EVERY SOFTWARE NEEDED TO EDIT A PHOTO ON A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL.

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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on November 12, 2010 at 7:06pm

I use either Canon Digital Photo Professional or Camera Raw to convert from RAW to JPEG and either Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS5 to edit. If I am going to embed a photo in a PSD file, I convert it with Corel Paint Shop Pro because it seems to be the only format my version of Word Perfect can handle.

Some people do a lot of editing and others do very little. If you are only working on one or two photos you can spend some time editing, if you are working with hundreds or thousands, you can not afford so much time on each one. Your software needs will vary depending upon what you shoot, what you want the final result to look like and how close to your goal you can get with what the camera provides.

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Permalink Reply by Papa Rotzzi on November 13, 2010 at 4:27am

I still use CS4. I have not had the money or a compelling reason to upgrade to CS5. My primary plug-in for CS4 is the OnOne Software suite.

I recommend taking a class a local community college.. that way, you can get the software legal and cheap plus you will learn all of the basics of editing. Once you know the basics, the advanced stuff gets pretty easy.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Needham on December 1, 2010 at 6:08am

I use Photoshop CS4. I've purchased a few plug-ins, but 99% of my work is done in Adobe Camera Raw. I used to use CS2, and other than the changes to ACR there is nothing new in CS4 that I use. If I could get the latest ACR an old version of Photoshop would do me just fine. If I didn't want to spring for Photoshop I'd go with Lightroom, as it's pretty much the same as ACR.

Go to the web page of the software you choose for lots of learning resources.

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Permalink Reply by Fred on December 1, 2010 at 8:08am

I use Nikon Capture NX2 along with Lightroom and every now and then I have to use an old version of Photoshop

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Permalink Reply by Gary Vernon on December 1, 2010 at 11:31am

I usually edit between Photoshop CS5 and Painter 11 after export from Lightroom 3.
I use a host of plugins, but mainly nik color Efex suites traditional and stylizing, Viveza 2 and the
Auto FX Mystical suite.
At times i will use Lucis and Topaz adjust / detail, it all depends on the image and style.
One important item that nobody ever mentions is the use of pressure pen and tablet, - far more accurate and flexible than a mouse.
http://www.retouchpro.com is a valuable site if you are serious about learning editing, many professional image editors hang out there and you'll get advice and use of their resources.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Tubbs, Jr. on December 2, 2010 at 4:58pm

I find that Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 2 work well for me. I upgraded to CS5 from CS3 because of the new features including a fine HDR component. Most of my images need very little post production work (I would rather spend time with my camera, not behind the computer), but when needed these two programs fill the bill.

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Permalink Reply by William J. Dabovich on December 2, 2010 at 9:52pm

I personally use Lightroom3 for my general wedding edits then use photoshop for the more in depth and specific edits

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Permalink Reply by bill bruzas on December 2, 2010 at 10:52pm

well i use paint shop pro x3 the most as i like the lay out but there is a lot of good free ones out there as well it all comes down to what works the pest for you some say photo shop or paint shop but price has to be a factor as well

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Permalink Reply by Ian Clark on December 4, 2010 at 4:14am

I use good old photoshop elements 6 and that is it. Spend the time getting things right in the camera and you need very little processing.

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Permalink Reply by Gary Walters on June 7, 2011 at 1:02pm

PS CS5

Lightroom3

Nik software products

OnOne Suite

Exposure3

Portraiture ( soft focus software)

Portrait Professional (same type as above)

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Permalink Reply by Greg Lewis on June 7, 2011 at 2:46pm

I use just Photoshop CS5. Just a preference really. I've used Lightroom before as well, it was a good program but I didn't like the libraries or the organization of everything.

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