which editing software is (all-around) BEST?

im getting a new laptop mini, to be used for my photography only! my photos take up way too much room on my other laptop. i need an editing program for my "photography computer". not sure what to get, something easy to use, does good work, and doesnt cost more than the new computer . any suggestions? i have corel on my other computer, and i like it ok, i could get another one for the new computer, but wanted to see if i could get any input from you guys! what should i get? *remember im not a pp genius yet!

[navcom]

I personally believe you get what you pay for...most of the time. I think Photoshop is one of the best editing software packages you can buy. But it is expensive.

Another option is GIMP...which is a Photoshop clone. It's free still, I believe.

[Saralonde]

You can download a few of these for a free trial. It may give you an idea of what you want.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 7
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS4
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

And of course, Gimp.

[jay_soft]

Originally Posted by Saralonde

You can download a few of these for a free trial. It may give you an idea of what you want.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 7
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS4
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2

And of course, Gimp.

Thats probably a good idea. It does depend on what you're looking for.. If you've got lots of photos I would highly reccomend Lightroom. It's library facility is excellent and you can sort you're photos in a few different ways to help you find the right one when you want.

It's also much easier to do basic retouching then in corel draw (from what i remember) and photoshop as all the tools are in a single panel. rather that you needing to navigate different menus to get each one.The tools may not go advanced as you want them to, but I think its an excellent starting point for photos, to use in conjunction with corel or photoshop.

great, i'll have to try those free trials, i was scared of buying something then not like the way its set up. thanks for the help

[wulf]

The Gimp can't be beat on price

... but don't discount it as being cheap. I've found it does everything I need both for working on my photos and also in my career as a web designer. If you do go with The Gimp, you'll want another program to act as your photo library (unless there are Gimp functions I haven't discovered yet!).

What operating system are you talking about? Ubuntu Linux? Windows Vista? Mac OS X 10.5?

Wulf

[PowerPix]

Like someone else said, don't go off of Gimp being "cheap". It is free, but in the hands of someone who knows what he/she is doing, a massive amount can be done without paying for PhotoShop. Most tutorials for PhotoShop also work for Gimp, with minor tweaking at some points. I highly recommend trying out Gimp before you decide to purchase any software. If you don't like it, just uninstall it, but at least you won't go blindly into purchasing something you won't like. Good luck, let us know what you decided!

[edyst3]

ohh.. I wish I could afford to buy photoshop cs4.

Anyone here has tried photomatix pro 3.2? it's hdr software.

How important hdr software for photographer? please anyone explain it to me..

thanks

Originally Posted by edyst3

ohh.. I wish I could afford to buy photoshop cs4.

Anyone here has tried photomatix pro 3.2? it's hdr software.

How important hdr software for photographer? please anyone explain it to me..

thanks

ive found photoshop cs4 on ebay for about $150. thats not too bad but im worried that the program is too complicated for me lol. im gonna have to try out the free trial, test it out!