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01/10/2007 04:17:35 PM · #1 |
Hey all. Newbie here and I have to say that I am very impressed with the level of talent here at DPC. I am new to digital photog and just purchased a Rebel XT for Christmas (have an old Rebel G that I got years ago and loved it!). The 350D comes with DPP (as I've seen it abbreviated). Is it neccessary to go all nutty and get Photoshop and/or other software to do the PP that I see everyone doing? Will it take me so long to learn that my daughters will be afraid of me when I come out of the den? Any suggestions would be wonderful.
Thanks,
J |
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01/10/2007 04:19:52 PM · #2 |
//www.gimp.com
is free and you camera probably came with Photoshop Elements as well.
Welcome to the jungle and go check out the "tutorials" and the "how'd they do that" section found under the "learn" menu
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01/10/2007 04:20:37 PM · #3 |
If you are going to shoot RAW then you have some choices. DPP, Rawshooter, Adobe RAW for starters. I have all three and personally prefer DPP when I am doing large amounts. I use Rawshooter for my Nikon RAW and on the odd occasion I use Adobe for some of their benefits.
Adobe CS2 is expensive....I wouldn't do without it. But Elements is the next in line. Not as expensive, will certainly see you through and has most of the bells and whistles you will need. PSP is also very comparable and great on the pocket. But I find it hasn't as much grunt as the Adobe counterparts.
What camera you use is your choice...and so are the programmes that go with it.
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01/10/2007 04:25:11 PM · #4 |
hi reztips, It's always better to have both (if your budget allows), I use DPP most of the time to convert RAW to JPEG and to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation and sharpness. You can crop using DPP too. Of course Photoshop can do all that and maybe even better, but it's quicker to use DPP in my opinion.
Nhut |
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01/10/2007 04:31:28 PM · #5 |
| A lot of what happens here at DPC requires DPP for RAW processing, then some other image processing software, either PS, PSE, or PSP for additional tasks. |
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01/10/2007 04:33:14 PM · #6 |
Get Rawshooter Essentials 2006 while you can. It is free, and will not be available after Adobe Lightroom 1.0 is released. DPP does a very decent job too. I believe DPP is very conservative on highlight recovery from RAW, recovering only luminosity and not color information.
As for editing software, if the price for Photoshop is too steep, and it is for many, then Photoshop Elements 5.0 is a very good alternative. If you do decide at some point to upgrade to the full version, you'll be more familiar with Adobe's interface than if you used something else.
I used GIMP for a while on a work computer, and found it very clunky, but then I've been a Photoshop user for many years. |
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01/10/2007 04:35:26 PM · #7 |
| I've tried GIMP time and time again. It's got some problems and I don't recommend it for a beginner unless you happen to also be a Linux user. |
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01/10/2007 04:37:49 PM · #8 |
I use RSE for batch processing large batches of RAW files (if I don't intend to do touch up). Also use it on my laptop, which only has PS 7.
Otherwise, I use CS2.
Word of advice to reztips: Don't get caught up in the "I need Photoshop to make good photos" game. PS CS2 is expensive.
Some alternatives for Photo editing:
Gimp, as mentioned above is free... and will run on almost any platform. Does have a few weaknesses though.
PSP (Paint Shop Pro) - Awesome program, powerful yet easy to use. Not free, but not gonna bust the bank either.
Photoshop Elements - Nice image editor, can be found for free (bundled with hardware) or bought (latest version is 5). Very nice for the beginner.
Message edited by author 2007-01-10 16:40:49.
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01/10/2007 04:40:48 PM · #9 |
Or you can just skip DPP altogether, shoot JPG, use Photoshop Elements (assuming it came with the camera), and be well on your way to an enjoyable hobby.
Don't let us make you "feel" that shooting in RAW and spending years at the computer is a requirement. It's just that when many people want to take their photography to "the next level", that's one of the steps they take. THOUSANDS of great pics have been made without using RAW. |
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01/10/2007 04:42:35 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by nards656:
THOUSANDS of great pics have been made without using RAW. |
While I shoot RAW, I hear a LOT of really good wedding photographers (big money ones) shoot exclusively JPEG. I personally have been debating taking that road myself.
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01/10/2007 04:44:35 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Originally posted by nards656:
THOUSANDS of great pics have been made without using RAW. |
While I shoot RAW, I hear a LOT of really good wedding photographers (big money ones) shoot exclusively JPEG. I personally have been debating taking that road myself. |
If it weren't for white balance and slight exposure adjustments, I'd go back in a heartbeat. I despise the "extra step" and the storage requirements. Of course, in reality, I rarely have white balance problems, and more than a stop of exposure change starts bringing out noise. Not completely sure of why the devil I think RAW is so great :) |
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01/10/2007 04:48:40 PM · #12 |
| WOW! Lots of stuff to consider. I did already go and download the free apps that were recommended. Looking forward to getting home to play around. I will definitely shoot some RAW some JPEG and see what I like. Thanks for the recommendations. Maybe if I'm good my wife will agree to my purchasing of some new software. If I can shoot my girls really cute then I know she'll agree. Hmmm... |
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01/10/2007 05:02:58 PM · #13 |
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01/10/2007 05:07:08 PM · #14 |
If anybody actually successfully installs PSP XI from that link, please let me know. I keep getting a "corrupt file" problem on data1.cab. Dunno if it's my screwed up computer or a really bad file. |
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01/10/2007 05:25:26 PM · #15 |
I shot RAW on a Canon DSLR and use Breeze Browser Pro (costs about $69) and is so simple to use. Also it can banch convert 100s of photos at once.
95% of the time that is the only program I use!
Cheers John
There is a free trial to download at the link below.
Breeze Browser Pro |
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01/11/2007 09:17:32 AM · #16 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
if the price for Photoshop is too steep, and it is for many, then Photoshop Elements 5.0 is a very good alternative. If you do decide at some point to upgrade to the full version, you'll be more familiar with Adobe's interface than if you used something else. |
And you can upgrade to PS full version for less than buying it new.
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01/11/2007 09:24:09 AM · #17 |
DPP is great, its quick and easy, and lets you make some corrections. RSE lets you do more. Adobe Lightroom has tons of controls, and is free while in Beta (ie now) -- you can recover highlights, etc better with lightroom than DPP.
When you're starting out, you may not get the images you want out of the camera. RAW will let you change the exposure by two stops, depending on how much noise you can tollerate.
More importantly, RAW lets you correct the WB if you forget to set it correctly. And if you use DPP to convert, it lets you apply picture styles after you shoot -- the Autumn Hues picture style was great for foliage, but its not available in-camera unless you load it in. (Even if your camera doesn't support picturestyles, DPP allows you to use them.)
Another program to get is noise ninja or neatimage if you do a lot of high-ISO shots.
Message edited by author 2007-01-11 09:25:28. |
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01/11/2007 09:45:01 AM · #18 |
| My Rebel XT came with PhotoStudio. I leaned alot with it and it made my upgrade to Elements 5 alot easier. |
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