Photo Editing Program Recommendations Needed!

[Deleted]

I've been using ipiccy which is an online program, it's free but slooow.  I'm looking for something easy to use and pretty much just need to crop, change size and lighten/brighten, what do you use and like?

[unknown]

picasa

[SA]

I will second Picasa. Free and easy to use!

[zoesam]

For just the basics like that, Picasa. It's free & easy. It's fairly robust for the basics, not so great for the more advanced features though.

eta: Liz & Unknown type faster than me LOL

[Deleted]

Sounds like Picasa it is, LOL. Going to check it out now, thanks!

[val2525]

Picasa
Gimp
Photoshop Elements (although you can get the whole shebang for $9.99 mo)
Fotor
Perfect Effects 9
PhotoScape

A lot of the above are free and available in mac and windows. Reviews:

www.techradar.com/us/news/software/applications/best-free-photo-editing-software-10-top-image-editors-you-should-try-1135489


I use Photoshop. I had a free copy of the full program on my old mac and downloaded the monthly subscription on my new mac. I tried Gimp, I hated it. It's clunky and the commands are not intuitive. I couldn't figure out some of what I wanted to do in Picasa and wasn't in the mood for a learning curve (Picasa is nice) so I just decided to pay for the program I already know.

[Deleted]

Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who recommended Picasa, I love it! It's cut my photo processing time by more than half.

[SA]

And the longer you use it...you learn a pattern of your photos and exactly what you need to do. You will get faster. I promise. I swear Picasa is a super quick process for me. But again, I'm not one to "ho hum" over pictures. I'm not a perfectionist when it comes to my pics.

[zoesam]

I just found a 'new to me' feature in Picasa editing, even though I've been using it for years. It's just something I'd overlooked before. It's not a very robust piece of software for editing, but it's more than adequate for the basics. Most of their more 'advanced' features are on the fun side, rather than the serious side. Glad it's working out so well for you!

[Deleted]

Well Zoe, do tell what feature you like so much.  I'm so computer impaired.  i use Picassa but just the bare minimum!

[Deleted]

I use Picasa for listing. It's very nice for quick edits and keeping photos organized. It also has a watermark feature that I use for most of my Ebay listings. For anything more heavy duty I use Gimp. There's better software out there but not for free.


Also, I have a few very quick Picasa "how-to" videos on my Youtube channel if anyone is interested: e.g. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCczW3ce554

[zoesam]

Mar 30, 2016 22:57:09 GMT @crnroylman said:

Well Zoe, do tell what feature you like so much.  I'm so computer impaired.  i use Picassa but just the bare minimum!

Roy, you might try watching Josh's videos that he referred to in the prior post ^^^.  I use a ton of the features in the first 2 editing tabs (the wrench & the sun - tools & lighting), but the one I was referring to in my post is under the lighting tab, the "highlights" feature.  I hadn't noticed it before.  Sometimes it provides me just the right amount of lighting highlights in a 1 button option. I find that their "I'm feeling lucky" 1 button correction is rarely a good choice for me (except when I'm working with whites), plus I prefer to control things separately. But when a pic just needs a bit of oomph, that "highlights" option has been helpful at times. At other times it has too much contrast, it just depends on the item.   Too much contrast is often my problem with the "I'm feeling lucky" too. I LIKE the contrast, but it doesn't ring true for the item.

I also use "shadows" to darken an item, but I don't like the "Auto Color" most of the time (too many green tones for my taste). I also use the "Straighten" a ton b/c I take outdoor photos & the wind sometimes blows just as I hit the shutter.

You really just have to play & determine what you like & don't.   It's not a terribly robust tool for editing, but it's fine for the basics. I never use the 3 paintbrush tabs, as they're worthless for Ebay (for the most part), but they are fun to play with.    

ETA:  Oh, I add text all the time too.

[zoesam]

Apr 5, 2016 18:39:33 GMT @imjosh said:

I use Picasa for listing. It's very nice for quick edits and keeping photos organized. It also has a watermark feature that I use for most of my Ebay listings. For anything more heavy duty I use Gimp. There's better software out there but not for free.


Also, I have a few very quick Picasa "how-to" videos on my Youtube channel if anyone is interested: e.g. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCczW3ce554

Thanks Josh, I'll take a peek, but being a software gal all my life, I think I use it pretty effectively. One question, have you found a way to circle a flaw?   I do add text, but I'm always having to point to a flaw & I'd prefer to circle it.    There used to be an option in the old release, but it was clumsy, as you had to upload, go online to edit & then download. It took forever & really wasn't worth it.  Then when they got rid of that online editing piece, it went away.  I don't remember what it was called.  If you know of a way, I'd appreciate knowing which button you use. Like I said, I'm good with software, so just the name of it will be enough, I can figure out the rest :-).

[kelkinskelkins]

zoesam - I agree with the usefulness of Highlight on Picasa, it's my go-to tool :^). Another very useful tool is Saturation on the 3rd tab over, I only use it to lessen the saturation, and sometimes it really helps to fix the color :^).

To highlight a flaw in Picasa I use a "greater than" or "less than" arrow in an extra large font, and I use either black or white, whichever shows up best on the photo.

Thanks Josh, I will check out your youtube :^).

[zoesam]

Apr 5, 2016 23:08:22 GMT kelkinskelkins said:

zoesam - I agree with the usefulness of Highlight on Picasa, it's my go-to tool :^). Another very useful tool is Saturation on the 3rd tab over, I only use it to lessen the saturation, and sometimes it really helps to fix the color :^).

To highlight a flaw in Picasa I use a "greater than" or "less than" arrow in an extra large font, and I use either black or white, whichever shows up best on the photo.

Thanks Josh, I will check out your youtube :^).

Kelkins, thanks, I'll try both of those.  I've not used saturation either.  I could see where that may be helpful on some of my hot pinks.

[Deleted]

I don't use Picasa, but have used several other photo editors. Is there not paintbrush or draw option in it's editing tools so that you can draw a circle? That seems odd. Thought about giving it a try, so I'm curious.

[zoesam]

Apr 6, 2016 17:24:10 GMT @shophippy said:

I don't use Picasa, but have used several other photo editors. Is there not paintbrush or draw option in it's editing tools so that you can draw a circle? That seems odd. Thought about giving it a try, so I'm curious.

Not that I ever found, that's why I asked.  They have pages of editing options, but the vast majority are things to change your entire photo for fun, like make it a drawing or neon or invert colors.   It used to be available in their online editing portion, like I said, but they got rid of that awhile ago & it was a huge hassle to use anyway.   It's a free piece of software, it's robust for free software, but not so much compared to a Photoshop or something like that. 

 There's a lot in it, so maybe I just missed it.  I have looked hard though.

[Deleted]

Apr 5, 2016 20:20:22 GMT zoesam said:

Apr 5, 2016 18:39:33 GMT @imjosh said:

I don't think there's a way to draw anything other than text in Picasa. I'd use Gimp if I wanted to do that. Usually I'll just crop very closely around the defect so it's obvious, maybe put in some text: "here's the defect"

[zoesam]

Apr 6, 2016 19:28:51 GMT @imjosh said:

Apr 5, 2016 20:20:22 GMT zoesam said:

I don't think there's a way to draw anything other than text in Picasa. I'd use Gimp if I wanted to do that. Usually I'll just crop very closely around the defect so it's obvious, maybe put in some text: "here's the defect"

Thanks Josh, that's similar to what I do now.

[SA]

If I need to circle a flaw, I use the text box, type a lower case "o" then change the font to whatever size I need the circle and change the text color to make it most visible (usually red).