Photo editing programs: Lightroom, Luminar, Affinity Photo, Darktable, FastStone, ACSDSee and more
- Thread starter wordie
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FridgeMagnet
Administrator
Photoshop is a pretty shit program for organising a photo library, and also I would argue worse than a lot for simple image manipulation - not in terms of results obviously but ease of use and startup time and so on.
I mean, obviously I don't give a shit what you use, plus they're both Adobe and I hate Adobe
but just saying.
My library consists of dumping the photo I like into a folder named Location / Event - Date and forgetting about them. I like the idea of tagging but I CBA to do it
Photoshop does have a convoluted way of doing the most basic of things but I know all the shortcuts and things off the top of my head and have a load of actions. It's just what I am used to... although it does feel like taking a sledge hammer to a nut for some things.
Photoshop does have a convoluted way of doing the most basic of things but I know all the shortcuts and things off the top of my head and have a load of actions. It's just what I am used to... although it does feel like taking a sledge hammer to a nut for some things.
Yes, use it, love it. But imho badly programmed - needs powerful hardware or it's just irritating. (Compare with the free Google Picassa - super snappy on any old machine)
Some blokes written some software "paddy" that allows you to drive it from MIDI - so got a small box with dials on it - makes editing much faster.
If you have Mac then see also Apple Aperture - I think this is easier to use?
hardly ever use PS now - 95% in Lightroom. Much faster.
Some blokes written some software "paddy" that allows you to drive it from MIDI - so got a small box with dials on it - makes editing much faster.
If you have Mac then see also Apple Aperture - I think this is easier to use?
hardly ever use PS now - 95% in Lightroom. Much faster.
I have it do it automatically. When you import images you can assign stuff to happen while imported - maybe auto levels, sharpen etc, add your name to metadata, rename files or in this case correct for distortion.
I've installed Aperture. It's OK... but it has that annoying thing of wanting to organise your library when I can do a perfectly good job myself. It doesn't feel as clunky as Lightroom, in fact it whizzes along.
Will it replace my 20 years of using Photoshop? Will it shite.
Will it replace my 20 years of using Photoshop? Will it shite.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
You can just set it to leave files where they were.
If you buy it from Amazon it's currently £72.99 (disc or download), but if you buy it direct from Adobe as a download it's £71.80. Normal price £102.57.
It really is a very powerful program. I like the fact that you can use the adjustment brush, or the graduated filter, to alter parts of image rather than just the whole thing
I just noticed you already have four, the upgrade edition is £54.99 on Amazon. Don't know if that is the regular price or not.
Edit: Yes and no. No discount on that version, but it is £57.64 on Adobe's website.
If you already have four, I'm not sure it's worth the upgrade. Best look at the new features to see if they appeal to you.
Edit: Yes and no. No discount on that version, but it is £57.64 on Adobe's website.
If you already have four, I'm not sure it's worth the upgrade. Best look at the new features to see if they appeal to you.
Best things for me, as opposed to the free offerings like RAW Therapee (that I used previously), are the ability to do local adjustments (very, very hand), and also the ability to edit one photo, then apply those changes to a whole load of others - saves a lot of time.Just got LR5. Fuck me, it's awesome!
Going to take some time getting used to it though.
You even get it to automatically geotag your photos (if you have a gpx file), then show all their locations on a map.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
A friend of mine who's used to just having big folders of files and editing them with Photoshop got hold of it recently. I tried to take him through the idea, as he wasn't used to using photo management software at all, but I ended up finding it really confusing and unintuitive myself, and he hated it, so he's back to folders and Photoshop now.
editor
hiraethified
One of the things that has made me reconsider Lightroom is that I really need to properly catalogue my photos and I don't want to commit to software with an uncertain future.
Given ACDSee's response to a recent problem - a shrug and a refund that was almost too willingly offered - I need to find something I can trust.
Trouble is, every time I've tried Lightroom I've really hated it.
Given ACDSee's response to a recent problem - a shrug and a refund that was almost too willingly offered - I need to find something I can trust.
Trouble is, every time I've tried Lightroom I've really hated it.
Mr.Bishie
pickled egg
Importing is easy. I import the whole folder, then go through them & flag which ones I want to keep, bin the rest.
What I don't use LR for is a catalog. What images I want to keep, are then exported to where ever I want them (great phtotoshelter plugin available) & then delete from LR. My use for it is as an import/export & editing tool.
Mr.Bishie
pickled egg
LR6 is a very good catalog if you want to use it. Fuck me, I sound like an Adobe rep!
editor
hiraethified
That already sounds hideously complicated.
Mr.Bishie
pickled egg
If I can do it, you'll piss it. It really isn't difficult once you've learnt to use it.
Sign up for a subscription, 8 quid a month i think I pay. If you can't get on with it, bin it.
Mr.Bishie
pickled egg
And I am? Try it. If you don't like it, fuck it off. A damn sight cheaper than buying it out right, plus you get all the upgrades & latest versions, like I have. A great piece of sw tbh
RoyReed
Must fly!
AfterShot is a good alternative to Lightroom if you don't want to go down the Adobe route (I use Lightroom, but not the subscription model) and slightly cheaper too. It's currently on offer at £58.99 - Lightroom is just over £100 for the non-subscription version if you can find it on Adobe's website.
If I was starting from scratch I'd seriously consider AfterShot, but there's no way of converting a Lightroom database, so it would mean re-importing, sorting, tagging and manipulating getting on for 50,000 images. Not going to happen.
AfterShot Pro 2 Review | PhotographyBLOG
If I was starting from scratch I'd seriously consider AfterShot, but there's no way of converting a Lightroom database, so it would mean re-importing, sorting, tagging and manipulating getting on for 50,000 images. Not going to happen.
AfterShot Pro 2 Review | PhotographyBLOG
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