Last week I recommended that before you purchase an expensive brand name software program you consider a freeware program with the features you’re seeking. Or if you really do not know all the features you may need to do what you want to do, ask a knowledgeable friend or me for a recommendation before you make a significant investment you may regret.
My recommendation you first seek out appropriate freeware programs is not meant to discourage you from purchasing brand name software. Particularly if you’ve become fascinated with photo editing, painting and cataloguing.
In my opinion the two preeminent photo editing and photo painting vendors are Adobe for photo editing and cataloguing and Corel for photo painting.
Corel and Adobe are also enlightened marketeers. Recognizing their top of the line programs were too expensive and demanding for non professionals, they set about capturing their respective markets by offering novice and pocket book friendly versions of their premier software.
Their formula for success has been to take the features of their premier software appropriate for novices and a bit beyond novices, incorporate them into extraordinarily user friendly programs and offer the programs at a reasonable price.
Corel Painter X (about $375) has a little brother, Painter Essentials 4 (about $75). Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended which retail for $700 and $1000 respectively have a little sister, Photoshop Elements 7 (about $75).
Even a novice using Corel Painter Essentials' instructional videos and guide book can be doing stuff in no time at all. And so too can a novice using Photoshop Elements’ online tutorials.
There is however a caveat emptor: Although both Painter Essentials and Photoshop Elements are appropriate for novices and can perform many of their features with nothing more than a mouse click, they’re not completely intuitive. You must be willing to spend time experimenting with their many features.
The good news is when you apply an editing feature to your photo, neither will let you permanently apply the edit to your original photo. Although if you’re like me the personification of a cautious user, I suggest when you’re experimenting with a new technique you experiment on copies of your photos.
Note for the "just for fun folks": Corel Painter Essentials has an extraordinary Auto Painting feature. With nothing more than a mouse click a photo can be converted into a variety of oil painting, watercolor and drawing presentations.
Here’s wishing you a Good Boot.
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