Other Editing Software?

[Canes816]

I know that Adobe Photoshop (pretty much any version) is the leading edge in photo editing software. But I am a newb to digital photo editing (just got my first dSLR, a Canon 300D) and after spending the little money I had to spare on the camera and gear I don't have much left for photo-editing but I know there are some things that will need to be adjusted.

In short, I wanted to know if anyone knew of any other photo editors that are cheap/free that are pretty good. I have read the forum and almost everyone recommends photoshop but I can't afford the $650 that I see it selling for anytime soon. Thanks in advance!

[wulf]

The GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/) - free, open source and (assuming you're willing to put a bit of time into it) very powerful.

Wulf

[sagelike31]

Paint.net (http://www.getpaint.net/index2.html) is another good one. But in terms of using the huge amount of tutorials out there get Photoshop or at least Photoshop Elements.

[Saralonde]

http://picasa.google.com/
Doesn't do as much as gimp, but it's nice for simple fixes.

[wulf]

But in terms of using the huge amount of tutorials out there get Photoshop or at least Photoshop Elements.

With many of the tutorials which are out there, you can still learn from them even if you can't follow the exact steps with the software you have available. Obviously, the better you know your tools, the easier this is but the main thing is to give it some creative effort... that's how you get to know your tools in the first place (and you will probably have some "happy accidents" along the way).

Wulf

[jb683]

Like you said Photoshop is very exspensive, but Digital Image Suite works well for me at about $100. It don't have all the bells and whistles that Photoshop does but I get by. One day maybe I'll be able to get enough duckies together, but for now it's the best I can do.

[Saralonde]

Never tried Digital Image Suite, but my daughter likes Paint Shop Pro. She says it's easier to use. I'm a Photoshop girl myself.

[jb683]

Digital Image suite is very easy to work with. I have repaired many photos with it (my experance level) and so far it has done a good job. When I plan to print I shoot in TIFF and I've noticed the file sizes do not get any smaller unless I make the photo smaller

[inkista]

... But in terms of using the huge amount of tutorials out there get Photoshop or at least Photoshop Elements.

Or GIMPShop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIMPshop). :)

[bindibadgi]

I use the GIMP and have been very impressed. I've come up with some workflow templates for myself by going through numerous tutorials on the GIMP and Photoshop to see what works for me.

The only thing I would kill for at the moment is adjustment layers. I really want adjustment layers.

Problem is I'm just starting out (and have a long long way to go) so I haven't got, and haven't made any money, so I can't afford Photoshop.

But I would recommend trying the GIMP, if you have some patience for the user interface. It's not exactly top notch in that respect, but it does do almost everything that Photoshop does.

Oh, as an aside, I'd like it if IM programs at least had an option to use the GPU instead of the CPU for processing. The GPU is very good at doing image stuff (that's what it's there for!) and I believe it would save a great deal of time on such things as selective gaussian blur and USM. But I'm no developer so I could be wrong.

[YoAshnish]

I've been using Photo Impact Pro for a year or so now. I can't remember the exact cost, something like in the $70-$80 range at our local Sam's Club. It offers a beginners mode and a more experienced mode. Still haven't mastered all the finer editing features but have found it fairly easy to work with and does a great job too, IMHO.:)

[kro77]

There are alot of options, Gimp is pretty good i have heard, but it seems to crash on me all the time. There is always Photoshop elements, Bibble, and lightzone. I have also played with DxO Optics which seems pretty good. But these are mostly post processing software versus image editors. Good luck with find the right solution for you.