burkphoto wrote:
The most CAPABLE options all have significant learning curves. Lightroom and Lightroom Classic are confusing to many folks, because they are designed as HUBS of a digital workflow. They include a database called a catalog, that references your original raw files and completed, edited images. The catalog does not alter or contain your actual images, but displays proxies and creates metadata (data about data) or INSTRUCTIONS for processing a file when you print it, export it, or post it to the Internet. The two Lightrooms are designed to work with Photoshop and all your other digital tools.
Photoshop is a very old, mature program in development since the late 1980s, so it includes hundreds of tools used by photographers, designers, marketers, printers... It's fantastic once understood, but admittedly, it is bloatware!
That said, I'd look at:
Photoshop *Elements* (non-subscription)
Serif Affinity Photo (non-subscription)
Both of these are bitmap editors, meaning they edit your data at the pixel level. That is as opposed to parametric editors, such as Lightroom and Lightroom Classic, which make primarily global adjustments to tones, colors, etc.
Don't forget to look on YouTube for tutorials and training videos for whatever you buy. Some of them are quite good.
Don't give up! Learning to use a computer and software is like crawling through a brick wall, but on the other side is a virtual toy store with all the things you ever wanted to play with, plus a virtual cafeteria with all your favorite foods.
The most CAPABLE options all have significant lear... (
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