Recommended reading

[jonesy]

Due to just having had knee surgery i have been given 2 months off work, and longer still off the gym!
It's my intention to use the time wisely on my hobby. Apart from a short while studying photography i have never shot raw. The jpg files always seemed to be better than what i could produce. Now i have time on my hands and a selection of shots taken recently i want to see if i can master processing. (Or at the very least, get comfortable with a workable process)

I'm looking for advice/guidance/tutorials etc about workflow and processing to publishing.

I currently have Photoshop Elements with some Topaz plugins. Im reluctant to go down the subscription software route, so what options are there for me?

Many thanks for any advice.
T 😊

[Tram]

Re: Recommended reading

What version of PSE have you got Tracey?

[RobEW]

Re: Recommended reading

I don't like the idea of renting software either. I purchased DXO Photolab (including the DXO Viewpoint add-on) and a copy of Affinity Photo thinking I'd want the latter for any detailed local editing. In practice I find I hardly ever bother with Affinity and have pretty well forgotten how to use it; for my needs DXO presets (with a few geometric adjustments and cropping, and occasional minor local adjustments) are good enough for most things, and dead easy to use. Some of the tools on the market have a bewilderingly large number of tools, whose effects are only vaguely described.

Best wishes for your rehab.

[OM USer]

Re: Recommended reading

I find Photshop Elements 12 good enough for my needs (its about 6 or 7 years old). It has layers and masking which is the main criteria for complicated techniques. I believe that later versions have better auto selection algorithms amongst other improvements. I also purchased "Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 Classroom in a Book (Classroom in a Book (Adobe)) Classroom in a Book (Adobe)" which to be honest was not as good as I wanted. Half the book seems devoted to managing and storing your photos and trying to find some of the editing techniques I wanted in the second half was like looking for a needle in a haystack - I had better luck with google and you tube.

[Tram]

Re: Recommended reading

I use Lightroom 6, that was the last standalone version. Also have the Nik collection as plug ins, got that when it was free a couple of years ago.
Also got PSE 2018, still got version 9 too and the book that goes with it hence the reason I asked what version the OP had.
I find the Scott Kelby books useful and for a more detailed approach the Martin Evening guides are good too.

[Crazy Dave]

[jonesy]

Re: Recommended reading

What version of PSE have you got Tracey?

Hi, thank you for the reply.
I've just checked and its elements 14 i currently own.

[Tram]

Re: Recommended reading

Hi, thank you for the reply.
I've just checked and its elements 14 i currently own.

Thanks, the book I have is for PSE 9, was going to offer it up for free, but not much use to you then.

[pdk42]

[jonesy]

Re: Recommended reading

I have just had an ad for Udemy.com, photography masterclass appear on my Facebook page, has anyone here done this course or anything similar?

[jonesy]

Re: Recommended reading

Thanks, the book I have is for PSE 9, was going to offer it up for free, but not much use to you then.

Thanks for the kind offer. I do appreciate it.

[jonesy]

Re: Recommended reading

Thanks for this, i will look at what DxO does. I'm more than happy to pay for software, its just the subscription model i hate.

[rosiebud]

[DerekW]

Re: Recommended reading

Regardless of whether you have to pay a yearly amount or a perceived one off payment (until the next version is announced/released) with new function or support for a new version of the operating system you will end up paying money to the software developers on a frequent basis.

Also when chosing which software you will go with you have to consider how much it will lock you in to the software. Lightroom does lock you in quite hard as you are dependant on the information in the control database to regenerate the images from the Raw files.

The other item to be considered is the DAM - Data Asset Management - make sure that the DAM is open and will enable you to access the RAW files without the main program being available and can be used to migrate to another system if you choose to .

I was caught on a very nice (to me) Image management and editing system that was orphaned by the developer with no further support. The migration path to the next program I used was so challenging that I used a cutover date such that all pictures taken before a specific date remain on the old software and pictures taken after the drop dead date reside on the new software.

If the old program no longer works on a future version of the operating system then I will keep a SW environment that will support the old image management system.

[Ricoh]

Re: Recommended reading

Recommended reading for you: 'This is going to hurt; Secret diaries of a junior doctor', by Adam Kay. Also catch him in theatre (no, not the operating theatre, he's hung up his stethoscope).