photo manipulation software question

[wdwgrandma]

This may not be the correct forum but I have a question about photo software...

I have never had any luck with Photoshop. When I need to do something to a photo, I do not want to spend hours trying to figure out how to use the software...

Does anyone know of an intuitive, user friendly software?

[Wendy]

Have you tried Photoshop Elements, Chris has recommended it to a few people, he said you can do things manually or select to do it automatically.

[Britchick]

Have you tried the photoshop youtube tutorials? I find that much easier to understand than reading instructions. I then made my own notes in my own language for future edits I wanted to make.

[Keith]

I wish I knew the answer

I've ALWAYS found all the adobe products to be incredibly powerful but totally unintuitive. It's been said more than once to me that they're designed for arty people and I'm too techy :/ dont know whether to laugh or cry but I must admit I've seen arty friends who struggle with email pick up photoshop and learn it very quickly indeed.

I do agree with Brit, to SOME extent at least, I think my problem is I've not taken time to learn it.

I used to really love paint shop pro. It was very intuitive and worked great but I think in its latest versions it's probably no better than photoshop :/ I may give it a download and see though.

It does depend whether you're after drawing lines and things on the photo, adding text etc or just applying filters, brightening it up a bit, cropping etc.

If you're just after the latter, improving how the photo looks, adobe lightroom will import your photos into a library and allow you to very easily "edit" them to make them pop. However it's not the right tool for drawing lines and things. Photoshop elements which Wendy mentioned, is a cut down photoshop and is designed to be easy to use (not sure its easy ENOUGH but its definitely easier)

[Beccaberry]

How much/what kind of manipulation are you wanting to do, Donna? And do you want to have total control over it, or do you just want it to "handle it"?

[wdwgrandma]

I guess I would have to look at Elements. I used to use Microsoft Picture It and I could do so much with it - both the brightening/contrast etc, but I could also add lines/text, that sort of thing. It, however, is no longer supported. And I miss it.

So I need to find something. I watch crafting shows and they show a segment about digital scrapbooking. And when they say how easy it is to use their software - and then it takes 10 steps to do what I used to be able to do in just a couple... I just hate to spend a bundle on software that I may end up considering a waste...

I'll watch the tutorials, I guess, and see what I think.

Thanks for your advice!

[Beccaberry]

Donna, have you ever heard of GIMP?

[wdwgrandma]

Donna, have you ever heard of GIMP?

No I haven't.

[canesandphins1]

Really like snapseed for the ipad

[wdwgrandma]

Really like snapseed for the ipad

Thanks. No iPad though... just a Toshiba laptop.