which photo editing program ?

[charliemercieca]

I am a beginner need some help to choose which photo editing program shall I go for. On a couple of photos that I took recently, one can see a small red/orange round circle. Can anyone tell what had caused this and if it can be removed.

thanks
Charlie

[Donald]

Charlie

On the images - I would suggest posting them up on here so that people can see what you are referring to. Without seeing that, it is difficult to comment.

As to post-processing software - Again it would be helpful to know if you are in a position to spend a lot of money on something, or are you looking for something that won't cost much, or any, money?

The market leader is Adobe and its suite of software. 99.99% of the world uses one or other Adobe package. Many of us on here use the open source package 'The GIMP'. Others use things like Canon's DPP that comes bundled with Canon DSLRs. Picasa is another free-to-use package. There is a huge market out there. What you want/need is dependent on what it is you want to do and what your photographic ambitions are.

[Squidgy]

Hi Charlie and welcome to CiC. Editing software depends on what you can afford to spend and what you would like to achieve. There are some very good free photo editing programs that range from basic (Picasa) to more complex (Gimp) to the expensive Light Room or Photoshop. As for the problem with the small red/ orange circles which sounds like lens flare but I may be wrong, it would be better if you could post one of the pictures so that the more experienced CiC members can offer you the best advice.

Looks like Donald has bet me to it.... I must learn how to type with more than one thumb!

[Fit]

Welcome Charlie. I'm about to order Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

years ago I used a version of Photoshop extensively and nothing free I've used comes close to the combination of resource and editing power but it does come at a cost. If you are a student, it's greatly discounted.

[Geoff F]

Have you seen this previous post, Charlie, where there are quite a few suggestions which may suit you.

Simple photo editing software

ps. Do you still need Lightroom with the latest versions of Elements? Other than to use as an image organiser, if required.

I have CS5 and would say that for me the answer would be no. When a friend recently purchased Elements 10 I did suggest that he might need to also consider Lightroom but he has said that Elements 10 does all that he needs.

[tclune]

I am a beginner need some help to choose which photo editing program shall I go for. On a couple of photos that I took recently, one can see a small red/orange round circle. Can anyone tell what had caused this and if it can be removed.

First, my guess about the "small red/orange round circle" is that you are looking at a stuck pixel. This is a common problem with digital cameras. You can usually send the camera back to the manufacturer and have the sensor re-mapped to not use the bad pixel. Alternatively, you can do a simple post-processing to eliminate the spot using the "healing brush" or whatever your PP software calls that capability. I have a preset that I apply on my landscape-mode images to remove a stuck pixel (stuck pixels are always in the same place on the sensor). However, when I shoot portrait mode I can't use a preset to remove it -- I can never rememeber whether I rotated the camera left or right to shoot the photo. So I have to remove the pixel manually if I can find it.

Second, with respect to which pp software, I would suggest that the most important thing in my experience is to get a software package that supports PhotoShop-style plug-ins. As you get into pp, you will find that there are various third-party applications that you prefer to those that come with the generic pp programs. I use Focus Magic for deconvolution sharpening and love it; Neat Image for noise reduction and am very pleased with both how well it works and how easy it is to use; and Topaz Detail for enhancing detail, although I am still learning how to use that to good effect. If you do a lot of portrait work, there are many plug-ins for working with skin and the like that are more highly-regarded than the tools in your main program. My generic pp program is PaintShopPro, which can use all these plug-ins. Of course, PhotoShop would do so, too, but it costs about five times as much for essentially the same functionality. FWIW

[charliemercieca]

I am trying to upload a file but I cannot ... the file is over 5 MB big and trying to use the resize function.

As I work in a country where the internet is not that fast with too many disconnections, I prefere to buy a good editing programme. I was thinking between CS5 and lightroom. A friend also suggested coreldraw. As to what I intend to do, I am thinking of scanning some of the old photos I have and create some digital photo albums. In some cases the color have faded and some have small scratches.

[Geoff F]

Do you need CS5, Charlie? It is expensive unless you get one of their student deals, etc, and probably doesn't have anything more that you will need compared with Elements 10 which should be available at a good price now.

Having said that, CS5 is probably the best software around, unless you are looking at a lot of money, and if you can afford it, fair enough, get it.

In my opinion, CS5 is a complete 'stand alone' programme so I would say that you don't really need anything else to use with it. There is an excellent Raw converter and probably more options than you would ever require.

So that makes the price appear a little better.

ps. Have you read this article about uploading photos to CinC? HELP THREAD: How can I post images here?

[Photon Hacker]

I use and suggest The GIMP because it is free as in freedom

[Polar01]

Have you given any thought to Adobe Photoshop Elements, works well with a large number of plug-ins, good photo management system, very similar to it's big brother Photoshop CS5, if you want to up to CS5. All for just around $120.00 US, Lightroom will go close to $200.00 US. Lightroom is an excellent program and a lot of people use it just for it photo management system then take there items into CS5 or Elements to do what they can not do in lightroom. Most of all read the forums over to see what people are asking and advice they are getting, very useful stuff here.

Allan

[allenlennon]

I am lucky with getting CS5. A mate got it when he got his laptop for school, and since his dad already had a copy he gave it to me. I tried offering money but he said no. So i know there is a favour around the corner somewhere CS5 is great. I havent evan learnt everything there is for CS5 but what i learnt i love. So well worth the money if you get it

[Dizzy]

Charlie,

I've heard from many that with the combination of Lightroom 3 (now 3.6) and
Photoshop Elements 10 that you can do anything and everything to an image
that would ever need to be done.

Soon I'll find out if this is true...

As an entry level person at Post Processing (aka: PP), a program like Lightroom
is an excellent place to start, as there are many, many tutorials (videos, etc.)
on every feature in the program. What Lightroom can't do are things like complete
background changes, and you can't work in Layers. Elements 10 fills in every other
need, and has many capabilities that compliment those in Lightroom.

I'm not sure if they ship to Malta, but Amazon currently has Elements 10 at a decent price:

http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-65136385.../dp/B005MMMT6E

They have had sales on Lightroom in the past, and I bought my copy back in Aug. for
$149.99.

The two programs contain so many capabilities that you will constantly be learning
and honing your skills, and you certainly won't get bored. You can add many Plug-ins
to both, like the free LR/Enfuse, which produces wonderful images by blending several
images into one.

Mike

[charliemercieca]

finally I think I managed to upload a photo I was refering to before. One can see a red/orange circle. What created that circle and how can I correct it, as like I said before I have a few pictures with that round circle, more or less of the same size, but not in the same position.

[Geoff F]

Charlie,

I've heard from many that with the combination of Lightroom 3 (now 3.6) and
Photoshop Elements 10 that you can anything and everything to an image
that would ever need to be done.

Mike

Which brings me back to my earlier question.

For the average user, do you really need both Lightroom and Elements 10?

My friend, who recently purchased Elements 10, said that software alone does everything he needs. He previously used Serif Photo Plus 12; and shoots Raw.

CS5 on it's own certainly does everything that I need; and a lot more besides, which is mostly beyond my comprehension.

[Dave Humphries]

finally I think I managed to upload a photo I was refering to before. One can see a red/orange circle. What created that circle and how can I correct it, as like I said before I have a few pictures with that round circle, more or less of the same size, but not in the same position.

Hi Charlie,

Yes that's definitely a lens flare caused by the sun being in shot, in terms of correction, you need to clone it out, easy with Elements or CS5, I think it can be done in LR too, although the process is not called cloning. The green/yellow crescent shape is also a partial lens flare and again, given they are against a nice uniformly toned background, will be easy to clone out (in seconds).

I agree that Elements, at half the price of LR, is all most people will need.

I suspect the user interface of LR for RAW processing might be more intuitive for some than Elements ACR is, but you can start with jpgs in Elements, where there are three options which break you in gently to what the controls do, then progress to RAW when you begin to notice the shortcomings of processing jpgs.

The move to CS5 will be necessary when you begin to process images enough to notice the shortcomings of processing in 8 bits.

Until you hit those limits though, Elements will do just fine.

[Clactonian]

I'm in the Lightroom plus PSE camp but as a Mac user also have a copy of Pixelmator which affords a great deal of control at a very reasonable £20 or so.

[krispix]

finally I think I managed to upload a photo I was refering to before. One can see a red/orange circle. What created that circle and how can I correct it, as like I said before I have a few pictures with that round circle, more or less of the same size, but not in the same position.

Hi Charlie,

Dave is right. This flare caused by the image of the sun bouncing around the internal glass surfaces of the lens. If you look carefully you'll see another, less spectacular reflection further towards the bottom left. The simpler the lens combination, the fewer reflections you'll get. Of course, if it were just one lump of glass there would be no reflection at all, but it wouldn't be a very good lens in other respects. So, this is a problem we all suffer with at one time or another when we shoot directly into a light source. The reflection will often show the the shape of the aperture diaphragm, although it hasn't in this case.
Solutions? Well, when you shoot this sort of thing try to keep the light source as close as possible at 90 degrees from the plane of the lens (in other words dead ahead). This doesn't always result in the most pleasing composition but it is the only sure-fire way of avoiding the flare. Also, remove any filters screwed into the front of the lens, they are the worse culprits. The only other alternative is cloning the images out in post-production software.
If I might offer some other advice, The dynamic range of a digital sensor is not great and the meter has been faced with an enormous range (the Sun and the deep shadows in the trees). It has done a great job trying to find an exposure to cover the range, but the sun will always blow out and allow the shadow detail to get lost, as it has here. PP software will allow you to lift a bit extra detail out of the shadows, but it's doubtful you'll get as much as you might want. If you try a shot like this in future centre the image on the trees (keep the sun out of frame), half-press the shutter to lock the settings and re-compose before taking the shot. The sun will burn out completely, but it's going to do that anyway, so don't worry about it. The downside is that it will select a bigger aperture which will result in a larger flare to be dealt with later.
This is why Rule No.1 says, "Never shoot into the Sun." But rules are made to be broken aren't they?

[Glenn NK]

Oh yes - whenever the sun is in the frame, there is going to be trouble.

I'm a filter guy, but this is where a filter makes things worse. I won't deny that.

Comments from Chris are on the mark.

Glenn

[Dave Humphries]

One further thought; do be careful of your eyes (and sensor).

[joewatt]

BTW, there is also a Lightroom plugin for layers on the Adobe web site.