Depending on what you do with your photos, you may not need a lot of the bells and whistles when it comes to photo editing. Explore your options and find out which software is best for you.
Before deciding on a type of photo-editing software, think about what you want to do with your digital
photos. If you're a beginner, you may be happy with a package that offers all the basics, like cropping
and red-eye removal. Or, perhaps you need something with more creative effects. Here's a breakdown of
editing tasks along with suggestions about which software can meet your needs.
Are basic photo-editing features enough for me?
Here are some of the most common edits people make to their photos:
Resizing and cropping
Many of today's digital cameras are capable of taking huge photos. It helps to be able to cut them
down to size, or just use portions of a large photo.
Removing red-eye
This is a very common problem in photos of people and pets. Luckily, it's really easy to fix with the
right software.
Printing
Printing your photos right the first time saves time and money (think of the ink and paper wasted on
drafts). It should be simple to pick the size you want, hit print, and be on your way.
Here are some of the most common edits people make to their photos:
The HP Photosmart Essential
is a photo-editing suite that allows you to handle all of these common editing
functions and more. It also helps to organize and share your photos-and it's available free from HP.
Organize HP Photosmart Essential lets you organize your photos for easy retrieval later. Sort by date, tag, or
folder-whatever works best for you. It also features a personalized start page that displays your most
recently viewed photos.
Share
With HP Photosmart Essential you can even share photos online through seamless integration with Snapfish.
What photo editing techniques go beyond the basics?
Creative editing like burning (above) and dodging (below) can add a fine-art feel to your photos.
The following are techniques that take your photo editing skills to the intermediate level. These functions
may interest you if you shoot fine-art photos or just want to add more creative effects to your images.
Layers
Think of cutting out your subject and placing it against a completely different background, or
stacking several images over one another. Layering allows for limitless creative possibilities.
Burning and dodging
These are terms left over from the darkroom days. These tools allow you to brighten or darken specific
areas of your photo to add drama.
Filters
Filters are special effects you can apply to your photos, such as charcoal drawing, blur, embossing,
and many more.
Editing suites with these features generally cost around $100. Adobe Photoshop Elements is easily the most popular, and you can also use Photoshop
Elements for slideshows, sharing, and emailing photos. HP customers are also eligible for a
FREE 30-day trial.
For the ultimate in pixel-pushing power, you may consider investing in a professional editing suite like
Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 3. A huge step up from Photoshop Elements, this is Adobe's professional, full-featured
photo-editing package. Be warned though, software like this is going to cost you. Versions of Photoshop Creative Suite 3
start at around $650 and go up from there.
Adobe Photoshop has become the industry standard among professional photographers everywhere. It allows functions like
level adjustment, advanced compositing, and RAW image processing. These terms won't mean anything to the everyday
photographer, but you can always
take free HP classes
to learn more about editing like the pros.
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