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Questions about simple Post Processing programs.

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BobT

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Would like to do some post processing, but feel intimidated by some of the software.

So, what would be some simple, yet satisfying, programs with which I can get my PP feet wet? Is Picasa 3 one of them? How about GIMP? I have PSE 10 downloaded, but haven't used it. Seems way over the top for me. Most of you folks have no trouble navigating around with such programs. Not so with me.

So, help me out. Where should I start....assuming that I have VERY little computer expertise.....which is more than true? I'm willing to start learning, but MUST be via baby steps.

Thanks for helping.
 
BobT said:
BobT wrote:

Would like to do some post processing, but feel intimidated by some of the software.

So, what would be some simple, yet satisfying, programs with which I can get my PP feet wet? Is Picasa 3 one of them? How about GIMP? I have PSE 10 downloaded, but haven't used it. Seems way over the top for me. Most of you folks have no trouble navigating around with such programs. Not so with me.

So, help me out. Where should I start....assuming that I have VERY little computer expertise.....which is more than true? I'm willing to start learning, but MUST be via baby steps.

Thanks for helping.
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I have never used Picassa nor Gimp, but I've read that Gimp is hard to learn. PSE comes highly recommended as does Lightroom.

When I started out, the simplest thing for me was Canon's Digital Photo Pro and I am still using it 4 years later. Great program that is very easy to use! Just be sure to update your copy to the latest version on Canon's site.

Good luck!
 
Is there any manual for DPP? I bought my camera used, did get the CD, but do not see any sort of manual which might explain things. If not, can one be had, possibly thru Canon?
 
FastStone is more of an image browser, but does do some limited raw development and editing. And it's free.

The trick is knowing which 1% of the functions in something like Photoshop you really need. :-)
 
I'm using IrfanView. It's easy, good quality and free. It's similar to FastStone. There's one thing about IrfanView that could be frustrating for someone new with the software. When you want to adjust the lighting, you will find it under Image - Color Corrections. Other than that...it's great...all my photos are post processed with it. I would say look at both FastStone and IrfanView. I've used both of them, but I was just more used to IrfanView; otherwise I could recommend to anyone to use FastStone too (at least when I used it a couple of years ago).
 
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Well, I use Gimp. It's free and does everything I need. Takes a while to learn ot all I guess. lol
 
Picasa. Simple. Easy. Awesome. Fast. Self-explanatory. It's the best one for you. I use them all and I still find myself using Picasa most often. It's just SO easy. And it's COOOOOL.
 
Get yourself a book. Look in the book before you buy.

I like the recipe style books, where each chapter tells you how to do something, like bake a cake or fry some fish, rather than a textbook, that tells you the ins andouts of the whole program.

And in the EDIT part of Elements 10, look in the upper rightcorner of the screen, for EDIT, and then below that, for Full, Quick, and Guiided.

The second and third, Quick and Guided, are really pretty straightforward.

BAK
 
I just bought a t3i and am loving the Digital Photo Professional that came with the camera.
 
BobT said:
BobT wrote:

Is there any manual for DPP? I bought my camera used, did get the CD, but do not see any sort of manual which might explain things. If not, can one be had, possibly thru Canon?
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There are some very basic instructions in the "Help" section of the program. More detailed instructions are available for download at: Canon DPP Instruction Manual

But really, I've found the whole program to be very intuitive, easy to learn and I've never needed the manual.

Give it a try, especially on RAW photos!
 
Picasa is very easy but also very messy and hard to leave if you ever decide to move on.

I went from picasa to lightroom and my main regret is that I did not just skip picasa. Wasted time.

LR is a bear to learn but there are so many free resources out there.

Another alternative is "Aftershot Pro" from corel. I've not played with it but from the specs it looks pretty decent and has some plugins for processing that may make your life easier than LR without the plugins.

Regarding DPP: I'd figure out how well it plays with non-canon lenses unless you shoot all canon.
 
You should be able to download a PDF user manual from the Canon website, its usually situated under the drivers/software link for you specific camera ( although it would be the same manual for all models ) , I know you can get it from the Canon Australia website, so I assume the US one has the same.

Canon also have video tutorials which may be easier to learn from

http://www.learn.usa.canon.com/galleries/galleries/tutorials/dpp_tutorials.shtml

and there are also tutorials on Youtube ( I think the same as the Canon ones but maybe a little older )



Make sure you download the latest version as well. Lots of people here pay out on it because its not a $500 Photoshop programme but hey its free and it certainly works for a lot of people.
 
Start with Picasa. Free and simple. Learn and then consider whether you'd like to try something more.

LR and DPP are primarily RAW editors. If you shoot RAW, then start with DPP.

If you shoot JPEG, then, as I said above, begin with Picasa.

I've used PSE for years, v2, then v5, now v10. It is not easy to use, and I'm a software guy.
 
Not being a RAW guy (yet), I'm thinking seriously about your advice. I already have Picasa 3 downloaded, and do feel more comfortable about it than some others. For me, it would be wise to just use it (or any PP) more. This might be the way to break into PP more gently. And that's what I need to do.

THANKS to ALL for your helpful advice. I DO appreciate your time and effort in trying to help.
 
I use Lightroom, and, although I still have to do some things in Photoshop, have come to love it. One thing that really helped me was purchasing from Luminous Landscape, Michael Reichmann and Jeff Schewe's eight hour tutorial. After I went through that, everything became clear.

I find that basic image processing in LR is fairly straight forward. In fact editing RAW files is every bit as easy as editing jpegs. There are a lot of other advantages as well. To me the hardest part is understanding that LR is alsop a powerful database program an that you cannot go half way. That is you cannot use the image processing without complete buy-in to the database part. The other drawback to LR is it really loves a fast processor and lots of memory. In fact LR 4 will only run on 64 bit machines.


Don't know if this helps.
 
I've heard good things about LR. But I need to begin with a "pre-school" version of post processing. And it looks like Picasa might be the one. Even Canon's DPP seems a bit more than I can cope with yet. I do have both downloaded at present, and keep going between them to try and figure out which one I should be settling on for now.

Here's a basic (I'd think, anyway) question. Once you have altered an image in post, how do you retain the original, while keeping the revised copy? Where does the revised image go? I'd like to retain the original for maybe some future workings; possibly allowing me to do something completely different to what I just did the first time.

I need a really BASIC tutorial. About the only time that I was completely able to understand the most basic beginnings of post processing was on a cruise ship's photoshop session. But that was many years ago now. There are no such sessions available in my area.
 
BobT said:
BobT wrote:

I've heard good things about LR. But I need to begin with a "pre-school" version of post processing. And it looks like Picasa might be the one. Even Canon's DPP seems a bit more than I can cope with yet. I do have both downloaded at present, and keep going between them to try and figure out which one I should be settling on for now.

Here's a basic (I'd think, anyway) question. Once you have altered an image in post, how do you retain the original, while keeping the revised copy? Where does the revised image go? I'd like to retain the original for maybe some future workings; possibly allowing me to do something completely different to what I just did the first time.

I need a really BASIC tutorial. About the only time that I was completely able to understand the most basic beginnings of post processing was on a cruise ship's photoshop session. But that was many years ago now. There are no such sessions available in my area.
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Lightroom seems like it is perfect for you. Very easy to get started with, and Adobe have a lot of tutorial videos online to help you get started. The nice thing about lightroom is that every function is very easy to use, sliders and so on, but under the hood, the program is very advanced/powerfull.

Also, the images are never really altered. You can adjust as much as you like, and at any monent you can recall the original image. It is non-destructive editing. What you do is to edit the image as you like, and if you want to upload this image to some site (facebook etc.) Lightroom creates a jpg - file for you to use. The original picture is never edited.

Check out this site with videos: http://tv.adobe.com/product/lightroom/

Perhaps some of these can show if this is the program for you.
 
1/ Go back andreadmy earliermessageabout Elements10 and the two not-complicated modes.

2/ About saving changes. If you want to be on the safe side... pick the frame you want to work on, open it in the Photoshop editor, and then go to SAVE AS and save it with a different name. It might start out as 1234-5678 and you SAVE AS and change the name to Millie 5678. It will be saved inside the same folder as the original 1234-5678, and it will appear in your Editing space as Millie 5678.

Because you saved a frame with no changes, the quality is not harmed.

Then you edit Millie 5678 and can just use the SAVE command to save the altered version. Your original 1234-5678 file remains untouched.

BOOKS: some books on how to use Elements are much easier to follow than are other books. Best you go to a book store and check them out.

BAK
 
BobT said:
BobT wrote:

I've heard good things about LR. But I need to begin with a "pre-school" version of post processing. And it looks like Picasa might be the one. Even Canon's DPP seems a bit more than I can cope with yet. I do have both downloaded at present, and keep going between them to try and figure out which one I should be settling on for now.

Here's a basic (I'd think, anyway) question. Once you have altered an image in post, how do you retain the original, while keeping the revised copy? Where does the revised image go? I'd like to retain the original for maybe some future workings; possibly allowing me to do something completely different to what I just did the first time.

I need a really BASIC tutorial. About the only time that I was completely able to understand the most basic beginnings of post processing was on a cruise ship's photoshop session. But that was many years ago now. There are no such sessions available in my area.
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Hey, Bob -

In DPP I usually create a sub-folder for my edits. That way I don't have to worry about clashing file names. Just go to the top left of the program and select "File>Create New Folder". Next, you'll want to select the image(es) that you want to save and do a "File>Convert & Save" which brings up the conversion options box. I will also use the "Batch Process" button at the top of the window. Either one works well but the Batch process is better for multiple photos. Just step through the options of where you want to save it, what quality, change the resolution if you like, etc., then hit "Execute".

Good luck!
 
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