Which Photo Editing Package ?

Skez

Skez

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I've been playing around with a couple of editing packages, but want something to stick with that will give me comprehensive editing and correction functions, and importantly a good archiving system. I've got thousands of digital images I want to properly catalogue, and also thousands of pre-digital images (prints) that I want to start to digitise and file.

I shoot with a Fuji XE-3, which I love and have been using a free version of Capture One for Fuji, and I've also tried GIMP, which I didn't find particularly intuitive!

Looking at Adobe Lightroom, and as it's now an ongoing subscription only, want to be reasonably sure before I sign up.

Really grateful for any expert snapper's thoughts??

Cheers, Mark
 
I like Lightroom, it is easy to use and in conjunction with Photoshop (you can subscribe to them both together) works very well. I have Nik software, which I really like, but I got mine ages ago before Google bought them out. It doesn't do everything but has some very clever touches. I don't think it would do the archive you want.
The other good editing software is Affinity. That is similar to Photoshop but much cheaper at about £46 to buy rather than a fairly expensive subscription. You can try it out before you buy. The other possibility is ON1, again you can have a trial period and it isn't expensive for the editing stuff alone. They also have a new archiving system but that is more expensive and I think is subscription. I stopped my Adobe subscription as I wasn't using it enough and I do have a bought version of Lightroom though it is getting a little old.
best of luck
 
Lightroom. Had it over 10 years since before subscription started. Holding over 70,000 photos up to now. Invaluable catalogue searching if you take time to document the photos.Photoshop better for editing but not as good for catalogue use. Personal opinion only.

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I've not used it, but Lumina 4 gets good reviews. Single payment.
 
Hi Skez,

First post as up until now I've had nothing useful to contribute.

So my background with gear and software is that I used Lightroom from version 1 to 6 and left when Adobe forced me down the subscription route. I also had an XE-3 for a year or so and only sold it because I could never quite gel with the interface. What it did do was produce great images in a compact form factor, so good choice!

There's a fair few software choices available but the first question is whether you shoot raw. I think you should in most cases as you get more flexibility in post processing - mostly painless white balance correction and more leeway in exposure fixes. With the right software it won't add much time to your workflow. If so, be aware that not all of the raw converters work very well with XTrans sensors. Adobe always used to be bad at this. I tried a load a couple of years ago, believe me!

Violet is right, there's free trials for most of them but assuming you want something powerful that plays well with XTrans, ON1 is a good choice. I'm guessing you're still learning, so this package has got various degrees of complexity ranging from play with the sliders up to layers with various auto and manual masks. There's also a bucket load of free tutorials on their website. As a bonus, it tries to match Fuji's JPEG settings - not brilliantly but getting better by the time I moved off Fuji.

Of the others I tried, Capture one has a steepish learning curve and I think you had to pay extra for the more advanced version. Luminar was a bit flakey (and I think still has a rep for that). Affinity is massively powerful and a Photoshop replacement for most of us, quite cheap and British - but I don't have the time to learn it.

After I bought the A7iii, I use DXO as the darkroom (unfortunately DXO doesn't offer full capabilities with XTrans), but I still use ON1 for corrections at the pixel level.

Due to my file sharing requirements I persevere with Apple Photos so haven't done much with the DAM side of ON1 - looks OK but you'd need to play with it to see if it matches your needs.

It's worth looking at DP Review's forums Fujifilm X System / SLR Talk and Retouching. There's a fair few obsessive kit bores, the usual trolls (often the same individuals) but also a lot of useful comments and helpful people there. You need to join (free) to post and your first few posts will be moderated and so delayed.

Hope that helps,

Ape
 
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I use Lightroom and Photoshop on subscription and when away in the MH the mobile version on my tablet. The latter is confusingly called "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom" or it is this week as it has had many changes of name. But whatever it is called this is now a very powerful app on either iOS or Android. The iOS version is probably the best but the Andoid flavour is getting better and I can use the stylus in it on my Galaxy Tab 6 Lite.

But, there is a steady rumbling in professional photography circles about the direction Adobe are going in. The feeling is the Classic versions are being neglected in favour of the Cloud based versions. The problem with Adobe Cloud is storage space is very expensive. I have 2TB with Google Drive for £7.99 a month, Adobe want more for a tenth of that amount. You work around this by uploading only the images you want to work on then deleting them periodically after you have exported the finished files.

Google "alternatives to Lightroom" to read some reviews of alternative. I'm sticking with Adobe for now but I will move if I have to. :)

Edit:

I've just posted an image of the Susten Pass taken in Switzerland in another thread.

This was the original.

PA121512.jpg


Spectacular scenery but the photo is a bit "flat". Using the mobile version of Lightroom on my tablet I tweaked it in under a minute.

PA121512.jpg


I've probably overdone it, and on reflection I have but for a quick and dirty fix it isn't too bad I think. The main tool was using a graduated filter to apply effects only to the upper part of the image, particularly reducing the exposure. If the effects had been applied to the whole image the lower half would have been too dark.
 
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IslandApe said:
Affinity is massively powerful and a Photoshop replacement for most of us, quite cheap and British - but I don't have the time to learn it.

Ape
Click to expand...
I use Affinity and usually manage to getitvto do what I want but agree it isn't easy. However there is a very useful manual which you can buy from Affinity. If you do do an Affinity trial just be aware there is Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer.
 
DBK said:
I use Lightroom and Photoshop on subscription and when away in the MH the mobile version on my tablet. The latter is confusingly called "Adobe Photoshop Lightroom" or it is this week as it has had many changes of name. But whatever it is called this is now a very powerful app on either iOS or Android. The iOS version is probably the best but the Andoid flavour is getting better and I can use the stylus in it on my Galaxy Tab 6 Lite.

But, there is a steady rumbling in professional photography circles about the direction Adobe are going in. The feeling is the Classic versions are being neglected in favour of the Cloud based versions. The problem with Adobe Cloud is storage space is very expensive. I have 2TB with Google Drive for £7.99 a month, Adobe want more for a tenth of that amount. You work around this by uploading only the images you want to work on then deleting them periodically after you have exported the finished files.

Google "alternatives to Lightroom" to read some reviews of alternative. I'm sticking with Adobe for now but I will move if I have to. :)

Edit:

I've just posted an image of the Susten Pass taken in Switzerland in another thread.

This was the original.

View attachment 410414

Spectacular scenery but the photo is a bit "flat". Using the mobile version of Lightroom on my tablet I tweaked it in under a minute.

View attachment 410415

I've probably overdone it, and on reflection I have but for a quick and dirty fix it isn't too bad I think. The main tool was using a graduated filter to apply effects only to the upper part of the image, particularly reducing the exposure. If the effects had been applied to the whole image the lower half would have been too dark.
Click to expand...
I used to use Aperture for many years that was good for both adjusting levels and also cataloging but with so many images I became its slave and had to make a decision to continue and therefore be tied to my computer or to review what I needed out of my shots. As it would be very unlikely that I ever want to remove Harry and Megan from my photo and mainly use the retouching to balance my photos, straighten horizons etc I (reluctantly) had a play with Apple 'Photos'. I really like it, it's very quick and if I cannot be arsed to adjust too much on a particular shot as it's a 'holiday' type image I just do the very basic straighten up and adjust the exposure and those which are 'money' shots I can take more time.
Looking at the shot of yours above I couldn't put a mask in but one could emphasis the sky by selecting the particular hues and maybe sharpening them. Having said that I am neither a professional photographer or carry around 6 lens and a tripod (but I was in the creative industry).
Sorry this is going on a bit but my Nikon SLR goes everywhere with me on our trips but 90% of the time I now use the iPhone 11. The camera is brilliant, I can change the depth of field which is one of the main things for me. I love the shots and I am looking at the immediacy and the moment now rather than the technical aspect either during the shot or the editing process. If you had the inclination I would be interested to understand what you could achieve as a comparison on the shot above by using Photo's. Initially like me I am sure you might be reluctant to look at it as a possibility. A great friend of mine is too proud to even look at it and whenever he is away he spends the evenings on his laptop retouching the days shots rather than sharing a bottle of wine!

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pandas said:
I used to use Aperture for many years that was good for both adjusting levels and also cataloging but with so many images I became its slave and had to make a decision to continue and therefore be tied to my computer or to review what I needed out of my shots. As it would be very unlikely that I ever want to remove Harry and Megan from my photo and mainly use the retouching to balance my photos, straighten horizons etc I (reluctantly) had a play with Apple 'Photos'. I really like it, it's very quick and if I cannot be arsed to adjust too much on a particular shot as it's a 'holiday' type image I just do the very basic straighten up and adjust the exposure and those which are 'money' shots I can take more time.
Looking at the shot of yours above I couldn't put a mask in but one could emphasis the sky by selecting the particular hues and maybe sharpening them. Having said that I am neither a professional photographer or carry around 6 lens and a tripod (but I was in the creative industry).
Sorry this is going on a bit but my Nikon SLR goes everywhere with me on our trips but 90% of the time I now use the iPhone 11. The camera is brilliant, I can change the depth of field which is one of the main things for me. I love the shots and I am looking at the immediacy and the moment now rather than the technical aspect either during the shot or the editing process. If you had the inclination I would be interested to understand what you could achieve as a comparison on the shot above by using Photo's. Initially like me I am sure you might be reluctant to look at it as a possibility. A great friend of mine is too proud to even look at it and whenever he is away he spends the evenings on his laptop retouching the days shots rather than sharing a bottle of wine!
Click to expand...
I don't have Apple Photos but I do sometimes use Google Photos. This has some basic editing tools but it can't alter perspective or do any sharpening. It sounds like Apple Photos is much more capable. And like you I'm using my phone a lot more to take photos. It's a Google Pixel 3A which I chose because it has a very good camera.
 
DBK said:
And like you I'm using my phone a lot more to take photos. It's a Google Pixel 3A which I chose because it has a very good camera.
Click to expand...
I use Snapseed for my phone photos at the moment as I use an Android device (One Plus). A lot more functionality than Google Photos.
 
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If you want cataloguing as well, many processing programmes do not include a catalogue facility.

I have used Adobe Elements since taking up digital photography in 2004, and currently use Elements 20. It is a stand alone package, no ongoing subscription to cloud required. I find the level of processing suits me, and the organiser is very user friendly. I shoot in raw, and have had no conversion problems using Canon in the past, Sony now.
 
Another Lightroom user of 10+ years, but never tried with Fuji (A7iii user).

It's a great piece of software, but the main reason I stick with it is I can't be bothered to learn another package. So no idea if others are now a better option (lot of choice now). Tempted to add the new Nic Collection as it looks really good. It's in my Xmas list :LOL:

If as DBK suggests above, they neglect Classic over time, I'll switch. But I don't think this will happen for a long time as Adobe make a lot of money out of individuals with just the photography package who, in general, won't pay for storage. And photographers are always looking to switch to something else ;)
 
Thanks everyone for the responses!

Going to have a go with Lightroom - 7 day trial so I'll see how it goes!!

I had a look at Affinity but that looks like a really steep learning curve for me at the moment.

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Snap speed on the iPad is really good. Not sure if you can get a PC based version.
Apple photo is good too.
Depends I guess on your needs.
 
Skez said:
Thanks everyone for the responses!

Going to have a go with Lightroom - 7 day trial so I'll see how it goes!!

I had a look at Affinity but that looks like a really steep learning curve for me at the moment.
Click to expand...
Good idea to do the Lightroom trial, but don't forget Affinity. It does so much more than Lightroom and makes you more of a designer or artist with the photos you take.
Let us know how you get on.
 
I use lightroom not only for cataloging but for processing. It has served me well and occasionally pull images into photoshop to do final tweaks. But got a spider 5 calibration tool for the monitor which has made a great impact to the final image. There are plenty of youtube vids covering the range of software available. Good hunting
 
LR for asset management and basic processing; Affinity for when I want to work on an image. The Affinity tutorial videos are truly excellent. And an English accent, to boot.
If (when?) Serif or anyone else comes up with asset management s/w that imports all data from LR I'll ditch Adobe's leesonce model like a shot ...
 
Used Lightroom from its first beta until about 18 months ago. I use Fuji gear too. Switched to Capture One 18 months ago, lured by the beautiful rendition of Fuji raw files and the extraordinary colour tools.

Now I'm having second thoughts. The raw rendition and colour tools are indeed wonderful, but the database part is crap. I have about 40,000 pictures in it and searching can be increadibly slow because C1 scans each and every file when searching through all pictures. If doesn't have photo stacks and I find that I miss that a lot.

Finally, Adobe recently added the enhanced resolution feature. I don't need more resolution but what it does to Fuji raw files bring it at least to the quality of rendition of C1.

I am definitely considering going back to Adobe, especially with the availability of LR on the iPad.

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