Photo Editor Apps

[Peashooter]

What do you guys recommend for a basic editing app? How does something like Photoshop Element compare to say Infraview?

[On Site Grafix]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

That may be a tough one to answer. It seems like once anybody finds an application and stays in it long enough to become proficient, that particular application becomes the 'program of choice' for that individual.

For myself, I am a full-version Photoshop addict. No professional training in the program but I've spent so many years with it, I can make it do most anything I want. I have also used CorelPaint and the old MicroGrafix image editor (the name escapes me right now), but left both of those for Photoshop mostly because that's what the 'pros' I asked were using. But, that was at a time when the choices were more limited.

Maybe it would be helpful to frame this thread with questions relating to the way applications function with respect to specific needs. Questions like 'How does such-and-such an application function correcting color casts or shadows, etc.'

[ssgfx]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

No question. Full-on Photoshop is by FAR the best photo-manipulation program out there.

'Course, I'm an Apple sellout too. *cranks up the iPod*

[Victor Archer]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

No question. Full-on Photoshop is by FAR the best photo-manipulation program out there.'Course, I'm an Apple sellout too. *cranks up the iPod*

Oh man your one of those Crash-in-Toss users...
... Just kidding I work on a Mac all day and on a PC all night.
I have both at home but for images I use my PC and illustrations my Mac.
Crash-in-Toss... Piece O' Crap whatever I don't care I'm a program user.
Just give me 4Gigs of ram, 200Gigs of scratch dick space and a one Terabyte hard drive and I can create anything...

Oh yeah... Just use Photoshop CS2 and forget about anything else...

[ignomini]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

Oh come on, give the poor guy a break. Elements is a great program for basic image editing. I started with Photoshop in it's first version, but the damn thing has become so complex I stopped upgrading with version 7. The learning curve on CS2 is heading toward vertical.

[Victor Archer]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

Oh come on, give the poor guy a break. Elements is a great program for basic image editing. I started with Photoshop in it's first version, but the damn thing has become so complex I stopped upgrading with version 7. The learning curve on CS2 is heading toward vertical.

I had Elements once, I had to go to the Doctors for a shot.....

[Peashooter]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

OK, to frame it, I do very basic resizing, cropping, occasional color and/or brightness corrections. Is sharpening important? With a basic program (e.g., MGI Photosuite), sharpening just seems to make the image grainy. Am I missing something here? (You can now tell that I was a copywriter, not a designer in my Ad Agency days!) Is there a way with a basic program to brighten specific areas of a photo, but leave others alone, or does this move to a Photoshop-only level?

Oh, and the freebie I referred to is Irfanview, not Infraview. (Gentlemen, restart your search engines!)

[On Site Grafix]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

I haven't worked with Elements so I can't speak for it.

I too work on a Mac all day then go home to my Toshiba Laptop. My $10,000 G5 with biggest 'what-cha-ma-call-it' wide, flat screen monitor at work is slightly faster than my little $1100 Toshiba but I constantly accomplish the same quality of work on both so we don't have to do the SchMAC vs. PC thing. There's just no point to it anymore.

I have several high-end desktop machines at home too but I like to lay in bed and watch the news while I work so the laptop is cool. The optical mouse works fine on the blankets!

It's all about software and Photoshop wins apparently!

[Nick]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

Photoshop CS2 is the top of the heap...

Irfanview is a good little program for resizing and such. You might also try a program called the GIMP. I use that as well as Irfanview at work for minor corrections like you mention you need.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

What do you guys recommend for a basic editing app? How does something like Photoshop Element compare to say Infraview?

Peas.. I'll put my $.02 in here...

Have not used Infranview or Elements... but... I use a combo of stuff.. depending on time/image/mood I have PS 7 but most frequently of late, I use Nikon Capture to process raw shots..

Really, I think most any image software is fine for routine stuff. Whatever your most comfortable with.. budget and usability should do you fine.

[Peashooter]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

Ah, here's some "fixin"' -- color correct and fine rotation with Irfanview, resize with MGI Photosuite. It's a start, but I'm open to comments from the experts. Peas

[T. Adams]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

OK, to frame it, I do very basic resizing, cropping, occasional color and/or brightness corrections. Is sharpening important? With a basic program (e.g., MGI Photosuite), sharpening just seems to make the image grainy. Am I missing something here? (You can now tell that I was a copywriter, not a designer in my Ad Agency days!) Is there a way with a basic program to brighten specific areas of a photo, but leave others alone, or does this move to a Photoshop-only level?

Oh, and the freebie I referred to is Irfanview, not Infraview. (Gentlemen, restart your search engines!)

CS or CS2, BreezeBrowser to sort and delete images. Nothing, I mean nothing displays images faster for quick delete/keep, editing than BreezeBrowser. As for sharpening, as far as I'm concerned all the tools that you can buy to sharpen are a total waste of money. I have an action that I found on the net that finds all the edges (Basically Smart Sharpen in CS2). It works great. Say you have a plane in the sky. All it does it sharpen the plane, the sky has no hard edges, hence no grain at all in the sky. Works like a charm.

[T. Adams]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

Ah, here's some "fixin"' -- color correct and fine rotation with Irfanview, resize with MGI Photosuite. It's a start, but I'm open to comments from the experts. Peas

Yikes, lens flare. Shoot with sun behind you. LOL.

[Peashooter]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

Yikes, lens flare. Shoot with sun behind you. LOL.

The bad lens flare was caused by shooting from inside the closed canopy in the back seat of the Evo...

I'll look into CS2 -- thanks Tim.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Photo Editor Apps

Ah, here's some "fixin"' -- color correct and fine rotation with Irfanview, resize with MGI Photosuite. It's a start, but I'm open to comments from the experts. Peas

Peas... I once did some really complex "fixin" for a certain "contributor" who... once everyone knew his name, decided to threaten to sue me (along with everyone in the world, including Kermit the frog for being green.... <the litigant invented green>) The shots were from an air to air from media day at the Chino show... really bad plexi blowout... I only wish I'd have written down what I did to get it out, because the end result.. now posted on this A S S H O L E S site is still out there.. I also wish I'd have saved every single shot, every single word written by this shirthead before editing for posterity... yea.. sometimes, it was THAT bad...

But.... I digress from the topic at hand!

Post processing is a true art form! Not that I'm claiming any art on my part! I stumble on results by hours of push/shove/curse/ but I never document how I get where I get... so it's very hard to get there again!

BTW...

Weather in Kawaii... nice... a bit misty for good photography...

Will see what I can get.. workin on the local rotary wing guys to see if I can get a feature out of one of them..

Can't belive anyplace can actually be this green!

Scuse me will I kiss the sky!