Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 24

Thread: Best Software for image editing

  1. #1

    Best Software for image editing

    Got a new iMac to replace my very old imac.I take pic's of my wood turning, with my 35mm Canon digital camera.I used to use Canon's 'imagebrowser' to view and edit my pic's, with the intention of some day getting photoshop elements.I had iPhoto on my old mac but never used it very much.My ques. is,now that i have a new iMac with a much newer iPhoto,should i use iPhoto,imagebowser,or Elements?Do they do similar things? Is one a standout as far as user friendly,more features i.e.'stitching,cloning'?In your opinion is the Mountain Lion iPhoto comparable or better than Imagebrowser and Photoshop Elements? Look forward to your comments, Rob

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    North-central Minnesota
    Posts
    318
    Rob,

    I don't have any experience with iMacs or Mountain Lion iPhoto, but I have used PS Elements for years, starting with version 2, and have upgraded with every two or three new upgrades since. I am currently using version 10. It is a very powerful editor program, and it does everything I need and more. If you polled this question on any of the Photo Forums, I'd bet the majority would recommend the Elements.

    I shoot almost exclusively in Raw format, so I use the PSE Raw converter. I mostly just crop, tweak the lighting, color saturation, and sharpening. I then save a copy in 16-bit Tiff, and if I want to post it online or email it, I'll save another 8-bit, re-sized image in Jpeg. I also love the clone stamp for removing unwanted items from the picture.

    I don't use the storage management portion of the software, but prefer to manage on my own using Windows Explorer. I create my own folders catagorized by date and file type. I shoot mainly bird and landscape shots. I also love playing with HDR, and use Photomatix Pro a lot. My DSLRs are most often left set to bracket 3-shot bursts at three different shutter speeds.

    IMGP3845_6_7_tonemapped.jpg hummerIMGP2312-2.jpg

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    N.W. Missouri
    Posts
    1,564
    Robert, I too own an iMac. I don't use iPhoto. I use a near new iMac at work with the latest photoshop on it. At home I have an old version of Photoshop since I use it at work, but I don't use most of what it offers. When the day comes that I upgrade, it will be to Photoshop Elements. The reason is that Photoshop Elements is geared for digital cameras and inkjet printers. Full blown Photoshop is geared for photo illustration, publishing and printing presses. It also costs way more $$$!!

    John

  4. #4
    I have Photoshop, LightRoom, Aperture, and probably a couple more I don't recall at the moment. For managing photos and doing enhancements, I like Aperture or LightRoom. If you're talking about hard core editing, then I think Photoshop (Elements or full) will be where you end up.

    One I tried some time ago and always meant to come back and get it, but didn't, is one called Pixelmator. It's always been quite robust and has gotten great reviews over the years. Here's their website....

    http://www.pixelmator.com

    It's only like $15 from the app store, so might be worth a try. You can also do the free trial directly off their website. I remember it being fairly easy to use and pretty darn powerful for $15.
    Lasers : Trotec Speedy 300 75W, Trotec Speedy 300 80W, Galvo Fiber Laser 20W
    Printers : Mimaki UJF-6042 UV Flatbed Printer , HP Designjet L26500 61" Wide Format Latex Printer, Summa S140-T 48" Vinyl Plotter
    Router : ShopBot 48" x 96" CNC Router Rotary Engravers : (2) Xenetech XOT 16 x 25 Rotary Engravers

    Real name Steve but that name was taken on the forum. Used Middle name. Call me Steve or Scott, doesn't matter.

  5. #5
    There is the opensource Seashore.app:

    http://seashore.sourceforge.net/The_...ect/About.html

  6. #6
    The GIMP is very good amd is opensource. The learning "curve" is however very steep inotially. GIMP runs on most systems so you can have the same program on Linux, Windows and Mac.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Victoria, BC
    Posts
    2,367
    Isn't the learning curve for any such app pretty steep? Might as well use an app you don't have to pay for to get a headache.
    Paul

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Robert,

    This is one of those questions where the answer depends on to what extent you plan on editing.

    For my needs, the software that comes with the Macintosh is usually sufficient. My needs are not great. The only time this has been a problem is with large image files that need to be cut down in size. For that the standard applications still allow a file to be saved to a different size. One application that filled my needs is GraphicConverter. It is a shareware program. Not much use for it since SMC changed the way images are uploaded. Now the software that comes with the machine work for my needs. My fall back is a very old Apple program called AppleWorks which is no longer available.

    Most of the time using the Macs image capture feature, Shift-Command-4 for a file or Shift-Command-Control-4 to copy (and then paste) work for me.

    For enlargements, Command-Option-=(same as the + key) and then the above key combination will capture the enlarged image. Then use Command-Option--(minus key) to get back to normal.

    It has been so long since my Mac has been set up it may be that you need to turn these features on.

    You may need to open your System Preferences. Under Hardware there is a selection for Keyboard & Mouse. There should be a selection for Keyboard Shortcuts. On my Mac it shows up under Keyboard Navigation. You may have to click on the arrow (carrot) to expand the list. The first one shows the choices. The box next to each selection needs to be checked for them to work. The ^ symbol is used to indicate the Control key. This allows you to turn of the F-key functions when every you want to. The most common one for me is to use Control-F3, then typing d i return brings up the dictionary. It is faster than reaching for the mouse.

    Hope this helps, if you have more questions, send me a PM since most of the time this conference is only visited every few days or so.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Eastern Iowa
    Posts
    751
    GraphicConverter by Lemke -shareware, completely operational when you download, use as long as needed to determine if it is what you want before paying anything.
    I have been using a version of it since '95.
    Last edited by Charlie Velasquez; 12-23-2012 at 4:16 PM. Reason: Added info
    Comments made here are my own and, according to my children, do not reflect the opinions of any other person... anywhere, anytime.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Charlie Velasquez View Post
    GraphicConverter by Lemke -shareware, completely operational when you download, use as long as needed to determine if it is what you want before paying anything.
    I have been using a version of it since '95.
    The only draw back to GraphicConverter is after using it awhile without purchase, the time to open becomes longer, 30 seconds as I recall. This was only one reason for me to pay the shareware fee. That was long ago and my registration number was lost. Now it is used so seldom there really isn't a reason to pay to subscribe. About the only time it opens now is when an item saved in GC is opened and it launches. Usually the image is opened in some other application and GC is closed when it finally opens.

    Shareware is nice, but my guilt overcomes me for not paying for something being used.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Eastern Iowa
    Posts
    751
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    The only draw back to GraphicConverter is after using it awhile without purchase, the time to open becomes longer, 30 seconds as I recall. This was only one reason for me to pay the shareware fee. That was long ago and my registration number was lost. Now it is used so seldom there really isn't a reason to pay to subscribe.
    Contact Lemke he will send you your registration code.

    Shareware is nice, but my guilt overcomes me for not paying for something being used.
    I understand. I used it for about a year before I sent him my money.

    jtk
    One other nice thing was it opens so many graphic and video files.
    Adobe has gotten cute with it's PDF software. With adobe's newest release it will often times not open PDF files that were not made with their exact protocol. I had hundreds of PDFs I had archived for our school district. They needed one and ... No luck opening it with Adobe's newest software. With GraphicConverter I was able to open them and convert to a format that was universally easy to access.
    Comments made here are my own and, according to my children, do not reflect the opinions of any other person... anywhere, anytime.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,688
    Robert, I continue to like using Adobe Photoshop Elements for general photo manipulation/retouching...used it under Windows before and use it on my Macs now. Reasonably priced.

    IMHO, iPhoto really doesn't provide enough ability to do what's necessary and it's certainly not comparable to Elements! I only use iPhoto to import from my various devices and catalog the raw images. All editing gets done in Elements. FYI, I also own the full CS5 Photoshop, but rarely use it. Elements is quick, easy and has a lot of automation that I appreciate for preparing stuff for the web. Which is what I do the most when it comes to playing with photos.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Mandalay Shores, CA
    Posts
    2,690
    Blog Entries
    26
    I use Aperture for my indexing and light editing (skew, crop, red-eye, color balance, etc...). Aperture is a more serious version of iPhoto. Its best features are the indexing and abilities to track several different edits. This is important when you have many thousand image files. For HDR type manipulation, some camera's software or photoshop will accommodate this. For more serious editing I go to photoshop.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    The Hartland of Michigan
    Posts
    7,628
    You actually used Image Browser? Ugh.
    Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night

  15. #15
    I used imagebowser cuz i have a canon camera and i prefered it to iPhoto til i could afford Elements.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •