software question

[bytesnbarks]

I would like to know what photo editting software you all recomend. I know some of you use photoshop, would that be elements or are there diferent versions? and I have heard talk about lightroom,,, Which ones are user freindly, easy for a novice?

And what about HD? is there a program that can make a "regular" photo into high definition? or do you have to have that feature on your camera? And can it be done with a Jpeg or does it have to be editted from a RAW format? My camera does not give me the option to shoot in RAW.

I would like to get as much information as I can from people who use this kind of software before I purchase. Funds are limited and I dont want to spend on a program then get it home to find it is too difficult to learn, ( NO tutorials out there) or find it isnt really what I am looking for.

Right now I have paintshop pro which is fine for cropping, resizing etc. but it is very basic and is an old program I had... I need to upgrade
Thank you in advance for all your feedback

[inkista]

Originally Posted by bytesnbarks

I know some of you use photoshop, would that be elements or are there diferent versions?

Most photographers, when they say "Photoshop"; they mean the full on bells'n'whistles $500 pro version, probably CS2-CS4. If they mean Elements, they usually call it PSE or Elements. Photoshop is the industry standard for professional reproduction work, so yes, it's recommended, but it may be more than you need.

... and I have heard talk about lightroom,,, Which ones are user freindly, easy for a novice?

Lightroom and Aperture are designed specifically for a photography workflow; Aperture runs only on Macs, so if you're on a PC, Lightroom is probably the choice you want. This is definitely easier to use for some things, but most folks will use both Lightroom and Photoshop together--they're different tools for different tasks. Lightroom is more for handling photos as a whole; Photoshop for editing at the pixel level.

If you don't have much money to spend, I'd actually recommend starting out with something free like Picasa or iPhoto. If that feature set isn't robust enough for you, then it's time to consider something like Lightroom or Aperture.

If you can't afford the full version of Photoshop, and you don't need all the bells and whistles, then PSE might be a good idea, or possibly the Gimp (the Gimp is great if you're on a Linux box).

And what about HD? is there a program that can make a "regular" photo into high definition? or do you have to have that feature on your camera?

If you're talking about still images this really isn't an issue with most digital cameras. HD resolution is 1920×1080, which is roughly 2.1 megapixels. If your camera has more than 2 megapixels, you're already at a higher resolution than HD. If you're talking about video, then, yes, your camera has to have the HD video feature to shoot HD resolution video. Most are still at VGA (640x480) resolution.

And can it be done with a Jpeg or does it have to be editted from a RAW format? My camera does not give me the option to shoot in RAW.

RAW vs. JPEG has nothing to do with resolution. JPEG is a compression format, and the physical size of the file on the disk changes sizes, but the number of pixels remains the same.

[bytesnbarks]

Thank you so much for all the information.
Yes full version Photoshop is more than I can afford. I will look into the lesser priced ones for the time being.
My camera has more than 2 megapixels, some of the posts I have seen people say they are playing with HD and the photos look almost 3D I wasnt sure if it was some kind of program to make them look that way. Just great photographers I think.
Thank you again
Sherry

[inkista]

I think you're confusing HD (high definition) with HDR (high dynamic range). HDR is another process where you use multiple exposures and blend them. The software most folks use for that is Photomatix.

[m.c.adams]

Another good one, at a reasonable price is Paint Shop Pro X2. I use it for my quick touch-ups. It is very user friendly.
Mark

[bytesnbarks]

Thank you again for all the info. Yes it is high dynamic range that I was seeing. I wasnt sure what it was. Some of it looks pretty cool and others I dont really like.
I have paintshop pro mark but version 9 or older... I like it though and can use it in my sleep LOL So maybe I will stick with that untill I can afford or realllly need something more advanced...
Its sunny out today no rain so I think I am off to shoot something
Thanks again