Photo Editing Software

Written by: Siegfried Seierlein
Last Updated: 30th December 2009

Earlier today (25th Jan 09) when I started working on this page, thinking I like to write something about Picture Editing Software my eye wondered to the PSE Video Training Page on the Web Programming Software I had open. I thought, why not updated the video page quickly and then I can get back to this article. Well the day kept on ticking on and on and now that I am back its nearly bed time again. I will start my discussion and will continue working during the next few days. I want to discuss Photo Editing Software and to a degree I also want to discuss all the different offers available to the photographer. What is the best choice, should I stay with what came with the camera or should I buy something else? If I had to buy, what will be the best choice?

The first Picture Editing Software option is that of the Camera Manufacturer.

The different software packages supplied with the various digital cameras has vastly improved over the years. I think you would agree that there is an advantage for the manufacturer to keep the customer within their “Mall” or “ business” environment. It creates additional business opportunities for the manufacturer. A good example is when the manufacturer link the customer to a web address with printing services. Why should the manufacturer allow the customer to use a different printing service if they can do the same job?

Another aspect is access to special or unique settings within the camera. With Olympus SLR cameras one get access to “In-Camera Settings” by using the Olympus supplied software. These settings are not available with any other software package on the market. Canon offers the well known DPP RAW converter and even in the days when I use to have a Canon, DPP was a powerful solution. At the time of reviewing this short article I have bought the G11 from Canon and are thus again a Canon user.

For the person looking more at the cost aspect of adding another or additional software, it is surely possible to decide to use the camera supplied software. In my experience its the more difficult choice because of the learning aspect for first time users. Typically only limited support is available on the camera supplied software.

The second option is buying a different editing software solution.

I am always happy to see real stars in the world. Often we are pushed into a world where all should be the same and where all will be happy as long as you stay within the, oft strict boundaries set by the “community” you are part of. Within digital photography we are seeing three stars or champions today that did not stay within any prescribed boundaries. They are Mac, Adobe and Canon. I think you would agree that it takes not much for anybody to see how well these companies are doing. Even more astounding is the fact that they did not had to move operations to any foreign Country or region to make things work.

Let me get back to the subject..... There are several really good software solutions available today. My own favorite is Photoshop Elements from Adobe. Years back I used Paintshop Pro (PSP) 8 before it was bought by Corel. It was a absolute awesome package and still today I think it offers real value to its users. At the time one could buy Photoshop Elements 2 which I also tried but thought PSP was the better solution. Then their are a multitude of other offers out there but for this article I like to stay with Corel and Adobe.

At a higher performance level one can buy Adobe Photoshop CS. Photoshop CS is the ultimate in photo editing software and I think there is just nothing better today. The problem for the hobby or family photographer is that Photoshop CS is just unnecessary expensive and therefor not accessible to most people. It is possible to get a student version at a heavily reduced price. Photoshop CS became the benchmark of the industry and anything else is measured against that. Adobe is also showing incredible leadership in just how well they maintain their market leader position and at the impressive advancements they manage in terms of new technologies and software offers.

That said, does the hobby photographer really need Photoshop CS. Let me explain this on hand my own personal experience. As said elsewhere I always used PSE and still today I have PSE 8 installed on my Mac. At the end of 2008 I decided to try the student version of CS and bought CS3. A week later Adobe launched CS4 and I was lucky to get both. Then a totally new and exciting new journey started. There was the time of just getting use to the new working areas and later I became more at home and later I found myself selecting CS first and not PSE when working on pictures. Do I really need CS today? I would say absolutely yes.....but I will not recommend paying the full price.

The best option in terms of price and performance is PSE. The added advantage is all the other functions added to the PSE offer. Personally I seldom use them but with PSE 8 I decided to give all the added functionality a closer look.

What about Paintshop Pro from Corel? Well, PSP is the better editing software when compared to PSE and the reason is simple. With PSP one get access to channels, the curves function in layers or adjustment layers and a host of other pro like features. The reason I advice people to get PSE is the widely available training solutions available on all Adobe products plus PSE is a powerful editing giant clothed in a user friendly dress. Once mastered and the user will have joy for years to come.

Taken with the Panasonic L10, edited in CS4 in RAW

The above picture was edited in CS4. It was a RAW file, edited in the new RAW 5,2 editor. This is the first editor allowing the photographer to partially edit a picture while in RAW format. This function is that powerful that I will even consider not using HDR again.

Look at the clouds in the above picture. Normally one will only get the orange/brown color and not the rich detail and colors in the clouds. The “exposure” brush in the new RAW editor made it possible to target the clouds separately and to adjust them without affecting the rest of the picture.

The picture on the front page was also edited using the new RAW converter. Normally it is nearly impossible to edit a picture like that because the show makes it very difficult to get the colors right.

Front page picture: Taken with the LX3, edited in CS4 in RAW

The above picture was very difficult to edit. The challenge was to get the white of the snow correct. I use color calibration on my PC’s and even with that I find it difficult to print them in “pure” white. Displaying them on a PC screen is even more difficult I found. One of the best ways was to create the correct background that will highlight the white of the snow. With the above picture I had to develop 2 different pictures and I then used layers to join them into one picture.

I think the question many photographers ask is, what is the difference between Lightroom, Photoshop Elements and CS3 or CS4? To answer this question, is nearly impossible because so many different people use it. Lightroom is the most powerful RAW editor available today in my opinion. It is geared at the professional photographer that needs to prepare high numbers of pictures in a short time and its designed to give high levels of editing power in a simple user interface. Added to all this is a hugely powerful organizer that again helps the pro to manage large collections of pictures. Personally I do not use Lightroom much because for my own needs I find the CS4 RAW editor very powerful. Photoshop Elements is a scaled down version of CS and Lightroom and it was then packaged into a wonderfully complete suite aimed at all the needs a typical family photographer would ever require.

That then take us to the next question, should I get CS4 or should I get PSE7 or 8. For double the price of PSE7 you can get the student version of CS4, if you can, get it. If not buy PSE7 or 8, get to know it and feel comfortable that it is extremely powerful and worth every penny you paid. Should I upgrade from PSE6?. Yes, the upgrade to V7 or 8 is awesome and the added tools and functions is worth it.

Taken with the Panasonic L10, edited in CS4 in RAW

The above picture is another example that is only possible with the new V5,2 RAW editor in CS4. It took me a while to edit this one and it was fun. If you can see it correctly on your screen then you should be able to see the detail on the tree trunk in the front, the snow on the branches is a lovely soft and detailed white and the colors in the back is a picture on its own, beautiful in printed version.