Choice of Editing Software ?

[Adecoleman]

Which processing software and plugins does everyone use ?

My preference is the Adobe photography monthly subscription and i tend to use Topaz Labs AI Denoise and AI Clear.
I also use Topaz Gigapixel. I also have Nik collection which i find great for the odd bit of processing different looks etc.

I have tried a few other editing programs like Luminar but always find myself going back to Photoshop & Lightroom.

It would be nice to know other members choices of software and also maybe some suggestions and tips Regarding processing etc.

 

[Brian McGovern]

I am a relative newcomer to all but very basic editing, but I have the Adobe Photography subscription. I am still trying to get my head around photoshop <LOL>

 

[Adecoleman]

I am a relative newcomer to all but very basic editing, but I have the Adobe Photography subscription. I am still trying to get my head around photoshop <LOL>

I think it would take years to learn all of Photoshop and i would probably never use most of it lol. I found Julianne Kost to be a great resource for learning Photoshop and Lightroom. You can watch her videos and learn at your own pace and learn the bits that you need rather than everything.

 

[Brian McGovern]

Yes, I have seen lots of her video lessons. The great thing about the internet is the accessibility of teaching.

 

[Kevin.sim]

I’m not subscribed to anything Adobe. I used Exposure X6 for most raw editing and the Topaz suite for noise or sharpening.

Lately I have been using DXO PL4 for the raw editing. I find their noise reduction to be better than Topaz and the fact it’s built into the same program is nice.

I also use Affinity and Helicon for stacking depending on the type.

 

[Devin]

I have found that Lightroom covers the waterfront for pretty much everything I need. I use Photoshop now and then for specialty things such as focus stacking. In the Gallery I will go ahead and post some focus stacking I did of telephoto shots at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery using the R5/EF 100-400mm.

 

[guydunnuk]

I use LR and PS, mainly because at £10pm it’s a bargain and they’re industry recognised.

 

[saodzynz13]

I have always used a combination of Lightroom and Photoshop... but anymore I just use Luminar 4 and Photoshop when I need to do composites or other detailed editing.

 

[David Eaton]

I use Photo Mechanic to cull my images and then import the ones I want to edit into Lightroom (through the Adobe subscription). I also use Topaz Denoise AI on a lot of my indoor sports photos.

 

[bozaman]

i'm working on a transition from lightroom / photoshop to capture one. several reasons for the change, but among them is the ability to have a network drive with my images and catalog so i can import, edit, export from anywhere i am working in the house (home office, or living space on a laptop). i'm not quite sure why lightroom restricts this capability but it is what it is.

i'm still wrapping my head around the new workflow but i have been pleased with what i've seen from capture one thus far.

 

[KWilles]

I download into Adobe Bridge, then do first edits in Adobe Camera Raw. I click Done and those edits remain in Bridge. Then I open the image in Photoshop and will continue editing there, including Topaz DeNoise which can appear in the PS Filter menu.

 

[goodguy100]

Like others, I use Lightroom and Photoshop. They certainly are industry standards, have a great deal of training materiel available, and the catalog is invaluable as your library grows

 

[Joanne]

Which processing software and plugins does everyone use ?

My preference is the Adobe photography monthly subscription and i tend to use Topaz Labs AI Denoise and AI Clear.
I also use Topaz Gigapixel. I also have Nik collection which i find great for the odd bit of processing different looks etc.

I have tried a few other editing programs like Luminar but always find myself going back to Photoshop & Lightroom.

It would be nice to know other members choices of software and also maybe some suggestions and tips Regarding processing etc.

I'm using pretty much what you list here. My go-to programs are Nik and Topaz. I have On1, but don't use that as much as I do an older version of Photoshop. I love Topaz AI Denoise for the low-light shots taken on my old 5D.

 

[MaraLee]

Does anyone else miss the old Jasc Paintshop Pro? Before it was taken over by Corel? I had to give it up when I moved back from Windows to Mac. I knew that software up, down and sideways. I feel like Photoshop changes too fast for me to keep up. I must be getting old.

Editing to add that I do use the Adobe Suite as it offers Portfolio as well in the subscription. It was easy to migrate my domain and just use them rather than pay for an external provider for now.

 

[Robbie_B]

I use Affinity Photo. It has a one time payment which is not expensive and as an amateur seems to have all the facilities I need. There are also lots of teaching session videos on YouTube to help beginners like me to get to grips with the functionality. It also has regular auto updates.

 

[NickAndersonPhoto]

Like most here I use PS & LR and although LR fits best into my work flow I still have to go back to PS for detailed work. Being self taught I can't say I'm expert at either but I can certainly get by.

 

[jscraig07]

Lightroom Classic and Photoshop are my go to choices, with the Topaz AI plugins, but I also use On1 Photoraw 2021, DxO Photolab 4 and Luminar AI. They all have their quirks and their strengths. On1 will open CR3 files but not craw, has some really good presets available. Luminar just added support for R5 raw files - haven't gotten to try much with it yet - love it or hate it it is very good at sky replacement or enhancement. DxO Photolab works well with Lightroom, does a great job correcting lenses.

 

[Wicksy]

Lightroom classic and photoshop on my pc - very comfortable with lightroom but struggling to learn photoshop. I do a lot of flower photography indoors which I shoot tethered through lightroom. If I am travelling ( I seem to remember a time when we could do that! ) I use lightroom on an iPad for edits. Interesting to see no one seems to be using canon proprietary software?

 

[NickAndersonPhoto]

Interesting to see no one seems to be using canon proprietary software?

I always found the Canon software clunky and made for a slow workflow. Never really got on with it except perhaps the remote shooting app.

 

[jscraig07]

Lightroom classic and photoshop on my pc - very comfortable with lightroom but struggling to learn photoshop. I do a lot of flower photography indoors which I shoot tethered through lightroom. If I am travelling ( I seem to remember a time when we could do that! ) I use lightroom on an iPad for edits. Interesting to see no one seems to be using canon proprietary software?

I do occasionally use it, mostly for focus stacking. Since it isn't a wonderful interface, I prefer doing most of my routine post-processing in other tools.

 

[MrSparks999]

Photoshop CC for me, paid by subscription with extra storage space.

 

[Shotbycurtin]

LR on my PC, occasionally use it on my iPad if needs must. Dabble in photoshop but just skim the surface. Nix apps on occasions which I like. I also use the basic editing on Flickr and Photo on the iPad. I find it nice to just use basic adjustments now and again as sometimes there is too much choice and I overdo things.

 

[Steve S]

I have the Adobe photographic subscription but mainly use light room, this is better now than in the early days as it can do a lot of things that you had to go to Photoshop for and still allows you to jump into photoshop to do things like change a sky and then go back to Lightroom.

 

[RichardCPhotography]

Im Adobe all the way. However my workflow tends to be to import to LR Classic, then do my initial edits on LR mobile on a tablet, then back to the laptop for finishing and output. I also might use PS Mix and Express for social media, PS desktop for anything that needs it.

 

[Mantis55]

I do occasionally use it, mostly for focus stacking. Since it isn't a wonderful interface, I prefer doing most of my routine post-processing in other tools.

I use it for batch processing. Never actually discovered how to do the same in PS although I've been using it for years.
It's said to be superior to LR for getting the best out of RAW and Canon colour, but again, I've been using LR for years and have got used to it.

 

[Mantis55]

I have the Adobe photographic subscription but mainly use light room, this is better now than in the early days as it can do a lot of things that you had to go to Photoshop for and still allows you to jump into photoshop to do things like change a sky and then go back to Lightroom.

Yeah, I've been using PS far longer than LR but now hardly use it apart from finishing off, e.g. resizing. Shame that the spot removal tool on LR is so poor compared to PS.

 

[dmiller68]

I'm a Lightroom Classic, sometime Photoshop guy... Just started looking at plugin and HDR stuff. Something I'm trying to get better at as I grow my hobby into something more someday (maybe).

 

[Normware]

Photoshop elements for quick fixes. Luminar AI for everything else (denoise, removing objects etc). I follow the same philosophy I used when I used in the darkroom. If I have to manipulate the picture (heavy burning, dodging and other manipulations) then is the photo worth printing?

How much work do I have to do to make it acceptable/great/amazing? I am not talking about photo stacking, denoise, basic colour correction or HDR. I am talking about object removal, e.g. a tree, tree branch, leaf someone/thing in the background/foreground. What we can do with software now we would spend hours in the darkroom to create/fix.

 

[Robbie_B]

I have tried Luminar AI and for two days it was fine. Then crashed on loading the photo library and now crashes every time i try to load. Skylum sent an alternative software build but this does not get past the initial logo stage as it puts up a database will not load message. Beware of this package as on the internet i find i am far from alone in having problems with this package.

 

[Normware]

I have tried Luminar AI and for two days it was fine. Then crashed on loading the photo library and now crashes every time i try to load. Skylum sent an alternative software build but this does not get past the initial logo stage as it puts up a database will not load message. Beware of this package as on the internet i find i am far from alone in having problems with this package.

Windows or Mac? I usually use my Mac, but also use the windows version with no issues. It is "sensitive" to ad blockers, VPN's and anti virus software. I had to disable all three to download and install, but once installed I turned all three on and have had no issues using it. I have been using it since version 1 and before Macphun (now Skylum) Creative Kit. My PC is a AMD Ryzen 5 5600 a Gigabyte B550A MB with 32 GB 3600 ram M2 nvme PCIE4 ssd's. My Mac is a 2012 Mac mini with 16 gb memory (wish I could increase it) and an ssd drive. I went with Luminar because the Creative Kit was very useful. Everything I can do with the Creative kit was incorporated into Luminar.