[Rockhounds] Software for photo processing

[Rik Dillen]

Photography is my second hobby, and I think I can say that I'm an experienced photographer (not photographing specimens,
but general photography). I work with a Nikon D200 and a Nikon D70, and for processing I use Photoshop Elements (since a
few weeks version 6.0).
Some personal thoughts :

- Photoshop Elements 6.0 costs around 100 euro (!) here, 21 % VAT included. This is the equivalent of about 150 USD.
Possible discounts are marginal here. In a bundle with Première Elements it is much cheaper (about 151 EUR for the
bundle, = 225 USD)
- IMHO Photoshop El 6 has almost 95 % of the features to "tune" your photos for "normal" use. Except for a professional
photographer with a really high workload, who has to prepare photos for professional printing in magazines or who has to
create very special effects to perfection etc. I think that 1000-1300 EUR (official price here, all incl. !) is a
tremendous overkill. On the other hand I agree that, if you really need the functions it offers extra, the price should
not play a role, but for me anyway it is not worth a 1000 EUR or more extra. If the ratio would be rather 100/300-400 I
might have considered perhaps to purchase CS3.
- The most important tool in the process of photography is the camera (incl. lenses) combined with the person behind the
camera. A good photo usually does not need that much processing (limited to "normal" use)
- I agree with the fact that it is not user-friendly, and mostly I don't find the answer to a question in the help-file
(including the online help-site), but elsewhere on the web. Adobe seems to be a specialist in disguising information in
such a way that the user cannot find it. But that is the same for Photoshop CS3.
- I had to wait for weeks to get an English version of El 6. I just refuse to work with the Dutch version, as the
translation of function descriptions is totally unacceptable (as for most other software, including Microsoft), and
often plug-ins etc. are not available in other languages than English.

Just my opinion, I admit it is presented here a bit  in (too) black and white...
Don't throw stones, collect them :>)
Greetings,

Rik DILLEN 
Doornstraat 15,  B-9170 Sint-Gillis-Waas 
Belgium 
E-mail rik.dillen at skynet.be 
Homepage : http://users.skynet.be/rik.dillen 
 
MINERANT 2008  -  26-27 April 2008
Bouwcentrum (Antwerp Expo)
Jan Van Rijswijcklaan 191 Antwerpen 
http://www.minerant.org/mka/minerantnl.html 
Mineral collector's page http://www.minerant.org/ 

-----Original Message-----
From: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com [mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com] On Behalf Of J Bryan Kramer
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:17 PM
To: Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors
Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] New Idria cinnabar

Shop around, you can get it for $70. PSE has all you need as a starting
photographer. It does not even come close to what a serious photographer
needs. But most people should be just fine with PSE.

BK

On Jan 31, 2008 2:01 PM, Tim Jokela Jr. <tjokela at execulink.com> wrote:

> Photoshop Elements is like $120 and has all you need. Handy program but I
> wish they'd made it user-friendly, I swear it'd be easier to learn a
> second
> language than to figure out anything besides the basics in Photoshop.
>
> Tim Jokela Jr., tjokela at execulink.com
> Business: http://www.element51.com
> Pleasure: http://www.ontariominerals.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "J Bryan Kramer" <codeburner at gmail.com>
> To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors"
> <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 12:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] New Idria cinnabar
>
>
> > Axel, Photoshop costs between $700 and $1000 so I suspect it isn't the
> > first
> > choice for people with $200 cameras.
> >
> > BK
>
> --
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-- 
"I know I shall be castigated by a large group of people today, but I
was trained to assume that art related to the elusive quality of beauty and
that the purpose of art was concerned with the elevation of the spirit"
Ansel Adams


J Bryan Kramer
North Florida, USA
photos at:
http://pbase.com/photoburner


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