What type of photo editing software should I get?

[eeyoreali]

Hi!

I'd like to do some photo editing and would like opinions on what software would be the best to use.

I'm a basic photographer and don't really need anything too fancy. I'm looking for something that can un-blur photos, remove things from background, and other basic editing tools.

I do scrapbooking and would also use the software, if possible, to create things to cut on my machine.

I would need something compatible with a Mac.

What do you suggest??

 

[jec6613]

That's a pretty tall order, actually, and does involve fancy software - removing things is usually done in Photoshop, and any sort of blur reduction is a tall order - usually people capture a sharp photo and want to introduce blur, I would only use PS for any attempt at that. Adobe offers a Lightroom/Photoshop package that would take care of your needs and is fairly inexpensive ($9.99/month). And they can print to any standard printer as well so you can cut them out after.

If you just want to adjust your exposure and fix those sort of issues, crop, and print, then using your camera manufacturer's software and shooting in their raw format is usually the best way to go - nobody gets raw conversion better than the manufacturers themselves.

 

[klmall]

I do quite a bit of photo editing and scrapbooking myself. Shooting in raw format I process photos in Lightroom but you can also use the software that comes with your camera to do that. Most of my editing is done in Lightroom and Photoshop Elements (PSE) which is very user friendly.

There are many photo editing software programs out there many of which are not cheap and have varying degrees of support/documentation. I find that the most common software editing programs (Lightroom, PSE) have great videos, help features and user forums on Facebook etc. where you can ask questions or view a video which explains how to do something.

I don't use a Mac but most programs have versions for both platforms. Improving focus and sharpening photos with software rarely works for me. I have some add-ons (plug-ins) for PSE that do help a little but the real key is learning to take better photos. And removing things from photos often requires somewhat more advanced skills in using Photoshop. It can be learned but it's hard for beginners.

There are many possibilities out there including some freebies, just Google "photo editing software" and check them out.

 

[jec6613]

Improving focus and sharpening photos with software rarely works for me. I have some add-ons (plug-ins) for PSE that do help a little but the real key is learning to take better photos.

100% on the taking better photos. Once you've captured the image, reverse engineering it to add detail is something I've never seen anybody be successful at.

I did think overnight of a piece of software that can help with sharpening, and is probably the best at adding detail though: DXO's plugins can de-fish a fisheye, and take care of any lens aberrations darn well, including astigmatism and some sagittal coma. I don't use it because a good enough version for me is built into CaptureNX and ViewNX, and also I often do not want to remove such issues and rather intentionally leave them in, giving the photo a lens-based character, especially when I have some of the older super fast primes on the camera.

 

[boBQuincy]

You may want to look at Luminar, it was originally created for Mac so it may work well on those (I use it on Windows).

 

[eeyoreali]

I should've put in the original post that these pictures have already been taken. They are pictures of my daughter's birth by my husband. Unfortunately, he's not good with making sure the picture is in focus before actually taking the photo. Now I have many important pictures that are blurry. I thought I had read there was a software that could help to un-blur these pictures, but I don't remember the name. Aside for basic editing, something being able to un-blur (as much as possible) would be key.

 

[boBQuincy]

Topaz Sharpen AI is supposed to be able to improve blur and focus. I tried a beta version and did not have much success, the latest version (years newer) may work better. They offer a free 30 day trial.

 

[jec6613]

Topaz Sharpen AI is supposed to be able to improve blur and focus. I tried a beta version and did not have much success, the latest version (years newer) may work better. They offer a free 30 day trial.

Photoshop also has some capabilities, and I believe you can trial the photographer's package for PS/LR. Also the DXO's Nik Sharpener Pro, which is a PS/LR plugin; AuthenTech Perfectly Clear is another one that comes to mind.

It really depends how badly off the original is and how much data there is to work with how good the results are. You can't get something from nothing, unfortunately.