Help, Kodak EZ Share sucks

Shoganai

I've used it for years but even with downloading upgrades it has become unstable, and horridly slow. Not only that, it appears to be bogging down my whole computer.

I want to remove EZ Share and replace it with another photo managing software, but nothing as complicated or as expensive as PhotoShop.
I simple don't have the money.

Can you help point me in good direction please?

EDIT:
To make clear, I use smugmug (since 2005) but I want a PC based photo program for simple cropping, and color adjusting


Thank you,
Gwen

Ric Grupe

Shoganai wrote:

I've used it for years but even with downloading upgrades it has become unstable, and horridly slow. Not only that, it appears to be bogging down my whole computer.

I want to remove EZ Share and replace it with another photo managing software, but nothing as complicated or as expensive as PhotoShop.
I simple don't have the money.

Can you help point me in good direction please?

Thank you,
Gwen

Picasa!

Shoganai

Ric Grupe wrote:

Picasa!

Thank you!

rutt

Smugmug? What does EZ Share do that Smugmug doesn't?

Shoganai

rutt wrote:

Smugmug? What does EZ Share do that Smugmug doesn't?

I use smugmug (since 2005) but I want a PC based photo program for simple cropping, and color adjusting.

Picasa, after taking a good look at the link, doesn't seem to be what I looking for.

I've never used EZ to "share photos", just post click clean up.

tom_o

If you're looking for a simple and free way to organize, color correct and crop, you'd be hard pressed to find a program better than Picasa, imo.

TonyCooper

Shoganai wrote:

I've used it for years but even with downloading upgrades it has become unstable, and horridly slow. Not only that, it appears to be bogging down my whole computer.

I want to remove EZ Share and replace it with another photo managing software, but nothing as complicated or as expensive as PhotoShop.
I simple don't have the money.

Can you help point me in good direction please?

EDIT:
To make clear, I use smugmug (since 2005) but I want a PC based photo program for simple cropping, and color adjusting

I assume that when you say "nothing as complicated or as expensive as Photoshop" that you mean the full version. CS4 or so.

Photoshop Elements has all of the basic tools, plus some not-so-basic tools, that you will need based on what you've been using.

Elements 5.0 is available on eBay for under $50. That's not the most current version, but it's more than sufficient for editing. It's not a complicated program to learn or use.

One of the advantages of using Elements is the many, many on-line tutorials available. You can pick up a used edition of Scott Kelby's book on Elements 5.0 for under $6.00 at Amazon if you prefer a paper text.

I usually use the full version (CS4), but most of my editing could be done in Elements. I pull up CS4 only because I'm very comfortable with it.

Shoganai

TonyCooper wrote:

I assume that when you say "nothing as complicated or as expensive as Photoshop" that you mean the full version. CS4 or so.

Photoshop Elements has all of the basic tools, plus some not-so-basic tools, that you will need based on what you've been using.

Elements 5.0 is available on eBay for under $50. That's not the most current version, but it's more than sufficient for editing. It's not a complicated program to learn or use.

One of the advantages of using Elements is the many, many on-line tutorials available. You can pick up a used edition of Scott Kelby's book on Elements 5.0 for under $6.00 at Amazon if you prefer a paper text.

I usually use the full version (CS4), but most of my editing could be done in Elements. I pull up CS4 only because I'm very comfortable with it.

That sounds like what I'm looking for.
Again, I wasn't clear, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking for a free program, just one that wasn't several hundred dollars.

$50-$150 would be well w/i my budget.

What does this mean >>> "CS4 or so"?

Thank you for all for help,
Gwen

dixonduke

Shoganai wrote:

That sounds like what I'm looking for.
Again, I wasn't clear, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking for a free program, just one that wasn't several hundred dollars.

$50-$150 would be well w/i my budget.

What does this mean >>> "CS4 or so"?

Thank you for all for help,
Gwen

Hey Gwen

CS4 - Creative Suite 4 (Photoshop full version)

I was using Photoshop elements and really enjoyed it. I have moved on to more advanced tools, but for what Elements is, it does real well IMO. I think that you will be happy with it.

You can download a free trial and check and see. See Here

Duke
(R1200GSA on ADV)

Shoganai

dixonduke wrote:

Hey Gwen

CS4 - Creative Suite 4 (Photoshop full version)

I was using Photoshop elements and really enjoyed it. I have moved on to more advanced tools, but for what Elements is, it does real well IMO. I think that you will be happy with it.

You can download a free trial and check and see. See Here

Duke
(R1200GSA on ADV)

Duke
Thank you. I'll check it out and post back here.

TonyCooper

Shoganai wrote:

That sounds like what I'm looking for.
Again, I wasn't clear, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking for a free program, just one that wasn't several hundred dollars.

$50-$150 would be well w/i my budget.

What does this mean >>> "CS4 or so"?


Adobe's latest version of the full Photoshop program is CS4. (Creative Suite 4) The "or so" includes previous versions. Not all of us who use the full version upgrade every time Adobe comes out with a new version. In my case, I moved from Photoshop Version 5.0 to Version 7.0 to CS4 and skipped the intermediate versions. Adobe switched from the descriptions of Version (n).0 to the description CS (n) after Version 7.0. Some marketing brainstorm, I guess.

The latest version of Adobe Elements is Version 7.0 which retails for $140. I recommended Version 5.0 for you because it can be purchased for $50 or less. The features added in Version 6.0 and 7.0 are not that significent, and - based on your description of what you want to do - not features that would be important to you.

You wouldn't be making a mistake buying the most current version, but you may not really need to. All of the basics, and more, are in the older versions. Using a slightly dated version allows you to buy a book like Kelby's (recommended in my earlier post) for $6 where Kelby's book for Elements 7.0 is around $40 new. Online Tutorials are great for learning specific steps, but having a book at hand that covers the generalities is very useful.