So, Photoshop. Not exactly intuitive!

[YuriZhivago]

Photoshop has multipath logic and a very steep learning curve. There are many, many different tools and logic paths to achieve essentially the same result. Your PS paths will result from your experience, your instructional sources and the type of images you are processing. Tools such as Clone Stamp and Patch Tool achieve similar results but can exhibit extremely different properties in the final image. Since the cost is pre-loaded into the price of the software, the learning experience is essentially free and I would encourage you to get a few educational resources for PS and experiment as much as possible. Once you develop a standardized workflow process, retouching, adjustment and other manipulation becomes easy. Having shot film for many years, digital never looks "right" to me in terms of final color since I shot color only on transparency film. I primarily use PS for critical color and sharpness adjustment. Everything else I try to do in camera with lighting, exposure and production.

Aside to Edcculus: Lightroom is my hands down choice over Aperture, even though I conduct camera/computer interface seminars for Apple.

 

[Legion]

And as you go, try to learn the key shortcuts for the things you use most often. You will be amazed how much it speeds you up when you don't have to use the pull down menus all the time.

 

[Foyle]

I have CS3 and when I first got it I bought one of those Adobe class room books to help me learn my way around the soft ware. It was very helpful. In face I have three books on Photoshop and they were all very helpful. I suggest picking one up and going through the exercises. Once you learn the software there's no end to what you can accomplish with it.

 

[imfallen_angel]

Got a copy of Photoshop CS last night and I have to say I'm pretty disappointed. It's really not an intuitive interface and it looks like I'm going to have to spend quite a bit of time on it to even scratch the surface. Also, TBH, the only things I've seen in the manual that I'm at all interested in are resizing, changing ppi and sharpening. All the other tools seem to be for those wanting to produce a false image. One thing that really gets my goat is it won't accept RAW files. What the hell!
It's a bit too early to be definitive, but I'm not impressed.

I've used just about every software that I could find to get a feel for them.

The one that I hate going to is Photoshop.

I recommend the Corel products.

For adjustments with image quality, colours, etc. Paint Shop Pro is very inexpensive and does an amazing job. I know that I don't even use more than probably 10% of it's capacity.

For manipulation (aka 'shopping), if you can find it... I still use Micrografx Picture Publisher 10 (being the last version done, about 10-12 years ago, still going strong on Vista and 7). It's still has features that I don't see, or at least are 10000000x easier to use, than just about any other product.

I find it sad that people are so indoctrinated in believing that Photoshop is the only game in town when there's better, simpler and much cheaper alternatives.

For comparison, using these two products, I can fix or modify an image within minutes what it takes some "pros" using their Photoshop.

 

[litespeedone]

Photoshop is a professional-level program and, as such, has the power to do almost anything one might need it to do. If all you need is to rotate and resize photos, it's most likely not the best tool for you. The key is to find what works for you and your situation. Photoshop is fantastic and the depth of the program is mind-boggling.
The more powerful the software, the more complicated the interface and the more one needs to learn. That isn't the software's fault. There are many people who spend their lives working in Photoshop and they are constantly learning (or inventing) new ways to use it.
In my current job, I have to sometimes do CAD and I was turned loose with a copy of AutoCad. If one is used to working in graphics and prepress (Adobe, QuarkXPress, etc.), as I did for 20 years, AutoCad is a nightmare. The tools/interface and the way it handles files are completely different. But it is a great, powerful program. As I have learned to use it, I have learned to appreciate it. I think the same would happen with you and Photoshop if you take the time to learn it--assuming you need its power.

 

[scottish steve]

This is the thing. I really don't think I do. I don't want to manipulate photos to look different from the way they did when captured. I don't want to move a mountain to the other side of the image or pretend my girlfriend's got 5 foot long legs. I just want sharp, natural, noise-free images, working from RAW and thought that a few hours on PS would let me do this. I honestly haven't been able to do anything except draw brown squares over faces by mistake. The while set-up seems deliberately unhelpful. What the heck's wrong with resize, sharpen and noise-reduction soft-buttons at the top of the screen?

 

[fields]

I'm still not sure what version you are using - but if thats all you want to do, if you work with adobe camera raw then you can do all that without getting over complicated - you can even use it with jpegs, it does have all the buttons and it has settings in a logical layout for what you want to change with plenty of autos if you don't want to go too far, i'd start there then move on to the main program when you have non global changes you wish to make

 

[Edcculus]

I have to sometimes do CAD and I was turned loose with a copy of AutoCad. If one is used to working in graphics and prepress (Adobe, QuarkXPress, etc.), as I did for 20 years, AutoCad is a nightmare. The tools/interface and the way it handles files are completely different. But it is a great, powerful program. As I have learned to use it, I have learned to appreciate it. I think the same would happen with you and Photoshop if you take the time to learn it--assuming you need its power.

I'm in prepress too, and at my new job, I have to use Artios CAD (from Esko) since we do folding cartons. Its mind boggling different than other prepress software I'm used to.

And as you go, try to learn the key shortcuts for the things you use most often. You will be amazed how much it speeds you up when you don't have to use the pull down menus all the time.

Then, the trick is to keep all of your program's shortcuts separate . But yes, shortcuts are VERY helpful

Aside to Edcculus: Lightroom is my hands down choice over Aperture, even though I conduct camera/computer interface seminars for Apple.

Thanks!

 

[Edcculus]

This is the thing. I really don't think I do. I don't want to manipulate photos to look different from the way they did when captured. I don't want to move a mountain to the other side of the image or pretend my girlfriend's got 5 foot long legs. I just want sharp, natural, noise-free images, working from RAW and thought that a few hours on PS would let me do this. I honestly haven't been able to do anything except draw brown squares over faces by mistake. The while set-up seems deliberately unhelpful. What the heck's wrong with resize, sharpen and noise-reduction soft-buttons at the top of the screen?

You can absolutely do all of that stuff in PS. I don't have a copy open in front of me, but I believe the tools you are looking for are under the Image > Adjustments menu. Start with levels or curves, play around until you get something pleasing. You don't have to go crazy, but sometimes you just need to adjust the tonal range from what comes out of the camera. If you are shooting RAW, this will be really important. I don't do much in RAW, but I believe there is no real processing done in the camera to the image. In this sense, RAW is kind of like digital negatives. You are going to have to adjust white balance, and tune the color. Your RAW file will probably have a larger color gamut than your final file once its rendered into a final format. I suggest TIFF since its a lossless format.

I'll let someone else more experienced with RAW processing talk you through that. I just know its typically not a simple plug and play

Next, you will probably want to use an Unsharp Mask. Filters >Sharpen>unsharp mask. There are a lot of tutorials about Unsharp Mask out there. The basic use is keep the Threshold very low, radius around 1, and adjust the amount until it looks good. You might have to go very high with that slider, but since I'm not on a computer with PS, I couldn't tell you specifically. Toggle it on and off with the Preview button until you are satisfied.

 

[lassmanac]

Photoshop CS, Gimp, and Lightroom are all awesome. Lightroom, like Photoshop CS has a bit of a learning curve, but is a great tool for organizing and preliminary editing. Photoshop Elements is a scaled down version for the general consumer without as many bells and whistles. Photoshop DOES accept RAW file, but yes, you do have to get the plug in for your camera. Because there are 100s of different cameras and each of those cameras uses a different firmware, for Adobe to place ALL the data needed to process ALL RAW photos from EVERY camera would make it unusable. So, they leave it up to the user to pick and choose. It is a memory hog enough already (i have mine set to use 6Gb of RAM!!) as it is set to use half of your usable RAM by default. IF you can return it, or sell it, i'd suggest looking at Elements.

As for "false photos", the majority of what you can do in Photoshop or Gimp, you can also do in a dark room or with filters. It just doesn't take anywhere near as long!

 

[imfallen_angel]

This is the thing. I really don't think I do. I don't want to manipulate photos to look different from the way they did when captured. I don't want to move a mountain to the other side of the image or pretend my girlfriend's got 5 foot long legs. I just want sharp, natural, noise-free images, working from RAW and thought that a few hours on PS would let me do this. I honestly haven't been able to do anything except draw brown squares over faces by mistake. The while set-up seems deliberately unhelpful. What the heck's wrong with resize, sharpen and noise-reduction soft-buttons at the top of the screen?

As I posted, your description of what you want to do is exactly what PaintShoPro does, and easy to learn and use (I'm talking minutes per feature) and it's 50$ right now (which 30 days money-back guarantee) ....and you can even download a trial to test it out if you don't believe me.

As far as their service... I had one product that gave me trouble... they did what they could to help me fix it, and when it just wouldn't work right, they just gave me the upgrade (higher up) product, which works perfectly.

 

[scottish steve]

Thank you all very much for the advice and concern with my problems. I really appreciate it. I might track down one or two of the other programs mentioned to see if I get along with them more easily. I didn't quite realise that getting a camera would set me on a path to revolutionise my entire tech needs!
Of course, working with the software which came with the camera still produces very nice images, which I feel almost no-one I actually know would have a problem with. I doubt very much anyone who isn't into photography would have a look at any of the photos I choose to print out and find fault. But, like many of us around here, I am keen to improve.....and mildly obsessive! Some of the images posted in the "your best shot" thread are very very good and I'd like to be able to at least know why they are so good, even if I can't replicate the quality.

 

[Legion]

My advice, fwiw, write down the things you do most often. Sharpen, soften, crop rotate, clone, whatever. Learn those in PS. Once you have that, and can do it quickly, you are good. When you have more time just play. Learn how to work with layers (very handy), Use your curves a lot, just experiment. It is not intuitive, but that is why there are so many resources available on the internet. Learn the basics, and then play.