As a non pro, using a "just before" Intell iMac, who still shoots about a thousand photos plus every year, I'm looking for one single program that will do a first rate job of helping me manage my photos, and do all the basic editing (cropping, sharpening, color adjustment, B & W, noise reduction, etc.). This would usually be done with JPEG files but occasionally some RAW work as well. I'm not satisfied with Elements 4.
So I'm considering Lightroom, Aperture, and PS CS3, just one, not a combination of two of them.
I'm playing with the Aperture trial, but would love to have some advice. If any of you have a photo editing profile similar to mine and have some experiences with one or more of these programs, your perspective would be particularly helpful.
Thanks.
Mark
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Hi Mark,
To tell you the truth, Photoshop 7 or else CS or CS2 in that order.
Photoshop 7 will do all you need. with Bridge you can do the rest. They are integrated well enough.
Now if you have CS2 that would be perfect.
I'd see if you could upgrade from elements or buy a legal copy of Photoshop 7 or CS from EBay.
If you have an orgainzed hard disk, then there should be no problem at all.
Asher Kelman
[a href=\"http://www.openphotographyforums.com]http://www.openphotographyforums.com[/url]
At the risk of preaching to the converted:
Another approach. for free!
Use iphoto. It will catalog your files (the cataloging is reliable but only accessed reasonable through the iphoto intereface. It makes a copy of your files as it goes. you can do this copying directly from your CF or SD card or else, from the folder in the
Pictures where you store your image files.
The nice thing about iphoto that it does everything you want except repairing and selecting areas.
Still it will deal with 90+% of your needs.
Also you can set in preference so that a double click on any image opens it in PS. Remeber even PS 7 is perfect for all the fancy editing and hsarpeng etc you might need beyond iPhoto.
The great thing about iphoto is that you can simply click and you have a slide show with music of your choice to send to someone or else select and click to send a bunch of images to friends.
Also the integration with .mac.com accounts menas that your website can be populated with you favorites.
