Advice needed, What Post Processing software should I consider getting?

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WileyCoyote

Banned
I currently have no Post Processing (PP) software of any kind and have been advised by some friends to get some to help 'improve' my shots.
I'd like to get something fairly inexpensive to experiment with and see if I like doing PP and also something that would be fairly easy to learn on.
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Wiley
 
Fred Kingston

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
Adobe's Lightroom 4 is the current gold standard... version 5 is in beta, You can download a full uncrippled version with a 30 day trial...
 
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Pretzel

Senior Member
Picasa is a freebie that will allow minor tweaking and effects as well, although it is NOT a complete editing tool.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
For free look into Irfanview. It will do all the basic PP operations quickly and easily. It's not Photoshop or Lightroom but for quick and dirty crops, basic exposure adjustments and sharpening it's my go-to application Easy as pie to learn, most tools are easy to comprehend sliders and such.

For something more powerful, yet still free, you could look into GIMP. It's FAR more sophisticated and more Photoshop-esque. There's a steeper learning curve with GIMP but there's also a ton of online support forums and such for it.

Also, the free software from Nikon is not half bad from what I can tell... ViewNX 2 but I'm not all that familiar with how it works or how powerful an app it is since my experience with it is minimal.
 
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Don Kuykendall_RIP

RIP :(
I use ViewNX2 for the basics like uploading to the computer. It will also do sharpening, cropping, white balance, brightness and contrast. It is free and came with your camera. I for some reason you did not get it you can download it here.

ViewNX 2 from Nikon ViewNX 2 from Nikon

There is also a video on it on the same page along with a Digitutor

Anything I can't do in ViewNX2 I do in Photoshop which is the the The Post Processing that is the standard of the industry. The problem with PhotoShop is that it retails for more than your camera did.
 
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Moab Man

Senior Member
My wife, new to shooting, tried Lightroom, Photoshop CS6, and finally Adobe Elements. Having no input from me, not wanting to influence her, she finally decided on Elements. She thought it was the easiest and most intuitive.
 
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MrF

Senior Member
If I'm just making simple adjustments, I usually just use Picasa. If I'm doing something that requires masks etc, or doing B&W conversions I use GIMP. I'd recommend giving them a shot. They're both free, so if they don't suit you, you can get your money back. :p

The Lightroom 30 day trial is probably worth checking out too before you decide to sink the money into it.
 
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FastGlass

Senior Member
I use lightrom 4 90% of the time. Its great as far as organization and simple adjustments. Also have Elements 10. Its great for more the more serious adjustments. Just keep in mind it depends on what you want to do with the program and remember you need to shoot in RAW.
 
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RON_RIP

Senior Member
If your an Apple person start with I photo, if your windows try Picasa. Both will give you the basic tweaks. When your comfortable you can move up to Elements or Aperture. Post processing gives you total control of your image and is very satisfying. In both cases shoot in raw. I would not be surprised to find you wanting to print your own work next.
 
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PapaST

Senior Member
Whatever product you choose there are a ton of Youtube videos for all of them. I use LR4 and have learned many tricks of the trade through Youtube.
 
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