I don’t know if “image” software is the correct term, but I am trying to decide what software to purchase in order to manipulate, store and transform images.
It seems like “Photoshop” and “Abode” come up the most when you ask people. How do the two compare? Do any of you recommend others? What should we be looking for in a good program?
Any scanner recommendations?
Thanks!
Oooops…“Patricia”…
Adobe Photoshop is WAY overpriced for what you want to do. Check out Paint Shop Pro. Great software, easier to use, and much more reasonable price. http://www.jasc.com
Cool. First of all, Adobe is the company behind Photoshop. So it’s really, Adobe Photoshop. And the latest and greatest version is Photoshop 7. And I’m throwing my vote for Photoshop 7. Now, Michelle, who’s much more of the wiz about this stuff than I, can probably say way more about Photoshop.
As for scanners - I'm a Epson gal all the way. I've got a Epson printer and a Epson scanner. And I'll never sway - NEVER! hee hee. Another good thing about some Epson scanners is that they are bundled with Photoshop software (more like a Limited Edition version) - which is all that you need to "tweak" photos and/or pictures. Hope this helps!
Spanky: you’re a cool dude, but Photoshop is the choice of many a creative professional for a reason. But if cost is a issue, Mufasa can do as I had suggested, and purchase a Epson printer that includes the LE version of Photoshop.
Thanks for not flaming me, guys!(LOL!)
I was made aware that it’s “Abode Photoshop”, NOT two separate products!
I forgot something else that I would like for you guys to enter into the equation: USER FRIENDLINESS!
Thanks! Mufasa!
Why am I making this thread so difficult?
It’s spelled:
“ADOBE”…(Geez…)…whatever imput you have would be great, guys…
depends on what kinda manipulation your thinking about doing for the images but i agree that adobes not worht the price of admission if you dont plan on doing all that much with images
if you look in the right places; you will find everything you need for free.
adobe products tend to be the best.
As Patricia said, Photoshop is the best image maipulation software out there. Bar none. I have been using it for 8 years now… I have the disk for Photoshop 2!! laugh
She is also 100% correct that the light version is probably bets for you. I use the program for photo manipulations that literally take me over 20 hours to complete. If you want to do basic things like fixing color balance, cropping, and removing red eye then the full version is overkill.
Personally I am very partial to my hp scanner, which gets along beautifully with both my Mac and my PC. It came with an attachment to scan negatives and slides as well as the usual reflective work. It also functions as a pretty decent copier - it scans and prints immediately. Pretty cool! It was about $200. No Photoshop bundle though. Most catalogs will have specials with bundled software, if they don't advertise any then just call and ask.
Adobe software is about as user friendly as you can get. If you have a Mac as well, you could probagbly use it blindfolded! Well... you know what I mean... I would recommend you get a 'Dummies' or an 'Idiot's Guide' for Photoshop. It will walk you through all of the basic functions that you need, and show you some cool tricks.
Adobe Photoshop is the bomb. I’ve used it at home to manipulate many photos. You should see some of the things I have my friends doing, and you’d think it was a real live photo! I also use it at work. Unfortunately, I have a limited edition at work, so it doesn’t allow me to do as much as I can at home with a full version. But for most people, the limited edition is enough for cropping, editing, and changing lighting and various little things. You can get good deals on Adobe products in many places. Check out www.buy.com. Otherwise, you can always get something like L-view Pro or Paintshop, but I don’t think they are as good as Photoshop. But it depends on your budget and how much control you want over your photos.
You “pay” for software? Braahahahahah. Okay so do I, but only when it’s affordable. The super expensive ones I just burn. 
Working in the computer industry, and having done a lot of programming myself, yes I do pay for software. When I believe the software is worth it AND reasonably priced, I gladly hand over my hard-earned dollars. I believe that Paint Shop Pro is one of those programs. It’s even cheaper if you order it electronically.
It’s just like music. I will pay for something I believe is worth my hard-earned dollars, as well as the fact that the creator deserves to be supported.
I agree. I only burn stuff that’s like waaaay to expensive for me to ever buy. But I’m not a professional. Nor do I make money off “graphic work” etc. Ciao.
Check out The Gimp… Kind of like Photoshop, but it’s open source and much better IMHO. And it’s for Linux.
If only there was a way to download both of those programs and see which one you like best. But, alas, there isn’t.
Now, on a completly unrelated subject, I enjoy using the imesh program. It’s like Napster used to be before it went tits up. It has music, pictures, movies, software, ect.
ANyway, sorry I couldn’t help.
Hi,
For high-end image editing Photshop 7 (I use it daily) is without doubt the best. You can download a trial from Adobe.com to see if you like it.
For scanners, again Espon cant be beaten on price/performance. They are the fastest scanners I have used - just make sure that if you want to scan photo negatives or slides that you get the PHOTO edition which comes with the extra light & masking bits n’ bobs etc that you need.
Kind of off the subject, but is there a way to increase the size of an image without losing detail? I had PSP and I can get them bigger, but invariable I have to “fuzz it up” a bit to get rid of pixelation problems. Primarily I want to print out some of my favorite paintings – I could never afford any of them. Mostly they are of the romantic realism type and look almost like photos – in some cases exactly so. Loss of detail screws them up.
huck: are these pics that you yourself have scanned? I usually scan my images large and resize, if necessary with Photoshop. That way none of the resolution is lost. If it’s images that you haven’t scanned, then I’m not sure.