# Easiest photo editing software for a beginner



## task0778 (Feb 11, 2020)

I got my first DSLR camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and am wondering about trying some photo editing software.  I need something simple and understandable cuz God knows I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Seems like a lot of choices out there, what to do, what to do.  Any advice?


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## Billy_Kinetta (Feb 11, 2020)

GIMP.

It's free online, and similar to Photoshop.  You can use Photoshop .psd files with it.


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## Dick Foster (Feb 11, 2020)

task0778 said:


> I got my first DSLR camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and am wondering about trying some photo editing software.  I need something simple and understandable cuz God knows I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Seems like a lot of choices out there, what to do, what to do.  Any advice?



I always had good results with Paint Shop Pro. It's easier to use and much cheaper than photoshop but it could do every thing I needed and much much more. Don't let the price fool you. It's a lot for 50 bucks or so.
Caution your system needs beaucoup RAM for photo editing.


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## depotoo (Feb 11, 2020)

I agree with Dick.  Paint Shop Pro.  There are also lots of youtube videos out there to show you how to do different things with it.


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## NoVote (Feb 11, 2020)

If you bought it new, look in the box, there should be a DVD with software on it. Install it and use it. It'll do all you will want to do.


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## toobfreak (Feb 11, 2020)

task0778 said:


> I got my first DSLR camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and am wondering about trying some photo editing software.  I need something simple and understandable cuz God knows I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Seems like a lot of choices out there, what to do, what to do.  Any advice?



Gimp sucks.  Like a bunch of little fragmented programs.  I'm something of an image-processing expert and would recommend you try Olympus MASTER 2.  It's free as well.  You can try Gimp too, but I use software costing up to thousands of dollars (Corel, MatLAB, LabView, etc.) and unless you have sophisticated needs (and it doesn't sound like you do), I think Olympus MASTER will work great for you.  Very easy and intuitive to use.

Olympus Master (Windows)


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## Dick Foster (Feb 11, 2020)

NoVote said:


> If you bought it new, look in the box, there should be a DVD with software on it. Install it and use it. It'll do all you will want to do.



Those give aways are typically worth exactly what you paid for them from my experience.


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## NoVote (Feb 11, 2020)

> Those give aways are typically worth exactly what you paid for them from my experience.



You don't need Photoshop just to resize, trim, clip, lighten, darken or change hue. He asked for something simple and I imagine, free or cheap.


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## iamwhatiseem (Feb 15, 2020)

Gimp is not intuitive in the least. And is way, way way to convoluted for anyone other than a committed image manipulator who refuses to buy Adobe software.


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## Oddball (Feb 15, 2020)

Online Photo Editor | Pixlr Editor


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## Billy_Kinetta (Feb 15, 2020)

iamwhatiseem said:


> Gimp is not intuitive in the least. And is way, way way to convoluted for anyone other than a committed image manipulator who refuses to buy Adobe software.



Interesting.  I have both, but am faster on Gimp.


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## iamwhatiseem (Feb 15, 2020)

Billy_Kinetta said:


> iamwhatiseem said:
> 
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> > Gimp is not intuitive in the least. And is way, way way to convoluted for anyone other than a committed image manipulator who refuses to buy Adobe software.
> ...


  I have a love hate relationship with Adobe.
I personally believe the forced subscription model should be outlawed. It is a complete rip off. Bit, as with most industries, corporatism leads to only one or two choices and you are stuck with it or you can't be in business.And Adobe has the complete domination of print media software to the point of a monopoly. 
Having said that, Photoshop is very good. With add ons/plugins you can do almost anything with an image.
Gimp is powerful. But it is archaic and fragmented. It doesn't flow well. And from what I know, it hasn't changed much in 20 years. And it's inability to work in the CMYK space makes it impossible to use for graphic design. As well as a much poorer ability to proper layering.
Just my 2 cents


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## JoeMoma (Feb 28, 2020)

I use crayons.


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## Notsurprised (Jun 15, 2020)

I use Photoshop Elements for most of my art projects.  I would love to use Photoshop CC or better, but I don't want to pay a monthly subscription, so I find other programs that can do similar things.


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## miketx (Jun 15, 2020)

I use Photoshop Elements 2020. It's amazing. I started with version 5 and the difference in 5 and 2020 is amazing. The thing I use the most are the selection tools for when you want to copy something out of one image and place it in another. It now has an automatic function where you just click a button and it selects the object. That said it isn't 100 percent effective because the ease of selecting an object depends largely on the contrast between the object being selected and the rest of the image. But it does work well. Also, to the OP, elements has a guided lessons so that walk you through various tasks you may want to do with an image.


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## tyroneweaver (Jul 1, 2020)

toobfreak said:


> task0778 said:
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> > I got my first DSLR camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and am wondering about trying some photo editing software.  I need something simple and understandable cuz God knows I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Seems like a lot of choices out there, what to do, what to do.  Any advice?
> ...


What video software, free and otherwise would you recommend?
I would like something that can do slow motion stuff.


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## toobfreak (Jul 1, 2020)

tyroneweaver said:


> toobfreak said:
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Never got heavy into digital video editing.  What experience I had was mainly in the Macintosh platform, stuff like iMovie 9.0.4.  If you own a Mac, you can do pro video editing, but you'd have to look at the options.  The good stuff isn't free or cheap.  






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## Canon Shooter (Jul 6, 2020)

miketx said:


> I use Photoshop Elements 2020. It's amazing. I started with version 5 and the difference in 5 and 2020 is amazing. The thing I use the most are the selection tools for when you want to copy something out of one image and place it in another. It now has an automatic function where you just click a button and it selects the object. That said it isn't 100 percent effective because the ease of selecting an object depends largely on the contrast between the object being selected and the rest of the image. But it does work well. Also, to the OP, elements has a guided lessons so that walk you through various tasks you may want to do with an image.



I use that as well. It does everything I need it to do...


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## Death Angel (Jul 9, 2020)

Dick Foster said:


> task0778 said:
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> > I got my first DSLR camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and am wondering about trying some photo editing software.  I need something simple and understandable cuz God knows I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Seems like a lot of choices out there, what to do, what to do.  Any advice?
> ...


I have photoshop, but for basic editing I still use my old copy of PsP 6 that you can downlod from oldapps. I use it for most things. It' still great.

Another great software that I like better than photoshop is Affinity. It's  about $50


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## Natural Citizen (Jul 9, 2020)

Depends on what kind of editing you're talking about.

I've taken tens of thousands of pictures over the years, mostly the boy's baseball stuff, but never really edited anything aside from maybe a crop.


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## miketx (Jul 9, 2020)

Death Angel said:


> Dick Foster said:
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One of the good things about Photoshop elements 2020 is that right around 100 dollars you get photoshop and the photoshop video editor also.


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## kigi12 (Aug 3, 2020)

Nice


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## Dana7360 (Sep 5, 2020)

task0778 said:


> I got my first DSLR camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and am wondering about trying some photo editing software.  I need something simple and understandable cuz God knows I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Seems like a lot of choices out there, what to do, what to do.  Any advice?




I have been using Photoshop since it's first version in the 80s.

That is the only graphics program I will ever recommend for anyone to use. 

I also recommend getting the Nik Collection. It's a plug in. It will plug into other graphics programs too but it's a waste of time to use anything other than Photoshop. The Viveza2 program in the Nic Collection is one of the best graphics tool ever made. I was one of the people invited to see it for the first time years ago. A whole room of photographers and graphics artists gasped and said "finally someone wrote the program." They were selling the programs separately at first. The line to that program was the longest and went on forever. I bought it.

Except for a contact sheet.

The best contact sheet I've ever found is in the Nikon View program. I've been using that program for decades. Yes Photoshop Bridge is a good contact sheet but I find the Nikon View one is easy and much better.

You can get Photoshop cheap now. It's on the Adobe website. It's only 10 dollars a month. You get all the updates. 

I highly recommend it.


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## toobfreak (Sep 5, 2020)

Dana7360 said:


> task0778 said:
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> > I got my first DSLR camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T6 and am wondering about trying some photo editing software.  I need something simple and understandable cuz God knows I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer.  Seems like a lot of choices out there, what to do, what to do.  Any advice?
> ...



Then Photoshop is all you've ever used. Adobe is a rip off that keeps you needing to buy more and paying forever and PS has a high learning curve.  To anyone wanting truly good professional quality imaging software that does everything PS does and maybe more but is better engineered and affordable, they ought to look into Corel Photopaint.









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## Death Angel (Sep 5, 2020)

I have a fairly late version of photoshop, but a great online alternative is photopea.com. I also have Affinity. It's a great alternative, and it's a one time fee of $50


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## Dana7360 (Sep 5, 2020)

toobfreak said:


> Dana7360 said:
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I pay 10 dollars a month for the program. I don't have to pay anything else or buy anything else. I get the updates. 

I used to buy the program when it was available on disk. Which a new version came out every few years. My ex would have his grad students buy it for me. The education version is the same thing but half the price.


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## toobfreak (Sep 6, 2020)

Dana7360 said:


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To each their own.  I still run CorelDRAW 8 that I got for free in I think around 1999, which I run on Win XP Pro in a virtual machine in my Mac and have never needed to spend a dime on it or found it much lacking in anything, and I do complex, professional image processing, often running FFT, Guassian and other denoising algorithms with superior results to those using the latest, proprietary software.


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## Dana7360 (Sep 9, 2020)

toobfreak said:


> Dana7360 said:
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It doesn't matter what other people use. 

It matters what you use. It's a personal thing. What works for one person may not work for another. 

As long as it works for the person using it, that's all that matters.


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## toobfreak (Sep 9, 2020)

Dana7360 said:


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Isn't that kinda what "To each their own" means?  I guess you missed that part.

Party true, but in reality, well-engineered software is easier / better to use intrinsically.  That is what good engineering is all about.


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## Dana7360 (Sep 9, 2020)

toobfreak said:


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Wow you can't even see when someone is agreeing with you.

I don't know about engineering but I'm a professional photographer. I replied to a question about a subject that I know a lot about since I've had a camera in my hands since the 70s and have been using photoshop since it's first version in the 80s.

I stated what I use. 

If you don't like my reply that's not my problem. 

People use what they want. If it works for them, that's all that matters. 

I know you desperately want to turn this into an argument but you'll have to look elsewhere for that argument. I don't have any desire to argue with you.


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## toobfreak (Sep 9, 2020)

Dana7360 said:


> Wow you can't even see when someone is agreeing with you.


I guess I missed the part where you said:  "I agree with you . . . "



> I don't know about engineering but I'm a professional photographer.  I know you desperately want to turn this into an argument



I'm not trying to turn anything into an argument.  Why do you have to say that?  I'm a photographer, too, both professional, amateur, and in most any field you can imagine including cameras that weigh hundreds of pounds, stand 8 feet tall and take 4 hour long exposures.  I do all kinds of image processing.  I'm also a retired engineer.  I've done design work.  There are a lot of good choices out there, and like computers, software and many other things, I like to see people really try what's available rather than always falling back on "the standard."

I hate it when people say:  "Well, we use Microsoft Office because that is what everyone uses!"  There are better choices out there and if everyone uses Office, it is only because like Bose, Motorola, Dolby and a lot of other companies, they lobby to monopolize a market to where everyone uses something only because everyone tells them that everyone uses it.   

Does that make any sense?

I guess I just like an underdog.


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## arafen (Oct 18, 2020)

Depends on what you want to end up with. Let's say I'm adding products to the site, and after normal photos they practically don't need to be edited) But if I need to make a mockup, then it already depends on the order. Better to take one free from here, for example Free Flyer Mockup [PSD]  and bring it to the desired look. Or really bother from scratch)


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## Canon Shooter (Oct 18, 2020)

Dana7360 said:


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He's a putz. I made an off-the-cuff comment once about owning more Canon gear than God and he flew off the rails, demanding to see my collection of gear and then started posting photos of his 40 year old film gear as some sort of proof that he's a serious photographer. He was born to be ignored.

I also use Elements. I don't do a great deal of editing, so it's pretty perfect. I would like to explore it more, so I'm going to download PSE 2021 and see what it can do for me...


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## toobfreak (Oct 18, 2020)

Canon Shooter said:


> Dana7360 said:
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*The only putz here is YOU, Steve.* After claiming this massive collection of Canon gear, you refused to even quantify it though it later turned out you had freely already done so on another thread! Very odd. And all you own by your own admission is a handful, a few Canon bodies and a few zooms mostly. I own way more than that. Age was never the question either, nor does it prove anything other than length of time in the business! I have plenty of newer digital gear,too, just not Canon. You were dishonest about that as well.

Then you lied about being this big time pro, meantime, you admit to schlepping beers in a buddy's seedy bar now to pay the bills unable to find gainful work-- -- some pro. Then there was the matter of the quality and skill in picture taking!  I've always been ready to show examples of my very wide body of excellent work, and often have here many times over the years, all you ever showed is a picture of some minor celeb on a stage, a picture of a drink on a bar, and some horrible, fuzzy picture of the Moon!  Stuff my 8th grade nephew could have shot!  

In the end, you only served to PROVE MY POINT:  You only put me on ignore because in the end, you had no real, legit answers to any of my queries or challenges but more BS.


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## Dana7360 (Oct 18, 2020)

Canon Shooter said:


> Dana7360 said:
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Elements is a good way to start with Photoshop.

Yes that person is a putz. Some people just like to argue. There are some who like to put other people down to make themselves feel good. I have a feeling that toobefreak person is both.

I think that the most important thing is that the graphics program works well for the person using it. Not all photography is the same so not all photographers are going to need the same equipment and graphics programs. 

As long as it works well for the person using it, that's all that matters.


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## toobfreak (Oct 18, 2020)

Dana7360 said:


> Some people just like to argue. There are some who like to put other people down to make themselves feel good.



And none are a better example of that then you, Dana, who is one of one of the biggest purveyors of Trump-TDS and horseshit on this board.  Hardly a day doesn't go by that you can't get along without attacking that guy with another one of your rubbish threads throwing baseless and insane claims at the guy to make yourself feel better.  You invite people to speak up against your bullcrap, just as you are trying to do now in attacking me now again for no reason.  Take about a pot calling the kettle black!  If you want to use Elements, go right ahead:  it's free and it isn't the worst PC program out there and it is easy for a novice like you to use just starting out getting your feet wet in basic image processing.


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## iceberg (Oct 21, 2020)

Natural Citizen said:


> Depends on what kind of editing you're talking about.
> 
> I've taken tens of thousands of pictures over the years, mostly the boy's baseball stuff, but never really edited anything aside from maybe a crop.


this is what i was about to post.

what do you want to edit?
are you shooting jpg or RAW formats?
low light you'll need to adjust?

photoshop is around $10 a month. lightroom is more for photos but i'm just used to photoshop. questions like these are simply preference and how you like the UI and features you need. one day i may use lightroom more but i'm just used to photoshop for now and know where everything is.


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## Canon Shooter (Oct 21, 2020)

iceberg said:


> Natural Citizen said:
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I've no need to pay ten bucks a month. Elements is a one-time buy; the new PSE 2021 is, I think, $79, as was PSE 18 (which I've been using for three years). They do upgrades with each version, so it can be worth the upgrade...


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## JoeMoma (Oct 21, 2020)

Canon Shooter said:


> I've no need to pay ten bucks a month. Elements is a one-time buy; the new PSE 2021 is, I think, $79, as was PSE 18 (which I've been using for three years). They do upgrades with each version, so it can be worth the upgrade...


$10 a month is pretty expensive for personal use.  That would be $600 over a 5 year period.  I'm probably not paying that much for a single software application unless I'm using it to make money.


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## Canon Shooter (Oct 21, 2020)

JoeMoma said:


> Canon Shooter said:
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> > I've no need to pay ten bucks a month. Elements is a one-time buy; the new PSE 2021 is, I think, $79, as was PSE 18 (which I've been using for three years). They do upgrades with each version, so it can be worth the upgrade...
> ...



Well, see, that's the thing. I'm making money and using Elements. I just don't do a lot of editing...


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## JoeMoma (Oct 21, 2020)

Canon Shooter said:


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And 79 < 600.  Good deal!


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## Dick Foster (Nov 5, 2020)

Dana7360 said:


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Rip off!


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