Which Editing Software is the easiest to use?

[AlexsDogPound]

I've just purchased a Nikon Z50 Mirrorless Camera after using a D80 for a couple of decades. I have some experience with Paint Shop Pro but it seems everyone uses Photoshop. I'm considering Elements or Paint Shop Pro.

What is everyones opinion and do you like a different program from the two I mentioned.

Thanks in Advance--Jeff

[Skyarrow01]

Before Photoshop I would use Lightroom since it is faster and easier for updates, but Lightroom is a lot more than most people need. Both products you mentioned are good, Elements has the backing of Adobe which a lot of people use and PaintShop Pro has been around for years and has really become a nice product. I don't think you could go wrong with either. One thing I would think about is a library of your images and a product that has that feature so you can easily find your images, tagging them making them easier to find. Hope this helps.

[TheOldBear]

I rarely use a pixel level editor like Photoshop [or one of its many competitors ] 

 

I do use an image or 'digital asset' manager or photo library program. Some of these [like Lightroom] also allow for image adjustments [color cast, cropping, leveling, resolution enhancement, noise reduction....] and may have myriad other knobs and controls.

 

If you are on a Mac, the built in Photos application is a basic photo library program, that can be extended to offer additional capabilities.

 

Nikon likely has software that complements their image file formats [and may have some photo organization capability]

[pierces]

If you are familiar with PaintShop Pro, you could stick with it and upgrade to the latest version It is a great program and quite capable. Lightroom is not as good for pixel-level editing, major object removal and such, but it is very good at color, noise reduction and general fixes. It is also the premier organization software out there (IMHO), with many, many ways to tag and arrange your images. Ideally, you would have your images organized in Lightroom where you can do about 95% of day-to-day correction, cropping and things like spot or red-eye removal with a pixel-level editor like PaintShop Pro or Photoshop linked for more aggressive editing.

 

My 4¢

 

 

Dave

[pengu1n]

I used Paint Shop Pro and Corel Photo Paint prior to using (now) Lightroom for 95% of what I do, and Photoshop for the remainder.

I think the key to using any of them is to take a class - they are capable of so much more than you can imagine without someone showing you how to use them! I belong to a large camera club and someone from our club teaches online classes, or you can find classes at a local community college. I like the online version. You could probably youtube also, but that requires you knowing what you want to learn.

Edited July 29, 2023 by pengu1n

[Tahitianbigkahuna]

I have several editing programs but 95% of my editing which is basic is done in Lightroom. I'm a fanatic about people over editing ... easy to spot by anyone in the know. Only rarely do I open Photoshop ...   

[Victress2007]

Everyone uses Photoshop because of advertising IMHO.  I use PaintShop Pro because I can own it instead of renting it. I recently downloaded Fotor and have played with it a little.  We'll see if I keep it.

 

Vic

[ROUS]

I adopted the line of editing tools from NCH years ago--primarily their video editing tool Video Pad. But, their Photo Pad tool enables me to do whatever I need. 

[AlexsDogPound]

Thanks everyone. Happy Cruising!!!

[Mequon]

I’ve been using CaptureOne for nearly a decade and from the beginning, I’ve found it very easy to use.  It’s not a sophisticated as Photoshop, in many respects, but it does what I need it to do. Try the free trial period. 

[Sea-n-Ease]

Any recommendations for the best small-scale software for modifying backgrounds?  Specifically selecting the subject from a photo in order to replace the entire background.  I have Photoshop Elements, but find it difficult to use for getting that dotted line around the subject, especially if the subject is not well delineated from the original background...

[TheOldBear]

2 hours ago, Sea-n-Ease said:

Any recommendations for the best small-scale software for modifying backgrounds?  Specifically selecting the subject from a photo in order to replace the entire background.  I have Photoshop Elements, but find it difficult to use for getting that dotted line around the subject, especially if the subject is not well delineated from the original background...

ON1 has tools to assist in tasks like this [has lots of other stuff so it is not 'small scale'] you can download a time limited copy and play with it.

[radiationman]

Download Nikon NX studio free and easy to use. Good first line editing tool. Also works for most Nokon SLR's.  

[radiationman]

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/imaging-software/nx-studio.page

[mskaufman]

I have tried Lightroom, Elements, Paint Shop and Photo Studio. I find Elements the easiest to use.

[Heidi13]

On 9/20/2023 at 9:38 AM, Sea-n-Ease said:

Any recommendations for the best small-scale software for modifying backgrounds?  Specifically selecting the subject from a photo in order to replace the entire background.  I have Photoshop Elements, but find it difficult to use for getting that dotted line around the subject, especially if the subject is not well delineated from the original background...

 

The latest version of Lightroom CC is way more user friendly than previous versions, especially for selecting backgrounds, people, pets, objects, etc. In many cases it only requires a single click and the software mostly does an excellent job of selecting what you want. Still has the ability to fine tune the selection, but I find I rarely need to add or subtract.

 

I also have Elements 21, but am now using Lightroom most of the time. 

[tom808]

I’ve been impressed by  Topaz AI which does a n job sharpening, color rendition-some, what “curing “ out of focus photos - not a complete photo editing program but it’s AI is useful

 

[Crew News]

13 hours ago, tom808 said:

I’ve been impressed by  Topaz AI which does a n job sharpening, color rendition-some, what “curing “ out of focus photos - not a complete photo editing program but it’s AI is useful

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and this Forum.

 

Nearly all of my "keeper"photos get a final pass through Topaz Photo AI.

[pierces]

I have used Topaz software for years as plugins for Lightroom and when Photo AI came out, I tried it out. I immediately replaced Photo, Gigapixel and Adjust with it. I still do color and other adjustments in Lightroom/Photoshop, but for noise and the AI corrections, it is magical.

 

I recently photographed my Grandson's wedding. The Bride-to-be wanted her professional photographer friend to take the girls get ready pictures. The friend had a nice pro rig with a Sony A7IV and a 35mm f/1.4 GM. She ended up taking wedding party photos as well as the bride and groom poses while I did family groups. She was obviously trained in posing and did a nice job except her training was heavy on the "pros only" mythology. Pros only shoot RAW. Always shoot wide open for the best bokeh. Etcetera. The problem with mythology vs. physics is that no matter how cool your pose is set up, depth of field is a law that can't be ignored.

 

Nice pose (except the Maid of Honor sort of looks like she needs a restroom).

 

Unfortunately, the Sony's excellent autofocus decided that the Maid of honor was the prime subject (autofocus is made to be used, not depended on) leaving everybody else somewhat blurry. 

 

Topaz PhotoAI was able to fix the issue with surprising results. 

 

I may not have my flying car yet but having tool like this make me miss it a little less.

 

Dave

[trojan3000]

I recently switched to a Nikon Z50 myself for both videos and photos, moving up from a much older model. Like you, I was looking for something straightforward for editing. I ended up choosing Movavi, which many consider the best video editing software not just for videos but for photos too. It's been incredibly user-friendly with intuitive tools that make editing quick and easy, even for someone like me who isn't a pro.

 

Movavi has features like AI background removal, motion tracking, noise removal, and easy-to-use drag-and-drop filters, titles, transitions, and overlays. These features have been a vital for my projects, allowing me to focus more on being creative rather than figuring out how to use the software.

Edited March 22 by trojan3000

[Jon054]

I initially struggled with Lightroom but hired a private tutor to come get me over the edge.  A 2 hour session did wonders for me, especially in setting up the file structure.  One area I struggle with is the healing tool and understand that photoshop handles this far better.

 

i also use Topaz AI and find its a great addition to remove noise and to sharpen a pic with a bit of blur.

[pierces]

15 hours ago, Jon054 said:

One area I struggle with is the healing tool and understand that photoshop handles this far better.

 

The healing tool in Lightroom is good for small touch-ups, spots, and (very) minor object removal. If you need to remove something more substantial or do a more complete cleanup, Photoshop is a much better choice. Especially with the new object removal brush. One thing to note is that with the Lightroom healing tool, the source area of the spot healing isn't always perfect but it can be moved by dragging it. 

 

I was lucky with the file structure. Having used PCs pretty much since there have been PCs, I've gotten used to storing files in a hierarchical structure with groups, subgroups, etc. and used the same method when I started storing digital images. Turns out this is pretty much ideal for sorting and grouping images in Lightroom. I also batch rename images from a particular source (so and so's birthday party 2018, Alaska 2013) as well as naming files individually, which makes searching for particular images much easier. The batch rename feature in Lightroom is very flexible and easy to use. It has useful options like renaming to a keyword/keyphrase with the original file number or keyword/keyphrase with a sequence which makes it very handy for displaying and sharing photos. I especially appreciate the ability to drag images into a particular order in the thumbnail window, highlight them and add a sequence to them in that custom order. Also, if you haven't already made use of the facial recognition feature in Lightroom, keyword tagging images of people with their name makes future searches extremely easy. It also provides entertainment. While it's remarkably good at identifying faces, some of the things that it thinks are faces are quite humorous.

 

Dave