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04/27/2007 01:37:49 AM · #1 |
Hi all, someone suggested I check this site out as I am just begining the adventure into Digital SLR photography. After browsing around, I have to say that the pics by the folks here definitely serve as motivation to improve ones own skills.
On starting down this road, I was wondering if anyone has advice on the photo editing software to use. My initial thought was Photoshop Elements, but it seems that it might not have half thefunctionality that this community has been using for the photographs in the collection.
Just as a back ground I have equiped myself with a Canon 20D, the kit 18-55 lens and a 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. I am also looking to expand my lens collection with possibly a 75-300 and a 50 macro.
Any advice on these areas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
h
Message edited by author 2007-04-27 01:38:04. |
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04/27/2007 01:46:25 AM · #2 |
almost every conceivable camera related question has been asked here at one time or another. take some time to search the forums, i'm sure you'll find some helpful information there. good luck.
btw, welcome
Message edited by author 2007-04-27 01:50:12. |
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04/27/2007 01:48:17 AM · #3 |
| look much deeper than the front page of this site for inspiration, please. |
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04/27/2007 02:02:14 AM · #4 |
You shouldn't worry too much about post-processing at first, and Elements pretty much gives you all you need to present images on the web properly.
There are some excellent photographs here that weren't extensively processed, but there are definitely some that were... It's up to you the direction you want to go, obviously, but relying on Photoshop to get acceptable images is no way to start out. I did it, to some extent, and I regret that, but I got over it. |
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04/27/2007 02:32:31 AM · #5 |
| If you think you want to be serious about photography don't spend your money twice, go stright for the big guns, Photoshop. If you're not sure then yes, get Elements and buy PS later. You can try to take a class in basic Photoshop before you buy to see if that's how involved you want to be and it will help you learn how to drive it some. ;-) |
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04/27/2007 03:51:02 AM · #6 |
GIMP is free... gotta love open source!
But yeah... I'd go photoshop if you can afford it. You can probably find CS2 for less than 300 bucks now that CS3 is out, a real steal if you ask me.
Photoshop Lightroom is a kickass RAW editor that has alot of the basic functionality of CS3/ACR4.0, but costs alot less at ~$200. If you shoot RAW, I highly recommend it. |
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04/27/2007 06:04:50 PM · #7 |
I've been very satisfied with Paint Shop Pro 10.
It does about 90 percent of what Photoshop does at
less than 10 percent of the price. Less than $40 compared to
over $400.
And the 10 percent PSP 10 can't do, you probably won't be
needing unless you're a graphics pro.
And it won't take months or even years to learn
like Photoshop does. My PSP 10 also came with
a two hour video tutorial, to help you along.
Message edited by author 2007-04-27 18:06:54. |
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04/27/2007 06:20:51 PM · #8 |
| If you or a member of your household is a student (including elementary school) you may qualify for Adobe's Educational pricing on Photoshop/Creative Suite. It's usually about 45% of the retail price, and qualifies you for upgrades; the restriction is that you are not supposed to use it for "commercial purposes" ... but DPC and even selling prints through DPC Prints should be OK. |
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04/27/2007 06:23:19 PM · #9 |
Looks like you've got a good start on lenses and the camrea. You might wait on other lenses until you're sure what kinds of things you really like.
If you have the expendable income or resources, get Photoshop. Elements lacks layer masking, and automation tools such as Actions. The healing brush and clone tools are also more advanced, and HDR for landscapes is real plus.
Elements is a good program, and so is PSP and GIMP, but once you use full photoshop and learn it, you wouldn't want to go back.
Getting a good RAW converter is also important to get the best out of your files.
As has been said, if you're just looking to muck about, you shouldn't have to spend a whole lot on big fancy programs, but they are nice. |
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04/28/2007 12:14:35 PM · #10 |
Since I had the very same question, I'll post here
BUT...I have Elements and bought a copy of Photoshop 6.0 and Adobe Illustrator 9&10 at an estate sale yesterday. Was wondering if it's worth wasting my time (and hard drive space) to load Photoshop 6.0.
The Illustrator has me intrigued. |
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04/28/2007 12:21:25 PM · #11 |
Photoshop 6 will give you more tools and flexibility than most versions of Elements. I would recommend using both; for example, if you have to enlarge an image, the Bicubic Smoother algorithm in Elements is better than the Bicubic one in PS 6.
Illustrator is great for creating illustrations and artwork, but is pretty useless for photography except as a layout program if you want to make a poster or logo or something. It is traditionally one of the hardest graphics programs to master. Use version 10 -- v.9 is "buggy" and was replaced by v.10 pretty quickly. |
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04/28/2007 01:05:39 PM · #12 |
Originally posted by bergiekat:
Was wondering if it's worth wasting my time (and hard drive space) to load Photoshop 6.0. |
When I started in my current job, all they had for me was Photoshop 6. I was horrified at the thought of going back that many steps, but to my great amazement I found that even Photoshop 6 was a fantastic program.
Sure, the newer versions have more and better features, but PS6 still isn't a waste of time and space. Learn what IT has to offer, then you'll some day very quickly and easily step up to the latest version.
Very much worth installing it. |
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04/28/2007 01:09:13 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by Beetle:
Originally posted by bergiekat:
Was wondering if it's worth wasting my time (and hard drive space) to load Photoshop 6.0. |
When I started in my current job, all they had for me was Photoshop 6. I was horrified at the thought of going back that many steps, but to my great amazement I found that even Photoshop 6 was a fantastic program. |
FWIW I routinely use Photoshop 5.0. I have all later versions available at work if I need anything "special" but that's extremely rare, and not at all necessary for DPC-type editing. |
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04/28/2007 02:02:08 PM · #14 |
I have a trial version of Coral Paintshop Pro XI and have been really impressed with it. It's very easy to use and not too expensive at all. I used to use Photoshop but to be honest I wouldn't spend the extra to get it, you can get a good deal on Paintshop pro XI on ebay.
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04/28/2007 02:06:30 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by Fairfield20:
I've been very satisfied with Paint Shop Pro 10.
It does about 90 percent of what Photoshop does at
less than 10 percent of the price. Less than $40 compared to
over $400.
And the 10 percent PSP 10 can't do, you probably won't be
needing unless you're a graphics pro.
And it won't take months or even years to learn
like Photoshop does. My PSP 10 also came with
a two hour video tutorial, to help you along. |
Since when does it take months or years. Hell the adobe certification program isnst even that long.
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04/28/2007 05:10:38 PM · #16 |
i would limit my selection of lenses to the bare minimum to start. or focus on using only one or two for awhile.
learn to use the camera before the lenses - all the camera functions should become second nature.
you should understand how the meter works, and how to compensate when you know it will fail you. it fails more often than not in my opinion...
you could take on a project - focusing on a very specific subject. work the subject until you are happy with the results. continue to work the same subject until you are unhappy with the earlier results you had previously been happy with. and then think about why your viewpoint has changed.
Message edited by author 2007-04-28 17:12:25.
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04/28/2007 05:30:56 PM · #17 |
My advice is short and straight. Don't worry about equipment. Go out and take photos and enjoy yourself. You will join up as a member, that is a foregone conclusion.
The draw of membership wil captivate you and then the need to submit to challenges will drive you on, but, remember, there is more to this site than challenges. Learn, ask questions and enjoy what you are doing.
Your own style will come through, so don't be too anxious to score high, make your own mark here. |
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