Photographers of Oppo!

"liquid_popcorn" (liquid-popcorn)
12/15/2013 at 13:42 • Filed to: photography, advice

Opponauts and talented photographers of kinja,

My wife has a Canon Rebel T2i, and would like me to purchase her some photo editing software to work with.

I currently have a 2011 Macbook Pro, 4GB RAM, 2.3GHZ i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 3000 384MB, OS X 10.9 (13A603). Thinking of picking up an iMac early next year.

I have used Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom a few years ago when I had more spare time, but am a bit behind and have no idea what's best for the computer/camera combination. I've never used Aperture or VSCO film packs or any such things. Any advice on best value for money and ease of use for amateur photographers starting out?

If anyone can share this to the photography kinja site that'd be cool too. A pretty car for your troubles.

Thanks!

DISCUSSION (22)

Desu-San-Desu > liquid_popcorn
12/15/2013 at 13:46

I did all my editing on my muddy play date photos using Google+ and a tiny bit of Photoshop CS6. Considering they were taken with my phone's front-facing camera, I think they came out pretty well. You don't need any super expensive software to make fun, dynamic photos. It's just all in the approach and composition. I don't mind my photos being obviously digitally enhanced, as I'm less focused on what the camera saw than I am in expressing how I saw the events and how they made me feel. In my mind, photography is all about expressing the experience , not the reality.

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Monty Totten > liquid_popcorn
12/15/2013 at 13:47

I have a T1i and use Aperture. I love it. It's obviously not as flexible as Photoshop but I love it. It's a great all-in-one photo manager and the organization features are fantastic.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > liquid_popcorn
12/15/2013 at 14:02

I've always used lightroom, I don't use much photoshop because the workflow sucks.

POD > liquid_popcorn
12/15/2013 at 14:04

I still use CS5. It's very capable and my wife runs it on her macbook (same year I think too).

If you still have CS5, I'd say just use that, it's got all the tools you need.

Kinja'd!!!

iforgotmyburnerkeyonce > liquid_popcorn
12/15/2013 at 14:25

If you've got CS5 already, keep it. To supplement, check out DxO Optics | Pro (since she's got a T2i. If she want's to jump to full frame, grab the | Elite version while it's on sale)

DxO has some amazing RAW editing potential, just take a look over here!

I belive the "Film Pack" software and the Viewpoint software (though perhaps a lesser version of it) is included in the Optics Pro software as well. Great for someone who shoots RAW!

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > liquid_popcorn
12/15/2013 at 14:25

Another vote for Bridge and Photoshop. The 2 together make a great workflow for me.

MountainCommand > liquid_popcorn
12/15/2013 at 18:13

Thought about giving Gimp a try? Its a free alternative and worth a shot to see if you like it. Plenty of "how to's" on youtube to help you if you get stuck. Ive been using it since im too cheap to even torrent something. Its saved a few of my photos so ive been very satisfied.

RMudkips > liquid_popcorn
12/15/2013 at 20:10

Just added you to the blog in case you want to share tips, or need specific photography help.

liquid_popcorn > RMudkips
12/16/2013 at 09:23

Cool, thanks!

liquid_popcorn > POD
12/16/2013 at 09:26

Unfortunately, the lenovo I had CS5 on blew up, and I can't transfer the license to my macbook anyway. :/

liquid_popcorn > iforgotmyburnerkeyonce
12/16/2013 at 09:27

I'll check that out - thanks for the tip!

liquid_popcorn > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits
12/16/2013 at 09:27

What is the point of Bridge, exactly? I've never used it.

liquid_popcorn > E30Joe drives a Subaru
12/16/2013 at 09:27

Good to know; thanks!

liquid_popcorn > Monty Totten
12/16/2013 at 09:28

Good to know. Aperture is one I've been especially curious about. How does it compare to Lightroom or perhaps Photoshop Elements in terms of workflow and features?

liquid_popcorn > MountainCommand
12/16/2013 at 09:28

I have used GIMP occasionally, but my wife hates the interface, so I'm probably going to go another route for now. Definitely a good suggestion though.

liquid_popcorn > Desu-San-Desu
12/16/2013 at 09:30

Good points; and excellent example. ;)

POD > liquid_popcorn
12/16/2013 at 11:44

Ahh. In that case, lightroom will do nearly everything most people looking for photo editing software need it to do, and it quite a bit cheaper.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > liquid_popcorn
12/16/2013 at 13:04

Kinja'd!!!

Bridge is what is referred to as an Digital Asset Management program. It's kind of like a browser for your pictures. It allows you to view, rate, and organize your images. You have a panel kind of like explorer on the left, and you select the folder you want to work in. You can assign keywords, ratings, and colors to the file names, while you view thumbnails of the images in that file. Very helpful program. It does a lot more, but those are the bones of it.

Trike > liquid_popcorn
12/16/2013 at 13:46

Aperture is fine for 99% of what most people need. I use Photohop and Lightroom at home and Aperture at work, and I'm convinced Adobe created Lightroom based on the Aperture template. So if you've used Lightroom, you should be able to use Aperture without any problems.

liquid_popcorn > POD
12/16/2013 at 17:00

Cool, thanks!

liquid_popcorn > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits
12/16/2013 at 17:01

Ah, cool! Thanks for the screenshot too; that helps.

liquid_popcorn > Trike
12/16/2013 at 17:02

Interesting; thanks! I downloaded the trial of Lightroom, so I'll probably see if I can have her use Aperture as well and see which she likes better.