Hi Hoggs. I’m wondering what basic photo editing/archiving software you’d recommend for my daughter to use as photographer for her kids’ school kindergarten class. She has an Apple MacBook Pro. I gave her my old Canon Rebel XSi with 18-55 mm zoom to get her started.
I really value the expertise on this site. Thanks in advance for your input!
AndyH
Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire
I’m a fan of LightRoom, especially if you start it with it. But there are many good choices, some very inexpensive or free. You will get a lot of opinions and ideas here. She doesn’t need to have a pro level setup, but there are some great YouTube tutorials for most packages.
My reasons for preferring LR boil down to a relatively quick learning curve, ability to go deeper as you learn, and its place as the industry standard. At ten bucks a month, I think it’s a bargain. But that’s just my opinion. Read reviews and check out others’ suggestions.
Andy
I run photo express on my IpadPro and can do anything instantly .., later other photo programs ...I have 8 installed .. On my MacBook Pro I use Lightroom and a few more .. takes time and patients to learn ..and the learning never stops ..
AndyH wrote:
I’m a fan of LightRoom, especially if you start it with it. But there are many good choices, some very inexpensive or free. You will get a lot of opinions and ideas here. She doesn’t need to have a pro level setup, but there are some great YouTube tutorials for most packages.
My reasons for preferring LR boil down to a relatively quick learning curve, ability to go deeper as you learn, and its place as the industry standard. At ten bucks a month, I think it’s a bargain. But that’s just my opinion. Read reviews and check out others’ suggestions.
Andy
I’m a fan of LightRoom, especially if you start it... (
show quote)
Barney, I agree with Andy 100 percent for Lightroom.
Photos comes with her Mac. It works very well for basic editing, slide shows and emailing.
You might consider getting her the most recent edition of Photoshop Elements, which is easier to grasp than Lightroom and Photoshop itself. There is a lot of training available from Adobe, from 3rd-party sources and on YouTube. Many UHH members rely on Elements daily. Good luck to your daughter. — Ralph
Thanks everyone. I’ll see how deep she wants to get into photography at this point and we’ll try to find the least frustrating (i.e., don’t call me every 5 minutes!😀) solution to get her stsrted.
Again, many thanks!
`
RichardSM wrote:
Basic was ask for!
Been using PS Elements 3.0 forever.
I think the latest version is 15.0 +/-
but never bothered to update cuz all
I need is basics :-)
`
AndyH
Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire
RichardSM wrote:
Basic was ask for!
Light Room is, in my opinion, the most capable software at an entry level. Who cares whether you will use all of the features immediately, or even "ever". My opinion is that it is the easiest to learn for a beginner. Others may disagree, but I think it's the easiest to learn and use. And you will never outgrow it.
Andy
You can visit the Canon website, find the support section for EOS cameras, and then download either DPP v3 or DPP v4 entirely for free for use with your XSi. If she uses the camera and shoots JPEG, use v3. For RAW / CR2, use v4. Assuming JPEG and using DPPv3, she can use the cropping tool, AUTO Tone and will be happy with the "improved" results and will have a toe dipped into post processing where then adjusting the results from AUTO Tone to further refine the image.
I'm surprised no one suggested Picasa. Simple editing!
Thanks so much for help! Sounds like a toss up between LR and Elements. Question: Can you catalog/create folders in Elements?
(For my own work, I’ve been using PS, Bridge, LR and Luminar - but not Elements)
BarneyB wrote:
Thanks so much for help! Sounds like a toss up between LR and Elements. Question: Can you catalog/create folders in Elements? (For my own work, I’ve been using PS, Bridge, LR and Luminar - but not Elements)
The reason I suggested Elements is that she would only have one comprehensive app to learn. In the future, as her interest grows, she can add other apps or plug-ins as she desires. — Ralph
BarneyB wrote:
Thanks so much for help! Sounds like a toss up between LR and Elements. Question: Can you catalog/create folders in Elements?
(For my own work, I’ve been using PS, Bridge, LR and Luminar - but not Elements)
The new / current version of PSE provides a catalog, but I haven't used to assess how much it mimics the LR catalog. You might download a trial copy and use your experience to assess the differences / similarities.
If you want to reply, then
register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.