photoshop, picassa. lightroom ????? help

[lee kivi]

Hi,
The only PP program I have is the basic I-photo that came on the computer. What are the differences between these other programs? At this point I don't do a lot of processing
( maybe because I can't) but am interested in some of the effects that I hear mentioned in the forums. like HDR, layering, burning areas,etc. Are all these effects possible on any of these programs.I hear Photoshop mentioned a lot but which level is best for someone new.
Any help is appreciated, Thanks.

[jdepould]

Photoshop Elements can do a lot of that stuff, and doesn't cost a ton. Lightroom doesn't do layers or HDR, but it's got really powerful organization tools.

[LeeR]

Before you spend your hard earned money check out this site that promises to show you "10 Free Web-based Alternatives to Photoshop." This will get you started with many of the tools and techniques you have been reading about and help you to begin to understand what you need in a program and which one will be worth spending money on.

There are a number of people on this site that use GIMP, a free Photoshop alternative, and are perfectly happy with nothing else. The rest of us have one of the PS iterations and wouldn't trade it for anything. (OK, I'll admit there are some nerds with Paint Shop Pro who are equally passionate about their sandbox of toys, but we leave them to themselves)

[woody121]

I normally tell people who ask me what software to use...

• If you are just starting out, and you want some software to manage your entire photo library (That is, it keeps track of ALL of your photos) then I recommend Picasa, from Google. It is free and really quite good. It is not going to let you be that advanced in your post-processing though, but its great for less technically-oriented people who just want to preserve a memory.

• If you want to do hard editing of a single photo (And not a whole library) then I would recommend GIMP or Photoshop - GIMP if you want to support open source software, because it is free and legal, or Photoshop if you want to work with "The real thing." I personally use GIMP, as it is just as good.

• If you want to deal with a professional quality software to manage your whole library, and do the most advanced edits in general, then go with lightroom. Its expensive, and everyone that I know who has it has it illegally(student life...), but its really quite good. I use and love it.

Hopefully that helps!

[lee kivi]

Thanks all for your suggestions, very helpful. I'll be checking out those ideas soon
Thanks again