Photo editing software

[DianaS]

I'm a newbie to photography and want more than what I get from Picnik or photobucket for editing my photos. One day I'd love to do photography professionally but I want to be able to learn more so it'll be a bit before I do that. I'm am looking to get some software that I can use to edit my pictures better... what do you suggest?

[dvtldav]

Photoshop or Lightroom 3 are my favorites. Lightroom 3 I use the most. Photoshop Elements is good if you are on a budget. It does a lot of what photoshop does but only cost about $100.

Dave

[Hill Country Hack]

I use Lightroom3 only and am still for the most part happy with it. I am about getting to the stage where I may want to get serious about cloning/layers/masks. Lightroom does not have that option.

Here is a thread I searched and found...give it a read.

Please recommend photo processing software

[zona5101]

for more advanced freeware than picnik - check out Gimp. I understand there is a bit of a learning curve...but there are plenty of video tutorials and...the program is free.

[DelCan]

I use Lightroom 3 and it fits my needs. Still learning things about it!

[metallion58]

Corel Paint Shop Photo X4 is kind of an in-between solution (in terms of power and capabilities). More powerful than Elements but a little short of Photoshop. And you can often find it on sale for about 60$.
However, there's a little trick if you think long-term.
If you buy (and register) Elements, which is often available at about the same price as Corel, Adobe will soon offer you to buy Photoshop and/or Lightroom at rock bottom price.
Of course, there's always the Gimp solution if budget is real tight.

[RLucas]

I am a LR3 and a GIMP fanboy myself. I do 90% of my stuff in LR, so I just don't see the point in buying the full version of Photoshop.

[dvtldav]

I have been using Nik Software "Color Efex Pro4" & "Viveza 2" and they work great with LR3. They give you a lot more flexibility with exposure & color control.

Dave