Help in getting started with editing software

sanford tullissanford tullis Registered Users Posts: 63 Big grins
edited April 12, 2007 in Finishing School
I just moved into the digital world about a year ago, but still shoot like it is film. (I don't have or do photoshop or any other program) Basically I shoot then load straigt into the computer; then upload onto my smugmug site.
Can anyone help with any advice on what program to start with, and some tips on how to use it the best. I would like to learn how to improve my "finished" pictures to be the best they can be.

you can check out my site at www.sanfordtullis.smugmug.com
:dunno
Capture memories one image at a time

Comments

  • jfriendjfriend Registered Users Posts: 8,097 Major grins
    edited April 6, 2007
    I'd recommend Photoshop Lightroom
    sanford tullis wrote:
    I just moved into the digital world about a year ago, but still shoot like it is film. (I don't have or do photoshop or any other program) Basically I shoot then load straigt into the computer; then upload onto my smugmug site.
    Can anyone help with any advice on what program to start with, and some tips on how to use it the best. I would like to learn how to improve my "finished" pictures to be the best they can be.

    you can check out my site at www.sanfordtullis.smugmug.com
    ne_nau.gif

    There are a number or choices: I would recommend checking out Adobe Lightroom. It's a new product from Adobe, but very much targeted at people who want a quick set of simple, yet powerful tools for enhancing their photos, but don't want to spend a lot of time learning how to use something.

    I, myself, started with Elements though if Lightroom existed at the time (it's fairly new), I would have started with that. Elements has a ton of power because it's a full-blown pixel editor and shares a core pixel editing engine with it's big brother Photos, but it's not purpose designed for photos and, as such, you have to sort of figure out how to use it's generic pixel editing tools to fix photos. It has more pixel editing power than most people will ever need.

    Lightroom, on the other hand, was designed from the ground-up to process photos and all of it's functionality is neatly organized for that purpose with no extraneous other pixel editing features. It also has some really nice printing and organizing features as well as camera downloading.

    There's a free 30-day trial here if you want to try it out. There have also been a ton of articles written about it recently that you could find in a Google search.

    I just recently used the trial version myself to process 500 photos from a school event taken by a couple other photographers. I was impressed with the results and it's a very clean interface.

    The reason that I'd choose one of these three over the many, many others is that these all provide a growth path into more powerful imaging solutions. Lightroom and Elements can lead into the big brother Photoshop Bridge and CSx. Paint Shop Pro is pretty powerful by itself.
    --John
    Homepage • Popular
    JFriend's javascript customizations • Secrets for getting fast answers on Dgrin
     Always include a link to your site when posting a question
  • kangamanguskangamangus Registered Users Posts: 59 Big grins
    edited April 7, 2007
    That is a very usefull write up for the beginner!

    I was trying to find out which program would be best for me, Im a newb to digi photography.

    The fiance picked up photoshop elements for me.

    I was debating to bring it back and exchange for lightroom?!

    What do you guys think?

    Im looking for somthing that is not too difficult to get started with
    and can grow with my photogaphy!
  • colourboxcolourbox Registered Users Posts: 2,095 Major grins
    edited April 7, 2007
    You can get going with either Photoshop Elements or Photoshop Lightroom. In fact, it's not a bad idea to have both, because they actually complement each other.

    The reason is that Lightroom is most powerful at being efficient and applying precise overall corrections, while Elements is better at detailed retouching because Elements can edit pixel-by-pixel. Lightroom has no brushes or masks except for simple spotting and red-eye correction tools.

    For example, I would rather use Lightroom to process 500 vacation shots with perfect color, because it would go quickly. But if a correction required masking or layering, or if I wanted to take a piece of one photo and put it in another photo, those are jobs for Elements. So think about the kinds of projects you do. For pure photography, Lightroom is better. For pixel-by-pixel editing, painting, or graphic arts projects, Elements is better. Ideally, get both. On a very low budget, get just Elements.
  • ratcheerratcheer Registered Users Posts: 22 Big grins
    edited April 12, 2007
    sanford tullis wrote:
    Can anyone help with any advice on what program to start with, and some tips on how to use it the best. I would like to learn how to improve my "finished" pictures to be the best they can be.

    As to the "how to use it" question, I was also totally bewildered when I first started trying to edit photos. Most of the programs have literally hundreds of various tools, which can be combined in limitless ways.

    I suggest focusing, at first, on a very few basic functions, learning to do them well:
    • color balance (levels, curves)
    • brightness and contrast adjustments
    • unsharp mask
    Just those three things can make dramatic, positive changes in your photos, even if they were good to start with. Then, as you become more comfortable with editing, you can add new techniques and build up your chops.

    One other big tip: Never replace your original file! Always write your edited result to a new file name. Archive your originals and keep them safe.

    Just my 2-cents worth.

    Tim
Sign In or Register to comment.