The Orchid Source - Orchid Forum

I am an absolute klutz. Is there any good and not so expensive software (if freeware better) that a newb can start sharpening his editing teeth on?

Or absent that: Can we have a discussion on the pros and cons of the different photo editing softwares?

Mac= aperture

I use Adobe Photoshop Elements for jpg. It does more than I need and it came witrh one of my cameras. For RAW format on the DSLR I use CaptureOne.

I started with CS2, and haven't moved away from it (yet). I work in RAW exclusively. I imagine that several other programs may offer benefits over CS2, but I am used to what I have, and software is damn expensive. I use Corel Paint for some of my digital art work.

Ah the abbreviations. Newb here : explain as if a 4th grader

I use Photoshop Elements 4.

if you are buying a new digital camera, you should get processing software with it. otherwise . . . what camera do you have and will you shoot in raw or jpeg? not all software handles raw files but adobe has updates to add camera formats plus a dng converter that will convert any raw file so that it can be processed in photoshop. it is important to know if you will be processing raw files before you go out and buy software.

here's a freebie Gimp but i would go with an older version of photoshop elements. the current version is 7 so you could probably get photoshop elements 6 pretty inexpensively. if not, look for 5 or 4. i have elements 6 and i like it but i also upgraded from photoshop cs2 to cs4 recently just because there are a couple of features in cs that elements does not have. you do not need the more expensive cs programs . . . and in fact, neither do i. as i said, adobe has updates for raw files that add cameras to the list of cameras covered. once we know what camera you have or will get and what format you will shoot in (i ONLY shoot in raw), we can better advise you.

google for price or just go to ebay, if you do ebay, make sure you get a package that is licensed (not oem). they usually will specify if you will be buying a license with the program. if you are not experienced with ebay, let me know what you find there and i will look at it for you.

if your local computer store still carries elements 6, they might have it marked down. btw, once you have purchased your first full package, the upgrades will be much cheaper.

there are other programs that you will find at your computer store and they will probably all be ok and much cheaper. it depends on how much you want to get into it.

good luck.

ellen fl

ok......oooooookkaaayyyy....what in this world is....RAW? I have seen this word for sometime now but I don't know what it is.

I use the editing software that came with my Sony Cybershot which is MGI PhotoSuite. It is nice and easy for no fuss lovers like me.

Irma, if you're going to buy a DSLR you ought to google RAW yourself.

Irma, this is a good site for explaining
RAW

Basically it's an uncompressed image file.
Jpegs files, which are typically used in many imaging systems, have compression software which isn't always the most palatable to discerning eyes. There are limits to what editing can be done to an image after it's been reduced to a .jpeg .

Make sure you buy a big enough memory card as RAW files are typically 6 times larger than the biggest Jpeg

to expound . . . raw files have all their pixels whereas jpegs are compressed and lose some pixels. if you are going to get into some serious photography, you may want to use raw format. it is much more maleable in post-processing. if you are mostly going to be taking snapshots, jpeg is just fine. nowadays, jpeg at high quality is very good.

however, if memory serves, every time you save a jpeg file, you lose more pixels and degrade the image, whereas you do not lose any pixels when you save raw files. someone please correct me if i have that wrong.

yes, get a big card. you always want to take lots of pics of your subject.

ellen fl

Yes each time you save a jpeg you lose some pixles, even the time the camera saves it. After about 3 saves or so you start to see compression artifacts which look well bad.

I get about 15-170 raw images on a 2 gigabite card at 12 megapixles. The fun thing with raw is that your file depending on how much "information" is in the picture can very from 5-10 megabites (at 12 megapixles).

This explains is pretty well
http://dx.sheridan.com/advisor/jpeg_quality.html

And think of it this way every time you save a jpeg file it compresses it like it is the first time, so each time you save it you are applying more compression.

I usually shoot in RAW and if it isn't a very important picture to me I save as jpeg after I am done editing.

That being said snapshots which no one looks at after they load them onto the computer are shot not only in jpeg but in a smaller size and medium quality.

I think you get what you pay for when it comes to some software..
I am currently using Photoshop CS-3, for my work, and have CS-4 on the way...
BUT>>>>>
I probably only use one micron of the software's capability for my business, and it is way more than anyone would need for general photo software enhancing. My suggestion, would be to talk to the salesman where you bought your camera, and have them suggest the ware they think would be best for you..
I very rarely shoot any event, or project out of the raw mode. I want the most information available to me in case i need to do a lot of post work on the computer... I consider that a backup system of sorts..

Another thing about RAW files, they are 48 bits instead of 24 bits, giving you twice as much color gradation. An image may appear blown out as an 8-bit-per-channel JPEG, but have some color differences to work with in 16-bit-per-channel RAW. That having been said, I have tried using both RAW and JPEG with my Canon Digital Rebel XTi and actually find that the JPEG tends to smooth out noise and grain a bit more, and since this camera has a bit of a tendency to be grainy, this solves that problem somewhat.

Hopefully one day I'll upgrade to a 5D or 1D and get a camera that has greater light sensitivity and a bit less tendency toward graininess.

---Prem

Thanks, guys for all the info on RAW files. I prefer to have live person information to "canned info". Google may be nice for certain things but for technical info, it is better to have someone explain in simple terms.
Thanks again. I have yet to buy my new camera.

lol, irma, have we scared you off?

you're right, tho'. it's much better when you get many voices. questions get answered that you didn't even know you had yet.

ellen fl