Photo-Editing Software

Best photo-editing software

When it comes to the best professional photo-editing software, experts agree that Adobe Photoshop CS3 is the de facto industry standard. However, this is a $620 professional-grade software package, and you might need to take a class in order to overcome the steep learning curve. Photoshop CS3 is capable of almost any type of modification you desire, but it is certainly not easy to learn or understand.

According to CNet.com, Photoshop is a serious tool for professionals. Adobe Photoshop CS3 has new features such as Smart Filters, which allows you to view different effects without destroying the original image, and an improved and faster Bridge, which is Adobe’s image organizer. Photoshop CS3 also has new image-alignment and black-and-white conversion tools, and enhanced Curves controls. Reviewers say this is the only version of Photoshop which is completely compatible with Windows Vista, and both Mac and PC users should see an increase in speed, although loading the program is reported to be a headache. Professional photographers say there's really no substitute for Adobe Photoshop CS3. When working in the RAW format, CS3's improved Camera RAW plug-in has new sliders, such as Recovery and Fill Light, that let you improve the lighting in a photo. For non-professionals, however, photo-editing software in the $100 price range includes the most important features of Photoshop CS3 without the learning curve or expense.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 (*est. $80) currently has a slight lead over Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 (*est. $80) . Elements is favored over Paint Shop Pro at both PC World and PC Magazine. If you are currently using Elements 5, however, you might want to consider before upgrading. Several reviews note that Adobe has primarily added a dark gray interface similar to Paint Shop’s and improved ease of use for beginners rather than adding lots of new features, so if you are happy with your current version of Elements, you may not need to upgrade.

Although reviewers say that improvements in Elements 6 are mainly about ease of use, Elements 6 has added some new photo-editing tools. A new Quick Selection tool lets you easily mark off a small part of a photo to work on, while the new Refine Edge tool makes any adjustments blend into the background. These photo-editing tools were first introduced in the $620 Photoshop CS3. Photo blending technology now lets you combine the best parts of several shots to create one perfect photo, or you can even combine features from different faces to create a new face. New Guided Editing walks you through many of Elements’ features. Paint Shop Pro has a similar feature called Express Lab, but it doesn’t let you edit multiple images at the same time or perform as many tasks as Photoshop Elements. This version of Elements has also added four tabs to the Organizer (organize, fix, create, share) and three tabs to the Editor (edit, create, share) for improved ease of use.

Corel acquired Paint Shop Pro when it bought Jasc three years ago and has been steadily improving it ever since. Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 has some terrific new tools, say reviews, and many of its features compare to Photoshop. New features include Thinify, a tool that makes people look thinner with one click, and Eye Drops, which takes the red out of bloodshot eyes. Paint Shop Pro allows the user to work with multiple layers on a photo. This feature allows for more extensive image manipulation possibilities and is common in better photo-editing software, but it’s not seen as often in less-robust photo editors. The new Layer Styles lets you add drop shadows and other effects to your layers.

Other new photo-editing features in Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 include the new dark gray Graphite Workspace Theme which makes your photos stand out on the screen, and Photo Merge which lets you combine two or more photos taken at different exposures to get a full range of highlights and shadows. Black and white photo conversion has been improved, say critics, and new visible watermarks have been added. For ease of use, Express Lab lets you make basic fixes (like cropping, rotating and removing red eye) to individual photos in folders without waiting to open each photo. PC World’s Alan Stafford says, however, that you can’t batch process photos in Express Lab, although a batch processor is available elsewhere.

Like Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop Elements photo-editing is lauded for its advanced functionality combined with an easy-to-use interface. Since Elements is also made by Adobe, it shares some features with Photoshop, including the Healing Brush, which erases wrinkles and blemishes. In Elements 6, you can now preview these changes before committing to them. The enhanced Clone tool, which lets you copy one part of a photo and apply it over another part, now also lets you preview changes. Another enhanced photo-editing feature lets you automatically stitch together multiple photos to create seamless panoramas.

New in the latest version of Photoshop Elements is a Smart Album. This feature lets you automatically organize photos of the same type. Choose up to 10 search functions, such as size or date, and instantly see the matching set of photos. The function for transforming color pictures to black and white has been enhanced with larger preview images. RAW support has been improved, say reviews, letting you edit from a greater selection of camera models. There is also finer control over lighting and color adjustments in RAW, and the same set of adjustments can now be applied across multiple RAW images simultaneously.

Although the recently released Elements 6 is only compatible with PC computers, Photoshop Elements 4.0 for Mac is compatible with Mac OS X versions 10.3 or 10.4.

Other photo editors

Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006 was Microsoft's photo-editing software. Microsoft also offered its photo editor packaged as the Microsoft Digital Image Suite Anniversary Edition. In May 2007, Microsoft announced that it was discontinuing its line of Digital Image Suite photo-editing products, saying that many of their features and tools can now be found in Windows Vista. Customers will receive product support for up to three years from the purchase date or through April 30, 2010, whichever date is reached first.

In all the reviews we found for Digital Image Suite 2006, editors made special note of Microsoft's slide-show software, Photo Story 3.1, which is said to be more robust than the slide-show features of Photoshop Elements. With Photo Story, you can add music or voice narration. You can also pan or zoom, creating a more sophisticated photo slide show. Reviews said Photo Story was the best component of Digital Image Suite. Currently, Photo Story is still available on its own as a free download.

Ulead PhotoImpact is frequently a second choice in reviews. It became part of the Corel family last year when Corel bought InterVideo. Reviews at PC World and About.com list PhotoImpact among their top choices. It does take a significant amount (up to 750MB) of hard drive space for installation. Experts say PhotoImpact is a good photo-editor for animating GIF files and it comes packed with many add-ins and tools. Though reviews say it is versatile, novices may find it too complicated, and experts may find that the program does not offer enough features. The latest version, PhotoImpact 12 (*est. $90), adds new features such as an ExpressFix mode, which allows users to quickly make adjustments to color, contrast and focus using a one-click interface. However, it has not cracked the number-one spot in any reviews we have found. PhotoImpact is Windows-compatible only (2000 or XP).

Free photo-editing software

The best photo-editing software reviews most often point to digital-photo editors in the $80 to $100 range. While there are several photo editors available in the $30 or $40 price range, we found it interesting that reviews don't often recommend these. PC Magazine calls Noromis PhotoLab 2.0 (also sold as dotPhoto Go by Noromis) (*est. $40) fast and simple, although it does not have a lot of organizing features. ACDSee Photo Editor (*est. $45) receives a couple of good reviews from Amazon users, who find it easy to use and good for scrapbooking. Roxio PhotoSuite 8 (*est. $30) gets very mixed reviews. Interestingly, rather than a budget photo editor, reviews often recommend trying free photo-editing software if you don't relish spending $80 on sophisticated software like Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop Pro.

One of the most well known free photo editors is The GIMP, which stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. This free shareware was first developed by a couple of Berkeley students in 1996. Since then, volunteers have continued to write improvements. It is available for Unix/Linux platforms, as well as Windows (NT4/2000/XP/Vista) and Mac operating systems (OS X). More than one reviewer likens The GIMP to Photoshop. It has tools for manipulating image layers, as well as adding effects and filters. Plus, it provides transformation tools to rotate, flip and scale images. Numerous plug-ins and extensions let this software do almost everything the more expensive programs do. This program gets frequent bug-fix updates. The latest version is The GIMP 2.4.2.

Reviews say The GIMP has really improved when it comes to usability. In CNet's review, Tom Merritt calls it "polished and user-friendly." PC Magazine's editors agree that the interface is a vast improvement. You no longer have to separately download and install the GTK+ Runtime Environment with The GIMP 2.4 – it’s included in the installation software. The GIMP is a safe download, so it won't install any viruses or spyware on your computer. For users who prefer a more familiar interface, Scott Moschella has created an alternate version called GIMPshop by renaming and reorganizing The GIMP’s tools and menus to closely resemble Adobe Photoshop.

Another good free photo editor is IrfanView, developed by Irfan Skiljan in Austria, and currently in version 4.10. This software is for Windows computers only, but it is supported by a range of Windows operating systems (95/98/Me/2000/NT/XP/Vista), so it's a good option for those with an older computer. Reviews at CNet give IrfanView an identical rating to The GIMP. It’s simple to install and use, and you can use IrfanView to cut, crop and perform other basic editing tasks. IrfanView is mainly a photo viewer, though you can also create slide shows.

Two other options you may want to consider are Google's Picasa and Apple's iPhoto. Picasa 2.7 is primarily a photo-album tool, but it does contain a bunch of photo-editing tools to cut, crop and fix red-eye. You can adjust highlights, contrast and brightness, or apply effects like sepia or soft focus. The whole package is easy to use. PC Magazine's editors give this free digital-photo software an Editor's Choice Award. In a review at PC World, Grace Aquino says that Picasa's organization tools were "a bit frustrating," but the program’s editing tools really shine. The current version of Picasa is for Windows 2000/XP/Vista, and is now available for Linux, as well.

For Mac users, Apple's iPhoto ‘08 comes packaged for free with all new computers as part of their iLife software package (or $70 retail). iPhoto has come a long way since its first release, adding easy image organization, full screen manipulation and a great slideshow maker. The latest version automatically organizes photos by events based on dates rather than film rolls. While many Amazon users like this new feature, one cautions that it requires setting your camera’s time and date accurately or your photos will be organized in strange groups.

Several other free programs are favorably mentioned by reviewers. Paint.NET v3.10 is a free image and editing program for Windows. It began as an undergraduate design project mentored by Microsoft, and is now maintained by some of the original alumni who developed it. PC World names it one of the top 20 products for 2007. Serif PhotoPlus 6 is an earlier version of Serif PhotoPlus X2 (*est. $80) that PC World says does a fairly good imitation of Photoshop Elements. Serif gives it away free, hoping that users will like it enough to upgrade to the current version. We couldn’t find any professional reviews for Shutterfly Studio 1.7 which is free from the popular photo services site, but users say it works well for making collages. FastStone Image Viewer 3.4 is a free image browser, converter and editor. Users at PC World Magazine call it powerful and easy.

New software tools for pros

The past two years have been an exciting time for professional photographers. With the release of a whole new breed of image editing applications, photographers are now given the opportunity to tackle their daily workflow in a much more streamlined and flexible manner.

Apple caused quite a commotion in November 2005 with the release of Aperture (*est. $230) . Aperture allows photographers to protect each image manipulation from the ground up. Aperture uses a non-destructive file system, where the original files are never touched, and edits are stored as database entries. In this way, Aperture treats your original image like a negative -- rarely touched and never altered in any way. With Aperture, you can make many versions of a single image, store all those versions in one place in a database and go back to make changes on any of the versions at any time.

Not long after Aperture was announced, Adobe released Photoshop Lightroom Beta. Users tested the program for a year, and it was officially released in early 2007 as Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 1.0 . (*est. $285) for both Mac and Windows users. (Aperture is strictly for the Mac). Update 1.3 was released for download in November 2007, with additional camera support and updated Mac OS X v.10.5 Leopard support. Users praise Lightroom for being a slick and well-designed program that has edged past Aperture (even for Mac users) in the latest reviews. The two programs are so close in design that many feel the competition seems to be a major driving force in their development. Some reviewers recommend buying a supplemental book for Lightroom because they feel its instruction manual is not as detailed as it could be.

Both Aperture and Lightroom have taken the pro photographer market by storm, offering a Swiss Army Knife, all-in-one approach to digital photography. Other manufacturers have followed suit, including Nikon, whose version of their RAW conversion software Capture utilizes this same non-destructive model for image editing. LightZone is another new product from Light Crafts based on the Ansel-Adams-designed "Zone System" for making prints in the darkroom

Most reviews make direct comparisons between Lightroom and Aperture. Initially, a major flaw with Aperture was that it was tied to storing images in its own library, while Lightroom allowed the user to make reference to image files stored anywhere on their hard drives or external media. This has been fixed in Aperture's latest release (1.5). Other reviewers report that Aperture requires a powerful machine and that it slows down significantly with large photo galleries and when assigning keywords to many photographs. One advantage of Aperture is its tight integration with Apple's iLife and iWork software. Apple regularly releases updated versions of Aperture that are available as free downloads to licensed Aperture customers. Aperture 1.5.6 was released in October 2007 and addresses performance and stability issues as well as supporting compatibility with Mac OS X Leopard v.10.5.

These programs are not necessarily a replacement for Photoshop CS3, but many of the features needed in everyday professional image editing are present in both applications. Reviews point out that while Adobe Photoshop CS3 is directed at the entire graphics and photography industry, Lightroom and Aperture are both designed specifically for photographers. While they are clearly professional applications, advanced amateurs and hobbyists may find the applications useful as well.

ACDSee Pro 2 (*est. $110) photo management software for Windows 2000/XP/Vista is less expensive than Lightroom. Grace Aquino, of PC World Magazine, likes its photo organizing capabilities, but finds it needs a powerful PC to perform editing tasks at a decent speed.

Important Features: Photo-editing software

Here's what pros say to look for when choosing a photo editor:

• Check the system requirements. Some photo-editing software can be notoriously large, requiring up to 2 GB of hard disk space. Most also require an up-to-date operating system like Windows XP, Windows Vista or Mac OS X. Check our Comparison Chart for system requirements.

• Look for the right level of handholding. If you're a beginner, you'll want a program that walks you through basic editing tasks, such as removing red-eye or cropping pictures. The best programs have two modes -- one for novices and one for experts -- so that once you've learned the basics you can proceed however you want.

• Templates make fast work of simple projects. The fun part of photo-editing on your PC is all the projects you can tackle, from creating greeting cards to faking magazine covers. Look for software that comes with lots of project templates.

• The more tools the better. Consumer Reports states, "As a rule, the more features, the more versatile the software." Look for programs with a wide variety of tools, although be sure to balance this with ease of use and learning curve.

• Make sure the program lets you import and export a wide range of file formats. The most common are BMP, TIF, GIF, PICT, EPS and JPEG files. Many photo editors also support RAW image files. This file format is used mainly by professionals and enthusiasts. RAW files are very large and contain the most uncompressed photo data.

• Look for web integration. The new generation of photo editors lets you save your digital photos in web format and e-mail them to friends, as well as post them online so distant family members can peek at your latest snapshots.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of Picks	Model (with retailer links)	Details from Amazon.com
8	Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 (*est. $80)	details
6	Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 (*est. $80)	details
4	Ulead PhotoImpact (*est. $90)	details
4	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom (*est. $285)	details
2 each	Picasa, Apple Aperture , ACDSee Photo Editor
1 each	IrfanView, Serif Photo Plus, Apple iPhoto 8, The GIMP, Adobe Photoshop CS3 , LightZone , Noromis PhotoLab 2.0, ACDSee Pro 2 , Paint.NET, Picnik, Pixenate, Splashup

Reviewers agree that Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop Elements are close competitors, but for the latest versions, Elements has the edge. Some reviewers also like Ulead PhotoImpact, but it doesn’t supplant Adobe or Corel Paint Shop Pro. Google's Picasa and The GIMP are the best free photo-editing programs. Reviewers also report that Adobe Photoshop Lightroom has edged past Apple Aperture.

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