Does anyone know of a good but cheap program I can use to process photos? I need one for a brain injury program so it can't be too technical but I would like it to be on par with lightroom minus the price tag :)
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Does anyone know of a good but cheap program I can use to process photos? I need one for a brain injury program so it can't be too technical but I would like it to be on par with lightroom minus the price tag :)
The GIMP is a free (although they accept donations), open-source piece of software that many people use as an alternative to photoshop. It doesn't have a file management front-end, but there are free options for that, too (Picasa comes to mind). For RAW processing, DPP ships with Canon DSLRs (I assume there is a similar product that ships with Nikon and other manufacturers, but I shoot Canon, so that's the one I know for sure) and I've heard good things about RAW Therapee (which is also free).
I use Photoshop but have had a look at PhotoPLus for my students and find it very helpful with on screen assistnace giving step by step assistance. It looks and feels like Photoshop and has all the basic moves you will need for a while.
http://www.serif.com/free-photo-editing-software/
I also like Rawtherapee as a freebie RAW converter as well.
Elements
Not a typical option but you could try ACDSEE PRO 3. You can do most of what lightroom can at a cheaper price. I know, I use one myself 90% of the time. The best thing I like about it is that you can even work around it without relying much on the manual. Normally, that is how I select which software to buy for my needs. :D
Under Linux, I use Digikam (classification, RW development and global editing) and the GIMP (local editing: cloning out of spots, masking, ...)
If it's for a research program, you most likely don't need local editing though.
If you gave some more details about what you need to do, and on what kind of system, you might get more precise answers...
Regards,
Remco
I agree with BongoBob that GIMP has to be the choice for a free photo-editing program. There are plenty of download sites for it on any search engines.
I agree with Peter and have used Serif Photo Plus for many years. It may not compete directly with Adobe CS5 but is a lot cheaper and simpler to use. And for most people, it has everything that they will need. The programme has beginner and advanced options available.
The current model is X4 and I wouldn't advise getting an earlier programme than version X2. That or X3 should be available at a realistic price. Recently I saw Photo Plus X3 on Amazon for around £20.
And I also found Raw Therapee to be the best of the free Raw Converters, although it does take a little bit of understanding. Serif have their own converter but I don't think that it is as good. Canon DPP, as previously mentioned, is another competent converter although it doesn't have quite so many editing options.
But you don't have to shoot Raw; most people are happy to use Jpeg. Raw tends to be for those who want to squeeze absolute maximum quality from their photos.
ps. There are several trial versions of the latest Raw Therapee converter available here http://www.rawtherapee.com/releases_..._3.0---stable/ but remember that they are trial versions and although I have eventually managed to nearly understand how this software works it isn't exactly for the faint hearted. And these aren't auto install either; although it is simple to create an operational link from your desktop.
What do you consider "cheap". I purchased a copy of Photoshop Elements at a Costco discount warehouse for $50 (U.S. Dollars). This is an excellent post processing program which is really full featured.