Editing Software

b08rsa

I have been using Photoshop 7.0.1 for a long time. Got out of photography for a few years now. Getting back into it again and was curious as to what editing software people are using now days? Was looking at Adobes line up but now it seems confusing as to what I would need. Any suggestions is appreciated.

Ron

ziggy53

Photoshop is still relevant if you do compositing, layers and massive computational editing. (I still use it occasionally to handle mixed lighting situations.)

Most folks do like Lightroom, but it did not match my workflow.

My current favorite, for some years now, is Phase One, Capture One Pro. It's more computationally precise than other RAW processors with editing capabilities, but I love the Clarity control (quite a bit different than the Adobe control of the same name) and the default camera profiles are more to my liking too. Noise reduction for Color is also extremely pleasant, but I do prefer Neat Image (standalone) for Luminance noise reduction.

Free software that I use includes:

GIMP, especially with the optional G'MIC plugin.
RawTherapee, NASA grade image processing. Excellent, but slow, with tons of capabilities. If you like to experiment this is great stuff.

In Linux, "darktable" is very mature and stable, with an excellent sharpening algorithm that I would put against any other, at any cost. Also color grading with the precision of 16 bits and the malleability of LAB color space.

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I notice that you still list Sony cameras. If you are still using Sony cameras I believe that there is still a free promotion for a special version of Capture One Express Sony (but not the "Pro" version).

Capture One Express Sony

To clarify, there is a Pro version available, but it costs money. The free version is Capture One Express Sony.

b08rsa

Ziggy53, Yes I still use Sony line camera, and just purchased an 7II. Should be in my hands later this week. I did download the Adobe LR and PS and seems to be what I am accustomed to using. I used Photoshop 7.0.1 for a long long time. I played around with the new version of PS, and still on the fence if I like it. Maybe just the learning curve. Thanks for all the info you have given me.

joshhuntnm

Lightroom / Photoshop. Adobe has a plan that includes these two and it is pretty cheap