Photo-Editing Software Review

Photo-editing software keeps getting better

Photo-editing software spans the gamut from basic programs that let you do some cropping and correction to sophisticated products that let users manipulate photos in countless ways. Similarly, pricing runs from free to well into the hundreds of dollars. Surprisingly, though, cost isn't always a good barometer of either power or usability.

In creating this report, we found good information in many places. Those include technology sites such as PCMag.com, photography publications and sites such as PopPhoto.com, and consumer-advocacy sites such as Britain's Which? magazine, that country's equivalent to ConsumerReports.org. Unfortunately, ConsumerReports.org itself does not seem to have addressed image software in several years.

If your photo-editing aspirations are modest -- no more than some occasional brightening or cropping -- there are many free and low-cost programs available. Additionally, most digital cameras include some type of image-manipulation software. For many, that's all that's needed.

That said, the more you see what's possible with image manipulation, the more you'll likely want to do it. For example, suppose the 10 group photos you took at the family reunion are all unsatisfactory because in each one, there's a different person who doesn't like how he or she looks. With some photo-editing software, such as Adobe Photoshop Elements (*Est. $80), you can combine the best parts of each photo to make one group photo that will please every subject. Furthermore, you can do it without spending the hours that such a task might have taken a few years ago.

In selecting a photo-editing program, don't forget that most top-rated software is available as a free download for a trial period, and experts recommend doing just that before committing to buying it. Though reviews can assess a program's speed, tools and general ease of use, different minds work different ways. A program someone else says is easy to use may baffle you, while you might find a photo-editing program quite intuitive though others say it's a challenge to use. Several free photo-editing and management programs are also available, and some integrate especially well with the web. The top options are discussed elsewhere in this report.