New Cam

[addieglen]

<p>Since im new to the Photo.net site, and me and my wife are just starting out, i just wanted to say WOO HOO! We got our new DSLR, its the new Rebel T1i, we are pumped for itand will be filling up our portfolio soon, as soo as we get a good photo program for it. Any suggestions?</p>

<p>PS we love looking at everyone's work on here its a real inspiration and joy to look at<br>

Addie and Glen</p>

[phule]

<p>The camera does come with some software to get you started. Not sure what you're looking for (something better for image management perhaps?) but I do recommend Adobe Lightroom. </p>

<p>Other than that, practice early and practice often. Enjoy your new camera. :)</p>

[KenPapai]

<p>What do you mean, a "good photo program"?</p>

<p>Photoshop, now at version CS4, is the industry standard for image editing/browsing. Otherwise the far simpler Adobe Lightroom may suit you well.</p>

<p>(also please read/browse the Digital Darkroom forum here) Have fun!</p>

[arie_vandervelden1]

<p>Both Lightroom and Photoshop have demo versions that you can download and evaluate. See which you like the best.</p>

<p>Full-on photoshop (e.g. CS4) is very expensive. It used to be that you could buy Photoshop Elements (cheaper, slimmed-down version of photoshop), and if you decide that you want to upgrade to the full-version of PS then you get credit for the Elements price. I think this is still the case - have a look at the Adobe website. If so, starting with Elements is a no-brainer.</p>

<p>I've messed with other programs such as Gimp and Irfanview (freeware), and also Corel photopaint. But PS is just simply better.</p>

[gabriel_l1]

<p>Lightroom and Photoshop are not mutually exclusive or even the same kind of program. If you are looking for a program to organize your photo shoots, tag photos, manage a large library of RAW format photos, do batch edits, simple photo correction, non-destructive editing, versions, etc.... Lightroom is great. Aperture is also great if you use a Mac.</p>

<p>Photoshop is unbeatable for in-depth, powerful photo editing. I used it since, I don't know, version 5 or so (however many years ago that was) and there's nothing as good for creating and editing raster graphics, or for per-pixel control over output. These days however almost 95% of my photography is managed through Aperture, because it does everything I need for photos and is FAR more efficient for managing a lot of photos at once. The non-destructive aspect is nice too.</p>

<p>Canon comes with DP Pro, which is enough to eke out desired results on a per-photo basis, so I would recommend an image management program like Lightroom and perhaps, if you don't like DPP, something like Photoshop Elements. If you plan on drastically altering your photos or making composites or adding certain effects, and you only take photos occasionally, then maybe full Photoshop is a better option. It's up to you.</p>

<p>Congrats on the nice new camera,<br>

-GL</p>

[addieglen]

<p>Sweet!, thanks for the info, the Canon program that it came with isnt working, it just says drop image here. and when i try to open an image it doesnt work, but i will check out the different programs, you guys suggested. And continue my practicing and shooting things that tell a story for me.<br>

talk to ya'll later</p>

[david_wu6]

<p>I would suggest to use Google's Picasa (may spell it wrong) or any version of Photoshop Element (usually comes with a printer or P&S camera) for a while first to see if you need more funtions, before spending $300-$500 for a software you will use only 5-10% of its functions.</p>

[paddler4]

<p>There are a number of good editing programs that are free or cheap, including Photoshop Elements (not the full photoshop), Gimp, and Paint Shop Pro (somewhat more powerful than Elements, but with fewer users on line from whom to get help). Any should be sufficient to get you learning, and none will set you back as much as $100. I use Lightroom all the time, but because it is superb for processing raw files. It is not a full-fledged editing program. The Digital Photo Pro that came with you camera is a fine, if basic, raw processing program when you get to the point of shooting RAW.</p>

[images_in_light_north_west]

<p>"Sweet!, thanks for the info, the Canon program that it came with isnt working"</p>

<p>All you need to put on your computer is DPP from the canon software, then use ACDsee for your browsing and minor editing, later get CS4 and or Lightroom</p>

[phule]

<p>[[it just says drop image here. and when i try to open an image it doesnt work,]]</p>

<p>If you would like some help getting the Canon software working, feel free to ask. (And provide some more details about your computer, the error, what program you're using, etc.)</p>

[addieglen]

<p>Just got it figured out, right as i was about to post my response. I appreciate eveything.</p>

 

[andreasb]

<p>I'm in the software minority around here since I use Corel Paint Shop Pro X2. The Ultimate version can even edit RAW files, which is very important. It costs about $75 on Amazon. It is powerful and casy to use althought, like all of these programs, the learning curve can be steep. Even my father, who is a little bit computer imapired uses it all the time. I really like it!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

[andreasb]

<p>I'm in the software minority around here since I use Corel Paint Shop Pro X2. The Ultimate version can even edit RAW files, which is very important. It costs about $75 on Amazon. It is powerful and casy to use althought, like all of these programs, the learning curve can be steep. Even my father, who is a little bit computer imapired uses it all the time. I really like it!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

[pboraschi]

<p>For new users to the digital world, I would actually recommend <a href="http://tryit.adobe.com/us/photoshopelements/?sdid=DNMJN">Photoshop Elements</a> . It's made for people with little knowledge of image editing but it is powerful enough even for pro users. CS4 is expensive and requires and huge learning curve, not for everyone.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Pascal</p>

[keith reeder]

<p>Another PSP X2 user here, Andreas.</p>

<p>I honestly prefer it to Photoshop CS3 and rate if much higher than Photoshop Elements, although I don't much care for PSP's RAW conversion abilities - Raw Therapee (which is free) is far, far better, in my experience.</p>