10/month for the photographers package, you cannot go wrong and you'll only have to learn once. I can assure you that you will spend almost that much per year when you upgrade Elements every time a new edition arrives.

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

ReedEmbley wrote:

Though you may want to start our simple (Elements), you're going to have to learn either way. I use Elements and it does do a pretty good job. But . . . Lightroom is a far superior product with a lot more editing capability. For $10/month for the photographers package, you cannot go wrong and you'll only have to learn once.

AND.. for that $10.00 per month you also get the full version of Photoshop... so it is really a bargain.

Gigamux

Go with Luminar 2018... Works on both Mac and Windose and will be adding a DAM (digital asset manager) soon. Full of features and are offering all sorts of add-ons.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

ike129 wrote:

hi, all

am a newbie here. what recommendations for a good photo editing software for beginner

I am using a Canon 70D with a EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM.
currently taking landscape, bird and wildlife shots as I learn how to use the camera

thanks for any advice.

Ike

You might want to try one of the many free programs. Adjust cropping, exposure, and color intensity. Then you can decide what to buy.

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/

dcampbell52 Loc: Clearwater Fl

ike129 wrote:

hi, all

am a newbie here. what recommendations for a good photo editing software for beginner

I am using a Canon 70D with a EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM.
currently taking landscape, bird and wildlife shots as I learn how to use the camera

thanks for any advice.

Ike

I agree with getting the Lightroom $9.99 bundle. While you don't have a lot of experience, it's your opportunity to learn. And getting your filing system started at the beginning is a lot easier than coming back and trying to fix it later. And for $9.99 a month, it is a bargain.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Also free is Canon's Digital Photo Professional (DPP), software on the "software" CD that should have come in the box along with your 70D. I'd start "free" before deciding to purchase or subscribe to more powerful software.

d3200prime

Download GIMP, learn it! Go to www.udemy.com and purchase a course. I used "The Ultimate GIMP Guide" by Bernard Hooft but there are others and they are on sale for only ten dollars. GIMP is FREE software and will run on Windows, Mac and Linux. There are frequent updates and they are FREE! In the course I took you learn to set GIMP up to mimic Photoshop! This software has been used by some for over 25 years so its not going anywhere and you can do PP that will rival any software on the market. Do yourself a favor and go with GIMP.

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

ike129 wrote:

hi, all

am a newbie here. what recommendations for a good photo editing software for beginner

I am using a Canon 70D with a EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM.
currently taking landscape, bird and wildlife shots as I learn how to use the camera

thanks for any advice.

Ike

What is it in your images that you feel can be improved upon? No point in getting software unless you've identified what you need it to do. I suggest that the Adobe subscription has a very low cost of entry, and is as easy (hard) to learn as anything else out there. The difference between Photoshop and Lightroom, you get a complete package and as your skills and needs increase, they will always provide a path, without having to abandon one package for another. It is an industry standard - over 9,000,000 users make it so. No other software title even comes close. If you read between the lines, it means it is also one of the best supported - mostly by third party - packages on the planet. You can't ask for more value for $10/mo, or $120/yr - and it will always be up to date. The software lives on your computer as does your data. It's worth every penny.

If you can't answer the first question, then you won't need anything for now.

ike129

Gene51 wrote:

What is it in your images that you feel can be imp... (show quote)

main things i would like to crop, zoom in more, enhance the sharpness, brighten up things.
it seems from the recommendations that Lightroom subscription is the path to go. does the subscription have tutorials with it or is that a separate supplier?
i see i can download a trail version for 7 days, then upgrade, think i will do this to get my hands wet (so to speak)

thanks for all advice

SS319

Canon provided you with an excellent piece of software for working with RAW and JPG photos. Digital Photo Processing 4 (DPP 4) will allow you to change most aspects of your photos including using algorithms best suited for canon produced RAW images, and will automatically deal with distortions from Canon lenses, and it is capable of producing a very fine product. If, after you have corrected your photos you want to change the attitude of a photo, Topaz Studios offer a nice free program for doing so. As you work your way through these programs you may find yourself wishing you could do this or that, and at that point, it may be wise to look for an alternate. If you jump right in and go the lightroom/photoshop route, figure at least 100 -200 hours of learning curve time. Time you are learning a system at $10/month and time you are not looking through the viewfinder (or spending with the family).

ike129

SS319 wrote:

Canon provided you with an excellent piece of soft... (show quote)

good point, problem with the canon software you mention, is when i purchased the camera and lenses that came with it were from an estate sale and no manual or disks. i managed to find a pdf verion of the manual online and downloaded that but no idea of what software or where to find it. the software you mention can that be found on canon website?

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

ike129 wrote:

main things i would like to crop, zoom in more, enhance the sharpness, brighten up things.
it seems from the recommendations that Lightroom subscription is the path to go. does the subscription have tutorials with it or is that a separate supplier?
i see i can download a trail version for 7 days, then upgrade, think i will do this to get my hands wet (so to speak)

thanks for all advice

I prefer LR to all else. Try the 7-day trial and search u-tube for instruction videos (free) and see what you think. The LR software is rather different in how it operates. But, once you "get" the idea of import > edit > export, you should be on your way ...