Do you need photoshop?

[jess_wright]

<p>Im brand spanking new to all this, only went out yesturday and took my 1st lot of pictures. I've got a film camera (Nikon FE) so have to wait for the film to be developed, I was just wondering if you need a photoshop editing program, is it a must!?</p>

[acbeddoe]

<p>You don't need (can't use) a photo editing program for film unless you scan the pictures. So, no.</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>If you're shooting film, no not at all. You can get your film developed and proofed, choose your favorite shots for final prints, and take the negatives back to the lab to be printed or do the darkroom work yourself just as photogrpahers did for 150 years or so before digital. If you want to work on your pictures on the computer, however, yes you do need something. First you need to scan your negatives or have them scanned to have something to work on. You can then open those files in Windows or on Mac and at leat view them. But to do much of anything beyond that -- cropping, adjusting color and exposure, etc. -- you need either PhotoShop or one of the other picture editing software programs. Most beginners (and some professionals) are happy with PhotoShop Elements, which is around or under $100. ACDSee is also popular and affordable.</p>

[walter_degroot]

<p>it is easier to request a CD ( scans) of the color negatives when you have the film developed.<br>

However any scan may be "adequate" but to make enlargements some labs will provide a better higher quality scan. There are free programs that you can use once you have scanned images.<br>

Epson sells flatbed scanners that will also scan 35mm & 120 film sized negatives.<br>

Not as good as a dedicated film scanner. but real film scanners are almost extinct.<br>

Go to www.epson.com pick your country / store and closeouts for refurbs.</p>

<p>Once you digitize the film images, it is very easy to go toi a big box store<br>

and use their machines to make inexpensive prints.<br>

you will have some control over the final result.<br>

A cd or a thumb drive works in these machines.<br>

But you can pre-process the images at home where you will not be pressed for time.<br>

If you also have a digital camera, the software that comes with it often is sufficient<br>

to edit digital images.</p>

 

[jason_hall5]

<p>Short answer....no. </p>

[JDMvW]

<p>Once you have some kind of digital version of your film images, PS is very useful, but is overkill for a new user. IMHO the best solution is Photoshop Elements, the using of which will teach you things that will be needed later if your skill progresses to the point where you do need Photoshop.</p>

<p>There are cheaper alternatives, especially if your time is not of value to you. The open-source GIMP is very powerful and "free".</p>

[smarksphotography]

<p>No.<br>

(If you shoot digital you'll probably want some program to allow you do at least a little bit of correction at some point. There are several to choose from. I would not start with Photoshop though). <br>

What tools to use and how you do you "workflow" (basically how you get your images from the camera to their final destination, and how you manage (keep track of, etc) your "negatives") is a big topic and not easily answered straight off. </p>

[richardsnow]

<p>No...<br>

Not even if you were shooting digital only.</p>

<p>There are several editing programs out there, and you will have to choose for yourself which one fits the bill.<br>

<br />RS</p>

[m_stephens]

<p>No you don't need it. I shoot 99% film, and I rarely use P'shop. For scanning my negs I use ViewScan, or I send out my critical work to a scan shop. I import all scans into LightRoom 3. I find that the photo-centric controls in LR3 is far more convenient to me than P'shop. But there are many programs you can use which are far less costly too. Free programs like Picassa are quite useful. Go slow, ask lots of questions, and see what it is you really want to do with the images before jumping right into expensive softwares. P'shop is a professional compositing program. If you don't need all that function, it's a bit of an overkill.</p>

[ingemar_lampa1]

<p>Photo .Net is good enough for me. It's free and takes advantage of 64-bit Windows.</p>

[AlanKlein]

<p>What do you want to do with the pictures you're taking? That will help what you need to work with after you develope the film.</p>

[danielransom]

<p>I personally, would not want to do without it. The advantages to picture improvement are so great.<br>

That being said, I think what you are really asking is, "Will digital manipulation software help my photography?" I would still say yes. The digital revolution is just that. I would advise getting a scanner and software, and learn the ropes. PS Elements is fairly inexpensive, and the free Gimp program is a nice alternative.<br>

As far as "needing" PS, maybe you don't. But how about, let's talk FUN. PS is fun. It can make your pics so much better, so fast. It can make your pics crazy. It can combine several pics easily, to create all new context. It is as valuable to me as my camera.</p>

[jcuknz]

<p>You don't need Photoshop but if you are serious about photography you are missing out of at least 50% of the potential available to you in the digital age if you do not have a capable editor like GIMP, Photoshop,Elements, Paint Shop Pro or Paint Net. Paint Net is a bit clunky but in a little exercise using PS,PSP and PN I was able to get a very similar result with each.<br>

Really shooting film and just getting it processed is missing most of the fun :-) That is a bit like shooting digital and sending your files to a printing outfit without doing anything with them when they need it.<br>

But of course you may not want to get too involved with this fascinating pastime :-)</p>

[danielransom]

<p>Thanks to JC for including fun :-) I think that is what photography is really about. Just kind of messing around inside the parameters of human experience. Discovering to ourselves our personal thoughts in a quite space.</p>

[white balance productions]

<p>Not sure about were you are but here way to much is placed on your "graphic" skill and very little on photographic skill as i have very little on the graphic side i use Lightroom it is the digital version of a darkroom .so you can make the model thinner or bigger etc. so if you did not shoot it right well you have a problem.<br>

there are loads of software out there to choose from .So unless you suffer from peer pressure you will never need PS.</p>